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Female Gamer Talks Girl Gaming

Snowcone writes "As gaming becomes more mainstream, it's inevitable that many girls will join the ranks of the die-hard gamer. Gaming is typically reserved for those with that extra chromosome, which poses the question; in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority? As a female gamer, Dots @ Snackbar Games discusses reasons why it's ok for girls to enjoy gaming just as much as the guys do." This is another perspective on a much-discussed subject.

121 comments

  1. Gaming is typically reserved... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...for those with that extra chromosome.

    Anyone up for a game of Super Downs Syndrome Racer?

    1. Re:Gaming is typically reserved... by AS400+Hacker · · Score: 1
  2. Choice? by Robmonster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I dont think its a case of female gamers choosing to be in a minority. they choose to enjoy gaming, and hence that automatically puts thbem in the minority. I wonder how many female gamers take on a male moniker when playing online to avoid all the "A/S/L"-ing that always going on when someone called "Susie" joins a server.

    --
    I have no sig yet I must scream.
    1. Re:Choice? by WildFire42 · · Score: 1
      Heh...
      Athlon 2400+ eMachine...$399.99
      Broadband Internet......$39.99/month
      3 Tubes of Lube.........$12.96
      Set of 'C' Batteries....$2.99

      Time spent on
      IRC answering
      random ASL's............PRICELESS!
      I can't take full credit for that, however. I saw it on IRC somewhere...
  3. Girls DO Play Games?! by LordYUK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Of course girls play games. I always see female toons on EQ!

    No, seriously... my girlfriend was addicted to Civ 3, now its NWN... we just got Mario Golf yesterday (god that game is FUN, and I HATE golf!!) and she was really into the N64 version so I expect lots of courses to be unlocked when I get home...

    I tell you what, I've gotten 3 computers in 3 years, along with near constant upgrades on the basis of "but you'll get a better video card/more memory/whatever if I do" =)

    --
    This is my sig. Its pathetic.
    1. Re:Girls DO Play Games?! by Robmonster · · Score: 1

      My misses is more into Console games than the PC games. I've learnt the kind of game she enjoys now, so wheneever i buy a new system I get her one to go with it.

      Mario Golf is good eh? Is that on the Gamecube?

      --
      I have no sig yet I must scream.
    2. Re:Girls DO Play Games?! by LordYUK · · Score: 1

      Yes, mario golf is good... I am not sure if its better than the original (on the 64), because that was VERY good, and I even traded in FF8 for that (believe me, the guy at the EB was like "you're trading in FF8 for ... MARIO GOLF?!" then again, FF8 was a steaming pile of dog shit which was good until I sucked mana, and realized that the game itself, sucked.)

      I suppose the GC version will be more fun once I get used to the differences in the swings...

      --
      This is my sig. Its pathetic.
    3. Re:Girls DO Play Games?! by kmak · · Score: 1

      Offtopic, but one game along those lines that girls really like was Mario Tennis.. I can't imagine one day, I was playing at my dorm with my doors open and a hot chick came in and played Tennis with me.. I'm serious! Too bad I was an idiot and actually kicked her ass.. should've let her win..

      But ya, another good one is Mario Party.. just seems like girls like these party games for many many people..

      --

      I'm not the devil.. just his advocate.
    4. Re:Girls DO Play Games?! by Drantin · · Score: 3, Funny
      Mario Golf
      Mario Tennis
      Or they just have a thing for short italian plumbers...
      --
      Actio personalis moritur cum persona. (Dead men don't sue)
    5. Re:Girls DO Play Games?! by davidhan · · Score: 1

      Have you seen how big his feet are (proportionally)?

  4. Style of play by Robmonster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ladies play games differently to men, so maybe there are not enough games that cater to this difference.

    I remember watching a program years ago which studied the sytes of gamplay of men and women. It wasn't exactly an extensive test but there was a difference.

    For example, one of the games they used was one of the Super Mario games (can't remember which...) The men would run through the level making sure they killed all the enemies on route while women would run through the level avoiding any enemies they could if it meant an easier route through.

    I know thats pretty basic but my misses certainly doesnt enjoy the mindless shoot-em up games.

    --
    I have no sig yet I must scream.
  5. Some good points... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Well, the author does make some good points about why girls should get more into gaming, such as it's another topic of conversation to use on dates, but she makes a lot of assumptions that I don't think she has ever experienced, namely marriage and working in an office.

    She thinks married guys stay out all Friday night to play Halo with the guys? He's more likely getting plastered at a bar, and I doubt her liking video games would prevent this in anyway. Plus, nothing pisses guys off more than when a girlfriend/wife tags along for guys' night out.

    And as for video games in the office...I have no clue how that ties into the gender issue at all. Most companies don't allow employees to even play web-based games, let alone console games. People would end up taking much longer lunchbreaks, and would be constantly sneaking off to play. Not a good idea at all.

    It's kind of funny how the author questions why video games are only for men, but her reasons as to why women should play are just to please their men. She should have come up with some better reasons, like, oh I don't know, video games are fun.

    1. Re:Some good points... by wickedj · · Score: 1

      You know, on most Friday nights, I play Halo with 2 other married couples (me being a single guy). It's actually quite entertaining. If the significant others are on the same team, they come pretty close to having a divorce by the end of the night. My best friend's wife is crazy about DOAX V-ball as well. They always fight over the Xbox. She's also into puzzle games that you can find online. Needless to say, she's a gamer. But one can't help but wonder if she plays just to be closer to her husband.

    2. Re:Some good points... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      one can't help but wonder if she plays just to be closer to her husband.

      How do you know she doesn't play to get away from her husband?

  6. dating game by johndoejersey · · Score: 1

    i remember when all the 'lifestyle programs'/girly magazines were talking about how IT professionals were the perfect 'catch' and that computing was the new way to meet men.

    this is exactly the same, but for teenagers.

    1. Re:dating game by WWWAvenger · · Score: 3, Funny

      Teenagers!? Uh-oh. I guess I better stop going to LAN parties to pick up chicks.

    2. Re:dating game by Boglin · · Score: 1

      I had always hear rumors that those 'lifestyle programs' lie through their teeth, but IT professional perfect catch? That's just outside the realm of reason.

    3. Re:dating game by johndoejersey · · Score: 1
      the articles i read/heard were along the lines of

      earn a half decent wage (mostly true)

      work long hours, dont meet many women = desperate (not for me to say!)
      If that what makes women happy, then more power to them.

    4. Re:dating game by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      Of course, then all of the women that did meet IT guys realized that the 'work long hours' thing doesn't stop just because they have a girlfriend/wife/s.o.

      Many of the guys I worked with when I was doing site installations were divorced or single for good reason: 3 weeks on the road, 1 week home, in the best case scenarios, and the time on the road was spent doing easily 90-hour weeks on the clock.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  7. what choice? by paradesign · · Score: 3, Insightful
    why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?

    what does that have to do with anything? They just want to play too, because guess whay, games are fun. Thats like saying, 'why do black CEOs choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?' They dont choose that. Its not like they turned down the opportunity to be the majority, there was no choice made.

    i think a better question might have been 'Why are women interested in games when they comprise a minority share of the gaming demographic?'

    --
    I want 2D games back.
  8. editorial correction by psxndc · · Score: 5, Informative
    Guys don't have an "extra" chromosome. We just have a different chromosome than girls on chromosome pair 23. An extra chromosome would result in something like mental retardation (trisomy 21 where the there is a third, non-disjoined chrosome in pair 21 is what causes Down's Syndrome). you may begin the "but guys _are_ retards" jokes...... now.

    psxndc

    --

    The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.

