not entirely true xbox live is a pretty social way of gaming if you blank out the screaming 12 year olds though that in itself is actually a social interaction
You're not wrong but, honestly, even most forms of online multiplayer, including Xbox Live, are far less social than almost anything else you could be doing. I think Devlin's point was probably the best guess as to why we don't see more girls doing what we do. Although it's far from scientific, my observation has been that the games which offer more chance for social interaction tend to attract more women.
Single player action games, even those with female protagonists, are predictably at the bottom of the list. These don't even offer the imaginary conversations that games like Oblivion or Dragon Age do.
Then you've got MMORPGs, which cover the area from "not very social" to "fairly social" - depending on how you play them. I've known quite a few women who were big into WOW, and they tend to play on the more social end of that range. They're almost never found without a guild membership, for example. Conversely, the main reason I stopped playing WOW is that Blizzard limits the size of your /ignore list. I decided Oblivion would be a better fit.
Games that are designed for local multiplayer seem to bridge the gap very well. In my experience, the number of women who are hardcore Rock Band players actually exceeds the number of dudes.
A lot of girls do play games, but I think the main problem comes from the image we've set.
Yes girls play Halo and Gears, but those games aren't really marketed to include women. The women that play those games can see past the overly macho marketing, but for the uninitiated it sets a very clear gender preference. Even Mass Effect, a game which has one of the strongest female protagonists (possibly) and a large female fanbase, is still heavily marketed as a masculine space marine adventure.
Marketing isn't our only problem and it's not like women are too stupid to see past cheap marketing tricks, but it is part of the problem.
Sup. I'm female and I love games, been playing all my life. I've always been a bit of a tomboy no dolls for me when growing up give me a fucking action figure! I love games, I'd rather a video game over makeup, a purse, or jewelery. Why don't more of my sistas (my true sister included) like games? I dunno but they have no idea of what they're missing out on!!!
I think that to answer your question as to why girls aren't into games has to do a lot to do with two things.
1) they were never introduced to it properly
2) they don't know any friends (female) that are into it
From what I understand, I was fascinated by video games since I could see my father play them. He would put the game on pause and go make breakfast or whatever and I would unpause and play before I could even talk. (I find it hard to believe, but my dad swears to it)
I was never turned off by video games because I grew up constantly playing them before I could even make friends. I found out though, liking them as a girl made it hard to be friends with other girls. When I went to school and tried to find topics girls liked, it was either... fashion, celebrities, boys, latest diets, gossiping, jewelry... and I found that I was extremely bored by their conversations. In turn, they were very "bored" with me talking about the extremely hard boss that I finally beat after grinding away several hours. I myself enjoy all types of games, shooters, rpgs, action, horror, strategy.
As to how to introduce games to girls? I don't think throwing them right into your Halo game is the way to go. I started introducing games like Viva Pinata and Harvest Moon to a couple of my female friends who were typically turned off by my videogame conversations. Now one of them has moved up to playing Fable III and has been asking to borrow my Fall Out New Vegas game.
I'll also be the first one to admit, if I can play as a female character--I probably will. I think that maybe they could tone down some of the naked/sexy type things going on. It isn't that it bothers me but it bothers other girls who are semi-interested in games but frown upon how the girl looks like a skank. That's just my advice.
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Unrelated to this thread but I've been trying to find it for quite some time. The first game I played when I was -really, really- little was a game where you played as a boy in a 'dream' or something? He wore pajamas and it was a sidescroller. I can't remember anything beyond that. ((edit : It was on the NES I believe... ))
Sure they do mr. sexist/stereotype Cute joke but unfunny.
I wish there were more female gamers in the "field" as it were as I'm tired of the same men-children ruining my online experience. Sorry but a lot of online titles can be ruined by some selfish testosterone idiot, whereas I've had a more pleasant experiences with female gamers.
Spawny0908 said:
Sup. I'm female and I love games, been playing all my life. I've always been a bit of a tomboy no dolls for me when growing up give me a fucking action figure! I love games, I'd rather a video game over makeup, a purse, or jewelery. Why don't more of my sistas (my true sister included) like games? I dunno but they have no idea of what they're missing out on!!!
Unrelated to this thread but I've been trying to find it for quite some time. The first game I played when I was -really, really- little was a game where you played as a boy in a 'dream' or something? He wore pajamas and it was a sidescroller. I can't remember anything beyond that.
