Poll: Why do female gamers like the Zelda series so much? *now with more political correctness!*

[RaDeuX]

Your title broke the poll question. :\
That's a bit of a generalisation. Though my sister loves Zelda more than I do, I didn't like Zelda past the Wind Waker.

I understand that it's a generalization, since it's based off of what I've asked and heard from people IRL. I just wanted to know what the Escapist community has to say about this.

 

[MasterChief892039]

You're wasting your time, the OP is either an idiot or a troll, either way there's no point in arguing with him.

I would have to agree. Though I sincerely hope he's a troll and there aren't actually people that thick-headed and self-important as to debase an entire gender's role in gaming.

 

[RaDeuX]

Alot of gamers (both male and female) like the LoZ series. It stands to reason that there would be females who would enjoy it.

And all just because some of the girls that you've talked to like it, doesn't mean that ever single girl who's a gamer likes it as well.

I never said that all girls enjoy LoZ (this is clearly the case with some irate regulars here). The only reason why I wrote the thread title the way it is was to spark interest.

 

[RaDeuX]

You're wasting your time, the OP is either an idiot or a troll, either way there's no point in arguing with him.

I would have to agree. Though I sincerely hope he's a troll and there aren't actual people that thick-headed and self-important.

You didn't have to be so offended just because I said that female gamers form a certain subculture. It's merely subjective.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Alot of gamers (both male and female) like the LoZ series. It stands to reason that there would be females who would enjoy it.

And all just because some of the girls that you've talked to like it, doesn't mean that ever single girl who's a gamer likes it as well.

I never said that all girls enjoy LoZ (this is clearly the case with some irate regulars here). The only reason why I wrote the thread title the way it is was to spark interest.

Okay, so you didn't say that. But you came somewhat close. You saw that the female gamers that you knew seemed to really like it and from there extrapolated that it must be that it's a common phenomena. I'm just pointing out that while there may be a correlation, that doesn't mean there's a direct causation between the two.

 

[RaDeuX]

Alot of gamers (both male and female) like the LoZ series. It stands to reason that there would be females who would enjoy it.

And all just because some of the girls that you've talked to like it, doesn't mean that ever single girl who's a gamer likes it as well.

I never said that all girls enjoy LoZ (this is clearly the case with some irate regulars here). The only reason why I wrote the thread title the way it is was to spark interest.

Okay, so you didn't say that. But you came somewhat close. You saw that the female gamers that you knew seemed to really like it and from there extrapolated that it must be that it's a common phenomena. I'm just pointing out that while there may be a correlation, that doesn't mean there's a direct causation between the two.

Of course not. It's just from my findings with people IRL, and I merely wanted to know what the Escapist community thought about it. Some gave reasonable answers, while others continue to flame me continuously.

 

[MechaBlue]

Because Zelda is an easy game. You only need to press A to beat it.

 

[RaDeuX]

Because Zelda is an easy game. You only need to press A to beat it.

That's not true. There is a lot to explore, puzzles to solve, and certain bosses require you to use special tools.

 

[Savagezion]

No, but being a female gamer can.

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subculture

Female gamers are a smaller portion of the gaming culture, is it not?

Dang man, I was hoping you could pull out of this as I was reading through it but this post here hurt.

As for the last statement it depends on if you count casual games to the list. (Bejeweled, Zuma, Farmville, etc.) If you include those females outnumber male gamers due to the baby boom generation. If you exclude those types of games and mean only games with a narrative form or deeper strategy then males outnumber as that market has been tailored to us for a long time.

I am under the impression that you were trolled by "PC nazi's" similar to a "grammer nazi". I think know where you were coming from when you started this post but you seem to have veered a little. I too have noticed that Zelda is a popular series for females to promote. I think that is basically what you were saying and then the only thing some people had to contribute to the thread was to toss in proper political correctness. First thing to know about this site is it is full of people that like to be fucking anal. FOr instance, make a thread titled "Am I the only one who ____________" and then proceed to count how many people put "You are never the only one." It is a figure of speech, which is probably how you used "gamer girl" or "girl gamer" or whichever one you used. They are the same fucking thing really. It's one of the things that irritate me about this site.

I think this guy hit the nail on the head:

Looking at it from the wrong perspective in my opinion. Lots of girls like Legend of Zelda simply because it's a great series with universal appeal. It may seem like a higher ratio because many of the other top tier franchises in gaming have a testosterone driven pace (ex: Call of Duty) with the occasional helping of male pandering (ex: The Witcher). I don't mean that in a bad way, just a lot of games are made with a specific male audience in mind which then results in less widespread appeal with female gamers.

EDIT: Mass Effect is quickly grabbing a large portion of the female audience as well. Zelda has been out for a much longer time.

 

[Nemu]

Female.

I fsking hate the series.

Never understood why it was so popular. It's boring, it's tired and I've hated it since NES.
(For the record, I hate shooters, too, so don't lump me in with THAT clichéd group.)


