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Girls Got Game
Via Joystiq, a story on the ABC News site discussing the (gasp) rising interest in games within the fairer sex. From the article: "I think it's easy to kind of stereotype that women don't want to shoot or that women don't want to do sports or that women don't want fast-paced action...I don't think that's true. I think that was part of the reason the industry wasn't speaking to women before." As Mr. Zackheim comments, I believe it more to be a lack of interest/effort on the gaming publisher's part that has resulted in the current player demographic profile.
One of my female friends who is studying to get into the gaming industry believes that some girl gamers, particulary those in development roles, push other girls away. She backs this up by saying that the majority of girl gamers (that she observes) play games "like men."
She thinks that there is probably a greater percentage of girls who enjoy games like The Sims or many MMORPGames, and I happen to agree. She further thinks that if there were more games like this brought to the market that focused on girls then there would be more girls in games (both developing and playing), as opposed to the girls who play FPS and other primarily male-orientated games.
I'm reluctant to agree, as I'm not a girl, but I still find it an intersting viewpoint.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
I really doubt the kind of games that sell now will ever be taken up en masse by females. This almost sounds like feminism to me. Women are equal to men, I think most would agree. But, why is women gaming so important? If women don't game as much as men (by choice, mind you), does that mean there is some great imbalance and injustice? Are women less equal for some reason if they don't play games?
The whole medium of video games was based in the early days on fast reflexes and\or puzzle solving (mainstream I'm talking about, I know about text games, but they weren't huge sellers, were they?). Why can't people accept that maybe for whatever reason, puzzle solving and finger twitching might not appeal to most women, and that doesn't mean their any less equal to guys if it doesn't.
Heh...
I find it sort of funny that a girl is gaming right next to me. PLaying stepmania on her laptop.
Of course, she also plays RPGs and MMORPGs and, like the article mentioned, Sims2.
I find it funny, though, that they talk about stereotypes... And then almost perpetuate them. Anecdotes != proof, but aside from FFXI and then one of my friends playing Sims... None of my female gaming friends fit the stereotype. They all play action games, and most of them love RE (Which, you know, is mentioned... But to me, those seemed to be portrayed as the exceptions to the rule in the article. *shrug*).
(Again, funnier, she turns to me and mentions how she beat her boyfriend in Halo over the weekend. Hahah...)
MY wife plays games all the time, she plays ET with me, bloodrayne, Half Life 1&2 and we have both played countless MMORPG's. The interesting thing is that she will only play the MMORPG's without me, the other games she won't touch unless I am around. I think many women do this, and with how many guys play a female char in MMORPG's its hard to truly understand how many females are playing, but rest assured that I know of plenty, it just takes teh right game to bring the females in :)
**It runs through my veins like radioactive rubber pants! Do not deny my veins!**
I don't think it redundant. I just think that that there are a lot of girls who don't even know such games exist. They think of games and the imagine Doom, or Halo. This appeals to some girls, but the others want to create, manage and be social rather than rack up frags.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
I was quite surprised to learn recently that 40% of PS2 gamers were female. Mostly children and teens, but even so, I had expected the numbers to be way more seriously skewed. Based on my completely scientific analysis of the people I know, it sure seems that the adult gamers are still very much predominately male though.
For whatever reason, these types of articles or comments always put me into this semi-amused/semi-annoyed mood, as if girl-gamers are so difficult to figure out.
The PS2 and the Cube are *mine*; they do not belong to my brother. Of course, my game library contains "typical attractive to female gamers" games (RPGs), but on the Mac, I can hold my own. My Scintillating Sphere saved our arses last night when we were playing through NWN, and I've brought the flag over to our side a few times in Elite Force. I may not be into the war games of which my brother is so fond, or the whole 'Rainbow-6' genre like my brother, but I do like the sci-fi FPS. I even liked Oni, a shame what happened to Bungie... I also happen to be a regular on a gaming forum, but I'm one of two female regulars.
I play the SIMS, but my brother plays it more than I do since there's a distinct lack of magic missiles in that game. I didn't play FFX-2.
So how hard can it be? But then, perhaps I fall into 'atypical', seeing as how I'm the only one at the store who can recognise that the shirts a regular customer of ours wears come from ThinkGeek.
