A video game about...spa treatments?

By Jessica Mintz

updated 9:51 p.m. ET July 18, 2007

SEATTLE - What do women want? Apparently, the answer is video games about beauty treatments.

The Lifetime cable network and digital media company RealNetworks Inc. announced a partnership this week to create a series of downloadable games for women.

The first "Lifetime Presents" game, "Sally's Salon," is set to launch July 25 on RealArcade, RealNetworks' casual games site, and on Lifetime's own Web site. In it, players direct Sally through a virtual beauty salon by performing and customizing beauty services and hiring employees.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the companies said Lifetime Television would promote the games on TV and online, and RealNetworks would run advertisements for Lifetime television programs inside some of its games.

RealNetworks and Lifetime, which have been collaborating on games for women since 2004, did not say how the games would cost.

Casual games with themes such as makeovers, prom dresses and cleaning have made the games section of Lifetime's Web site its most popular section, with millions of games played each month, Lifetime said.

Lifetime is jointly owned by The Walt Disney Co. and The Hearst Corp.

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