I wonder how may of the pollsters who replied to this are female, tbh.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Alot of gamers (both male and female) like the LoZ series. It stands to reason that there would be females who would enjoy it.

And all just because some of the girls that you've talked to like it, doesn't mean that ever single girl who's a gamer likes it as well.

I never said that all girls enjoy LoZ (this is clearly the case with some irate regulars here). The only reason why I wrote the thread title the way it is was to spark interest.

Okay, so you didn't say that. But you came somewhat close. You saw that the female gamers that you knew seemed to really like it and from there extrapolated that it must be that it's a common phenomena. I'm just pointing out that while there may be a correlation, that doesn't mean there's a direct causation between the two.

Of course not. It's just from my findings with people IRL, and I merely wanted to know what the Escapist community thought about it. Some gave reasonable answers, while others continue to flame me continuously.

Okay, glad we could clear that up between the two of us. I figure the main reason why people have responded so harshly to your OP is because what you were trying to present was a bit vague. While you did say that you didn't think all female gamers play and love the LoZ series, you never really said that you were just wondering what the Escapist community thought of this isolated cross-section. Some people probably took from it that you were implying that it's more likely for a girl to like LoZ then a guy or that more fans of the LoZ series were female.

That and I'm sure that some people got upset about things said later in the thread. It happens. Threads can tend to wander after a while.

 

[RaDeuX]

No, but being a female gamer can.

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subculture

Female gamers are a smaller portion of the gaming culture, is it not?

Dang man, I was hoping you could pull out of this as I was reading through it but this post here hurt.

As for the last statement it depends on if you count casual games to the list. (Bejeweled, Zuma, Farmville, etc.) If you include those females outnumber male gamers due to the baby boom generation. If you exclude those types of games and mean only games with a narrative form or deeper strategy then males outnumber as that market has been tailored to us for a long time.

I am under the impression that you were trolled by "PC nazi's" similar to a "grammer nazi". I think know where you were coming from when you started this post but you seem to have veered a little. I too have noticed that Zelda is a popular series for females to promote. I think that is basically what you were saying and then the only thing some people had to contribute to the thread was to toss in proper political correctness. First thing to know about this site is it is full of people that like to be fucking anal. FOr instance, make a thread titled "Am I the only one who ____________" and then proceed to count how many people put "You are never the only one." It is a figure of speech, which is probably how you used "gamer girl" or "girl gamer" or whichever one you used. They are the same fucking thing really. It's one of the things that irritate me about this site.

I think this guy hit the nail on the head:

Looking at it from the wrong perspective in my opinion. Lots of girls like Legend of Zelda simply because it's a great series with universal appeal. It may seem like a higher ratio because many of the other top tier franchises in gaming have a testosterone driven pace (ex: Call of Duty) with the occasional helping of male pandering (ex: The Witcher). I don't mean that in a bad way, just a lot of games are made with a specific male audience in mind which then results in less widespread appeal with female gamers.

It's only because I know that certain communities have certain biases. I visit automotive-related forums all the time, and they are FAR more biased than any other community, IMHO. So the best thing to do is not take things too personally, as they are just venting frustrations on something else and not necessarily the individual.

 

[RaDeuX]

Alot of gamers (both male and female) like the LoZ series. It stands to reason that there would be females who would enjoy it.

And all just because some of the girls that you've talked to like it, doesn't mean that ever single girl who's a gamer likes it as well.

I never said that all girls enjoy LoZ (this is clearly the case with some irate regulars here). The only reason why I wrote the thread title the way it is was to spark interest.

Okay, so you didn't say that. But you came somewhat close. You saw that the female gamers that you knew seemed to really like it and from there extrapolated that it must be that it's a common phenomena. I'm just pointing out that while there may be a correlation, that doesn't mean there's a direct causation between the two.

Of course not. It's just from my findings with people IRL, and I merely wanted to know what the Escapist community thought about it. Some gave reasonable answers, while others continue to flame me continuously.

Okay, glad we could clear that up between the two of us. I figure the main reason why people have responded so harshly to your OP is because what you were trying to present was a bit vague. While you did say that you didn't think all female gamers play and love the LoZ series, you never really said that you were just wondering what the Escapist community thought of this isolated cross-section. Some people probably took from it that you were implying that it's more likely for a girl to like LoZ then a guy or that more fans of the LoZ series were female.

That and I'm sure that some people got upset about things said later in the thread. It happens. Threads can tend to wander after a while.

Yes, I believe I was too vague about the subject. Thank you for being human about it though.

 

[MasterChief892039]

You're wasting your time, the OP is either an idiot or a troll, either way there's no point in arguing with him.

I would have to agree. Though I sincerely hope he's a troll and there aren't actual people that thick-headed and self-important.

You didn't have to be so offended just because I said that female gamers form a certain subculture. It's merely subjective.

Alright, this is my last comment on the subject.

