Girls and Games: Some Statitsics

[nsps]

It's a popular sport, when you are female, to pretend to like games so that you're popular with the boys.

This in the very least can be true. One of the girls who always came to our Mario Parties recently admitted that she didn't want to Mario Party now that she's living with the guy she snagged through Mario Parties.

There are some other girls who genuinely like to play with us, though.

[hermes]

This in the very least can be true. One of the girls who always came to our Mario Parties recently admitted that she didn't want to Mario Party now that she's living with the guy she snagged through Mario Parties.

There are some other girls who genuinely like to play with us, though.

I didn't know 'Mario Party' was a verb, I get crazy fetish pictures in my head - and I'm also scared...

[drummand]

I've had mixed experiences with the ladies and games ... ferinstance, my wife is gaming at the moment (thus banishing me from the console). Her best girlfriend saw our 360 and said it seemed very cool, but she wanted to try a game where she wouldn't be killing (things/ppl/etc).

If you follow the developmental psychology business that I got smacked with in my women's studies courses back in the day, you'll be of the opinion that womens would rather play together than compete. Along these lines, I think of how we introduced my friend's wife to our little Halo multiplayer club, back in the day. And frankly, how about every non-Xboxer got engaged:

Co-op Play.

I'd say we need more of that, as a general rule. Not just cuz I'd rather be playing with my wife right now rather than jabbering at youall (awesome tho you may be). Playing *with* someone rather than against them is an excellent way to get nongamers engaged, at least by us gamers. That's the next inlet. Like edwierd said, guys started gaming cuz of technology. On one level or another, I'd say the gadget-factor is what got us (mens) into gaming (please, tell me if I'm utterly wrong in this presumption). If we want to get nongamers onto the scene, it'll start with us getting them to play with us.

Along these lines, I think the online-console thing has a huge potential for getting womens (and other nongamers) to start playing. I say *console* here, because the hookup factor is so much lower (get console, plug in tv, plug in internets, drop disc on platter, done).

I really think the key to getting women into our game isn't in simplicity of controls. I think the cute factor will help, I think theme will help. But the real key will be in reproducing a web 2.0 (I hate that term, but you surely gather my meaning) experience in a game environment. Shared experiences that don't revolve around slaughtering teh Horders or whatev. Something that's creative, and that allows players to create, share, and compete together against a common enemy.

Yeah, the mans in me still wants some kinda competition. After all, isn't that what makes a game a game (isn't it?)?

No, not really. That's the predisposition talking.

[twmac]

Hmmm... Which reminds me of a rant from yester year, inspired by something DWalker wrote for the thumbs...

Are we really asking the right questions here? Surely it doesn't really matter if more females become interested in games? Admittedly, it might lead to more good games. But if trends indicate anything then all it is going to do is allow big companies to tap another set of rehashes. Eventually (and probably sooner rather than later) EA, Capcom, Nintendo or Microsoft will find that winning formula for the [generic game that women will just buy every year without questioning the quality]and pump out the equivalent to the Madden, FIFA, or Final Fantasy series time and time again.

I've met a lot of females who like games, and it is a joy to meet most of them, as most of them have a better scope on good games.

Talking to alot of male gamers isn't the same as eventually I end up having the tedious argument of why I think FIFA sucks, Tony Hawks games are a tired formula, or how I think the newest JRPG is almost exactly the same as the last one.

If the industry does get more females interested in games, will that make the world a more fun, better place? Or will it just make big games companies more money?

[Wrestlevania]

If the industry does get more females interested in games, will that make the world a more fun, better place? Or will it just make big games companies more money?

If it breeds diversity and fresh ideas, then yes. If it simply breeds more annual rehashes of rigid franchises – just with a girly slant – then no, we’ll still be in the same rut as we are now.

Except with more pink I guess.

[Spaff]

Girls are noobs

and besies you dont buy games.. I buy them for you ¬¬¬¬¬¬

[Salka]

That's not fucking true, I get copies of games off my mates ACTUALLY.

Yeah and anyway I bought my own games before you existed and I could SUCKER YOU into buying them for me instead. Actually.

[adfegg]

I remember a while back this games magazine asked readers for their opinions on how to get more female gamers. It was really quite frightening how many wrote in expressing surprise that they could have time to play games, what with them always doing the dishes, and everything.

[lobotomy42]

rant

The "Girls in Games" article has existed pretty much ever since the industry started writing about itself. I must say, I don't give a flying rat's ass about the topic anymore. They always have these stupid panels at conferences and stupid marketing experts and stupid articles and they say the same stupid things every time.

I don't care anymore. At all. Some people play games. Some don't. Some of them are girls, some of them aren't. Some gamers like some types of games, and some like others. But really, trying to classify people's preferences using such broad strokes as gender are ridiculous. If I came out and said "What kinds of games do black people like? We need to sell more black-people games," I'd sound like a racist old fart, and would be (rightly) ridiculed as an idiot. So why do we allow people to say the same thing about women?

People are individuals, not huge blocks of demographics. The next person who writes an article about "Girls in Gaming" is going to get a screwdriver through the eye-socket from yours truly.

/rant

[Salka]

Girls are noobs

and besies you dont buy games.. I buy them for you ¬¬¬¬¬¬

And anyway I buy games for you instead, it's like a two way thing so shut up I buy my fair share

[twmac]

rant

The "Girls in Games" article has existed pretty much ever since the industry started writing about itself. I must say, I don't give a flying rat's ass about the topic anymore. They always have these stupid panels at conferences and stupid marketing experts and stupid articles and they say the same stupid things every time.

