Computec Media launches play vanilla in Germany - the world's first women's games magazine

Germany's Computec Media AG's new play vanilla title, the world's first games magazine for women, will be addressing a market that has often been talked about but hardly served. Around a quarter of all computer gamers are female, and the tendency is rising. The first play vanilla issue will be appearing on December 4 as a supplement to the next issue of Joy lifestyle magazine German edition, and on a regular basis from March 2007.

Fresh, bold, upbeat and feminine - four words to sum up play vanilla, Germany's first gaming magazine for women, presenting games with sense and soul along with consumer electronics products and gadgets in smart designs. The play vanilla editorial team will be building on the product-testing expertise of Computec's magazines in dealing with topics that appeal specifically to women in the 19-to-40 age bracket.

Women have been the source of enormous surges in growth on the games market; internationally successful games have already shown a large proportion of female players - 60% for Sims II, more than 30% for the Anno series. Half of the "casual" gamers - more than 54% of the target group for advertising aged 14 or over are female according to a recent study by Electronic Arts and Jung von Matt - as are 44% of the Nintendo DS gamers. Women make up more than a third of all mobile game downloads according to Bitkom presiding committee member Manfred Gerdes (FTD, August 2006).

The first issue of play vanilla will appear as a premium supplement on December 4 - in time for the gifting season - in the January 2007 issue of Joy, Marquard Media's women's lifestyle magazine German edition, at a print volume of 700,000 copies and sales volume of 534,946 copies (IVW III/06). From March 2007, play vanilla will appear regularly as a magazine title in Germany in a format yet to be decided.

"Play vanilla will be serving an interest group that has so far been woefully neglected, a group with enormous potential and specific requirements," explains Petra Fröhlich, Editor-in-Chief of play vanilla and PC Games. "Women want to play too, but are quite different from men in the demands they place on a game. A magazine like play vanilla is inevitable with the increasing numbers of female gamers and games with specifically female appeal. Focus groups and games publishers have shown excellent reactions to play vanilla."

According to Commercial Director Hans Ippisch, "Computec Media has remained true to its pioneering role, and is in a position to offer agencies and media production companies direct access to one of the most rapidly expanding target groups - we are the first publishing house to begin a new revolutionary print and online publication with both women and gaming in the focus. The advertising slots booked for the first issue alone have shown how well the concept has been received by advertising customers."

Johannes Sevket Gözalan, Computec Media AG CEO: "The launch of Germany's and the world's first games magazine for women - play vanilla - is a consistent continuation of our strategy of expanding on our core competencies with innovations dominating the market not only in depth, but also in range, while tapping into the existing target-group potential to the full. We look forward to the challenge of finally presenting what has been a traditionally male domain to women, and satisfying this target group's expectations."

Click here for the play vanilla title-page visual.

Based in Fürth, Germany, Computec Media reaches a readership of millions in its magazines and digital media (DVD/Online) around the world of electronic entertainment every month. Computec Media provides its readership with expert information on digital lifestyle, PC and video games, hardware, movies and DVD, and kids. The company employs a staff of around 150. Computec Media AG is a group member of Marquard Media AG, Zug, Switzerland. Jürg Marquard is the publisher.

For further information, please contact:

Petra Fröhlich; Editor-in-Chief

Tel.: +49 (911) 2872-119; e-mail: petra.froehlich@computec.de

For booking requests, please contact:

Hans Ippisch; Commercial Director

Tel.: +49 (911) 28 72-135; e-mail: hans.ippisch@computec.de