    1. Re:editorial correction by jafuser · · Score: 1

      Thanks, you beat me to it and was a lot more tactful than I would have been =)

      --
      Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
    2. Re:editorial correction by JabberWokky · · Score: 2, Interesting
      My SO only has 45 chromosomes (Turner's Syndrome, X0), and she's one hell of a gamer. More of a video gamer than I am, and she's right alongside of me in any RPG. She's also going for her doctorate in chemistry, focusing on quantum chem.

      --
      Evan

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
    3. Re:editorial correction by gazbo · · Score: 2, Funny

      When she does well do you give her a sticker?

    4. Re:editorial correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, a lollipop. She's got to maintain that 'trim' 250

    5. Re:editorial correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha, looks like all of your bitching actually paid off. Most of the grammatical and factual errors in the article have been fixed, not to mention the little editor's disclaimer that now appears at the beginning.

  9. Female gamers - where are you? by Nightlily · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've been gaming for about 4 years now. I didn't get into gaming until I was in college. Honestly, my parents didn't encourage gaming that much. I don't think they discussed the possiblity of buying me a game console when I was a kid.

    Am I into different games than male gamers? Maybe, maybe not. I'd like to think my gender has very little to do with the type of games I prefer.

    I have to admit that I do use male sounding names on gaming servers. I really hate joining a game and being distracted by some 13 year old's sexist comments. But on the same token if I'm kicking some 13 year old's ass and he's making stupid comments, I will inform him that a woman is kicking his sorry ass.

    I am a little disappointed that one of the articles talked about gaming as a way to help women date. I also happen to be an IT professional, and the thought of dating or marrying an IT professional did not factor into my decision to pursue a career in computing. I'd like to think that the fact I love math, puzzles and logic had some influence in my decision. So I'd like to think I game because gaming is a great form of entertainment.

    1. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I've been gaming for about 4 years now. I didn't get into gaming until I was in college. Honestly, my parents didn't encourage gaming that much. I don't think they discussed the possiblity of buying me a game console when I was a kid.

      I'm a male gamer, so it doesn't really apply much to me, but I thought I'd add some things for comparison. I've been a gamer almost as long as I can remember (because I remember my parents getting the Atari 2600, which is the first thing I remember playing games on). My mom played Centipede, Pac-Man, and a handful of other games, and occasionally took us with her to arcades (once she found arcades that weren't essentially bars with games). My parents also took full advantage of the console crash by buying a lot of carts for that 2600 when everyone was selling them for next to nothing. That being said, I know my dad played the games as well, but I don't really remember him spending a lot of time doing it (unlike my mom). My parents never really discussed me getting a console as a kid, they just bought the 2600 and told me to stop playing to go outside, or eat, or whatever. Similarly, they eventually bought an NES (though by this time my parents were divorced, it was my dad and the woman that would eventually become my step-mom). Both systems were kept in the family room for a while, though eventually we had more televisions in the house and the NES moved to a spare room (especially since I played the thing a lot). The first console that was really bought for me was a Turbo Grafx-16, which I had asked for as a Christmas present (actually, I asked for either the TG-16 or a Genesis, and my dad bought the TG-16 after looking up information on which was technically the better system). It wasn't a discussion thing, and my sister and step-sister played games as well, just not as much as I did (in fact, no one in the house played as much as I did).

      Am I into different games than male gamers? Maybe, maybe not. I'd like to think my gender has very little to do with the type of games I prefer.

      I have to admit that I do use male sounding names on gaming servers. I really hate joining a game and being distracted by some 13 year old's sexist comments. But on the same token if I'm kicking some 13 year old's ass and he's making stupid comments, I will inform him that a woman is kicking his sorry ass.


      That's completely understandable. Many of the female gamers I've played TFC with chose non-gender-specific names, or names that many of the 13-year-olds wouldn't always pick up on as being female. Then again, I have played with a handful that are very up-front about it. There seems to be little difference between the character of the women that do either, and in fact many that normally play under feminine names will choose non-specific names when they don't want to suffer even the chance of the crap some people choose to spew forth at female gamers.

      I am a little disappointed that one of the articles talked about gaming as a way to help women date. I also happen to be an IT professional, and the thought of dating or marrying an IT professional did not factor into my decision to pursue a career in computing. I'd like to think that the fact I love math, puzzles and logic had some influence in my decision. So I'd like to think I game because gaming is a great form of entertainment.

      I really don't know where that angle came from in the article, and felt it was possibly the weakest angle such an article could choose. I feel that it makes female gamers seem manipulative rather than just seeing them as any other gamer. When playing a game, there shouldn't be any difference in the way you treat the other players. The fact that my girlfriend plays games only matters because I keep trying to find ways to get her interested in more games that I play, so that we can spend time together instead of letting the games become a sore point when she wants to spend time doing something together.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    2. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by syle · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Well, I can't read the article -- it's already slashdotted -- but it sounds like your complaints are similar to any mature gamers', regardless of sex.

      Obnoxious 13 year olds annoy everyone. Most people don't buy games to get a date -- they hide their games to, in fact. The thought of marrying an IT professional is also not why I got a job in comp sci.

      Really, the whole thing seems a little silly to me. My girlfriend plays Xenosaga and Virtua Fighter 4, neither of which are exactly pandering to women. If you make a quality game, people of both sexes will want to play it. I think the biggest thing stopping more women from considering playing games right now is the social stigma attached.

      --

      /syle

    3. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Kyriani · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Thank you, finally another female commenting on the article. I hate being put in a box, I have always loved games and gaming, for the sake of playing them not to connect with guys. I started gaming at the age where girls think boys have cooties, on an Atari 2600! My parents were geeks, and even then I wasn't encouraged to play on the computer as much as my brother was. I think a lot of girls grow up as non-gamers because they weren't even shown they could use a computer at a young age. I was lucky, I've always been interesting in math and logic problems, and worked my way into the tech industry through QA. I'm now a programmer, and just as avid a gamer as I was when I was 8.

      I also often play male personas, especially in FPS's, I feel that the catcalls and stupid comments interfere with my gaming experience. In MMORPGs its different, I switch between characters depending on their function and how I want to roleplay them. When I play a warrior I usually make it a male, as people often will follow a male's lead over a females. The great thing about games is that gender doesn't really matter, you can be what you want and no one will ever know as long as you don't give yourself away.

      I have male coworkers who game (and not all my male coworkers are gamers) and their wives don't game and they complain about it all day. I could never be married to someone who didn't share my gaming passion, and I can't imagine why they didn't find female gamers to marry except that maybe we are rarer than I thought. I know a lot of female gamers so I can't believe this is the truth. Becoming a gamer as a way of getting dates? It seems ludicrous to me, but I guess I shouldn't knock one way of creating more female gamers as long as they actually become gamers rather than just pretend to get a date.

      --
      Qui tacet consentit
    4. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Saige · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I got started in gaming early. My parents bought an Atari VCS (yes, it wasn't called the 2600 then) back just about when they came out, and I remember them playing Space Invaders on it a lot. Of course, as it was a family thing, I got into playing games also, and just never stopped. When we got our first computer, everyone would work together on the Scott Adams text adventure games. (yes, we eventually beat all of the first twelve of them) My sister is a gamer also, though not as much as I am. She did get herself a Genesis and took it with her to college, and I know she still plays games occasionally.

      What do I play? Whatever I find fun. Civilization, Sim City, The Sims, Quake, Super Monkey Ball, Animal Crossing, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, RPGs, old arcade games on emulators, whatever. I agree with you that I believe my gender doesn't affect the types of games I play.