The only game I can think of that sort of fits that description is Pajama Sam. It's a pc game that I remember playing as a kid. And to get on topic I guess that's why I'm into video games despite being female. It's not that girls aren't interested in gaming, it's just many have never been introduced to much of it outside casual games and they think it's a lot harder to do or get into than it really is. But, I've been playing pc and video games since I was a kid so I've never thought of it as odd or new.
For example, I have a friend who's older brother plays Bioshock and she always liked to watch him play it because she was interested in the story. But, he'd get ahead of her while she wasn't there and she'd miss parts of it. She also expressed a lot of interest in Amnesia Dark Descent when he'd gotten it. When I would suggest that she play these games herself her response was along the lines, "What? I can't do that."
The problem isn't interest, it's the attitude that girls aren't interested and that girls like me are the "exceptions" to the "rule".
Edit; Oh, NES? Then that other person is probably right.
The girls in my town don't game much, other than guitar hero, and some minor wii games. But I was going to have a party, and some guys came over early, so we played some Halo until more people came. Then some of the girls I know really well came over a bit early, and us guys got them to play Halo. Even though they did terrible they enjoyed it. So its just that they probably never grew up with playing games.
I've been playing games for 30 years or so and mostly like anything where I can butcher, maim and slaughter to my heart's content.
What we don't really like is pimply-faced, greasy-haired, pre-pubescent (literally or figuratively) little pricks who insist on making puerile, sexist, pitiful remarks because they have no idea how to talk to the female of the species because somehow they are still stuck in the "girls are icky" stage of development.
A lot of female gamers do not identify themselves as such because of the oh so funny "make me a sandwich" type of remarks, or the assumption that they will be drama queens or any of the other idiot stereotypes that persist. So the odds are, you really don't know if the person you are playing against is male or female. And you know what? It doesn't matter.
It really has much to do with the same reasons we ladies for the most part, aren't that into porn - or I should say, porn for men. There is porn for women, but I'll get into that in a second.
Hear me out, I'm actually going to answer this question seriously, and not just point out ridiculous characters with scanty clothing and say, "That's why." If it were as simple as that, romances would not have half naked women on the cover, and they mostly do.
I've worked in libraries for more than 15 years now. When you are in a position like that, you can really get to know the generalities of people's tastes. For instance, girls read more than boys. That changes when people grow up, but when they are younger, girls definitely read more than boys. Girls also prefer stories about relationships, but that doesn't mean they won't read an action story, again, these are generalities.
Most of the video game genres; shooters, platformers, racers, sports games, fighters - these are games without a strong narrative. I know, there a few standouts from that crowd, and people will claim all over that Gears or Halo has a great story, but I'm going to disagree with that. If you've read as much sci fi as I have, you'll realize how short those games fall in terms of storytelling. A book simply couldn't be written like a video game plot. It wouldn't sell well. There is a reason video game books never break the NYT bestseller lists.
It's true, in the world of shooters, Gears has a strong storyline. But when you are talking about introducing someone to games who doesn't normally game, that isn't what you want to start them with if you are trying to intrigue them with story.
Back to those illusive girls; there is a genre of games girls do pay more attention to. Casual games have been mentioned, but I actually wouldn't include those. Any casual gamer is more likely to play those. Just because guys dominate the gaming world does not mean all guys game. But even people like Conan know about angry birds - even if they don't play video games.
What I'm talking about is RPGs. RPGs have the strongest narrative of all the types of video games. But then, they should, you are "role playing" when playing these types of games. Remember I said girls don't like male porn? Well they do like female porn - or romances. If you are a librarian, you know the irony of a housewife coming up to you and saying X-men should be pulled off the shelf because the women are too scantily clad. But then they go and check this book out:
Or a book that has flowers on the cover - pretty innocuous right? Then you notice the text:
"I believe I am more than ready to see you explode," she said with a small laugh.
Mrs. Hathaway had given her more information that she had requested. The housekeeper had told her men loved this, and Avis was determined to discover if that was the truth. She gripped his shaft firmly in her hand and let her tongue circle around the tip of him. She clutched the arms of the chair. A bead of moisture pooled at the very tip of his penis. She brought him fully into her mouth and he moaned in pleasure.
From the book Every Night I'm Yours by Christie Kelley
And that isn't even the raciest I've seen. I know, why am I mentioning this? Because this is how women, and girls work - again, generalities. We like narrative. We aren't interested in getting right to the good stuff, as they say. Shooters are all action and no real story. Their stories are often as pathetic as the "stories" some porn films try to keep in.
