Do you agree with this?

[Mellez]

Just something I had to do for Society and History class.

 

Please tell me if you agree with what is written here.

 

 

 

And please, if you have time, fill in the short questionaire below.

 

~Are you male or female?

 

~How long have you been playing MMORPG's for?

 

~Where do you live? (Canada, Australia, America, England, etc)

 

 

 

 

 

Do women want different things in games than men do? The Executive Producer of Her Interactive, which makes the Nancy Drew series of games aimed at teenage girls, says they do. Speaking at the Game Convention currently going on in Liepzig, Germany, Robert Riedl believes women and girls want a game that is based in reality, not fantasy, and has a well-built plot, among other basics.

 

 

 

Its possible that women as a gender may think differently about video games than males do. But I have to wonder why. Some say women cant do the maths that men can do, and therefore woman would never make it in a video game, or in real life, for that matter (wrong). Plenty of girls I know love MMORPGs, read fantasy and science fiction, and like to kill monsters on video games just because they can. And plenty of guys want the same: a storyline, a reason to kill things, and some realistic features in the game.

 

 

 

Despite the market research, women are out there playing all kinds of video games, including RPGs, FPS titles, and anything else they can get their hands on. I wasn't the only woman at GenCon by a long shot. Girls like D&D too, and traditional table top games, and role playing. On the other hand, you see more males in video games then females. Well, in most. Why is this? Do males think the female characters are there just so they can walk around in skimpy clothing, killing things? That also makes me wonder: Are the girls only in skimpy clothing because the game makers think thats what people want to see? So what does that tell women about what they should be striving for? Clearly less clothing at any rate.

 

 

 

But the problem isn't just that traditional gaming is a male-oriented space. We have to consider what's going on outside gaming, in the world of consumer culture. I wonder if the root of the problem of women not adopting mainstream games might be this:

 

"Riedl's final point that he found was that a lot of women gamers did not subscribe to the "Bigger Better Faster More" model of technology. Riedl also found that a lot of games had too high minimum specifications for the computers that they owned. Riedl said, "Many of our users are still using Windows 95." Okay, that's a real problem. It's all about the hardware.

 

If you can't even play a game on your machine, your interest level isn't going to be very high. If you are a guy, you are encouraged to buy a 52" TV, a cool car, and a high end computer. Women, on the other hand, are encouraged to buy $500 purses. See a trend here?

 

 

 

I worry that our culture tells us what we should like and shouldn't like, and puts us in little boxes, thus discouraging people from trying new things. On the other hand, I think women are different than men, and it's cool. Testosterone does interesting things to people, the same goes for estrogen. You can't deny biology. You also can't discount how our culture tells us to behave. Women are given lots of messages about what should be important to them and how they should behave, just like men are. These messages are strong and even if you don't want to listen, it's like a little tune in the background that keeps playing in commercials, TV shows, and on the net. Act this way, want these things and buy this stuff.

 

 

 

So should Mr. Riedl from Her Interactive be so concerned with what "women" want? He wants girls to buy his video games, so sure, why not some market research? Romance novel covers are specifically designed to attract women readers, I am sure. Just don't tell me that I should be reading a romance novel instead of science fiction because I am a girl, or that I should like Bejewelled (most women like casual games) instead of games like RuneScape and EverQuest, which unlike Bejewelled and DinerDash, involves fighting.

 

 

 

I also have a real problem with someone blandly stating that girls can't handle a complicated UI ["A lot of women who didn't play games said that they didn't because the UI was cumbersome for a lot of titles, and they just wanted to jump straight in and play"], and therefore they won't play a video game. That's a slippery slope falling right down to "girls aren't able to handle a UI that a guy can." If you tell someone they can't do it, and make things for them that insure there's no learning curve, then they never will. It's not fair to ask guys to put up with a terrible UI just because they will, either. Its the same notion as if someone said, "well guys only want mindless violence in games, so let's not bother to do any back story and they don't want it anyway." If that was the case, where would we be now? Stuck with some really terrible video games, I imagine.

 

 

 

Do we want to design great games, or do we want to design games that attract people into the genre that normally wouldn't be too interested? I suppose a great game developer can do both, but it seems that the Her Interactive people are taking a fairly narrow view of a particular market and have positioned themselves there. The Nancy Drew games are designed for girls, and that means that a guy might be uncomfortable playing them, since they are so obviously feminine. The question arises; do we need feminine spaces in the gaming community? Do we need the equivalent of a ladies room in gaming? We certainly have a lot of men's spaces already. Her Interactive, and the people who make the horse-focused Bella Sara trading card game that's not even a TCG in the classic sense (there's no real game play) say yes, make products specifically designed for girls. The rest of the gaming world says, c'mon in if you want, ladies, but be prepared to play with the guys. Okay, sounds fun! And you guys should be prepared to play with us gals, too.

