studio chief bonnie ross gave me a taste of the action, along with the game's number two in charge, kiki wolfkill. two women at the top of this male-dominated game, both, you know, the players and the people working on it. >> the game world is changing. we are seeing far more women come in, at a younger age, right? there are far more game programs in school and i think it's seen as a less intimidating world. >> reporter: the game's brought in $22 million in its first 24 hours, eclipsing many hit movies. ross says part of the reason is because games like halo are not just games. there is a detailed story and characters, too, which is staff obsesses over down to the smallest detail. the visuals are stunning, at times more like a movie than a game. artists slave over every frame. there's even a lighting department, who art financially adds light and shadow. so, are you guys crazy perfectionists here or what? >> we are crazy perfection. some of the lighting, not unlike a movie is about focusing the eye on where you want the player to go. some of it is purely for sort of dramatic reasons. and some of