Minority does not equal subculture. "Subculture" refers to a group of like-minded people who are influenced by a culture but have put some sort of variation on it that deviates from the main culture.

You gave this quote from Wikipedia;

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.

Please notice that the quote says
"with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong."

not

"with a physical attribute (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong."
I have also bolded the word "differentiate" in these sentences because I don't think you understand its meaning. Since you obviously understand things best when they're linked from the internet, here's a dictionary.com link for the definition of "differentiate".
The statement from Wikipedia is using the second definition;
dif·fer·en·ti·ate
2. "to change; alter."
In other words, a subculture consciously alters itself from the main culture to produce a new variation of that culture - this is not the same thing as being physically different from the typical demographic of the main culture.

Furthermore, if you had scrolled down half an inch on the Wikipedia page you quoted, you would have found a section calling "Identifying Subcultures" which states this;

The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.
According to Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot.[4]


To repeat, minority =/= subculture. You wouldn't say black gamers are a subculture, nor would you say that homosexual gamers are a subculture, nor would you say that gamers with green eyes are a subculture, because these are all just human variations and have absolutely nothing to do with that person being a gamer.

You could say that retro gamers are a subculture of gaming. Or that indie gaming is a subculture. But age/race/gender/sexuality/socio-economic status/etc do not qualify you as a subculture in gaming.



While the word "subculture" isn't inherently negative, it is offensive that you would deem female gamers to be a subculture of gaming because you are putting them in a box separate from the main culture based on something we did not choose but were born with. I would also suggest you evaluate that fact that you define the main gaming culture as 18-35/white/heterosexual males exclusively (in other words, everything you presumably are), and what that says about your character.

 

[RaDeuX]

You're wasting your time, the OP is either an idiot or a troll, either way there's no point in arguing with him.

I would have to agree. Though I sincerely hope he's a troll and there aren't actual people that thick-headed and self-important.

You didn't have to be so offended just because I said that female gamers form a certain subculture. It's merely subjective.

Alright, this is my last comment on the subject.

Minority does not equal subculture. "Subculture" refers to a group of like-minded people who are influenced by a culture but have put some sort of variation on it that deviates from the main culture.

You gave this quote from Wikipedia;

In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.

Please notice that the quote says
"with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong."

not

"with a physical attribute (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong."
I have also bolded the word "differentiate" in these sentences because I don't think you understand its meaning. Since you obviously understand things best when they're linked from the internet, here's a dictionary.com link for the definition of "differentiate".
The statement from Wikipedia is using the second definition;
dif·fer·en·ti·ate
2. "to change; alter."
In other words, a subculture consciously alters itself from the main culture to produce a new variation of that culture - this is not the same thing as being physically different from the typical demographic of the main culture.

Furthermore, if you had scrolled down half an inch on the Wikipedia page you quoted, you would have found a section calling "Identifying Subcultures" which states this;

The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.
According to Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot.[4]


To repeat, minority =/= subculture. You wouldn't say black gamers are a subculture, nor would you say that homosexual gamers are a subculture, nor would you say that gamers with green eyes are a subculture, because these are all just human variations and have absolutely nothing to do with that person being a gamer.

You could say that retro gamers are a subculture of gaming. Or that indie gaming is a subculture. But age/race/gender/sexuality/socio-economic status/etc do not qualify you as a subculture in gaming.



I would also suggest you evaluate that fact that you define the main gaming culture as 18-35/white/heterosexual males exclusively (in other words, everything you presumably are), and what that says about your character.

At the end of the day, this is all still subjective. It's like arguing different music genres, which can be subjective under certain circumstances as well.

Also, if you talk to anyone from a marketing department, they will wholeheartedly disagree with a lot of what you just told me. To be fair, I do disagree with some of what they say as well, but a lot of their points still have merits and their results are backed up by many fairly accurate statistical numbers and from the aid of psychologists (yes, they are involved in marketing too, believe it or not).

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Well when you talk about modern mainstream, you're talking Zelda.

Barring Mario I don't think there is more dominant gaming icon than Link, and of course *all* people should love Zelda.

It's like gaming's quintessential 'Too Big to Sink' franchise ... whether that is good or bad isn't the question, Zelda is bankable by any standards.

Captcha: morality optiona

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I am a female who games, and I was never really into the Zelda series. My husband is more into that series then I ever was. I remember playing a lot of Resident Evil with my sister, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with my other sister and brother. Oh and Medal Of Honor with my Dad on the Playstation.

We used to try and see who could get the most headshots each level,........

(*whispers*)
[small]I did. [/small]

 

[Yuno Gasai]

I am a female who games, and I was never really into the Zelda series.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I figure I'm one of the girls who gets bored very easily by the 'damsel in distress' situation. Girls don't always need to be saved, some of us are capable of defending ourselves.

Then again, I never could properly get into the games, so I could have the story entirely wrong. x_x;