Poll: (research) Why do guys typically play more video games?

[norr]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

 

[nesbitto]

1. Yes
1a. Older generations (i.e. those in charge) still perceive video games as a male hobby.
1b. Over representation of burly white dudes with brown hair as protagonists. As if no one would ever want to be anything else.
2. I'd think we're approaching a 1:1 ratio, but honestly I've no idea. Based on my friends group.
3. Neither? We're all just folk. All I want is interesting mechanics and stories.
4. Less burly white dudes with brown hair. Seriously. Just more diversity in game characters.

 

[NPC009]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..

Yes, a majority, but it's not as big a majority as it used to be. For instance, several big developers are putting more and more effort into their female characters (The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite are good examples) and although still rare, we're also seeing more female protagonists. Even the number of games specificly designed for a female audience (such as otome games) are becoming more easily available.

a. Why do you think this is?

Business. Many publishers still see white heterosexual males between 18 and 35 as the most important demographic. Both Irrational Games and Naughty Dog had to fight for things like a spot on the cover for Elizabeth and Ellie (wait, pattern much?) or focus groups that weren't 100% male. Some of those fights they lost. Or remember Remember Me? Dondnot Entertainment had great difficulty finding a publisher, because many felt a game with a female protagonist (that wasn't named Lara Croft) wouldn't sell.

b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)

Not much diversity in main characters (lots of power fantasies, space marine archetypes). Many are designed to appeal to that cherished 18-35 male demograpic.

2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?

Depends on the game. There are many women who play casual games on phones and in browsers, but I see the more gender neutral games attract more and more female players as time goes on. Japanese games such as Final Fantasy and the Tales-series seem especially popular, but western games like Hearthstone seem to have a fair number of female players as well. And that's just the visible ones.

3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?

I don't think it's wrong to make games geared towards men, but it would be great to have more diversity.

4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Proper marketing research, less confirmation bias (put some women in those focus groups!). Be more open-minded towards protagonists that aren't the typical white men with stubble. (Look, women like looking at handsome guys like Drake, that's for sure, but it would be nice to have other types of main characters as well!) And just be a little more inclusive in general. Most games atleast some female players, I'm sure developers and publishers can acknowledge their existence without pissing off male users.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

1) Yes, without a doubt. Women are often little more than eye candy, need to be rescued, want to jump in the sack two minutes after meeting the hero, or a bunch of other cliches that appeal to the male fantasy. It's a rare female character that comes along that doesn't fall into any of those roles. Even villains tend to be sexed up. Who wears a thong into battle?
a) I think it because it's true.
b) I believe I just answered that part too.

2) Men play more video games. There are plenty of females out there who play, make no mistake, but men still make up the majority of gamers.

3) I think video games shouldn't be geared toward any specific gender, unless you go in intending to make it that way. I think games should be geared to being fun and/or telling a good story. While bother excluding potential customers by making your product appeal to only one type? There are ways to write male and female characters without stuffing them into pigeon hole roles.

4) The industry is trying. They're little baby steps, but they are trying. More games are giving you the option to play as a female. More heroes are female, and they don't have to be looking for a man or flirty. I think what really needs to change though is the audience. Have you seen the hate that flies around the second a female gamer says anything? It doesn't even have to be bad, just, "Can I play as a girl?" and people fly off the freaking rails. That needs to go away before other stuff can really happen.

 

[cleric of the order]

1. mostly, while i'd admit anyone can play or prefer videogames there is a psychological preference for men to dumb loads of time into it, in much larger numbers then women. I know of men that take up low paying jobs in essence to support their love of video games and don't move past that stage because all they want to do is game.
A1 games survived of being competitive not just video games but games in general. Name me a game that is non competitive and world famous and commonly enjoyed by people across the world, then remind yourself of how many games the opposite is true for and get off of google. I've heard it said that humans are a tournament species, and that reflects itself in male competitiveness, whether that s true of not it seems men do enmasse prefer competition and bond over it. I've also done a study for this and what i got was men tend to be kinetic and visual learners and preferred video-games for it's kinetic and visual feed back. Video games are an extremely sensory art.
2.It shows through in a lot of games have competitive aspects, if not multilayer, there's score, achievements, timed sections, score etc. being largely combative likely is a part of this too but less so more s that it's easy in a narrative sense and everyone craves a little...