      I have only played a few games online, and I haven't really worried about whether or not I 'sound' female to others. In Diablo II, I pick character names that I feel fit the character, which instantly makes me the minority around people naming their characters like "XX_KillRBarB_XX". So I never really got bugged there, as by the time anyone found out I was female, I had already been playing with them for a while and determined the person was decent enough to party with that they didn't seem to care all that much.

      When I was playing Quake, on the other hand, I named myself 'Gib-Girl' to make it clear to all the guys exactly who was kicking their ass - it's funny to watch the sexist-type gamers freak out when a woman proceeds to drop him with a railgun 6 times in a row while trying to steal the flag. I rarely got crap from the people there because when I was big into Quake 2 CTF, most of the munchkins were onto Quake 3, so it was more serious players on the servers, and mostly the same people, so we got to know each other - and I got plenty of respect for being good.

      Games for the reason of dating? That's pathetic, I agree. If you're a gamer, and a person you're interested in is also a gamer, sure it will help, but only if you're truly interested in games, and not doing it just to get someone else. After all, when you stop being interested, either you'll have other things in common, which would have been good enough to get along dating anyways, or you won't, at which point the relationship falls apart because it is based on pretense.

      My partner is not a gamer. She grew up in small-town Indiana, on a farm. She never played a game until Solitare on the computer while in college. Since being with me, she's learned to like a few games. From Bookworm and Bejeweled on the PC, to Animal Crossing and Monkey Ball (mainly Monkey Target), to playing Dr. Mario until she was REALLY good (able to start on lvl 20 with fast speed). But it's only the occasional game. I think my gaming has rubbed off on her as much as it's going to.

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
    5. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      Just a minor thing ;)

      My parents bought an Atari VCS (yes, it wasn't called the 2600 then) back just about when they came out, and I remember them playing Space Invaders on it a lot.

      It was an Atari VCS CX2600, with the wood grain panels and hokey switches. Since my dad and most of his friends were into the whole thing at the time, they called it the 2600 to distinguish it from the earlier Atari systems (ie the 1300), and because no one really cared that you had a Video Computer System, but rather what KIND of system you had ;)

      The 2600 name was pushed forward a bit more with the re-releases, and with the release of the 5200, but it was generally just what people tended to call the system (if they didn't just call it an Atari, much like we all called our NES a Nintendo).

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    6. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Saige · · Score: 1

      True, but the packaging sold it as the "Atari Video Computer System" back then. It was years - probably around the time of the 5200 - before the packaging started listing it as the "Atari 2600".

      And yes, it was called just an "Atari" most of the time, just as you pointed out.

      BTW, there was a 1300?

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
    7. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 1

      The Atari 1300 was a printer if I remember correctly. There never was a "1300" console.

    8. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      Actually, I was off a bit, it was the 1200, or even the 800 and 600, all of which were actually computers (more or less) rather than dedicated video game consoles. I remember my dad spent a great deal of time in the garage soldering parts onto boards to build his first computer (I don't remember what the computer was, unfortunately, but it was one of the many kits available in the late 70's/early 80's). Still, since the 1200 came out ~82, I'm thinking that most of that is in my mind simply because of my age, since the first 2600 was released about 3.5 months before I was born, and my parents most likely bought one between 80 and 81 (based on my vague memories of where we lived at the time, since my parents moved to the west coast in late 79 and lived in 2 places before moving to San Diego in 82, and have lived in the same home since 83; also, the plant that manufactured the US 2600 consoles (at least the first consoles) was in the same city that we lived in at the time, until they started doing all the manufacturing in Taiwan).

      Still, most of the people I knew had the wood-panelled systems, except for one friend of mine that had a Collecovision, until the 2600 Jr. came out (for about $50), which played the same carts but was smaller (and 'futuristic'-looking, too!). In fact, from looking around on the atariage faq, I think the model we had may have been the 2600A, because I don't remember the difficulty switch on the top of the unit (meaning it was in the back), but it definitely had that wood panel look.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    9. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by blackwidowb · · Score: 2, Interesting

      -Female gamers - where are you?-

      I'm right here. Thanks for asking. :)

      I love games and have loved games my whole life. I am mainly into RPGs, adventures, and god games, but I'll play almost anything except sports games and flight simulators. I even enjoy networked fps games, as long as I'm not so behind other players in skill that I spend the game permanently dead. ;)

      I never, never started gaming for any guy. I game because it's fun. I game because I enjoy it. In fact, when I started dating my husband, I played computer and console games much more than even he did. He's starting to catch up with me now, though. :P

      So, don't think that you're alone. You're not. We're out here. We just can be hard to find. :)

    10. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Teh+Suq · · Score: 1

      The 600/800/1200 all came out *after* the 2600.

    11. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Teh+Suq · · Score: 1

      Dusting off my brain cells some more, I am not so sure the 2600 was availale before the 600/800/1200. Anyone have a timeline?

    12. Re:Female gamers - where are you? by Teh+Suq · · Score: 1

      VCS came out in 1977. 400/800 came out in 1979. 1200 came out in 1982. Wow, I can remember stuff.

  10. As a guy by Apreche · · Score: 1

    I can say that I would like to see many more girl gamers. Girl gamers are the kinds of girls I would like to go out with, but they are few. I think girls don't game for two reasons. 1) They generally don't like it. 2) there aren't many girl games. It's like football. There are girls who like football, but for whatever reason it's a thing guys like more. It's just the way things are. But as evidenced by things like the sims, there are games that girls will play. Make more of those games.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
    1. Re:As a guy by Ratso+Baggins · · Score: 1

      My 8yr old daughter loves the sims, but do you think I can get her to get ready for school in the morning on time or clean up without being asked or ... ;)

      --

      --
      "we live in a post-ideological world..." - Billy Bragg.

  11. Small correction. by Takeel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Extra chromosome != male. Extra chromosome = wuh-oh.

    Perhaps she meant to say "different chromosome?"

    1. Re:Small correction. by diospadre · · Score: 1

      No, slashdot discriminates against people with down's syndrome. Kind of like the whole microsoft thing.

  12. Girls and games by Winterblink · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I think a lot more girls would actually enjoy playing games if they actually gave some of them a chance. A lot of girls balk at the game industry for being too male-centric, with all the violent first-person shooters, the D&D-style MMORPGs and the big-titted female stars of games like Tomb Raider. All are valid points -- D&D is kind of dorky, first person shooters are violent (gasp) and Lara Croft's hoo-hoos are quite becoming. This one girlfriend I had scoffed most games for a lot of those same reasons, but she still found games to play and enjoy. She thought Final Fantasy 7 was the lamest thing in the world (and hey, admittedly for some people it IS), until she actually saw it being played by me and picked up the controller to start her own game. Next thing I knew the PS1 controller was being fought over more than the TV remote.

    Anyway, I just think a lot of girls out there who won't touch a lot of games because of external appearances and how they perceive the game to be are really missing out on games that have great gameplay, which is really what it's all about.

    --
    "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
    -Hoban Washburn
    1. Re:Girls and games by 010_digital_100 · · Score: 2, Funny
      I totally agree with you. But what I find is that most girls (that I know) are "Nintendo" girls. They have a strong tie to the NES because it is what they grew up on, and it doesn't have a lot of buttons on it. (Easy learning curve)

      My fiancee recently bought me a Gamecube because I really wanted to play Metroid Prime & Zelda...but I can't even touch it. She has taken the Gamecube over to play and beat SuperMario Sunshine, Zelda, Super Monkey Ball, Luigi's Mansion. I've created a monster,I hardly get to play my Gamecube. (or with her for that matter, kiddin)

      I asked her why she was so into the Gamecube, all of a sudden, because she doesn't play PS2, Xbox or Dreamcast. She says she likes the games because they aren't realistically violent (like a SOCOM, MGS, or Metal of Honor) and she likes the puzzles that are a part of the game.

