Games Let You Play Housewife, Hit Man

Desperate to be one of the “Desperate Housewives”?

After finding mixed success adapting big-budget movies, video game publishers are starting to experiment with television shows.

At the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo this week in Los Angeles, game makers unveiled a collection of titles based on popular shows, including “Desperate Housewives,” “The Sopranos” and “24.”

Analysts said these games might fare better than movie-based titles because popular shows build an audience over time, giving developers a large, loyal fan base to tap into. And television plots evolve episodically, so fans can imagine alternative stories involving their favorite characters.

“With TV shows, there is more material to work with,” said Anita Frazier, entertainment industry analyst for market research firm NPD Group. “The program lives with consumers in their homes. It’s on more often. It’s a more intimate relationship.”

These TV-to-PC game adaptations might also attract elusive female players -- particularly women in their 40s and older.

“No one’s found a way to get those consumers to play video games,” said Henry Jenkins, director of the comparative media studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “The gender gap between younger men and women seems to be closing. Older women, not so much.”

The electronic dollhouse game “The Sims” is the notable exception. It is one of most successful PC game franchises of all time, selling more than 60 million copies since its introduction in 2000. And more than half of the players are women, who, Jenkins notes, tend to gravitate toward games that emphasize social interaction over blasting off body parts.

“I’ve been wondering why no one has attempted to replicate the success of ‘The Sims,’ ” Jenkins said. “ ‘Desperate Housewives’ is perfect content for that. Look at the demographic of the show. The hard-core gamer isn’t watching ‘Desperate Housewives.’ It’s aiming at a different consumer.”

Buena Vista Games Inc., the interactive entertainment arm of Walt Disney Co., is betting that the allure of Wisteria Lane -- and the opportunity to live the gossip, drama and intrigue -- is strong enough to pull women in.

The player adopts the role of new housewife who moves into the neighborhood and begins to discover the secrets hidden beneath the veneer of the seemingly perfect suburban tract. How the player interacts with the familiar television characters -- whether she decides to befriend someone like Gabrielle or smack her -- determines the game’s outcome.

Publisher THQ Inc. of Agoura Hills licensed the equally popular HBO series “The Sopranos.” Mob fiction is more familiar grist for video games, with its underworld characters and bursts of violence. Players portray the illegitimate son of a character from the first season, who attempts to rise from a low-level enforcer in Tony Soprano’s organization. The game will be developed for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 video game consoles.

Both games received the support of the shows’ creators and screenwriters, who helped develop dialogue that rings true to the shows’ characters and plot. In the case of “The Sopranos,” the original actors deliver lines in the game.

“It’s very rare to get this kind of complete support from the creator and the talent of a property,” said David Miller, THQ’s director of global brand management. “We’re very excited. We’re very fortunate to be in this position. We hope the fans will like it.”

The exploits of “24” agent Jack Bauer are such fertile ground that the Fox series has inspired both a console game and, now, a game for mobile phones that offers fans a quick fix -- the opportunity to engage in a quick virtual car chase or defuse a bomb.

“It’s a great way to extend the brand to a new medium,” said Mitch Feinman, vice president of digital content for Fox Mobile Entertainment. “And it’s an interesting potential revenue stream.”