Spoiler: strife

3.I don't think that is in my place to command. Video games don't need to be geared to anyone. and have been open to everyone. While I'll admit it's nature tends to pull it towards dudes but the same is true for boardgames, wargames, pen and paper to a lesser extent. Anyone can play and i like having new nice people play but there's a reason the market is like this. video games, to the largest extent relied on males during the crash. no that isn't quite right. it relied on NERDS during and after the crash and that's the problem. the more we gab on males the less we remember that gaming for the largest while was a subculture and in a lot of senses it still is. On filled with slackers, nerds, social untouchables like myself, tomboys, counter culture buggers and of course rather well off nerds. the sex, gender, what have you rarely matters because this is subculture, no one hung up a sign saying no girls allowed.
4. I don't see a large problem with the industry, besides the EA practices, game journos and DRM/piracy. These matter more to me then which why the knob curved in or out before your mother expelled you in a horrifying miracle of nature, though admittedly not by much.

 

[Silvanus]

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?

I think that most video games are aimed towards men. I think that, in the past, men made up a significant majority of gamers, and that nowadays they still constitute a majority, though not nearly as significant as a lot of people think.

Partly, I think most video games are aimed towards men because of industry inertia and complacency, and a near-silly level of risk-aversion.

b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)

Female character designs are one way it shows through. Female characters being relegated to supporting cast (or stereotypical roles) is another.

2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?

I'd say more men play video games, but I'd also say the difference probably isn't as large as people tend to think.

3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?

I'd like to see more games geared towards women.

Actually, I'd like to see more games geared towards every group. A diverse cast of games so that everyone can find things they want to play, and artistic experimentation to push the medium to its fuller potential. Starting with games geared towards people to whom games aren't often geared towards already, so I'd be very happy to see more games geared towards women, yes.

4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

It could experiment more.

 

[Antendo]

1. Yes
a. Probably because a majority of the so called "hardcore gamers" are male, and those are the ones who are supposedly buying the bulk of the triple A stuff
b. Overly sexualizing all of the characters, not just female. It's all "look at these big juicy bewbs!" and "look at this masculine, muscly manly man, don't you wanna be like him!"
2. All in all I think it's pretty even
3. Absolutely not.
4. More character diversity would be awesome. I personally would be just fine if you gender swap the main character and the love interest (or just the main character, but I'm not sure the world as a whole is ready for gay couples in games), or just simply not have a gender in sci-fi and fantasy with a race that is neither. Or both.
And another thing is for games to be more inclusive of all players, not excluding a part of their possible playerbase (and therefore sales). I'm not saying all games should be everything for everyone - because then they'd really have nothing for anyone - but to just not make anyone feel like they're not welcome.

But then again, anything any dev will do nowadays is gonna piss people off, because that's what the internet is for now. Internet isn't for porn anymore, it's for people to get angry and abusive at eachother and to feel like they're entitled to everything they want. Slightly offtopic, but related to this in a way.

 

[Caiphus]

Because analog sticks look ever so slightly like nipples, and deep down we all know we could really use some more practice at foreplay.

 

[BlackBark]

1. Yes, I believe they are, although there have been some definite and noticeable changes over the years making games slightly more accessible to women as well.

1a. I still think that gaming is a male dominated hobby, especially if you exclude mobile/facebook games. Based on my experience, the girls that venture into more "real" games still normally only go as far as rpgs, especially jrpgs. I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, rpgs often have the option of a female main char (character creation) or, in the case of jrpgs, there are generally some cool female characters even if they aren't the main character. Secondly, I think girls prefer slower paced games. For example, games like cod, doom and many other fps games essentially don't have a story or characters, they are just a loose pretext for fast paced mayhem and carnage. I don't think this suits girls' tastes much in general (of course, there are always exceptions). Finally, I think girls generally prefer games with good or interesting stories and or characters. A lot of games outside of rpgs don't have this, as I mentioned with fps games. By the way, I am a guy, so these ideas are based on the few conversations I've had with female gamers.

In conclusion, many game types are already suited to men, so it's not feasible to try to aim them at women. Can you imagine gears of war, but with an all female cast? You then have to ask the question: would girls still want to play that kind of game. If not, what would you have to remove in order for a game like GoW to be aimed at women? Would it still be even remotely similar to the original game? I don't really have an answer to these questions.

1b. I guess fan service that is focused more on male tastes, such as over the top violence and many attractive female characters.

2. Definitely men, especially if you count number of hours played instead of just number of people.

3. Different genres maybe, but it's very hard to say, since I'm not certain what puts girls off certain games the most. I would prefer games to be relatively balanced, but there are many things that I like about current games and anime etc, which I wouldn't want to lose. However, I believe that whoever is creating the game has the right to do it in any way they please. If they have a story to tell or a specific game they want to make, who are we to tell them to do it otherwise?