RPGs take the time to draw a person into a story. They often don't put you right in the action. They have lavish opening scenes that intrigue, lots and lots of dialog, and fighting that is placed sporadically throughout the game. The opposite of most other types of games, that put gameplay first and story second.
That, in my opinion, is why girls aren't as into gaming as guys. It has nothing to do with scantily clad women - see picture above - or violence - there is plenty of violence in some fiction that is primarily sold to women - or too many guys hitting on them online - being online wasn't even a part of playing game when I first started. It has everything to do with what the gals are looking for in their entertainment. RPGs just aren't the majority of games out their.
Finally, girls aren't competitive about battle. That's a male thing. We don't pwn in gunplay, we pwn in fashion, or romance or cattiness. Talking about how your killstreak was the best of the night, is not going to interest most ladies.
Edit: And I know you are going to get a lot of responses like, "Girls do game. I'm one of them." I'm also a woman who games. But this here, it's a gaming forum. Girls who game, are going to be here. Go to a general population to ask this question, and the percentage of women who reply this way will be far, far lower.
Don't know if I like that or not... Oh wait. Alenko... you dawg.
All kidding aside. My father and grandmother introduced video games to me. How many mothers/fathers out there introduce video games to their daughters? More now than before now there are all these games that are meant for little girls.
I think as time progresses there will be more girls into games. Developers are making more games for 'young girls' and as much as you hate the barbie/fashion/baby games as much as I do.... they are what the parents are going to want to buy their little girls. ((Edit: I somehow deleted part of the post here)) And then those girls will have games they can talk about with other girls and then it won't be such a leap from having never played a game to 'oh instead of using the a button to feed the baby, it's a button to jump over the fallen tree.'
No grandparent was silly enough like mine to let me play DOOM when I was 4 or 5. Grandma had the BEST games.
Because its seen as a boys club. It has nothing to do with women being incompatible with games or any crap like that. I know plenty of girls who are into games, and they are a varied group just like the rest of us. Some are into JROTC, some are Cheerleaders, some are nerds, ect. Its not them, its us, as long as we keep up this boy's club bullshit there will be less ladies playing games.
Hmm, I'm a 'girl', and I love gaming. Especially FPS. I love the blood and gore and killing for no specific reason! It's freaking awesome. On the other hand, I think WoW, for example, is a preettyyy boring game. Many games in 3rd person are, well, not very interesting to me, because you don't feel like you're actually a part of the game. When it comes to having to kill things, in my opinion it's awsomest (yeah) to be in first person Uhm.. Where was I..
Yes, I think that there's a lot of girls out there who love gaming. I know there is. And not just the casual games! My female friends (though there aren't a lot of those ) love games. But they're not so much into FPS as I am, for some reason. I think it's because they think most FPS games are scary. But nevertheless, they play games, all different sorts of games.
As a lot of you have already said, it's stupid to generalize like this. Like when people say "guys don't play sims" ... ooooh yes. Some guys play it, some guys won't admit that they do because it's a "girl game". Of course not all men play the sims. But not all girls play the sims either...
Right now I am not gaming anything, though. I am bored to death because my graphics card is defect :'( A good thing, though, is that the holidays are soon over so I can be in school, modelling 3D or drawing concept design or something, because I'm going to be a computer graphics artist, making GAMES! Hell yeah.
Girls do game shut up about this.
I was at Wow: Cataclysm night release at my local gamestop there were about 300+ people there and every third was a woman. My wow guilds active mebers ~28 people of them 6 are confirmed girls, in the same gaming community that I am part of there are in total of 10 girls of total of ~45 active members.
Why aren't girls into games? (Yeah, ok. I know this isn't universally true, but generally, face it.)
There must be something about it that either activly discourages women, or simply fails to capture their imaginations. I can almost guarantee that if you meet a nice girl at a party she's not going to want to hear about how you owned arse on Medal of Honor last night... Ok, those discussions can be tedious... meh.
The real question is 'Why don't (generally) females get enraptured with video game excellence?
Off the top of my head I can only surmise that it has a lot to do with the low brow gender roles depicted in many games, or the lack of female protagonists, or that female dialouge is being done badly.
Tell me what you think, I'd especially like to hear from our lady gamer friends and hear your opinions on this...
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((edit : It was on the NES I believe... ))
