Pro gaming: boys/men vs girls/women

[Smooth Operator]

What's between your legs doesn't change the dexterity of your hands...

That being said it's likely just numbers.

Yes, but men and women aren't rigged quite the same in the mind either.
If the "multitasking" myth is true, then I suppose girls could have a big advantage in RTS games?

They simply don't care that much for gaming, just like we don't care about fashion (on average, there are always a few exceptions).

As for multitasking, it's true women have an affinity for it, but it is also true that doing multiple tasks means the quality of work splits... it would be great to see a comparison tho.

 

[Erana]

Its not a physical thing, its social. The ratio of male to female gamers is 60/40, according to this 2008 study. [http://edugamesresearch.com/blog/2008/07/23/esa-survey-malefemale-gamer-ratio-is-6040-average-age-is-35/]

However, women more often go for RPGs, JRPGs, MMOs and Puzzles. "Pro gaming" typically is used around genres like RTSs and FPSs, which are more competitive and aggressive.
Women aren't supposed to be aggressive, dominant, or competitive. Society just hasn't moved beyond the idea that you raise the little girls with the team-working, sex object dollies, while you raise the boys with toy soldiers and giant robot dinosaurs.
With marketing of the "Pro" genres being pretty exclusively towards men, too, for a girl to even know what "FPS" or "RTS" means is for them to have been inducted into gaming through other genres first.
It is a numbers thing.

 

[Judgement101]

Word of Advice: If you are a girl and going on Xbox Live, prepare to get a LOT of dick pictures.

 

[Snowalker]

What's between your legs doesn't change the dexterity of your hands...

That being said it's likely just numbers.

Really? then my are woman statistically better shooters?

 

[Eponet]

I'm not sure though... the testostorone might worsen our "cool" and analytical abilities, thereby affecting gaming ability?

My hypothesis is that these games don't need cool analysis, just enough practice to let reflexes kicks in.

You know...that might explain why you hear so many complaints about "Cheese". Personally, I love it when it's done, because it usually means an easy win if you scout and think about how to counter it; however, if someone were playing mostly on reflex, then it's something they weren't practiced in responding to.

On another note: I agree with the single minded gaming thing.

Similar idea as this http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html

 

[More Fun To Compute]

You know...that might explain why you hear so many complaints about "Cheese". Personally, I love it when it's done, because it usually means an easy win if you scout and think about how to counter it; however, if someone were playing mostly on reflex, then it's something they weren't practiced in responding to.

One thing that also has always made people rage in FPS is snipers. Sniping is often about waiting very patiently for an opportunity and observing targets and situations with a certain amount of planning. Interestingly, one front line combat duty that women are seen as being well suited to is sniping.

 

[Udyrfrykte]

Why Guys are more into gaming than Girls is something we will never be able to solve without every girl on this on this website needing to post "I'm a girl and I game!" or guys trying to state a few facts from wikipedia about the gaming industry and its ties to the male population. And after that we'll get the neutral people who dont care and feel the need to write something anyway. And after all that somebody will still get offended and we'll all end up arguing and so the mystery will remain until another brave soul tries the same topic for the 200th time.

Well, this a topic on why guys only are at the top of the pro gaming elite.

I personally don't think it's purely a numbers things, because then we'd see the odd girl here and there trashing people at GSL, but we don't (I haven't at least).

I'm pretty sure most girls dont have that intense competetive drive when it comes to games. Thereby, we have lower amount of girls with competetive drive, thus decreasing the chances even further. So yes, it's a numbers thing but not with the only variable being "number of girls playing games vs boys playing games"

 

[Nutcase]

To be quite frank I think men are better at gaming biologically, something about our single-mindedness as another poster stated. One could say we are better at throwing our life into... whatever random subject we find interesting.
Just my opinion though, don't shoot!

I'm waiting for the day though when a girl comes in and wreaks havoc in the SC2 scene (the only scene I follow), and I'm sure it'll come.

Over a decade of professional Brood War play, the best woman player who emerged (Seo Ji-Soo) has a match record vs male players that is best summed up as "LOL". She still made a lot of money, both because she won women's tournaments and exhibition matches, and because she drew crowds in her matches against men even if she mostly lost. There would have been plenty of incentive for a talented female player to do better. I see no rational reason for your expectation that a competetive woman player turn up for SC2 when none turned up for BW.

 

[Trivea]

I think a big problem you're going to find is it's harder for girls to be taken seriously as video game players. Girls tend to get discouraged when, for example, they go online and are either hit on (if you can call it that) or told to "get back in the kitchen". I've also been in my local GameStop and watched the patronizing way females are treated - a girl asked the guy behind the counter if they had original Xbox games. He said no and asked what title she was looking for. When she said "Psychonauts", he laughed and asked if it was for her boyfriend.