4. I think things are already moving in the right direction. A lot more games offer the option for female characters (mainly rpgs again). However, one thing that really annoys me about the current changes is that games end up being praised simply for having a female protagonist or a prominent female character (such as the new Dreamfall). That in itself should not be considered a selling point or some great achievement. I hope we get to the stage where female protagonists will be usual enough that we can judge them for their character instead of just because they exist and are female.

 

[MysticSlayer]

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..

Sort of...It depends on the market. Games targeting a male audience are much more prevalent in bigger, more mainstream games. However, going to Facebook, Android, or even Nintendo will start seeing this trend diminished, with plenty of games targeting women (some explicitly stating so) and targeting both genders. Some genres, like RPGs, also seem to be getting more focused on reaching out to everyone, but there are still some major exceptions (e.g. The Witcher games are clearly targeting men).

So yeah, this really depends on where your focus is. For the sake of argument, I'll say yes, just because the biggest games tend to be made with a male audience in mind before any other gender.

a. Why do you think this is?

People still see games as a boy's club, and most games targeting women just aren't as popular. Granted, we seem to be coming to the realization that people play games regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or worldview. However, I'd say we're only slowly coming to that realization, and there is still plenty of that "only boys play games" mentality that causes some developers to make games that might as well wear a "No Girls Allowed!" sign around their chest, which just perpetuates a cycle.

b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)

Yes, though, I don't think that it is just the whole "chainmail bikini" problem. It's the fact that so many games seem to relish in this with the camera angles, lack of real purpose beyond just fan service, etc.

I guess some other signs are the lack of playable female characters in games with multiple protagonists (e.g. GTAV) and a bunch of other stuff that generally presents women as an insignificant demographic at best.

2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?

Again, depends on where your market focus is. From what I understand, if we include Facebook and mobile, then women are slightly ahead of men. If we go more mainstream, then men are slightly ahead of women. Genre can also play a role.

Overall, I think that we're close to a 50/50 divide. Personally, I know far more men that are "hardcore" gamers than I do women, but pretty much every girl I know plays games to some extent.

3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?

Neither, and it is stupid to think that it should be geared towards either side (or any side for that matter). Games should be about welcoming others to take part in the experiences and discussions they offer. We shouldn't be looking at any gender and saying, "You aren't as important as X gender."

4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Make people feel like they are welcome. Yeah, some people may still really enjoy playing games, but can you honestly expect someone to get as engaged as they can be in your hobby or business if they feel like they are being ignored because X demographic is considered more important? What message are we sending women if we allow multiple protagonists in a game but then make all of them male? Furthermore, if they can't identify with any of the female characters because all of them are just there for the male audiences viewing pleasure, do you honestly expect them to feel as connected as they can be to the game? And if a developer has trouble with this, then they should probably be reevaluating the way they look at the groups they are marginalizing.

And from a community standpoint, we need to make them feel welcome. We need to actually listen to what those who feel underrepresented have to say, consider their complaints, throw ideas around (respectfully), and welcome advancement by developers. Furthermore, we need to stop being afraid that writing better female characters will somehow tarnish our fun, as if better writing were a mark against the game.

In the end, I'd imagine that if we make an effort to make others feel welcome, they will come in. Even better, they'll bring their unique experiences with them, which can only serve to help us tell more various stories and possible explore newer systems through our games.

 

[Rayce Archer]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Yes
a. I think it began because most programmers were male, and now that most gamers are male it continues. I think most programmers were originally male because most mathematicians were male in the late 70s when gaming started because cold war era gender politics.
b. Women are almost never PCs except in games where the PC can be anything. Male lead characters get very action-centric games where female leads are often relegated to puzzles and survival gameplay. Women in games are often sexualized for men, but men are almost never sexualized for women.
2. More men. I play a lot of MP L4D2 and there are maybe 4 ladies I play with often, versus about 15-20 men.
3. Yes, but I'm not sure the games per se are the problem. The industry as a whole, and gamer culture waver between hostile and indifferent to women. Look at it this way, a lot of guys like sticking stuff up their asses but they don't go to Pure Romance parties to buy dildos because those are very clearly for women. Same deal.
4. I think the industry needs to stop neglecting the female protagonist. I think they need to make games that aren't shameful in their depiction of women. I think they need to take genres like hidden object and casual puzzle that traditionally appeal to women, and actually build some GOOD titles around them. Right now the only big franchise with a big (if not dominant) female player base is the Sims, because it's the only extension of gameplay proven to succeed with ladies into a robust, fun AAA title. I'm not counting MMOs because A. based on personal experience I'm not sure I buy that most MMOs are heavily played by women, and B. if they are, its for the social element and the games themselves are still very Boys' Own (look at fucking Terra Online).

