Ladies, who cares what the boys play, what do you (WE) like?

[ApeShapeDeity]

I've seen a lot of female escapist who get pretty fucking tired of being asked why
"girls don't game" or why if there 'ARE, INFACT' female gamers why guys who 'want a sandwich' can't get laid.

This is not about them. It's about you.

What motivates you in your purchasing choices?

What makes a game brilliant?

Maybe if we get your passions out there we can put an end to the "girl gamer" threads... for a good hour or two.

Edit: Capatcha is pissing me off.

 

[Emz]

Girl gamer threads will sadly never die.

What I tend to purchase is either:

- Light hearted FPS games a great example being TF2. I love to play medic and heal others with my love beam. I play with my boyfriend and my friends I made back when I was in Uni (and a few I made online) and we have a blast. I enjoy co-operation (so we fight together to win for our team) rather than competition so co-operating with my mates is enjoyable.

- SP games with an interesting world and story e.g. Zelda, Golden Sun, Star Ocean, Tales of Vesperia and so on. I enjoy games where I can not care about the difficulty level and just experience the story and scenery.

- Co-op games - Borderlands, Borderlands, Borderlands - I bloody love that game. This also includes games like Left 4 Dead, Alien Swarm and so on. Like I already said I enjoy playing games where you work together instead of compete to "be the best." If my friends are playing it I will also join them in Bad Company 2 and we'll squad up ... but as you may have guessed I will play as the medic there also.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I'd like to specifically ask if any women here play fighting games, RTS or Shoot em ups at tournament/ world record levels. I would like to know if the female community in these genres is as anemic as I suspect.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Things

Your avatar, for some reason, scares the crap out of me.

"girls don't game"

Not exactly on-topic, but;

I tried to show my girlfriend how to play Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood online. It did not go well. She couldn't get her head around the concept of a non-inverted y-axis, the way the radar worked, how she was meant to find people, etc. After telling her how to do it a hundred times, I eventually got really annoyed and yelled at her.

The exact same thing happened when I introduced her to a MUD I frequent. She'd ask a question and then ignore my answer, or say she didn't want to do it that way (she's frustratingly stubborn), and end up asking the same question again. As before, eventually my not-inconsiderable patience was worn away and I shouted something along the lines of "Stop fucking asking me what to fucking do when you don't fucking listen to any-fucking-thing I fucking say!", because I am always a polite and eloquent fellow even when I'm angry.

So yeah. The reason there is one less potential female gamer in the world is because I'm a dickhead who is not as patient as he ought to be

I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[Blitzwarp]

Yeah, the pervading sense of male entitlement on these forums never fails to amuse me. "I want a gamer girlfriend who is also a hot babe who understands that I need to spend 24 hours a day on WoW and who won't try to actually have a relationship with me unless I need sex. So...why won't any girl date me?" :] (That was a joke, by the way. I've yet to see a post that bad.)

What Motivates Your Buying Purchases?
I try to keep up-to-date with critics' and gamers' opinions of new games on the market (I'm predominantly a Nintendo DS and Microsoft Xbox 360 user) but sometimes if I stumble across a game I've not heard of in a shop which looks interesting, my only real considerations are (a) price and (b) genre. I'm a big fan of FPSes, RPGs, and any games that take place in space as well as a few puzzle titles, so I'll judge the game by what it says it does on the box and take the plunge if I think I'll like it. (Unreal Tournament III and Quake IV were impulse buys of this nature. I'd played Unreal Tournament and Quake II on the PC like they were going out of fashion when I was a kid, but I wasn't sure how console versions would work. Effing brilliantly, as it turned out.) But if the game is any more expensive than £15 and I'm not sure, I might wait until I can research it properly.

As for games I'm well aware of, it's a matter of budget. Right now I'd kill for War for Cybertron, Duke Nukem Forever and Pokémon Black, but sadly they're way out of my meagre bank balance. I normally tend to buy new titles after they've been out for six or so months from CEX, HMV Re-Play or GAME's Preowned.