I don't care anymore. At all. Some people play games. Some don't. Some of them are girls, some of them aren't. Some gamers like some types of games, and some like others. But really, trying to classify people's preferences using such broad strokes as gender are ridiculous. If I came out and said "What kinds of games do black people like? We need to sell more black-people games," I'd sound like a racist old fart, and would be (rightly) ridiculed as an idiot. So why do we allow people to say the same thing about women?

People are individuals, not huge blocks of demographics. The next person who writes an article about "Girls in Gaming" is going to get a screwdriver through the eye-socket from yours truly.

/rant

[vimes]

Yeah, but still... if you had a huge layer of the population not playing game, I think it would raise question.

I don't know the figures and I don't think it's of any use to study female gamers because, well, they are gamers and as gamers they WILL like whatever they want to without any clear pattern. Even though well,because education of boys and girls are different, you might see some difference between female and male gamers... but inside each group, no real pattern. I know I'm not clear.

Anyway...what would be interesting would be to ask a bunch of girls who don't have a clue about gaming or have a strong negative feeling against games to play several recent best-sellers/good games and ask them what they find pleasing or unpleasing. And by the way, I think that would be interesting not only with girls but also with elders, uptight englishmen or any other groups of people which reject games or aren't exposed to them, just to have a fresh view on the medium.

[BooJaka]

I think part of the problem, as with everything, is the advertising and promotion of these games. Over here in the UK, very few games are advertised anywhere but in gaming magazines. Every once in a while you get one put on TV or in a general magazine but even then it's a magazine aimed at the male population (ie: Zoo) so the adverts are appealing more to existing gamers than getting new ones. If there ever is a game advertised as being specifically for females (like the new adverts for Nintendogs and Animal Crossing) then it's often done in a broad and patronising way like "all girls like puppys" or "it doesn't matter what it is unless it's pink".

But that's not very gender specific. Why are males more known for playing games than females? For the same reason someone (forgot who, sorry) said earlier, it's more socially acceptable for males to admit to liking games more than females because there's still this image that gamers are fat nerdy guys who live in their mothers basement in their 30s eating doritos and so on (sorry if that's a little too close to the mark for some people here )

And another point as well, with a new generation of little people coming along and playing games, parental influences come into it all aswell. Lots of children nowadays are growing up in a household where Dad plays games but Mum doesn't so the male-orientated thing circles round again.

Cue "When I were a lad" speech...

[gfoot]

When I was a lad, boys my age usually went out on the village green and played football with their friends, and maybe occasionally with their friends' fathers. Their mothers never played, but nobody thought that was odd; and no girls in the village played either. It just didn't interest them, nobody forced them, and nobody thought of changing the rules to try to appeal to them more.

[Oath]

When I was a lad, boys my age usually went out on the village green and played football with their friends, and maybe occasionally with their friends' fathers. Their mothers never played, but nobody thought that was odd; and no girls in the village played either. It just didn't interest them, nobody forced them, and nobody thought of changing the rules to try to appeal to them more.

Girls football is pretty popular these days.

Of course not every girl plays football, but not every boy plays video games either. The thing about games is that it is such a flexible medium that it differs greatly from your football story. It is more along the lines if films were only made for men. And every other movie was a porno.

[BooJaka]

When I was a lad...

Thank you

[qdqwdd]

I think the question is not how to attract women into gaming but how to attract all the non-gamer people, there are also a lot of males that dont like gaming, and that's because of usual themes in most games. Nintendo is doing a great job about this, I've seen many people (male and female) that *never* touched a game getting interested in DS and Wii games.

And that has noting to do with gender, most gamer girls that I know like to play Beat'em ups platformers...

[lailoken]

First of all I think Yufster is making a good point. A Gamer in my mind is someone who actually goes out and spends money on games. I also think that the "social acceptance"-factor is a huge part of the equation. But that will probably change over time as more gamers become parents and gaming is made more and more acceptable as a paradigm change from classical board games to video games happens. Of course this is relying on companies like Nintendo being around in the future and making games like Mario Party or Mario Kart. But even though this will make gaming more socially acceptable I still don't see gaming becoming a mainstream thing like movies. Games still have some way to go in that respect but they probably will get there.

Funny enough the Automobile industry was/is facing a similar problem as companies are trying to find out how to design cars for women. And they didn't really have a clue either until they actually let a group of women design a car which as I seem to recall was neither Pink nor did it have curtains or look especially CUTE. Apparently the divide between men and women is still too big. In the end there is no "men" just as there is no "women" apart from generally accepted physiological norms. As individuals every person makes their own choices. If the discussion about "women in gaming" leads to some new ideas and better games, it has served its purpose but it will lead to nothing as long as "women" don't step up to the proverbial plate and simply say what "they" want in games.

[Wrestlevania]

[The automobile industry] didn't really have a clue either until they actually let a group of women design a car which as I seem to recall was neither Pink nor did it have curtains or look especially CUTE.

The car you're refering to (I'm guessing) is the Volvo YCC:

An interesting project, the results of which I'd certainly not describe (deride?) as 'girly'.

I'm convinced the results of a similar games-related project would be no less successful or appealing either. The question is: which publisher is going to be first to take this topic seriously and actually commit the time and resources necessary?

[hermes]

BUT IT HAS FLOWERS ON THE SEAT

argh girl-cooties .... (or something)

[Oath]

I would drive that, no doubt.