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Games Entertainment

Female Gamer Talks Girl Gaming 121

Posted by simoniker from the eternally-percolating-discussion dept.
Snowcone writes "As gaming becomes more mainstream, it's inevitable that many girls will join the ranks of the die-hard gamer. Gaming is typically reserved for those with that extra chromosome, which poses the question; in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority? As a female gamer, Dots @ Snackbar Games discusses reasons why it's ok for girls to enjoy gaming just as much as the guys do." This is another perspective on a much-discussed subject.
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Female Gamer Talks Girl Gaming More

Female Gamer Talks Girl Gaming

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  • Gaming is typically reserved... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:18AM (#6578743)
    ...for those with that extra chromosome.

    Anyone up for a game of Super Downs Syndrome Racer?

  • Choice? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Robmonster ( 158873 ) <slashdot.journal2.store@neverbox.com> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:29AM (#6578814) Journal
    I dont think its a case of female gamers choosing to be in a minority. they choose to enjoy gaming, and hence that automatically puts thbem in the minority. I wonder how many female gamers take on a male moniker when playing online to avoid all the "A/S/L"-ing that always going on when someone called "Susie" joins a server.

    • Heh...
      Athlon 2400+ eMachine...$399.99
      Broadband Internet......$39.99/month
      3 Tubes of Lube.........$12.96
      Set of 'C' Batteries....$2.99

      Time spent on
      IRC answering
      random ASL's............PRICELESS!
      I can't take full credit for that, however. I saw it on IRC somewhere...

  • Girls DO Play Games?! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821.gmail@com> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:30AM (#6578822)
    Of course girls play games. I always see female toons on EQ!

    No, seriously... my girlfriend was addicted to Civ 3, now its NWN... we just got Mario Golf yesterday (god that game is FUN, and I HATE golf!!) and she was really into the N64 version so I expect lots of courses to be unlocked when I get home...

    I tell you what, I've gotten 3 computers in 3 years, along with near constant upgrades on the basis of "but you'll get a better video card/more memory/whatever if I do" =)
    • My misses is more into Console games than the PC games. I've learnt the kind of game she enjoys now, so wheneever i buy a new system I get her one to go with it.

      Mario Golf is good eh? Is that on the Gamecube?
      • Yes, mario golf is good... I am not sure if its better than the original (on the 64), because that was VERY good, and I even traded in FF8 for that (believe me, the guy at the EB was like "you're trading in FF8 for ... MARIO GOLF?!" then again, FF8 was a steaming pile of dog shit which was good until I sucked mana, and realized that the game itself, sucked.)

        I suppose the GC version will be more fun once I get used to the differences in the swings...
    • Offtopic, but one game along those lines that girls really like was Mario Tennis.. I can't imagine one day, I was playing at my dorm with my doors open and a hot chick came in and played Tennis with me.. I'm serious! Too bad I was an idiot and actually kicked her ass.. should've let her win..

      But ya, another good one is Mario Party.. just seems like girls like these party games for many many people..

  • Style of play (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Robmonster ( 158873 ) <slashdot.journal2.store@neverbox.com> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:39AM (#6578867) Journal
    Ladies play games differently to men, so maybe there are not enough games that cater to this difference.

    I remember watching a program years ago which studied the sytes of gamplay of men and women. It wasn't exactly an extensive test but there was a difference.

    For example, one of the games they used was one of the Super Mario games (can't remember which...) The men would run through the level making sure they killed all the enemies on route while women would run through the level avoiding any enemies they could if it meant an easier route through.

    I know thats pretty basic but my misses certainly doesnt enjoy the mindless shoot-em up games.

    • Re:Reason for play (Score:5, Insightful)

      by DrWho520 ( 655973 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:30AM (#6579195) Journal
      After reading that article, I have to conclude they have entirely different reasons for playing as well. Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends. That is not why you play video games. You play video games for fun, not so a guy will go out with you or you can get more responsibility at work.

      But I think real "gamer chicks" know that. If I meet a girl who plays video games, it had better be because she likes it, not just so she can get in my pants. Girls are sneaky like that.

      Maybe they are good reasons to get started, but if you never have fun doing it, you will not stay a gamer.