What Makes a Game Brilliant?
For me, a good storyline, likeable characters (protagonist or antagonist), understandable graphics (I don't care how good or bad they are so long as I can tell what's going on and immerse myself in the gameplay) and a good length in the Single Player campaigns. For example, I normally dawdle along in a GBA/DS Pokémon game, taking about 50 hours to complete it, then I can spend over 100 hours catching 'em all, collecting items, training, trading, etc. In FPSes like Quake I like to have a good, solid 20+ hours of gameplay (usually dying on bosses a lot ).

 

[Emz]

Your avatar, for some reason, scares the crap out of me.

There is nothing wrong with a badass Pikachu my good sir.

I also have this one on Facepunch.

Any better? ;P

 

[SonicWaffle]

Any better? ;P

...

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in the corner and cry for a while.

 

[SonicWaffle]

"I want a gamer girlfriend who is also a hot babe who understands that I need to spend 24 hours a day on WoW and who won't try to actually have a relationship with me unless I need sex."

At the risk of sounding callous, the most important attribute a gamer's girlfriend (or boyfriend) can have is knowing when to leave us alone. If we're playing a game together, that's great. If I'm playing some light-hearted puzzle game we can chat about, that's cool too. If I'm absorbed in a twelve-hour Fallout session or if I'm beating down the archdemon in Dragon Age, now is not a good time to discuss where our relationship is going! Woman, I've got shit to kill/rob/molest, do I keep poking you when you're trying to read a book? No! Then do me the same courtesy.

Hmm. Reading it back, I sound like a douchebag, but oh well

 

[Blitzwarp]

"I want a gamer girlfriend who is also a hot babe who understands that I need to spend 24 hours a day on WoW and who won't try to actually have a relationship with me unless I need sex."

At the risk of sounding callous, the most important attribute a gamer's girlfriend (or boyfriend) can have is knowing when to leave us alone. If we're playing a game together, that's great. If I'm playing some light-hearted puzzle game we can chat about, that's cool too. If I'm absorbed in a twelve-hour Fallout session or if I'm beating down the archdemon in Dragon Age, now is not a good time to discuss where our relationship is going! Woman, I've got shit to kill/rob/molest, do I keep poking you when you're trying to read a book? No! Then do me the same courtesy.

Hmm. Reading it back, I sound like a douchebag, but oh well

Nah, I can see where you're coming from with that. I didn't mean your everyday situation where you're immersed in something you consider to be important (woe betide anybody who interrupts me when I'm trying to look for a Lucky Egg) and somebody keeps yammering on and you just want to, oh I don't know, beat them to death with your DSi because they won't shut up argh shut up shut up! Ahem.

I guess I was being a tiny bit unfair as I was referring to two guys I knew at university who were constantly complaining that their girlfriends wanted to, you know, go out and see a movie, or go for a meal or something, when all they wanted to do was sit in their dorm playing on their Xbox or WoW. When I tried to point out that the fact they were in a relationship meant that they both had to give up some time to do whatever their S.O. wanted (as the girls had often not gone out so they could play their damn video games), they called me a Feminazi and said what they wanted was more important. Funnily enough, neither relationship worked out and they treated the girls like assholes for dumping them. *shrug*

 

[Emz]

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in the corner and cry for a while.

Oops ...

I can point at you like buddy christ is in your avatar though I think you're now too afraid for it to work.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

For me it's usually a very nice guy on the front (shot) or if it's something very violent. I like violent games cause I take my anger out.

But when guys tell me 'hey I gotta good game for you.' at Gamespot and hand me freakin barbie...I hate that.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Nah, I can see where you're coming from with that. I didn't mean your everyday situation where you're immersed in something you consider to be important (woe betide anybody who interrupts me when I'm trying to look for a Lucky Egg) and somebody keeps yammering on and you just want to, oh I don't know, beat them to death with your DSi because they won't shut up argh shut up shut up! Ahem.

