Poll: Female gamers like to shop, play support roles, says developer

[PhiMed]

So, there's a new game on the horizon from Russian developer Nival, known in the West primarily for Heroes of Might and Magic V. It's called Prime World

One section of the preview article in this month's Game Informer struck me as a bit odd...
Nival is taking a huge gamble on the idea of tying players? real-life gender into their game experience. On the social side, your sex determines which activities are available during a visit. For instance, where a guy visiting a guy may launch a hunting activity, a couple of girls visiting might go shopping together. In the multiplayer sessions, male and female players have different heroes available to them at the beginning of the game, with female heroes skewing more toward support roles and male heroes tending to be front-line fighters. Nival has yet to determine exactly which heroes and roles will be available to each gender at the beginning of the game. Hopefully women will have at least some options to be big tanking ass-kickers, since telling female gamers that they are only allowed to be support for the men doing the real fighting would be a huge mistake

The complete article can be found <link=http://www.gameinformer.com/games/prime_world/b/pc/archive/2011/05/11/rethinking-the-boundary-between-social-and-hardcore-gaming.aspx>here

On the one hand, I don't think how you're allowed to interact with the game should be limited by gender. On the other hand, we constantly discuss how developers don't make an effort to reach out to women, and that's precisely what they're trying to do here.

So what does the escapist think? Is this a good idea? Do you want to see more implementation like this?

Edit: Sorry, poll didn't work. Anyone know how to add them after the fact?

 

[PlasmaFrog]

He obviously must be a troll, or has fond memories of serving in World War II.

 

[Kopikatsu]

...I don't really like the idea. I always saw myself as a Tanker (My best characters in fighting games tend to be the giant ones. Iron Tager, Hulk, Sentinel, etc)...but then I played Vindictus for a while and I realized that I actually like support roles.

Besides, not all girls like to shop and not all guys like to punch shit in the face.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Everybody likes to shop

 

[Saelune]

When a girl games, they want to game. Not all women are one way. Not all men are one way. Im hoping this is fake. It sounds too obviously sexist to be fake, but either way I must say...its sexist.

 

[Xisin]

I don't like this. Why should I like support characters, just because I'm a girl. I hate to shop...Why would I want to do that in game instead of hunting? I think the player should have the choice if there is already two options.

 

[PhiMed]

To clarify a bit, all content and roles can be unlocked through in-game currency. The beginning classes are the only ones determined by gender. Plus, it's still early in development, so this guy may have Molyneux-itis.

 

[M Rotter]

i appreciate the gesture in trying something new in gender, again i just think developers are getting a little off track about why people play games. Im female. I enjoy shopping occasionally. Why would i play a game about it when i can go outside and actually do it? I want to be a legendary hero who rises to the top on the crushed and mutilated bodies of my enemies

 

[lacktheknack]

I'm a guy and prefer being the medic, the ultimate support role.

I don't think restrictions on each gender is the best idea.

 

[solidstatemind]

While I understand the need to try to come up with an idea of common behavior for each of genders, it seems rather useless in an online environment where people often are purposefully escaping their normal environments and constraints on behavior. Aside from that, I've played World of Warcraft for a long, long time, and about the only observation I can draw from my observations of women playing the game is that they are slightly more likely to play a class like a warlock or a hunter because they like the idea of pets. But that's about it.

I've also seen plenty of women who defy the stereotypes. The guild master of my guild is a woman, and she is a murderous ***** in PvP and arenas (although plenty nice to her guildies); my wife happens to be one of the best tanks on the server.

So, yeah, I think this is kind of mistake on the developer's part. Reading the article, I understand that they believe that they are 'opening up' the game to a much less 'hardcore audience' so perhaps some more standard gender behavior might be applicable, but the truth is that I doubt they'll actually get much buy-in. It's not like non- and casual-gamers don't know about these types of games, it's that they really aren't interested. So their going to risk insulting women gamers for what probably will be a small benefit. Just doesn't seem like a smart play to me.

 

[zehydra]

lol these sound more like restrictions than reaching out

 

[OutforEC]

Any gameplay that is based on gender-specific stereotypes is sexist by definition. Including additional options based on gender is good; limiting options based on gender is not.

 

[PhiMed]

Any gameplay that is based on gender-specific stereotypes is sexist by definition. Including additional options based on gender is good; limiting options based on gender is not.

If you have additional options for one gender or another, aren't you limiting options for the other? I don't really understand the distinction.

 

[RoboPenguin]

I'm a girl. I almost always default to a tank class. I can't stand losing health and "losing" when I first start learning a game. It's always tank as first character and then experimental alts once I get a feel for the game.

I love dishing damage and usually go for glass cannon builds if I feel comfortable enough with a game. I find it's my favorite way to play but can't do it often/find less games that allow it.

 

[trollnystan]

I'm a girl and I hate shopping. Or rather, I hate shopping as a group activity. Also, in games, I like getting in there into the thick of the action, which is why even though rogues are a favourite class of mine I'm generally shit at playing them.

Yeah, not excited for this so far =/

 

[OutforEC]

Any gameplay that is based on gender-specific stereotypes is sexist by definition. Including additional options based on gender is good; limiting options based on gender is not.

If you have additional options for one gender or another, aren't you limiting options for the other? I don't really understand the distinction.

Why do you assume that adding to one detracts from the other?

 

[Risingblade]

I like to shop and support....

 

[razelas]

Funny how there's not many people here clamoring about this obvious sexist enforcement of gender stereotypes.

But when threads suggest equality of inclusion for female gamers, then we get the OHNOFUCKINGFEMINAZIZRUININGMAHGAMEZ!!! outcry.

Escapist community, I'm disappointed. Seriously, wtf?

 

[alittlepepper]

I hope this is a false report. Just because I like browsing things from time to time doesn't mean I like playing support roles. I do, to a point, but classification by gender seems both pointless and a little bit insulting. I actually enjoy playing a female character with a pivotal role in the story in the games that I play, e.g. Femshep as a soldier, or the frontline tank character that gets beaten on the most and typically does the most. I rather dislike playing as biotics because they're so flimsy.
Doesn't sound much like what this character's getting at.
Don't mistake me, I don't mind playing a support role, but I don't like playing second fiddle. If I'm a support character I do everything I can to carve out a very unique role, one way or another, in the party I'm with.

Edit: Clarification of the last statement, I don't mind supporting others or working as a team with others, even NPC characters. But I'm not about to sit around and be a healbot, either.