      • Re:Reason for play (Score:5, Funny)

        by $rtbl_this ( 584653 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @09:09AM (#6579539)

        If I meet a girl who plays video games, it had better be because she likes it, not just so she can get in my pants.

        Yeah, you tell 'em! I hate it when girls try to get into my pants! How dare they think of me as a sex object!

      • Re:Reason for play (Score:3, Interesting)

        by sahala ( 105682 ) *
        Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends.

        Such is life, and to a large extent there's absolutely nothing wrong with this. Furthermore I would add that this is the way people are in general, whether it's about videogames or anything else. Both men and women will do things to include themselves in some social unit. The only difference is that women will generally see the rel

  • Some good points... (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Well, the author does make some good points about why girls should get more into gaming, such as it's another topic of conversation to use on dates, but she makes a lot of assumptions that I don't think she has ever experienced, namely marriage and working in an office.

    She thinks married guys stay out all Friday night to play Halo with the guys? He's more likely getting plastered at a bar, and I doubt her liking video games would prevent this in anyway. Plus, nothing pisses guys off more than when a girl
    • You know, on most Friday nights, I play Halo with 2 other married couples (me being a single guy). It's actually quite entertaining. If the significant others are on the same team, they come pretty close to having a divorce by the end of the night. My best friend's wife is crazy about DOAX V-ball as well. They always fight over the Xbox. She's also into puzzle games that you can find online. Needless to say, she's a gamer. But one can't help but wonder if she plays just to be closer to her husband.

    • Right... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by mobileskimo ( 461008 )
      If you play video games and he plays video games then you have something to talk about. Not to mention something to do together that you both enjoy.

      so why not just play and make better grades.
      and my favorite

      Your boss goes in there when he gets really stressed about something to play a good game of Halo. You go in there and ask if you can join him. You play a round of Halo with his and voila! Instant respect.

      Makes you kinda wonder if Dot is really a girl, doesn't it?

      Imagine for a moment Dot is a gir
  • i remember when all the 'lifestyle programs'/girly magazines were talking about how IT professionals were the perfect 'catch' and that computing was the new way to meet men.

    this is exactly the same, but for teenagers.
    • Teenagers!? Uh-oh. I guess I better stop going to LAN parties to pick up chicks.
    • I had always hear rumors that those 'lifestyle programs' lie through their teeth, but IT professional perfect catch? That's just outside the realm of reason.
      • the articles i read/heard were along the lines of

        earn a half decent wage (mostly true)

        work long hours, dont meet many women = desperate (not for me to say!)
        If that what makes women happy, then more power to them.

        • Of course, then all of the women that did meet IT guys realized that the 'work long hours' thing doesn't stop just because they have a girlfriend/wife/s.o.

          Many of the guys I worked with when I was doing site installations were divorced or single for good reason: 3 weeks on the road, 1 week home, in the best case scenarios, and the time on the road was spent doing easily 90-hour weeks on the clock.

  • what choice? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by paradesign ( 561561 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:52AM (#6578937) Homepage
    why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?

    what does that have to do with anything? They just want to play too, because guess whay, games are fun. Thats like saying, 'why do black CEOs choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?' They dont choose that. Its not like they turned down the opportunity to be the majority, there was no choice made.

    i think a better question might have been 'Why are women interested in games when they comprise a minority share of the gaming demographic?'

  • editorial correction (Score:5, Informative)

    by psxndc ( 105904 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:59AM (#6578977) Journal
    Guys don't have an "extra" chromosome. We just have a different chromosome than girls on chromosome pair 23. An extra chromosome would result in something like mental retardation (trisomy 21 where the there is a third, non-disjoined chrosome in pair 21 is what causes Down's Syndrome). you may begin the "but guys _are_ retards" jokes...... now.

    psxndc

  • Female gamers - where are you? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Nightlily ( 140378 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:03AM (#6579000) Homepage Journal
    I've been gaming for about 4 years now. I didn't get into gaming until I was in college. Honestly, my parents didn't encourage gaming that much. I don't think they discussed the possiblity of buying me a game console when I was a kid.

    Am I into different games than male gamers? Maybe, maybe not. I'd like to think my gender has very little to do with the type of games I prefer.

