Like many lifelong gamers I was hugely excited to hear the news today that British arcade classic Dizzy may be being re-released for the high definition age. The 8-bit platformer that started life on the Spectrum, Commadore 64 and Amstrad CPC was a constant source of joy in my schooldays, right up until it appeared on the Sega Megadrive. But we haven't heard much from the intrepid egg or his yolk folk ever since.
Dizzy left a huge gap in the gaming market that has been filled to a certain extent by Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog. But neither has the quirky charm of the Codemasters series that was always full of fun and off-beat humour. Could this perhaps be due to the perception of platformers being the domain of girly gamers and of female fans as 'casual' users?
My own love for platform games has certainly been roundly mocked by male partners in the past ("isn't it essentially just jumping on things?") and the term 'casual gamers' to refer to those who avoid the more macho titles is not only patronising but factually incorrect: I'm pretty sure I've wasted just as many hours moving blocks around and *cough* jumping on things as most players of both sexes who go in for fighting or role-playing games!
Dizzy on one of his adventures
I've also watched my (male) partner work his way through a wealth of games that held little or no appeal to me in recent years and have often felt that those who loved Dizzy and its ilk are under-catered to. To an extent it's all to do with marketing: most games are advertised aggressively towards men and for many women that's simply off-putting. When Dizzy first appeared on computer screens the message was more gender neutral, which could account for a certain female following.
Gamers of both sexes are into a wide range of game concepts, and I would never claim that my own taste in pixelated entertainment is universal to all women. But I do remember the fun I had playing Dizzy and many similar games with girl friends at school, and I'm not sure we'd have done the same in today's market where the two main choices are hardcore fighting games on the one hand or soppy puppy-raising games on the other. Platformers can appeal to boys and girls with a taste for problem-solving, and I'd love to see a few more of them, just like the old days. Yay for Dizzy and the Yolkfolk!
More news is expected to be released by Codemasters tomorrow.
[Image: Amy Dianna]