Thanks so much if you answer!

 

[happyninja42]

1. Yes, though I think it's slowly changing to be more balanced....sloooowly.
a. Confirmation bias of those making the games, and preconceptions of what their target audiences are.
b. Over sexualized characters, a tendency to have the protagonist be male, having the game be focused on "manly" related things, like shooting and fighting, and blowing stuff up. Having female characters restricted to support roles, or insane female antagonists.

2. I can only go based on my personal experience, but I would have to say that it's mostly men. Of all of the people I've known in my almost 40 years of life, just about every guy I've ever met/known/talked to, plays video games to some degree or other. I cannot say the same for women. I have known several, my wife included, and the mother of my god-daughters as well (seriously she's a Zelda freak like I just didn't know), but on average, most women I know do not play video games, or if they do, they don't openly talk about it. Possibly due to some social stigma about girls playing games, so they don't discuss it, or maybe they just don't play them for real. *shrugs*

3. I don't think it should be "more" geared towards either gender. I think it should be determined on the type of game. I see nothing wrong with making games that are targeted towards men, or women, but if there is a distinct lack of titles and options for one gender or the other, then there is a disparity, and it should be addressed. I can't back up my opinion with any direct evidence, other than "stuff I've read online", but I believe that the actual gamer base is probably close to even, taken as a global average, and thus there should be enough games for both genders out there.

4. Make more diverse game types, with a more even split of protagonists and antagonists, that more accurately reflect a broader spectrum. Personally, I don't have a problem playing female characters if the story is about them, though I will always choose males if I am given the option of choosing gender. Games like Oni, or Tomb Raider, or any other game with a female lead are perfectly fine, and there should be more of them so that more girls/women can invest themselves into their video games like I did growing up. It's very fun, and therapeutic to pretend to be a badass hero, saving the day, and personally, it's easier for me to do so, if the character I am playing matches my gender. I'm sure this is probably true for most people, so having a wider variety of titles to pick from, to enjoy that power fantasy, is a good thing I think.

 

[MoltenSilver]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

1. Absolutely
a. Because that's the market that, past the initial gender-neutral stage like pong and such, choose to direct at first, it worked, and as such the industry has remained inside the tiny 'reliably works' bubble instead of even bothering exploring new avenues. Budgets have become so obscene that no one at a major level is willing to do anything other than make and re-make the same slurry that's sold before.
b. Almost 100% of the perspective presented in videogames is 1)Universal (ie. roleplaying with practically no defined character, as in Bioware games and such) or 2) designed ground-up to be as risk-free as possible by catering only to one specific group. The ratio of fixed-character games presenting the perspective of a white straight male to everything else blatantly reveals who's the only group that has the industry's ear. And just to make it crystal clear, we have instances like with Remember Me (Devs were repeatedly told no one would publish a game witha female protagonist), Bioshock Infinite (Elizabeth pushed off cover due to focus group), and The Last of Us (Dev outrage when the publisher deliberately only sought out a male focus group) where for 99% intents and purposes it was shouted loud and proud "anyone who isn't white straight male isn't welcome".

2. This falls under the typical quibble of define 'games'. If we include the broadest definition it's nearly equal, if we narrow it to 'core' gamers it's male, though shifting and hopefully keeps shifting towards equality.

3. We shouldn't be in such a stupid predicament that this is something we legitimately have to ask. It shouldn't be 'geared' towards anyone, there should be so much diversity and competition in the market that the very idea of an entire industry gearing towards anyone would be considered absurd.