      I never thought I could convert my fiancee to somewhat of a gamer, but here I sit at my computer while she sits playing Monkey Target on Super Monkey Ball.

      --
    2. Re:Girls and games by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I noticed that too. This same girl was huge into puzzle/adventure games like 7th Guest, 11th Hour, Myst, Riven and the like. Any girl I know that comes over and sees me playing Metal Gear or Ghost Recon will usually just zone out, but pull out Animal Crossing or Mario and suddenly your wrestling for the controller. Which can be a good thing too. :D

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    3. Re:Girls and games by Saige · · Score: 1

      Animal Crossing grabs people for similar reasons to The Sims/SimCity. They are games without explicit goals. Thus they're not games that you really lose. You play them, create your own goals - if you want any goals at all - and just have fun doing it. They're about having a lot of freedom and leeway in the activities you choose.

      These kinds of games attract the those with less of a goal-oriented gamer personality. Serious gamers either have, or learn to have, a goal-oriented attitude. To beat the other people, get a new high score, do something in the shortest time, or just accomplish all the goals. Some people don't find this as fun - especially when they're not good at games.

      I think the biggest way to attract more people to gaming is to create more of these games that are aimed more at creating environments to do things in, without concrete goals - or at least make any goals that exist to be optional things. Like in Animal Crossing - if you want, you can try and collect all the fish/bugs/paintings/fossils, but you don't have to. You can try and get your Sims to the top of their jobs and have all the items and have them friends with everyone, but the game doesn't end if you do, and doesn't keep pushing you to do that.

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
  13. Re:Reason for play by DrWho520 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    After reading that article, I have to conclude they have entirely different reasons for playing as well. Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends. That is not why you play video games. You play video games for fun, not so a guy will go out with you or you can get more responsibility at work.

    But I think real "gamer chicks" know that. If I meet a girl who plays video games, it had better be because she likes it, not just so she can get in my pants. Girls are sneaky like that.

    Maybe they are good reasons to get started, but if you never have fun doing it, you will not stay a gamer.

    --
    The cancel button is your friend. Do not hesitate to use it.
  14. Re:What a poorly written article. by lafiel · · Score: 1

    Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill... either you don't read much online, or you felt extraordinarily picky over this article. With all due respect, most articles online aren't Grade-A English essays. Most articles may not even pass the Word 97 grammar checker. There's no need to complain for such a long time.

    So cognitive recognition and memory aren't part of being smarter? She's confusing me by making assumptions about the correct theory of intelligence. She doesn't even bother to state them explicitly.

    She said "I am in no way saying that by playing video games will make you smarter". She's trying to avoid people going up to her and saying "You said playing Halo would raise my IQ" or "I played Counterstrike all night and didn't pass my exam, you said-" etc. Rather she clarifies her position and says the studies would help people remember certain things (whether they are remembering gaming tips or integration techniques).

    It is a well-known fact that working in an office is still sometimes a hard task for a woman to conquer.
    With all due respect, I think video games have rotted her brain a little. Why not "Working in an office may still be difficult for women."?

    Forgive my poor html, it is the best I can do. Anyhow... I don't even see why you had to pull this sentence out of the article to complain about. Many sentences can be reworded different to carry the same message. She wanted to write like that. Perhaps she wished to use the "conquer" word and make it more game related. Simply put: she wanted it worded like that to convey a certain message.

    I'm not flaming you. I just think you're picking at such minute details that reading your post is more annoying then reading the errors in her work. Perhaps you should apply for an editor position at that web page instead and spare us her grammatical inaccuracies beforehand.

  15. Girls in FireArmsMod by Jonsey · · Score: 1

    I play the firearmsmod for halflife... and I clan with [PoP]. While I admit we're nowhere near a group of average on-line gamers (Average Age is 30.5 I believe) we do have a husband wife team playing shoot-em ups.

    But, men, note this lesson well. Not only do women camp incredibly well, they're much better at gloating than we are. : )

    FAMod tends to be about territorial control, so camping isn't quite what it is in some mods... go, read up, /. Firearmsmod.com

    --
    I assert that my comment is only my opinion, not that of any employer, past, present or future.
    1. Re:Girls in FireArmsMod by beders · · Score: 1

      Not only do women camp incredibly well

      I find gay men camp better :P

    2. Re:Girls in FireArmsMod by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      and I clan with [PoP]

      Is that the one where you have to tattoo a "P" on each buttcheek, then greet each other goatse style?
    3. Re:Girls in FireArmsMod by Jonsey · · Score: 1

      No, but I'll raise that as an option when I play tonight.

      --
      I assert that my comment is only my opinion, not that of any employer, past, present or future.
  16. Dynasty Warriors 4 by displague · · Score: 1

    My girlfriend and her twin are more involved in Dynasty Warriors than Leu Bei of the Shu family did so many years ago. They mostly play as the female characters. It's a ton of fun...
    --
    It's a shame Dynasty Warriors 4 didn't preserve my favorite DW *50 kills congratulation - "You fight like the Devil!"

    --
    Marques Johansson
    1. Re:Dynasty Warriors 4 by Niahak · · Score: 1

      Actually, having read Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which Dynasty Warriors is based on) I would like to point out that Liu Bei's life wasn't that fun. In fact, he spent most of his time lamenting the fact that he did this, or didn't do that, because otherwise he might've saved the Han. If you want to read ROTK, which is roughly 2000 pages and is an awful lot like reading The Iliad and perhaps a bit like reading the Silmarillion, it can be found for free at www.threekingdoms.com.
      I would also like to point out that the female characters are largely fictional. Sun ShangXiang is the only female character who is mentioned more than once or twice in the book. Of course, it's great that Koei actually chose to work with some female characters...

    2. Re:Dynasty Warriors 4 by davidhan · · Score: 1

      Twins? Dude, break out the Multi-Tap and go for the three-way.

  17. Re:What a poorly written article. by TephX · · Score: 1
    Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill... either you don't read much online, or you felt extraordinarily picky over this article. With all due respect, most articles online aren't Grade-A English essays. Most articles may not even pass the Word 97 grammar checker.

    I read a lot online, and you're right, much of it is poorly copy-edited. It nearly always annoys me, and I guess I was just in the mood to complain about it this time.

    By the way, I don't know about the Word 97 grammar checker in particular, but every grammar checker I've ever used has been so horrendous I turned it off. Not only do they flag things that are correct (albeit perhaps not considered "best practices"), they miss completely blatant errors. I think one time I deliberately entered a random sequence of words and whatever grammar checker I was testing at the time saw nothing wrong with it.

    She said "I am in no way saying that by playing video games will make you smarter". She's trying to avoid people going up to her and saying "You said playing Halo would raise my IQ" or "I played Counterstrike all night and didn't pass my exam, you said-" etc. Rather she clarifies her position and says the studies would help people remember certain things (whether they are remembering gaming tips or integration techniques).

    I think you're reading that rather charitably, and even so, I see little more justification for it than for the belief that playing violent video games causes real-life violence. I.e., it might be "common sense", but there doesn't seem to be any actual support for it.

    Forgive my poor html, it is the best I can do.

    Of course, but if you want your posts to look more like mine, try the <blockquote> tag.

    Anyhow... I don't even see why you had to pull this sentence out of the article to complain about. Many sentences can be reworded different to carry the same message. She wanted to write like that. Perhaps she wished to use the "conquer" word and make it more game related. Simply put: she wanted it worded like that to convey a certain message.