    I have to admit that I do use male sounding names on gaming servers. I really hate joining a game and being distracted by some 13 year old's sexist comments. But on the same token if I'm kicking some 13 year old's ass and he's making stupid comments, I will inform him that a woman is kicking his sorry ass.

    I am a little disappointed that one of the articles talked about gaming as a way to help women date. I also happen to be an IT professional, and the thought of dating or marrying an IT professional did not factor into my decision to pursue a career in computing. I'd like to think that the fact I love math, puzzles and logic had some influence in my decision. So I'd like to think I game because gaming is a great form of entertainment.

    • Re:Female gamers - where are you? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by PainKilleR-CE ( 597083 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:31AM (#6579204)
      I've been gaming for about 4 years now. I didn't get into gaming until I was in college. Honestly, my parents didn't encourage gaming that much. I don't think they discussed the possiblity of buying me a game console when I was a kid.

      I'm a male gamer, so it doesn't really apply much to me, but I thought I'd add some things for comparison. I've been a gamer almost as long as I can remember (because I remember my parents getting the Atari 2600, which is the first thing I remember playing games on). My mom played Centipede, Pac-Man, and a handful of other games, and occasionally took us with her to arcades (once she found arcades that weren't essentially bars with games). My parents also took full advantage of the console crash by buying a lot of carts for that 2600 when everyone was selling them for next to nothing. That being said, I know my dad played the games as well, but I don't really remember him spending a lot of time doing it (unlike my mom). My parents never really discussed me getting a console as a kid, they just bought the 2600 and told me to stop playing to go outside, or eat, or whatever. Similarly, they eventually bought an NES (though by this time my parents were divorced, it was my dad and the woman that would eventually become my step-mom). Both systems were kept in the family room for a while, though eventually we had more televisions in the house and the NES moved to a spare room (especially since I played the thing a lot). The first console that was really bought for me was a Turbo Grafx-16, which I had asked for as a Christmas present (actually, I asked for either the TG-16 or a Genesis, and my dad bought the TG-16 after looking up information on which was technically the better system). It wasn't a discussion thing, and my sister and step-sister played games as well, just not as much as I did (in fact, no one in the house played as much as I did).

      Am I into different games than male gamers? Maybe, maybe not. I'd like to think my gender has very little to do with the type of games I prefer.

      I have to admit that I do use male sounding names on gaming servers. I really hate joining a game and being distracted by some 13 year old's sexist comments. But on the same token if I'm kicking some 13 year old's ass and he's making stupid comments, I will inform him that a woman is kicking his sorry ass.

      That's completely understandable. Many of the female gamers I've played TFC with chose non-gender-specific names, or names that many of the 13-year-olds wouldn't always pick up on as being female. Then again, I have played with a handful that are very up-front about it. There seems to be little difference between the character of the women that do either, and in fact many that normally play under feminine names will choose non-specific names when they don't want to suffer even the chance of the crap some people choose to spew forth at female gamers.

      I am a little disappointed that one of the articles talked about gaming as a way to help women date. I also happen to be an IT professional, and the thought of dating or marrying an IT professional did not factor into my decision to pursue a career in computing. I'd like to think that the fact I love math, puzzles and logic had some influence in my decision. So I'd like to think I game because gaming is a great form of entertainment.

      I really don't know where that angle came from in the article, and felt it was possibly the weakest angle such an article could choose. I feel that it makes female gamers seem manipulative rather than just seeing them as any other gamer. When playing a game, there shouldn't be any difference in the way you treat the other players. The fact that my girlfriend plays games only matters because I keep trying to find ways to get her interested in more games that I play, so that we can spend time together instead of letting the games become a sore point when she wants to spend time doing something together.

    • Re:Female gamers - where are you? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by syle ( 638903 ) * <syle.waygate@org> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @09:10AM (#6579552) Homepage
      Well, I can't read the article -- it's already slashdotted -- but it sounds like your complaints are similar to any mature gamers', regardless of sex.

      Obnoxious 13 year olds annoy everyone. Most people don't buy games to get a date -- they hide their games to, in fact. The thought of marrying an IT professional is also not why I got a job in comp sci.

      Really, the whole thing seems a little silly to me. My girlfriend plays Xenosaga and Virtua Fighter 4, neither of which are exactly pandering to women. If you make a quality game, people of both sexes will want to play it. I think the biggest thing stopping more women from considering playing games right now is the social stigma attached.