 

 

 

Studies of how different segments of the population approach video games are valuable. They can make existing and new video games better, for everyone. But polarizing games ends up diminishing the experience for everyone, if we all have to stick to what we "should like."

 

Everyone is a unique individual, and whether you are a guy or gal, your personality is going to determine what you enjoy in your leisure time and how you play games. I like playing MMORPGs, and I have my own style of play, which is not exactly like anyone else's. The fantastic thing about an MMORPG is that you can play it just as you like. There's room to be as girly or as manly as you want to be in RuneScape. Can the same be said for a genre game like the Nancy Drew series?

[runescapeloser22]

Wow that's long. I skimmed a bit of it, and got the assumption that it's about how women want different things in games then men? It really depends on the person. I know guys who suck at Halo, and I've played with girls (lol) that are better then anyone I know in Halo. It's true that men tend to play different types of games then girls a lot, but if you go online in a game like CoD4 then you won't find all guys, and if you go online in a game geared towards girls, you probably won't find anyone, because most girls who are serious enough to actually play games don't buy things like Barbie Horse Adventure, and Bratz 3.

 

 

 

Why am I doing your homework on a Sunday night?

[Mellez]

Wow that's long. I skimmed a bit of it, and got the assumption that it's about how women want different things in games then men? It really depends on the person. I know guys who suck at Halo, and I've played with girls (lol) that are better then anyone I know in Halo. It's true that men tend to play different types of games then girls a lot, but if you go online in a game like CoD4 then you won't find all guys, and if you go online in a game geared towards girls, you probably won't find anyone, because most girls who are serious enough to actually play games don't buy things like Barbie Horse Adventure, and Bratz 3.

 

 

 

Why am I doing your homework on a Sunday night?

 

It isn't homework, lol. And it's monday here :P *ish at school*

 

 

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

 

(I put this up because I have to do a "What Other People Think" thing.

[Nenga]

It all depends on the type of person. I know girls that like to play god of war, or final fantasy. I know girls who just play shooters. I know guys who will play anything if it has a good story.

 

 

 

As said above, girls who are actually serious about games won't waste their time on Nancy drew or barbie. Those games are aimed at a younger audience.

 

 

 

Yes society does tell you what you should like. You are told what religion to follow, what you should want, what to buy, even what to do in life. I for one hate when people do that. I guess that's the way religion has survived though, drilling it into a child's head before they are smart enough to argue against it, then when they're an adult they won't question it because they couldn't argue against it as a child.

 

 

 

I guess i'm sort of getting off topic here though.

[Dizzle229]

It all depends on the type of person. I know girls that like to play god of war, or final fantasy. I know girls who just play shooters. I know guys who will play anything if it has a good story.

 

 

 

As said above, girls who are actually serious about games won't waste their time on Nancy drew or barbie. Those games are aimed at a younger audience.

 

 

 

Yes society does tell you what you should like. You are told what religion to follow, what you should want, what to buy, even what to do in life. I for one hate when people do that. I guess that's the way religion has survived though, drilling it into a child's head before they are smart enough to argue against it, then when they're an adult they won't question it because they couldn't argue against it as a child.

 

 

 

I guess i'm sort of getting off topic here though.

 

 

 

You attacked religion in a video game thread. You are a TIFer.

[Lenin64]

I think hardcore gamers, girl or not, have similar tastes. Just look at dizzle; she plays Halo, and rather okay-ly.

[Da Pirates]

I generally see it as awkward when girls are playing video games, since games are generally aimed at males.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OT: Lenin, what is your Gamertag?

[Lenin64]

Hm, thought I had it in my sig or something. It's Spleentacular.

[Nenga]

It all depends on the type of person. I know girls that like to play god of war, or final fantasy. I know girls who just play shooters. I know guys who will play anything if it has a good story.

 

 

 

As said above, girls who are actually serious about games won't waste their time on Nancy drew or barbie. Those games are aimed at a younger audience.

 

 

 

Yes society does tell you what you should like. You are told what religion to follow, what you should want, what to buy, even what to do in life. I for one hate when people do that. I guess that's the way religion has survived though, drilling it into a child's head before they are smart enough to argue against it, then when they're an adult they won't question it because they couldn't argue against it as a child.

 

 

 

I guess i'm sort of getting off topic here though.

 

 

 

You attacked religion in a video game thread. You are a TIFer.

 

Why not? A lot of video games are religion based. Really I was just using that as an example though.