    If you honestly think that she was being that wordy to try to achieve a particular effect, then I can see why you wouldn't object to her writing style. She can certainly use the word "conquer" if she wants to, but what does "It is a well-known fact that" add to her sentence? As far as I can see, it just increases her word count and makes her article more annoying to read.

    I just think you're picking at such minute details that reading your post is more annoying then reading the errors in her work.

    Well, it should have been pretty easy to tell that my post was a grammar / style flame relatively early on. You could have just skipped over it if you didn't want to read it. On the other hand, then I would have missed out on the chance to see my post criticized on its own terms, so I'm glad that you didn't.

    Perhaps you should apply for an editor position at that web page instead and spare us her grammatical inaccuracies beforehand.

    Touche. (Slashdot doesn't appear to give me any way of getting an e with an acute accent. I find that irritating.)

    --
    I metamoderate all Redundant and Offtopic moderations as Unfair.
  18. What a lame criticism. by theghost · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I'm not flaming you for your punctuational ideosyncrasies.

    I'm flaming you for being a pedantic twit who criticizes the style of the argument rather than the substance.

    If you want to be an editor, send the author a private email indicating her mistakes. Otherwise, stfu unless you have something the rest of us might be interested in hearing. Your response adds nothing to the overall topic. It is purely a personal ego-booster wherein you get to act holier-than-her and show off how big your spelling/grammar-dick is.

    It's fine if you think her style interferes with her substance, but at least address the substance.

    --
    The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
    1. Re:What a lame criticism. by TephX · · Score: 1
      I'm flaming you for being a pedantic twit who criticizes the style of the argument rather than the substance.

      Style and substance aren't totally separable, though. Is it part of the substance of her article that she makes such errors as the multiply-noted (by others) claim that males have an additional chromosome, or her very questionable reasoning as to games improving one's cognitive skills?

      It is purely a personal ego-booster wherein you get to act holier-than-her and show off how big your spelling/grammar-dick is.

      Honestly, the ego boost to me comes from just reading the article. That alone wouldn't be a reason to post a complaint about it. The reason to post a complaint is that I'm a little irritated at the low quality of writing online generally, and I'd appreciate it if people improved it. Although I addressed my complaint towards this specific article (as making the complaint concrete requires an example), I intended its scope to be broader.

      It's fine if you think her style interferes with her substance, but at least address the substance.

      Honestly, I didn't find her substance all that interesting. I thought the topic was at least promising enough to make it worth clicking on the link (I remember reading one article on the same topic which I thought was pretty good), and it didn't really do it for me.

      --
      I metamoderate all Redundant and Offtopic moderations as Unfair.
    2. Re:What a lame criticism. by Rudeboy52 · · Score: 1

      Style and substance aren't totally separable, though. Is it part of the substance of her article that she makes such errors as the multiply-noted (by others) claim that males have an additional chromosome, or her very questionable reasoning as to games improving one's cognitive skills?

      Her wording was wrong in regards to the "extra" chromosone. It should have been different and it has been noted. Her reasoning about the effects on cognitive skills was derived from the following article on Ars Technica.

      --
      ~Cone
  19. Re:What a poorly written article. by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

    eeee

    Just wondering if it works, since you mentioned it ;)

    and in case it doesn't, that's 3 different accents and an oomlaut (gah, did I spell that right?). As long as the text window accepts the entry and the page displays it right, Slashdot shouldn't have to give you a special way to enter the characters.

    --
    -PainKilleR-[CE]
  20. Re:Reason for play by $rtbl_this · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I meet a girl who plays video games, it had better be because she likes it, not just so she can get in my pants.

    Yeah, you tell 'em! I hate it when girls try to get into my pants! How dare they think of me as a sex object!

    --
    "Are you being weird, or sarcastic?" said Emma. I said I didn't know because I get the two feelings mixed up.
  21. Girls are boys too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They only differ in their education, they want to be cute and female. Playing computer games is not cute and female so they don't 'like' it.

    I'd like to try an experiment where girls are risen like boys, and boys like girls. Let us see who is more likely to play computer games then.

  22. No Correction ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you seen the mutants who attend a gaming convention or LAN party?

  23. Re:What a poorly written article. by jafuser · · Score: 0, Redundant
    I would like to consider myself a half-way descent gamer.

    That should be "decent".

    Maybe she likes Descent? D3 was not half bad...
    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
  24. How to convince her to play games? by gooru · · Score: 1

    Just keep in mind that the girlfriend who plays games is rare and a prized jewel. Mine got away. :( Now, how do I convince my current girlfriend to play more video games with me? She's usually reading The New Yorker while I'm having a frag fest, though she does occasionally enjoy button-mashing in Street Fighter games. Sigh.

  25. Re:What a poorly written article. by TephX · · Score: 1

    I believe it's "umlaut" (with one over the first "u", but of course Slashdot won't let me type that). I tried both pasting the character into the text box, as you apparently did, and using the &eacute; escape sequence. The former gave me just a plain "e", and the latter gave nothing at all.

    --
    I metamoderate all Redundant and Offtopic moderations as Unfair.
  26. Dr Mario by Washizu · · Score: 1

    My fiance is a freak for Dr Mario. She also likes Tetris.

    --
    OddManIn: A Game of guns and game theory.
    1. Re:Dr Mario by EvilSporkMan · · Score: 1

      Dr. Mario IS Tetris...Tetris 2...I found this out recently and was rather irritated. Several of my female friends enjoy both games, by the way ^_^

      --
      -insert a witty something-
  27. Article is /.ed... by Reapy · · Score: 1

    ...so I didn't get to read. That said, I think the biggest problem with not having girl gamers is the fact that video games are still not a "girl toy", much like a barby doll isnt a "boy toy". (I'm sure someones going to think of something funny to say to that). Most female gamer's I've run across started because of their boyfriend or husband's addiction. They'll start seeing them, then jump on the gaming bandwagon. Intrest isn't usually enough to keep the player either. A lot of women will be interested in gaming, and pick it up and give it a try, and simply find it too hard to get into. I'm a long time gamer, so picking up a new game isn't too hard for me. That said, I still have a hell of a time doing well in multiplayer games. I don't have the time it takes to get good at them. Usually this drives me away from many games, because going online, losing all the time, and being told to "stfu newb" whenever you say something, is quite frustrating. Really good games I'll stay on for the stretch though. But what if I had never touched a computer game in my life? The frustration would be so much I'd just go back to doing what I've always been doing. Jumpping on a computer isn't natrual to non computer users. Way back I had my fiance jump on rogue squadron because she loves star wars. She couldnt even operate the arrow keys correctly to fly the plane around. I thought using the arrow keys was a natraul skill and easy to use, but she had a lot of difficutly with it. I remember making the switch from doom/duke3d on the keyboard to quake. I tried so hard to play quake with a keyboard, but you just couldn't do it. It took me a while to pick up the mouse/keyboard control scheme. Now throw a novice into a game of q3 or UT and see how hard it is to get going? How can you learn to walk when you are getting blow up ever 2 seconds? Consol gaming is easy to get them into it. Its very entertainment oriented, and the controls aren't overly complex to start out. Actually my last girlfriend kicked my ass left and right on any nintendo game we played together. I couldn't touch her in sf2 on the snes. Her timing in all the competative nes games just dominated mine. She also showed me where everything was in zelda on the snes so I could actually get through the game quite easily. But we broke up, and she's got a girlfriend now... So maybe it is genetic ;)

  28. My view by hether · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My parents didn't let me get a system, so at about my senior year in HS I bought my own. I quickly figured out what kinds of games I liked. It turned out to be games with pretty defined goals. I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next. The only way I got through a few games was with my boyfriend, now husband, walking me through them at places. I can't say this is typical of all girls, but I know at least a few more like me. That's why you'll us playing games like Tetris. The goal there is pretty defined. No guessing that you collect certain items in a correct order, at a certain time on the clock, to get a door to open. I don't like fiddling around with things like that and if I can't figure it out, I'll quit.