    • Thank you, finally another female commenting on the article. I hate being put in a box, I have always loved games and gaming, for the sake of playing them not to connect with guys. I started gaming at the age where girls think boys have cooties, on an Atari 2600! My parents were geeks, and even then I wasn't encouraged to play on the computer as much as my brother was. I think a lot of girls grow up as non-gamers because they weren't even shown they could use a computer at a young age. I was lucky, I've alw

    • Re:Female gamers - where are you? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Saige ( 53303 ) <evil.angelaNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:07AM (#6580149) Journal
      I got started in gaming early. My parents bought an Atari VCS (yes, it wasn't called the 2600 then) back just about when they came out, and I remember them playing Space Invaders on it a lot. Of course, as it was a family thing, I got into playing games also, and just never stopped. When we got our first computer, everyone would work together on the Scott Adams text adventure games. (yes, we eventually beat all of the first twelve of them) My sister is a gamer also, though not as much as I am. She did get herself a Genesis and took it with her to college, and I know she still plays games occasionally.

      What do I play? Whatever I find fun. Civilization, Sim City, The Sims, Quake, Super Monkey Ball, Animal Crossing, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, RPGs, old arcade games on emulators, whatever. I agree with you that I believe my gender doesn't affect the types of games I play.

      I have only played a few games online, and I haven't really worried about whether or not I 'sound' female to others. In Diablo II, I pick character names that I feel fit the character, which instantly makes me the minority around people naming their characters like "XX_KillRBarB_XX". So I never really got bugged there, as by the time anyone found out I was female, I had already been playing with them for a while and determined the person was decent enough to party with that they didn't seem to care all that much.

      When I was playing Quake, on the other hand, I named myself 'Gib-Girl' to make it clear to all the guys exactly who was kicking their ass - it's funny to watch the sexist-type gamers freak out when a woman proceeds to drop him with a railgun 6 times in a row while trying to steal the flag. I rarely got crap from the people there because when I was big into Quake 2 CTF, most of the munchkins were onto Quake 3, so it was more serious players on the servers, and mostly the same people, so we got to know each other - and I got plenty of respect for being good.

      Games for the reason of dating? That's pathetic, I agree. If you're a gamer, and a person you're interested in is also a gamer, sure it will help, but only if you're truly interested in games, and not doing it just to get someone else. After all, when you stop being interested, either you'll have other things in common, which would have been good enough to get along dating anyways, or you won't, at which point the relationship falls apart because it is based on pretense.

      My partner is not a gamer. She grew up in small-town Indiana, on a farm. She never played a game until Solitare on the computer while in college. Since being with me, she's learned to like a few games. From Bookworm and Bejeweled on the PC, to Animal Crossing and Monkey Ball (mainly Monkey Target), to playing Dr. Mario until she was REALLY good (able to start on lvl 20 with fast speed). But it's only the occasional game. I think my gaming has rubbed off on her as much as it's going to.
      • Just a minor thing ;)

        My parents bought an Atari VCS (yes, it wasn't called the 2600 then) back just about when they came out, and I remember them playing Space Invaders on it a lot.

        It was an Atari VCS CX2600, with the wood grain panels and hokey switches. Since my dad and most of his friends were into the whole thing at the time, they called it the 2600 to distinguish it from the earlier Atari systems (ie the 1300), and because no one really cared that you had a Video Computer System, but rather what KI
    • -Female gamers - where are you?-

      I'm right here. Thanks for asking. :)

      I love games and have loved games my whole life. I am mainly into RPGs, adventures, and god games, but I'll play almost anything except sports games and flight simulators. I even enjoy networked fps games, as long as I'm not so behind other players in skill that I spend the game permanently dead. ;)

      I never, never started gaming for any guy. I game because it's fun. I game because I enjoy it. In fact, when I started dating my
  • I can say that I would like to see many more girl gamers. Girl gamers are the kinds of girls I would like to go out with, but they are few. I think girls don't game for two reasons. 1) They generally don't like it. 2) there aren't many girl games. It's like football. There are girls who like football, but for whatever reason it's a thing guys like more. It's just the way things are. But as evidenced by things like the sims, there are games that girls will play. Make more of those games.
    • My 8yr old daughter loves the sims, but do you think I can get her to get ready for school in the morning on time or clean up without being asked or ... ;)

  • Small correction. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Takeel ( 155086 ) <v32gd4r02@sne[ ]mail.com ['ake' in gap]> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:13AM (#6579057) Homepage Journal
    Extra chromosome != male. Extra chromosome = wuh-oh.