4. I don't think it can change, at least not without something like a major crash. These companies are so averse to risk and adaptation I'm surprised their executives don't go crying home to mommy whenever they get the sniffles, and equal representation is among the many, many problems exacerbated by that mindset.
If you mean what would a better world look like:
(1). A lot more 'perspective' roleplaying games developed and a willingness for everyone to embrace every role and hopefully pick up some empathy along the way. The day a guy can play as a female protagonist and not even consider the possibility of his friends calling him "ur so gayz lol" can't come soon enough.
(2). A greater diversity in games in general and for clone franchises and follow-the-leader to be punished rather than rewarded by the market to force companies into innovation
(3). The industry needs to break this isolated loop its stuck in "Female games don't sell well, so we won't market it", then a great game doesn't sell because no one's heard of it, and the same executive goes "See? female protagonists don't sell. Samus, Lara Croft, and all those other ones who do are just exceptions". Every single time I hear about the crap that goes on in focus groups, its pretty clear they exist only so the executives can hear what they want to hear instead of actually make the most money.

 

[spartan231490]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

1)no. I'd say that most video games are actually aimed at women or at no gender. Look at candy crush, farmville, ect. They make up, by far, the majority of video games by number. AAA games are typically more aimed at young men though.
a) why? Probably because, by far, most serious gamers, willing to spend significant time and money on AAA games, are young men.
b) it shows through in a lot of things. MCs are typically male. They're typically fairly young. I don't think the sexualized characters are so much because games are aimed at men, but more so because they catch attention, and that's the first step towards having someone buy the game, of either gender. and really, in most games, men are just as sexualized. Is Marcus phoenix really less sexualized than whatever her name is, the lead female from Gears of War? Are Liara or Ashley or Miranda really more sexualized than Shepard or Jacob? Sure, some games there's a substantial different, but notice that most of them are fighting games, where absurd science and outlandish visuals are the norm. I'd say it comes through on a more fundamental level. Most AAA games are aimed more at men from the ground up, mechanically, storywise, and the gender of the MC. I dont' think that's a bad thing by the way, it's just good business sense.

2) More women play video games, but AAA gamers, especially the ones buying a new game once or twice a month are overwhelmingly male. Much of the female market is in casual games and even those that play AAA tend to spend less time and money on it than their male counterparts. That's certainly not always the case, but business is about the probabilities.

3) I don't know that they "should" be geared more to anything. Like it or not, game development and publishing is a business. There are advantages to expanding your consumer base, but there are also benefits to a more targeted model. I think that AAA games will most likely always be more geared towards young men, because they spend the most time and money on games of that sort. Console or one purchase PC games. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see an emerging market in micro-transaction or subscription games being geared towards other demographics, especially women. Think of it in terms of literature. There are all kinds of markets, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Mystery . . . and I think you'll see games start to similarly start specializing and aiming at certain demographics.

4) Nothing. It's an industry, a business. If you want to see it change, that has to come from the consumers. They will change up their approach to meet demand. At most, make it known what you want. Don't sign a petition complaining about sexualized female characters, put up a kickstarter for a female-aimed game, probably a casual or semi-casual title. once the industry sees the money to be made there, they'll capitalize on it. But if all you ever do is ***** without ever offering a profitable alternative, they're going to keep doing what works.

 

[cleric of the order]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

also
stop
everything here seems to be bad form, I'm not a fully fledged academic but from what i remember of this sort of thing,your method appears wrong.
You game out the intent of you study thus adding bias.
your questions should have not asked about feelings and been more geared to asking the sex of the person then asking the amount of games they play, what they like about video games, and aspects of their personality.
In other words a positivist approach would have been better.
No worries.
I'm sorry if I'm just straight wrong, but there seems to be something wrong in your from and for the sake of your research a bit of scrutiny never hurt anyone

 

[Byte2222]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

1. Yes
1. a. Vicious cycle. When games were first invented, it was due to the vision of men. Men made games for men, often without realising it, attracting more men to the hobby who then went into game development, starting the whole cycle again while women got short-changed. The general men = science & technology, women = arts & humanities stigma in the western world is also not helping
1. b. Objectification of women - literally, they are not the subjects of the game, they are objects within it. We can argue about skimpy outfits 'till the end of time but when was the last time you played a game where a woman and her actions actively drove the plot/game along?

2. That depends on your definitions. If 'games' covers PC, console and handheld then definitely men, without a doubt. If we venture into the realm of mobile, fitness and social games then women may become the majority.

3. Some games should be geared towards men, some games should be geared towards women, some games should be geared towards children (without being shit) and some games should be geared towards including all of the above in the experience.

4. Hire wiser marketing people. People who, when they find that 60% of men and 10% of women buy their products, think "if 60% of men like our products, what's stopping 60% of women liking them as well?"