    Another thing that really affects which games I enjoy is that many of the 3-D games give me motion sickness. Some are done well enough that it is not a problem, but many are not. That cuts out a lot of the shooter style games, as well as driving games.

    A tip to the guys out there trying to get their girlfriends to play (this should be obvious but it's not always) - don't convince us to play a game that you love and have played religiously, and then kick our butts. Continual losing when you don't even know what button does what yet does not make someone enjoy a game.

    I don't think gaming really provides many dating opportunities on its own. In our case though, the fact that I enjoy games too helps our relationship. If your S/O is a non-gamer, they many really wonder whether that $300 you spent on the new console is worth it and/or envy the time you spend on the computer figuring out the latest RPG because that means you're not spending the time with them.

    --

    Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do.
    1. Re:My view by blackwidowb · · Score: 1

      A tip to the guys out there trying to get their girlfriends to play (this should be obvious but it's not always) - don't convince us to play a game that you love and have played religiously, and then kick our butts. Continual losing when you don't even know what button does what yet does not make someone enjoy a game.

      Amen, sister!

      Sorry, got a little carried away. :) But you are completely right. Guys like to show how well they've gotten at something, whether it's playing a game or hacking a linux kernel. Girls can be very competitive by nature, so they want something that they can have a chance to win at. They don't necessarily always want to win, they just want a chance. When you prove to a girl that you will trounce her at whatever you're doing every single time you play her, she will not want to play that game with you anymore. She can't stand seeing herself flattened by someone over and over again, and it really doesn't provide an oportunity for her to learn how the game works, which is what she is going to want to do.

      A good example is that the first time I really got to play a networked fps is when Quake 2 came out for linux. The CS students immediatly convinced the network admin to install it on the CS network. For my first game, I joined a game with my husband (then boyfriend) and the local Quake god.

      BIG MISTAKE.

      My husband-to-be had played in many lan parties and gotten very good. And the other guy was phenominal. I spent the entire game as a pile of giblets. That almost turned me off from fps games forever, as I felt I would never really be able to learn how to play. It was only a year or two later, when I started playing on the network with beginners and people that had realistic skills that I figured out how to play and really started to enjoy myself.

      I still won't play fps games against my husband. :P

    2. Re:My view by Rayonic · · Score: 1
      I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next.


      My wife is exactly the same way. She likes linear role-playing games like Final Fantasy, but dislikes more open-ended ones like Fallout or Planescape Torment. She just wants to be entertained, and not have to make tough moral decisions.
  29. seems simple to me by Naikrovek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    girls like girl things and boys like boy things. overall this is where things are, where they're going to stay, and where they should be.

    girls like gay men because most gay men think along the same lines as most women.

    men like girl gamers because most girl gamers think along the same lines as men.

    i for one don't care that there aren't many women in gaming - let them do what they want, i'll do what i want. my girlfriend (and my friends who are women) don't try to get me to learn hairstyling or try to teach me the intricate details of fingernail painting, or try to get me to watch sex in the city all the time. i, conversely, don't try to get them to help me work on my car or play any of the games i play.

    why some men want to have a woman that thinks like them is beyond me - i love that my girlfriend spends a lot of money on silly porcelain dolls and frilly house decorations. i don't understand it, but i don't go around trying to recruit women that think like me, or try to convince her that my way (the mans way) is better. She also never tries to get me to watch any program on lifetime, or anything like that. we each love that the other is filling the role that their chromasomes have given them, and enjoying it.

    I for one like the variety that comes with the presence of a woman. i don't want to date someone that knows a lot about computers, and i don't want to date someone that plays a lot of games. I want to date someone that does girly things - things that I don't do. And thankfully my girlfriend wants a man who does manly things and wants nothing to do with girly things.

    most men like women who are women, and most women like men who are men.

    what's wrong with that? let women do their thing, they let me play games and i have no desire to add a woman into my gaming. if she wants in on her own accord, perfect! if she doesn't, perfect!

    my point is that there are few women in gaming for the same reason that there are few men working in beauty salons. most woman that work in a beauty salon want more men in there, and most male gamers want more women to game with, but the reason why its not happening is clear: most men don't *want* do do hair, and most women don't *want* to play games.

    1. Re:seems simple to me by toothfish · · Score: 1

      While i have to admit taking issue with your rigid definition of "guy things" and "girl things", you make a valid point-- most (sucessful) heterosexual relationships come with an undertanding of variety.

      The result, of course, is that nobody really seems to care why girls like certain types of games and why they're not playing many of the ones out there except the people who make or market those games! My girl likes a fighter or Sonic game just as much as the next guy, and we spend our time gaming together (or not) instead of trying to figure out why that kooky y chromosome makes me like Xenosaga while it bores her to tears.

      Seems like every time a game comes out with more than the average number of female fans, everyone tries to figure out exactly why that is and how to "leverage" their "position" with women gamers. Quit trying, I say.

    2. Re:seems simple to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's clear to me from the comments that you posted that you have issues with your masculinity and quite possibly homosexual.

  30. What?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    First they take my rib, now they want my games?! FORGET IT!

  31. Cultural Bias by JavaLord · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Women don't play games because it's seen as boring, dorky, geeky etc. Just like using a computer was 15-20 years ago. I suspect this will change, since every girl now has a gaming system of some type in her house (ie a PC) and most of them carry one on them at all times (a cell phone). Also, console/pc games are a lot more mainstream than they were 10-15 years ago. I think this bias will change with time, and a lot of the younger girls now will grow up playing games, where as women around my age (mid-late 20's) are hopeless if they don't play already. :)

    1. Re:Cultural Bias by JolieBlanc · · Score: 1

      Being a girl gamer, with mostly girl gamer friends, I have to say -- pretty much everyone I know, save for my mom, plays video games. My 10 and 12 year old girl cousins? Play video games whenever they get the chance. My 16 year old sister? Routinely plays through all of the Final Fantasy games over and over, and has beat Kingdom Hearts three times. My 22 year old sister is a Civ III addict. Of the six girls in my dorm room cluster, 2 of us were gamers. I'd say a 30% average wasn't too bad. Though it would be nice if game companies would make games that were a little more interesting, from time to time. :)

  32. Re:Girlfirend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My girlfriend is a hardcore gamer already.

    Is that what you call your right hand?

  33. Re:What a poorly written article. by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

    I believe it's "umlaut" (with one over the first "u", but of course Slashdot won't let me type that).

    That seems right, I've rarely seen the word written out, it was simply spoken quite often in my German classes through high school.

    I tried both pasting the character into the text box, as you apparently did, and using the escape sequence. The former gave me just a plain "e", and the latter gave nothing at all.

    That's exactly what I did, because I don't even know the character sequences for them (since they're unused in English unless you're using foreign words that are commonly accepted). I'm simply glad I never had to type any of my German homework ;)

    --
    -PainKilleR-[CE]
  34. Help me out, here . . . by Mordant · · Score: 3, Funny

    What's a 'girl'? ;)

    1. Re:Help me out, here . . . by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1
      Isn't it the name of the new model they introduced in Half Life 2?

      Guess we have to wait a few more months to find out what type of attack they have.