Ah, a woman after my own heart!

Thinking about it, you should probably consider therapy ;-)

I guess I was being a tiny bit unfair as I was referring to two guys I knew at university who were constantly complaining that their girlfriends wanted to, you know, go out and see a movie, or go for a meal or something, when all they wanted to do was sit in their dorm playing on their Xbox or WoW. When I tried to point out that the fact they were in a relationship meant that they both had to give up some time to do whatever their S.O. wanted (as the girls had often not gone out so they could play their damn video games), they called me a Feminazi and said what they wanted was more important. Funnily enough, neither relationship worked out and they treated the girls like assholes for dumping them. *shrug*

Well, I wouldn't say unfair. While the majority of gamers are ordinary, well-adjusted people we do have our fair share of socially-retarded weirdos who think affection is taking ten minutes out from grinding to ask for a blowjob.

I actually have rather the opposite problem to these guys. My girlfriend, when asked, will rarely volunteer something she wants to do. She knows what I like, so more often than not she'll say "Why don't you play some videogames?" and insist she'll be fine reading a book or whatever. Unfortunately, most times she'll throw it back at me later - "we always do what you want to do!", and so on. I never seem to be able to get the idea through to her that yes, we do, because she always suggests it. Some kind of clear indicator that she wants to go to the movies or dinner would be wonderful.

EDIT - Whoops, that turned into something of a rant, didn't it? Sorry :-(

 

[Blitzwarp]

Ah, a woman after my own heart!

Thinking about it, you should probably consider therapy ;-)

I actually have rather the opposite problem to these guys. My girlfriend, when asked, will rarely volunteer something she wants to do. She knows what I like, so more often than not she'll say "Why don't you play some videogames?" and insist she'll be fine reading a book or whatever. Unfortunately, most times she'll throw it back at me later - "we always do what you want to do!", and so on. I never seem to be able to get the idea through to her that yes, we do, because she always suggests it. Some kind of clear indicator that she wants to go to the movies or dinner would be wonderful.

EDIT - Whoops, that turned into something of a rant, didn't it? Sorry :-(

I can't afford therapy, I'm still paying to get the blood stains washed out of my Pokémon Diamond cartridge. >:[

Ah. Another thing a good relationship needs: clear communication. As little as I understand men in the stereotype I posted above, I understand women who somehow psychically expect others to know what they want even less. My mum's like it. "What do you want to watch?" "I don't mind." "Okay...howabout an episode of Poirot?" "Okay." (Time passes.) "You know, I really wanted to watch CSI." ARGH WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO. If there's something I want to do or a favour I need of others, I just ask. :/

 

[SonicWaffle]

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in the corner and cry for a while.

Oops ...

I can point at you like buddy christ is in your avatar though I think you're now too afraid for it to work.

Now I'm picturing your avatar pointing at me and all I can think of is Hand Banana :-/

Tonight.

YOU.

I'm more afraid than ever!

 

[Emz]

I just can't win damn it!

Some kind of clear indicator that she wants to go to the movies or dinner would be wonderful.

Some women like you to do the action - so suggest "do you want to go see x movie tonight?" as it makes them feel like you want to spend time with them instead of them asking. This may sound ridiculous but I know some women are like this - it's basically a bizarre little test. She may not be that person but it sort of sounds like it.

 

[rockingnic]

I'm a guy but almost every girl that I know, that games, play FPSs or other similar genres. I'm not saying "All girls play FPSs", I'm just saying it's common for me to find girls playing FPSs over most other types. I like it that way because I love FPSs!

 

[SonicWaffle]

I can't afford therapy, I'm still paying to get the blood stains washed out of my Pokémon Diamond cartridge. >:[

Pokemon Diamond?! What madness is this? When I were a young lad, we had Red and we had Blue, and we were glad of it! Then Yellow came along and all of a sudden, it wasn't the world I knew anymore...