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

1. No.
a. Down to personal taste. My sisters have been gaming since spectrum/C64. Saying a woman cant enjoy a game because it has a male protagonist is stupid. What does that say about the female gamers? Its like saying woman cant enjoy songs sung by men, films with male main characters or books with male main characters and vice versa.
b. Depends on the game. Lara Croft wasnt sexualised, yet gamers sexualised her. Also you have that dodgy sexy female armour which i find more stupid than sexy. Isnt that the cliche with everything though, woman want to look sexy and men want to look strong and powerful. Look at movies and magazines and adverts. I think thats just what society is at the moment. Granted there are more male characters than woman, but how many of those male characters are generic shaved head muscle man?
2. I guess i would say more men play violent games and online games. Woman seem to prefer puzzle games. Yes there is over lap and again its down to taste.
3. Companies should make the games they want. The story should come first as thats what is interesting.
4. Does that mean we will make games with extra pink in them to attract woman? (sarcasm)I think its stupid to force developers to work under those conditions. They should make the games they want to make as is their right, after all they are financing the game. Same as with film directors and novel writers. I think female gamers opinions are way more important than mine but feminists want every thing they deem men have regardless if they want it or not. Female gamers just want fun games and if they have a female protagonist then thats a plus. If it was a matter of a female character then games like Velvet Assassin and Venetica would have been bought by all female gamers.

 

[Savagezion]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

1. Yes.
a. Men have been the dominant customer in stores like Radio Shack or Fry's Electronics for decades. Men have traditionally been the main consumers of electronics almost across the board. So software (games) that runs on electronics used for leisure has been more successful at appealing to male interests.
b. Provocative females is an easy one. High contents of violence and revenge just like the action movie genre geared towards men. As well, male characters are most often the protagonist. Any game geared towards puzzles or non-violent activity is usually cartoony to appeal to children in general.

2. I would say it is an even split if we include mobile gaming like Angry Birds and Candy Crush or facebook apps. However, if solely focusing on people who purchase gaming PCs and consoles, I would bet men largely outweigh the women.

3. Neither.

4. The safe bet right now would be to add in the ability to play either gender on most games. What Arkham City did with Batman/Catwoman could be another approach. But ultimately, if they aim to close the gender disparity gap, they need to have both be present as playable characters. This does mean doubling up on voice acting and art for the player character. But it also doubles the market. As sexist as it may sound, it also wouldn't hurt to do something like come out with consoles of assorted colors believe it or not. Look at what that shit did for the iMac. Imagine being able to pick between a red, blue, black, white, yellow, green, or pink PS4, Xbone, etc. As sexist as this may sound, women really dig that shit. I bet a lot of guys would like it too but many women would find it "cute". And that doesn't cost much to do, just have different colors of plastic.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Hey, I'm doing a bit of research for a project I am doing, If you have a few minuets please answer these questions..!

1. Do you feel that most video games are aimed towards men, And if you think so..
a. Why do you think this is?
b. How do you think it shows through? (eg. Over sexualised female characters)
2. Would you say more women or more men play video games?
3. Do you think video games should be more geared towards men or women?
4. What could the gaming industry change to make things better?

Thanks so much if you answer!

1. Yes, definitely.
a) The industry has always been male-dominated in audience, creators, publishing, funding and distribution. The bread and butter of creating a game, ie. coding, is a very male-dominated profession.
b) The biggest game releases are still about killing things in one genre or another (shooter, RPG, strategy, sandbox etc.) instead of, say, puzzle games or visual novel type games. Plus the whole misogyny bubbling underneath, oversexualization of female characters (or merely a lack of female characters not designed first and foremost to look attractive), the ratio of men vs. women working in the industry etc.

2. Depends on what you perceive as "play video games". The AAA industry is definitely male-dominated, but once you look at Facebook games, mobile games and such, I think the ratio leans towards women actually playing more.

3. Why would they have to be? Books or films in general aren't geared towards a specific gender. There are specific subgenres that appeal to more to one than the other (Romantic comedies for women, violent action movies for men), and I think that's an adequate model for any form of entertainment.

4. It's a chicken/hen type of situation. If you tell the developers to stop making violent games with big boobs, they'll say the customers won't buy them. If you tell the customers to buy games that don't pride themselves on action and sex appeal, they'll say nobody makes them. Perhaps the best way to improve this is in the story, writing and visual design areas. You can have the uber hot chick, but give her a character too. You can fill your fighting game with swimsuit model/MMA fighter hybrids, but throw in a cranky grandma or an annoying 9-year old brat too. If you can have the audience look at a character you've created as a character instead of mere fantasy material, that's a step in the right direction.