Probably, until there's a decline in that sort of sexism, there are going to be fewer girls willing to deal with the headache of it.

 

[BoogieManFL]

Probably mostly about the male/female gamer ratio imbalance.

In my experience (regarding gaming) girls are usually pretty good at gathering achievements, and utilizing a lot of a games features. Especially in MMOs. They often have the most quests completed, highest reputations with the in game factions. Things that require time and a routine and trackable clearly defined goals. However, they usually don't take failure very well and get upset by it more than a guy and are less likely to put themselves (in the future) in that position where they have direct competition. And they seem to be (usually) less aggressive overall. I don't think trying to be the best is as important to them, they want to have fun and accomplish specific goals.

Just to clarify, I'm not saying they are overall better or worse. Just different, with different priorities.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I'm not sure though... the testostorone might worsen our "cool" and analytical abilities, thereby affecting gaming ability?

My hypothesis is that these games don't need cool analysis, just enough practise to let reflexes kicks in.

Men are best at Chess and Go as well. I'm guessing it's less to do with skills and more to do with the will to be competetive in general.

 

[TheDooD]

I think a big problem you're going to find is it's harder for girls to be taken seriously as video game players. Girls tend to get discouraged when, for example, they go online and are either hit on (if you can call it that) or told to "get back in the kitchen". I've also been in my local GameStop and watched the patronizing way females are treated - a girl asked the guy behind the counter if they had original Xbox games. He said no and asked what title she was looking for. When she said "Psychonauts", he laughed and asked if it was for her boyfriend.

Probably, until there's a decline in that sort of sexism, there are going to be fewer girls willing to deal with the headache of it.

Its roots are based in sexism but its a double standard for both male and female gamers. Not all male gamers are hardcore gaming freaks that can put hours of gaming into one session. While at the same time not all female games play more lighthearted games. I know a few girl gamers that are into a broad range of games and I know guys that game that are more casual and get frustrated easily. I heard girl gamers talk a lot of shit about how good they are just like how they guys do. Breaking it down girl gamers stay more so in the shadows and humble while more guy gamers like the limelight and brag. Yet both gamers can cross both boundaries. This subject is just too subjective to break it down into 6/4 ratio. just can't be done.

 

[theonlyblaze2]

Gotta blame the numbers. I have had MY ASS handed to me multiple times by girls.

 

[Kortney]

Because in serious gaming, males would out number us 10 to 1. Girls are huge casual gamers for the most part.

 

[she_never_was]

Because in serious gaming, males would out number us 10 to 1.

Yeah, no kidding.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Men are best at Chess and Go as well. I'm guessing it's less to do with skills and more to do with the will to be competetive in general.

Women do play Chess at the highest levels and have historically competed equally with men in the game. I think that, culturally, something has made it seem like an unpopular pastime with women in more recent history.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Due to a lot of different reasons I got led to thinking about this:

"Why are men at the top of the food chain in gaming?"

Because afaik, girls aren't competing at the highest level. Is this because girls are worse gamers purely from a physical point of view, simply because more guys play games (increasing the chances of the very best being a boy..), girls not bothering to go that far with the game or something else?
Let's have an objective discussion about this, no "my girlfriend pwnz me in halo". I'm wondering about the HIGHEST level of play, professional

I read about a female starcraft player called tossgirl, about how she played against boys after the girl division in GSL got removed or something like that. She hasn't won anything big against boys, but at least she was competetive. She played like, a lot, though. Just as much as male pros, but still couldn't quite cut it.

Are you actually suggesting that men are inherently more skilled at video games than girls? Seriously?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n5E7feJHw0
It is basically the number of guys that play/play competitively is just much higher than the number of girls.

 

[Something Amyss]

What's between your legs doesn't change the dexterity of your hands...

Must. Avoid. Masturbation. Joke.

I'm chalkin' this up to sexism. Women have the sense to put the game down and accomplish something.

I snickered. At both parts.

I am so ashamed. >.<

 

[Stasisesque]

Due to a lot of different reasons I got led to thinking about this:

"Why are men at the top of the food chain in gaming?"

Because afaik, girls aren't competing at the highest level. Is this because girls are worse gamers purely from a physical point of view, simply because more guys play games (increasing the chances of the very best being a boy..), girls not bothering to go that far with the game or something else?
Let's have an objective discussion about this, no "my girlfriend pwnz me in halo". I'm wondering about the HIGHEST level of play, professional

I read about a female starcraft player called tossgirl, about how she played against boys after the girl division in GSL got removed or something like that. She hasn't won anything big against boys, but at least she was competetive. She played like, a lot, though. Just as much as male pros, but still couldn't quite cut it.

http://www.fragdolls.com/
http://girlzdestruct.com/

Just two off the top of my head. They exist, they just get little publicity - much in the same way men's football outstrips women's in terms of press.