[Alg]

I'd agree that it's all in the way people are brought up

 

Its possible that women as a gender may think differently about video games than males do. But I have to wonder why. Some say women cant do the maths that men can do, and therefore woman would never make it in a video game, or in real life, for that matter (wrong). Plenty of girls I know love MMORPGs, read fantasy and science fiction, and like to kill monsters on video games just because they can. And plenty of guys want the same: a storyline, a reason to kill things, and some realistic features in the game.

 

I'd think that if they are brought up hearing that, they may believe it. That really goes with any demographic about anything.

 

 

 

I personally enjoy the storylines of games, and own a couple that have at least a little bit of a romance element buried under the fantasy-style swordplay. I've met a girl who plays Guitar Hero well. If that helps in some way...

 

 

 

As for the survey...

 

~Are you male or female? Male

 

~How long have you been playing MMORPG's for? Close to 4 years

 

~Where do you live? United States

[Mysticblade]

I never really talked to any girls but 2 I know like to play the same games as me.

 

 

 

~Are you male or female?Male

 

~How long have you been playing MMORPG's for?3 years

 

~Where do you live?Australia

[Nadril]

- Male or female? Male

 

- How long have you been playing MMORPG's for? 9 years probably. Some breaks in between.

 

- Where do you live? America

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways I have to say that I've had plenty of girls in guilds of mine (and actual, hardcore guilds as well. Not just a family type) although certainly not as many as males.

[Flodder450]

It all depends on the type of person. I know girls that like to play god of war, or final fantasy. I know girls who just play shooters. I know guys who will play anything if it has a good story.

 

 

 

As said above, girls who are actually serious about games won't waste their time on Nancy drew or barbie. Those games are aimed at a younger audience.

 

 

 

Yes society does tell you what you should like. You are told what religion to follow, what you should want, what to buy, even what to do in life. I for one hate when people do that. I guess that's the way religion has survived though, drilling it into a child's head before they are smart enough to argue against it, then when they're an adult they won't question it because they couldn't argue against it as a child.

 

 

 

I guess i'm sort of getting off topic here though.

 

You attacked religion in a video game thread. You are a TIFer.

 

Why not? A lot of video games are religion based. Really I was just using that as an example though.

Legend of zelda anyone?

 

the quiiz:

 

- Male or female? Male

 

- How long have you been playing MMORPG's for? 2,5 years

 

- Where do you live? Holland

[eggzs]

~Are you male or female?

 

Male

 

 

 

~How long have you been playing MMORPG's for?

 

4 years, not at the moment though

 

 

 

~Where do you live?

 

New Zealand

[Ginger_Warrior]

I realise this is a generalisation but women look for different things in a game than men do. I'm not saying all women look for the same thing, or all men for that matter, but it's about the way we perceive the world around us, and the games we play.

 

 

 

This is shown in the case of NDS. Its ratio of female:male gamers is huge compared to the other consoles. One may argue that's because the games are distinguishably different from games on other consoles, like the XBox 360, which are more clearly based on violence and precise, one-minded details, rather than some NDS games which are based around creativity and constructiveness. There is quite clearly a difference between what women look for in a game, and what men look for.

 

 

 

The thing about RPGs is that they are more idealistic by nature, so they will appeal to a broader range of people, both male and female.

 

 

 

As for the questions:

 

~Are you male or female?

 

Male

 

 

 

~How long have you been playing MMORPG's for?

 

About 2 years, but no longer

 

 

 

~Where do you live? (Canada, Australia, America, England, etc)

 

England

[sohkmj1]

Are you male/female?

 

Male

 

How long have you been playing MMORPGs?

 

3 years

 

Where do you live?

 

Singapore.

 

And also, I kinda agree. Although, playing a game shouldn't really have any effects on what you buy.

[BlueLancer]

Now that I think of it, I pretty much only know girls/women in RL who play first-person shooters occassionally, not fantasy games. I haven't even met 1 girl who plays WoW or some other MMORPG, though years back I sometimes talked with a RS/Diablo player.

 

 

 

Each person is individual regardless of gender, but that would support the thesis in the article which says females want more realistic games.

[ThurinEthir]

Now that I think of it, I pretty much only know girls/women in RL who play first-person shooters occassionally, not fantasy games. I haven't even met 1 girl who plays WoW or some other MMORPG, though years back I sometimes talked with a RS/Diablo player.

 

 

The girl that sat behind me in math played WoW. Wtf.

 

Male, ~3 years, America.

 

I remember during E3, during the Nintendo convention, they mentioned something like how 50% of DS owners are females? The number of Wii-playing females is also increasing, I'm pretty sure. Casual games and all that.

 

Other than the girl I mentioned above, I don't know any hardcore girl gamers. I'm sure they exist though.