Ah. Another thing a good relationship needs: clear communication. As little as I understand men in the stereotype I posted above, I understand women who somehow psychically expect others to know what they want even less. My mum's like it. "What do you want to watch?" "I don't mind." "Okay...howabout an episode of Poirot?" "Okay." (Time passes.) "You know, I really wanted to watch CSI." ARGH WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO. If there's something I want to do or a favour I need of others, I just ask. :/

Yeah, it can get pretty frustrating. It's like a bizarre little guessing game that I never, ever get right.

Though in fairness to her, I'm a lazy ****, so suggesting anything that's too much effort might just be met with a resigned sigh and a sorrowful look ;-)

 

[MassiveGeek]

What motivates you in your purchasing choices?
Hmm. Well, nowdays it's having experience with a franchise before, or simply researching into what new games seem interesting. A lot of the time I also get recommended games by my online buddies, since I only know about two people in real life that play games, but they come to me for recommendations, so.

What makes a game brilliant?
I am a huge sucker for customization, involving stories, RPGs and well made gameplay in general. For me immersion is almost the most important thing if I personally am going to fall right into it. But a game that is well-executed in the exact way that it's supposed to, that's a great game, wheter it's a mindless shooter or a deep RPG. Having a good foundation is however vital for any medium, wheter it's a game or not. Then you have to build from there basically, and try to create the experience appropriate for the person playing it.

Hmm. Don't have much else to say that I can think of.

 

[Meggiepants]

Hmmmm. Well, co-op is big for me. I am a social creature. I want to play my games with people. If it has a co-op story or co-op play, then I will likely buy the game. Borderlands is a game I bought all the DLC for. Love that kind of co-op.

However, I really don't care for vs. maps. It just isn't my thing. I played sports in high school, but quite honestly, I preferred the scrimmage games that we did in practices more than the actual matches. Yes, for me it really isn't about who wins or loses, it's about fucking playing. I love playing and having fun. Vs. to me is all about gloating. "I beat you!" followed by the Nelson "HA HA" is just not my idea of fun. If you like, you can believe it's because I suck at it. But I know I will play a game I like until I'm good at it. And since I don't like vs. maps, I'll probably never be very good at it.

I also enjoy strategy games. Things where it's not just about sheer reaction speed, but about planning as well. I love RTS games of any difficulty. As I've recently discovered though, they really have to be played on PC.

And for the games I play solo:

Sandbox games - I like choosing what to do next, rather than being put on a linear path. Fallout stands out for me, for many reasons, but put post-apocalyptic in your setting, and I am buying that game. I love post-apocalyptic stuff. I've logged more hours into Fallout then I care to admit.

Platformers - Mario, Ratchet, Sly, Sackboy... making a difficult jump and snagging that rare collectible, I kind of love that.

Racing - I do enjoy racing against others. But career mode is where it's at. Buying cars I could never afford, then driving the shit out of them... that is awesome.

That probably mostly covers it. My gamerscore in both PSN and XBL give a pretty good picture of what I like to play. If I have more than 50% of the trophies, I probably love that game.

 

[SonicWaffle]

I just can't win damn it!

Well, if you try to match wits with men, of course not. Didn't you know that thinking can make your ovaries explode?

Some women like you to do the action - so suggest "do you want to go see x movie tonight?" as it makes them feel like you want to spend time with them instead of them asking. This may sound ridiculous but I know some women are like this - it's basically a bizarre little test. She may not be that person but it sort of sounds like it.

Yeah, that sounds about right. She's just a bloody difficult person to be around when she gets in the right (by which I mean wrong) mood

I wish I could get her into gaming so we could play more co-op, really, but she gets confused by everything and goes back to playing Bookworm Adventures or similar games. Either that or she screws up so much I'm not having any fun. Curse you, lack of middle ground!