      --

      MMO Quests are like orgasms:

      You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    2. Re:Help me out, here . . . by kolbeinn · · Score: 1

      Nope. it's the boss monster from that Sims game.

      --
      End of line
  35. Re:Reason for play by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I... I feel so *used*.

  36. Girls at Quakecon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    At this year's Quakecon there will be a females only tournament.

  37. Coincidence? by aetherspoon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When I read this, I was IMed by a female friend of mine wondering when I'll be back to my Uni dorm so she can play more Diablo II. This was immediately after another female friend of mine sent me an email detailing how much fun she had playing Super Smash Brothers Melee as Kirby. ... I'm telling you, female gamers exist. They are all over the place - it is just that most males tend to look at places other than a computer/TV screen when it comes to females. Then again, it might just be that they never ask.

    --
    --- Ãther SPOON!
  38. Re:What a poorly written article. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    eee
    testing the "hold ALT while typing in special numbers method..."

  39. EDITOR NOTE by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 1

    The editor now notes that the article was meant as satire.

    Ok, that makes sense, since otherwise I would have thought it was horseshit.

    However, we might have realized it was satire IF IT WAS FUCKING FUNNY.

    --

    There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  40. Sigh. by binarysearch · · Score: 2, Insightful
    "As gaming becomes more mainstream, it's inevitable that many girls will join the ranks of the die-hard gamer. Gaming is typically reserved for those with that extra chromosome, which poses the question; in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority? As a female gamer, Dots @ Snackbar Games discusses reasons why it's ok for girls to enjoy gaming just as much as the guys do."
    It seems like a rather simplistic view to ask a question like this, because it seems to imply that the only difference between females and males are, say, their genitalia. It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book The Sneetches, in which half the Sneetches had a star on their belly, while half did not, and machines that could add or remove the star caused a great many rhymes and so on... the point is, the "ranks of the die-hard gamer" are not asking whether you have stars on your belly or not; if you want to join, you play games.

    Perhaps, as Steven Pinker discussed in his book The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, the reason that more girls aren't gamers is that they simply aren't interested. The book points out that the entry ratios for male and female applicants to undergrad math/science/engineering courses are often about 50:50, but many more female students than male decide to persue other interests; when interviewed, they often reveal that they attended the math/sci/eng. course due to pressure from family or teachers.

    Pinker also makes note of the fact that while professional women (snicker) do often make less money than their male counterparts, they usually do so because they place a higher priority on leaving the office in time to spend time with their children and families than do most corporate-ladder climbers missing a chromosomal arm; they are willing to trade money and status for things that males are not.

    Of course, I'm not trying to make sweeping generalizations, shoving people into cubbyholes, but statistically, this is what seems to happen.

  41. Women have it better all around. by Thinkit3 · · Score: 1

    Male goes to aerobics class. Most women shun him and think he's gay. Women walks into LAN party. Every guy in the room (most of whom are single) wants her and caters to her every whim. Luckily prison populations are increasing so the sex ratio can go back the other way. Right now there's far too many men.

    --
    -Libertarian secular transhumanist
    1. Re:Women have it better all around. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My first lanparty, all the other players spawncamped my wife.

  42. If girls play more video games... by ErisCalmsme · · Score: 1

    But are less violent than males overall...
    Would that make it harder for those who try to prove that video games cause violence? Or would they just change the debate to "video games cause violent behavior in MALES" ?

    --
    Chaos is Divine *
  43. Re:Reason for play by sahala · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends.

    Such is life, and to a large extent there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. Furthermore I would add that this is the way people are in general, whether it's about videogames or anything else. Both men and women will do things to include themselves in some social unit. The only difference is that women will generally see the relationship benefits of the activity, whereas guys tend to be oblivious to this sort of thing.

    I guess this is just further affirmation that gaming is getting more mainstream, since it's evaluated in contexts other than 13-year-old l33t 1-0wn3rz-j00 circles. We'll probably find that other groups of people will have different motivations for getting into gaming, and this is a good thing. One thing I've observed is that some people that have never played games before have recently gotten into a particular game and have kicked some serious ass (I'm talking console/fighting games and first person shooters). I'm actually quite pleased that being a good gamer does not require a history of geekiness, although this is a theory that is still left to be proven.

  44. Right... by mobileskimo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you play video games and he plays video games then you have something to talk about. Not to mention something to do together that you both enjoy.

    so why not just play and make better grades.

    and my favorite

    Your boss goes in there when he gets really stressed about something to play a good game of Halo. You go in there and ask if you can join him. You play a round of Halo with his and voila! Instant respect.

    Makes you kinda wonder if Dot is really a girl, doesn't it?

    Imagine for a moment Dot is a girl saying these things. Now imagine Dot is really a guy saying these things. Draw your own suspicions.

    --
    "Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
  45. Preview by mobileskimo · · Score: 1

    There's no need to post these trials. Try using the preview button instead. Remember that button? The one next to submit?

    --
    "Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
  46. Poor Excuse by mobileskimo · · Score: 1

    TephX has every right to critique it. If you put it out on print, expect it to be critiqued.

    Spelling and grammar checkers may be horrible, but what does it cost you to run them? 2 minutes of your time? Afterwhich you can choose to correct your mistake or dismiss it.

    If you publish an article, especially a feature on a website, your intention is to convey a message to an audience. In addition, most writers have the desire to establish themselves as representatives, and generate interest in their views and opinions. Usually, people expect the writer with such responsibilities to have writing skills.

    Otherwise, we have propogation of poor writing by example. Why do that when you can have propogation of better writing to improve everyone's skills.

    Conventions about posts and comments on a forum are different. Just as they are for personal letters, IM messages, personal e-mails and corporate e-mails corporate. If you don't understand this then the point is lost.

    --
    "Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
  47. Instant Survey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many female slashdotters are wh0rez and how many female slashdotters have knowingly participated in pr0n (that's pornography to you ladies). To rephrase, how many girls on this site knowingly perform sexual acts on video knowing that they will likely be shown on the internet? Inquiring minds wanna know!

  48. Ms. Quakecon by mrpuffypants · · Score: 1

    This year at QuakeCon 2003 there will be the very first female gaming tournament in the event's history. The turn-out is expected to be a mix of boyfriends, hangers-on, and droolers.

    More details here.

  49. Second the motion by mobileskimo · · Score: 1

    Why are you flaming him for his criticism at all?

    I am interested about the quality of the writing since I had the same views. I was wondering if anyone else noticed this too. So it's quite relevant. Could it be that there are people that share the same opinion, but not yours?

    I might accuse you of the same ego-boosting by being her champion and defending her poor writing. Or perhaps you feel righteous in displaying your compassion in print.

    The importance in poor writing style actually has impacted my evaluation of whether the the website is worth my time to ever visit again. Had I seen his critique, I might have avoided the frustration of trying to muddle through her arguments.

    Quite frankly, I find her excuses for her arguments (content) just as poor as her writing style. I suggest anyone who thinks of clicking on the link to avoid it.

    BTW, anyone using the acronym STFU and having to resort to profanity in general, is usually regarded by most readers, especially on slashdot, as having weak arguments. Not that I think that about you. Just a general perception. I might suggest you pick better words. Just trying to be helpful :)

    --
    "Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
  50. Email to Snowcone by mobileskimo · · Score: 1

    Dear Snowcone and Dot,

    Please forgive me for the fact that this may belong in the discussion forum, however, since I do not have permission to post, I present to you here some support and counterpoint insights. This is in response to "chick gamer".

    Let me start by saying that the fact that society teaches girls to play with barbies and boys to play with hotwheels, is in my humble opinion, two halves of a full glass, in which the glass can not be filled unless both are present.