This is just personal experience, but I remember many girls into video games when I was a kid and games were 2D. The first home system I ever played was an Atari 2600, and it belonged to a girl.
I think that the move to 3D gaming may be partly responsible for fewer girls playing games. In studies I've read about the differences between women and men, generally they all say that we're about the same EXCEPT that men are better at 3D thinking. From thisarticle that I quickly Googled, "...Men perform better on some cognitive tests, like visualizing 3D objects. Women tend to have greater verbal abilities..."
I'm no expert, but if this is correct and applicable, women are on average at a disadvantage with modern 3D games.
Simple, the girl online isn't going to slap you/knee you in the groin (Unless she knows you) or tell all the other girls you're member is tiny because you was an asshat to her.
"I may be full of crap about this game, and I may be wrong, and that's fine." -Jack Thompson
However what this have to do with gaming? If you make this a 100% skill where men got it perfect and women don't have it at all then all it would mean is that women could not edit the skins for 3D objects that is so popular in modding. That after all requires you to "see" where the pixels on the flat skin are going to end up on the 3D model.
It has no relation with 3d gaming since no study has shown that women are less adapt at moving around in a 3D world (kinda like the one outside your eyes). No parking jokes please.
Also more women play now then in the days of 2D gaming.
So the difference is very real but it just doesn't relate to gaming. If you don't believe me take such a teste and then play a FPS game and try to find such a test in it. Only 3D tetris would be slightly harder for women. Running around Brothers in Arms would not.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I actually haven't run into that a whole lot. I spent a lot of time playing Q2CTF on a few servers, and received very little harassment during the overall time I was there. The occasional person would come by and say a couple things, but overall people were friendly to me without being overly so. It was a very enjoyable experience.
I've had a little bit of it over Xbox Live Halo 2, but it's been usually the exception. The only thing I've really had to deal with is random people friending me after a game - I'm just used to declining them.
Most of the obnoxiousness I've seen has not been directed at me personally, but just teenage boys in general trying to pretend they're something incredibly cool or such. And those people are obnoxious to EVERYONE. It's unbelievable how much feedback I leave about people being lewd, obnoxious, or threatening - and I don't do it without good reason.
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
I'm a female gamer, and I like looking at scantily clad hot women to. I'm asuming all women do, since women's magazines and comercials for women's products often feature just that. Female gamers started gaming because they like games the way they are; if games are changed to bring in more female gamers, it's only going to make male gamers and current female gamers mad. Is it worth new customers to alenate your current customers?
Yes -- I'm always amazed at how themainstream media "discovers" girl gamers every few months. Although, every year when I go to E3 (the big games trade show), plenty of industry professionals are surprized by the women's gaming angle as well.
I always mention this, so the best source out there for mainstream girls gaming news is http://www.gamegal.com/.
Its realllllll simple. You are looking at the Internet Tough Guy syndrome, or as it is better know, ITG.
The ITG is a person that will insult you, call you a fag, make fun of your mother and degraded your sexually because he knows you will not be able to reach through the compute and start punching him in the face. The ITG can be a pasty 13 year old to the 35 year old virgin, or any one in-between. Hell, even the best of us have gotten a bit of ITG maybe once or twice, but in a game like CS:S they are all over the place. Until the day comes around where you can go to around and beat up people from the internet ( a la Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) you are going to have to put up with ITGs.
Well personally I love gaming. I'm just not a huge fan of killing stuff. I've noticed that most games in the end are a blood hunt. I play games with invold killing things ...www.game.org...mmm TEXT ...
But personally I'd rather not see huge amounts of blood all over my screen. I REALLY wish that game makers would make a few more games today like the old (early 90s lates 80s) Day of the Tentical or Zork, Monkey Island(all of them) and Loom. (No not Doom, Loom). IE collect tons of dumb stuff and puzzel it together WITHOUT the need to kill more then a few plants. It's the type of game even my sister who thinks gaming is almost evil can't help but enjoy for hours.
Life is like untied shoe laces; it always tripping you up and getting in your way.
This is more of a "social" problem, than just a gaming problem, and it seems to be exaggerated by the internet. The internet provides a shield of anonymity, making it easier to get away with this sort of thing.
Not All Who Wander Are Lost