Candy Crush Saga is a free match-three puzzle game available on different mobile platforms since 2012. The game is very simple to operate, as only the action of swiping is required for the users to swap the colors of candies to match a line of three or more of the same color, to blow out these candies as the game move on. Different goals and special effects are designed for a number of levels. As a popular game developed by King, the game has developed into several different versions, with nearly 100 million players by 2014.
Candy Crush is a game targeted at females, or at least a game that is better received by female players than male ones. According to the player data released by King.com, 69% of Candy Crush players are female (Thompson, 2013). The user interface of Candy Crush is designed using bright, saturated colors, with cartoon effects that do not demonstrate a hint of masculinity commonly observed in games for male players (Wright & Black, 2013). The use of sweets, including candies, chocolate, gummy bears and sodas are associated with females as well. The music and sound effects used in the game are also associated with femininity. Finally, compared to male players, who are likely to invest more time and energy into games, female players prefer simple, light-hearted games to fill out their spare time. For instance, while waiting for a bus or inside the subway.
Although the initial attempt of King.com to develop Candy Crush may not be gender specific, they have clearly reoriented their strategy in response to the much larger percentage of female players. This attempt to create a female gamer market should not be criticized. Targeting the specific needs of females should not be equated with gender stereotyping. Instead, the sexualization and simplification of female characters in many male-dominant video games are indeed stereotypes (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2009). The difference between Candy Crush and these games is that it targets the need of females specifically, instead of objectifying the female gender. Just like any product should have its target customer group, it is justified to included female-preferred elements into games targeting the female player market.
Candy Crush is a brave and successful step to diversify the video games market, by exploring the potential of the female players’ market. In terms of game design, female gaming market need to see more colors that differentiate from the dark style of many existing games. It should be noted that color and design are becoming increasingly integrated into games, making them more female friendly. For instance, the popular Monument Valley is a puzzle game that has a fair level of difficulty, but without the dark and violent elements. This makes the game much better revived by both genders. The addition of aesthetics into a video game in terms of color, sound, and design are important to attract more female players and further expand the market.