    While its true indeed that "society" teaches us from an early age that boys play with hotwheels and girls play with barbies, nobody seems to want to dig deep enough and uncover the importance of why this is. Thinking simply in this case helps to elucidate my point. Toy cars are as inanimate an object in real life as they are in their representation in toy form, while Barbies are inanimate representations of walking, talking, emotional people in real life. The point is males suffer from social skills by playing with hotwheels since their target of attention is on possessions of property, not people and interactivity. I propose to you that playing with Ken and Barbie dolls for ten years, and especially with others that play with them, will forge better understanding of human emotions and personalities, than Tonka trucks.

    However, this is not a one sided coin. Playing with barbie dolls necessitates events, conditions, active content, without which there is nothing interesting about Ken or Barbie. Planes and trains, while missing the emotional content, have all the ingredients of action. They were designed and manufactured to move, fly, crash, chase and honk.

    Is it any wonder that the stereotype married couple consists of the "bored housewife" and the "emotionless husband"? Is it any wonder that traditionally for centuries, women have been excluded from the affairs of business (most notably manufacturing, engineering, finance, property) and we've expected men to work in industries, write laws, and serve the government and it's extension the military. In addition to the ethical and moral reasons that have usually been the focus of equality rights, from an effectiveness standpoint, this is very flawed. The key pivot for business has always been about relationships. The key pivot for government is how we treat one another. The cascading effects of all this and why it's in shambles is for another discussion and I digress.

    Videogames, although originate from the same vain as toy cars, have been progressing rapidly toward an endstate that supports both models (toy cars and Barbies). More importantly, it can support both together. With the introduction of multiplayer, in many of its forms, such as consoles with multiple controllers, online, and converging technologies for handhelds, it won't take a brain surgeon or prophet to see that the digital games industry may bridge the gap between the sexes, for so many reasons. Many examples exist today that break the barriers. These examples, I will point out, allow anonymous participation where girls stomp through boy's territories and boys skirt through the girl's fields. Better still, is the fact that in light of these conditions, many take their traditional "roles" and enjoy it. It's entirely up to the person.

    As far as dating is concerned, to promote girl's to play videogames as a method to closer understanding boys is probably on the right track, but similarly, I would recommend to boys to take an interest in and practice the art and process of what girls do. However I must stress to you the fact that since videogames are more accessible to girls now, and will be more in the future, it behooves the girl to atleast look into it as you state, especially for online. The bottom line being that [1] most geek guys are starved for female attention, [2] furthermore female _geek_ attention, [3] quantity and quality of emotion, time, other resources invested is at the discretion of the player. However, to force one's self to like something because someone else does,

    --
    "Last one in is a rotten goblin!" - Kepp
  51. Why? by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 1
    From the summary:

    "in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?"

    Why? THIS is why.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  52. not quite by Xtifr · · Score: 1

    Extra chromosome != male. Extra chromosome = wuh-oh.

    That was my initial reaction too. But in fact, men have an extra kind of chromosome (Y), which women lack, so the statement is not entirely unreasonable. Even if it is a little disconcerting. :)

  53. Any ladies in this thread tonight? by AhPookTheDestroyer · · Score: 1
  54. Snowcone... by anvilmark · · Score: 1

    is probably a guy... :)

  55. played games for the past 15 years.. by lady_J96 · · Score: 1

    I am what you would call one of those few with the extra chromosone. I have played video games for the past 15 years and still going strong. I spend the good portion of my time playing online games, mostly first person shooter games. Name a game and I have played it, beat it, and taken on several of my male friends. I do not play because I want to fit in or view myself as a minority group. I play for the fun and love of the game itself. Why you ask do women put themselves in a group where they are going to be a minority? Well, I don't view myself as a minority. You seem some girls know what gaming is all about and what goes into making a game, how to sit and enjoy the full beauty of the game. I do not play the "girl" games as some may put it, like mario, and powerpuff girls or whatever is out there. I want adventure and challenges of which none of those games can give me. I think that all games are geared equally to both male and female. I am really looking forward to doom3 and HL2. My BF and I sometimes play quake with our friends over our lan and it's great. I get exited when I get a new map or new character mod. I am not the minority and never will I feel that way. I feel that this may be an issue to some men because maybe they fear the world that once they called there's will soon be dominated by women. More and more women are becoming more acquainted with today's technology and are not only playing the games but some are taking part in making them. See for yourself!! http://www.igda.org/board/

  56. Dumbass. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fucking retard.

    clue--;

  57. I really screwed up the whole wife gaming thing... by skogs · · Score: 1
    when I giggled at her. Turns out she had spent the last week trying to learn how to play half life...so that she could maybe go online and play counterstrike with me.

    She got all excited when I came home early from work one day and she was sitting in front of my computer...she tried to hide it. I told her to go ahead and sit and play and I would marvel at her wonderfulness. I was really excited that she would learn to play with me.

    I couldn't help myself. I laughed at her when I realized that she was trying to play the game with teh arrow keys instead of wasd. She was so upset and frustrated that she's never played with me again. That was over a year and a half ago.

    I am a bad bad husband.

    --
    Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey Him? Surely this computer must submit also!
  58. No offense, by Freston+Youseff · · Score: 1

    but even a retard could get a PhD in chemistry. hugalugalugalugalug.

    --

  59. Re:What a poorly written article. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Redundant? Maybe offtopic; but since nobody else seemed to joke about this, it's not redundant.

  60. mod parent up +5 insightful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Indeed.

  61. Re:I really screwed up the whole wife gaming thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You laughed because she used the arrow keys? I don't understand this. I have been playing FPS for what seems like forever now and have always used the arrow keys to advance and strafe. I have friends who like to laugh about this setup as well. Usually after I hand them a beating in whatever game we are playing my keyboard setup becomes a moot point.

  62. Re:Article is /.ed... by Hoho19 · · Score: 1

    "stfu newb".... that is hte funnies thing ever *sorry I don't online game and that is just so funny to me*

  63. Girl Gamers by randomlogik · · Score: 1
    I dunno. I was always under the impression that most girls dont play games as much as guys. Then I took a look around my social circle (the females).

    My girlfriend: Has a SNES and a GBA. Loves 2D platformers, racing games and weird games. Likes: Burnout 2, Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure DX, Wario Ware. Dislikes: Quake, Street Fighter, Ikaruga.

    Female Friend #1: Has a GC and a NES. Likes plaformers and puzzle games. Likes: Super Monkey Ball 2, Mario Sunshine, Zelda. Dislikes: F1 2002, Grand Prix Legends, All Sports titles.

    Female Friend #2: Has a PC and a PS2. Likes strategy and RPGs. Likes: Morrowind, Civ 3, Diablo 2, Age of Empires. Dislikes: The Sims, Armoured Core 3.

    Female Friend #3: Has a Mac, PC and a PS1 and PS2. Likes: FPSs, Shoot-em-ups. Likes: Q3A, UT2K3, TFC, Tribes 2. Dislikes: Puzzle Games, Racers and RPGs.

    Looking at my gf and friends, i dont really see a pattern in types of games they play, or the way they play. Oh and all of these people are damn good at the games that they like. #3 ranks well amongst the better UT2K3 and Q3A players.

    I dont know if its just me, but nowadays I see a lot of girls in the arcades, and a fair few of them in the LAN outfits as well.

    I think these analysis' of female game players are more or less looking and segregating the opposite sex too objectively. Is is that there are just as many female gamefans, that just dont want to openly admit it as much as males?

    All of my female friends pretty much play games of one sort of another - they just dont get as fanatical discussing it over coffee as i do with my male friends.