    Perhaps she meant to say "different chromosome?"
    • No, slashdot discriminates against people with down's syndrome. Kind of like the whole microsoft thing.
    • Extra chromosome != male. Extra chromosome = wuh-oh.

      That was my initial reaction too. But in fact, men have an extra kind of chromosome (Y), which women lack, so the statement is not entirely unreasonable. Even if it is a little disconcerting. :)

  • Girls and games (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Winterblink ( 575267 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:22AM (#6579126) Homepage
    I think a lot more girls would actually enjoy playing games if they actually gave some of them a chance. A lot of girls balk at the game industry for being too male-centric, with all the violent first-person shooters, the D&D-style MMORPGs and the big-titted female stars of games like Tomb Raider. All are valid points -- D&D is kind of dorky, first person shooters are violent (gasp) and Lara Croft's hoo-hoos are quite becoming. This one girlfriend I had scoffed most games for a lot of those same reasons, but she still found games to play and enjoy. She thought Final Fantasy 7 was the lamest thing in the world (and hey, admittedly for some people it IS), until she actually saw it being played by me and picked up the controller to start her own game. Next thing I knew the PS1 controller was being fought over more than the TV remote.

    Anyway, I just think a lot of girls out there who won't touch a lot of games because of external appearances and how they perceive the game to be are really missing out on games that have great gameplay, which is really what it's all about.

    • I totally agree with you. But what I find is that most girls (that I know) are "Nintendo" girls. They have a strong tie to the NES because it is what they grew up on, and it doesn't have a lot of buttons on it. (Easy learning curve)

      My fiancee recently bought me a Gamecube because I really wanted to play Metroid Prime & Zelda...but I can't even touch it. She has taken the Gamecube over to play and beat SuperMario Sunshine, Zelda, Super Monkey Ball, Luigi's Mansion. I've created a monster,I hardly ge

      • Yeah, I noticed that too. This same girl was huge into puzzle/adventure games like 7th Guest, 11th Hour, Myst, Riven and the like. Any girl I know that comes over and sees me playing Metal Gear or Ghost Recon will usually just zone out, but pull out Animal Crossing or Mario and suddenly your wrestling for the controller. Which can be a good thing too. :D
        • Animal Crossing grabs people for similar reasons to The Sims/SimCity. They are games without explicit goals. Thus they're not games that you really lose. You play them, create your own goals - if you want any goals at all - and just have fun doing it. They're about having a lot of freedom and leeway in the activities you choose.

          These kinds of games attract the those with less of a goal-oriented gamer personality. Serious gamers either have, or learn to have, a goal-oriented attitude. To beat the othe
  • I play the firearmsmod [firearmsmod.com] for halflife... and I clan with [PoP]. While I admit we're nowhere near a group of average on-line gamers (Average Age is 30.5 I believe) we do have a husband wife team playing shoot-em ups.

    But, men, note this lesson well. Not only do women camp incredibly well, they're much better at gloating than we are. : )

    FAMod tends to be about territorial control, so camping isn't quite what it is in some mods... go, read up, /. Firearmsmod.com
  • My girlfriend and her twin are more involved in Dynasty Warriors [koei.com] than Leu Bei of the Shu family did so many years ago. They mostly play as the female characters. It's a ton of fun...
    --
    It's a shame Dynasty Warriors 4 didn't preserve my favorite DW *50 kills congratulation - "You fight like the Devil!"
    • Actually, having read Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which Dynasty Warriors is based on) I would like to point out that Liu Bei's life wasn't that fun. In fact, he spent most of his time lamenting the fact that he did this, or didn't do that, because otherwise he might've saved the Han. If you want to read ROTK, which is roughly 2000 pages and is an awful lot like reading The Iliad and perhaps a bit like reading the Silmarillion, it can be found for free at www.threekingdoms.com.
      I would also like to poin
    • Twins? Dude, break out the Multi-Tap and go for the three-way.
  • Just keep in mind that the girlfriend who plays games is rare and a prized jewel. Mine got away. :( Now, how do I convince my current girlfriend to play more video games with me? She's usually reading The New Yorker while I'm having a frag fest, though she does occasionally enjoy button-mashing in Street Fighter games. Sigh.
  • My fiance is a freak for Dr Mario. She also likes Tetris.

