Patterson Follows Clancy Into Games

James Patterson moves into computer games

The games will be aimed at women and middle-aged people – the “casual games market” who may not own an Xbox or PlayStation. Under the deal with developer Oberon Publishing, the games will be available for PCs, online, through mobile phones and, possibly, for Nintendo’s Wii. They will be distributed through non-traditional games retailers, such as bookshops.

“The casual games market is right where I am, with about 70% of my readers and their players being female,” Patterson told Variety. “A lot of people who read my books may think they don’t like games, and we can reach that audience for the first time.

“It strikes me that the videogame area is an incredibly lucrative niche market, one populated by a small number of boys – and grown-up boys – who like to shoot things and spend a lot of money. But that excludes most of the universe,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “What I love about this project is the chance to widen the boundaries of what people can do on the small screen, sort of like what the Wii is accomplishing.”

He’s on the best-seller lists, so he’s someone whose work I’ve avoided.

But I find it interesting that he’s doing this.

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