    • Dr. Mario IS Tetris...Tetris 2...I found this out recently and was rather irritated. Several of my female friends enjoy both games, by the way ^_^
  • ...so I didn't get to read. That said, I think the biggest problem with not having girl gamers is the fact that video games are still not a "girl toy", much like a barby doll isnt a "boy toy". (I'm sure someones going to think of something funny to say to that). Most female gamer's I've run across started because of their boyfriend or husband's addiction. They'll start seeing them, then jump on the gaming bandwagon. Intrest isn't usually enough to keep the player either. A lot of women will be interested

  • My view (Score:4, Insightful)

    by hether ( 101201 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:36AM (#6580398)
    My parents didn't let me get a system, so at about my senior year in HS I bought my own. I quickly figured out what kinds of games I liked. It turned out to be games with pretty defined goals. I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next. The only way I got through a few games was with my boyfriend, now husband, walking me through them at places. I can't say this is typical of all girls, but I know at least a few more like me. That's why you'll us playing games like Tetris. The goal there is pretty defined. No guessing that you collect certain items in a correct order, at a certain time on the clock, to get a door to open. I don't like fiddling around with things like that and if I can't figure it out, I'll quit.

    Another thing that really affects which games I enjoy is that many of the 3-D games give me motion sickness. Some are done well enough that it is not a problem, but many are not. That cuts out a lot of the shooter style games, as well as driving games.

    A tip to the guys out there trying to get their girlfriends to play (this should be obvious but it's not always) - don't convince us to play a game that you love and have played religiously, and then kick our butts. Continual losing when you don't even know what button does what yet does not make someone enjoy a game.

    I don't think gaming really provides many dating opportunities on its own. In our case though, the fact that I enjoy games too helps our relationship. If your S/O is a non-gamer, they many really wonder whether that $300 you spent on the new console is worth it and/or envy the time you spend on the computer figuring out the latest RPG because that means you're not spending the time with them.
    • A tip to the guys out there trying to get their girlfriends to play (this should be obvious but it's not always) - don't convince us to play a game that you love and have played religiously, and then kick our butts. Continual losing when you don't even know what button does what yet does not make someone enjoy a game.

      Amen, sister!

      Sorry, got a little carried away. :) But you are completely right. Guys like to show how well they've gotten at something, whether it's playing a game or hacking a linux ke
    • I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next.


      My wife is exactly the same way. She likes linear role-playing games like Final Fantasy, but dislikes more open-ended ones like Fallout or Planescape Torment. She just wants to be entertained, and not have to make tough moral decisions.

  • seems simple to me (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Naikrovek ( 667 ) <jjohnson&psg,com> on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:43AM (#6580467)
    girls like girl things and boys like boy things. overall this is where things are, where they're going to stay, and where they should be.

    girls like gay men because most gay men think along the same lines as most women.

    men like girl gamers because most girl gamers think along the same lines as men.

    i for one don't care that there aren't many women in gaming - let them do what they want, i'll do what i want. my girlfriend (and my friends who are women) don't try to get me to learn hairstyling or try to teach me the intricate details of fingernail painting, or try to get me to watch sex in the city all the time. i, conversely, don't try to get them to help me work on my car or play any of the games i play.

    why some men want to have a woman that thinks like them is beyond me - i love that my girlfriend spends a lot of money on silly porcelain dolls and frilly house decorations. i don't understand it, but i don't go around trying to recruit women that think like me, or try to convince her that my way (the mans way) is better. She also never tries to get me to watch any program on lifetime, or anything like that. we each love that the other is filling the role that their chromasomes have given them, and enjoying it.

    I for one like the variety that comes with the presence of a woman. i don't want to date someone that knows a lot about computers, and i don't want to date someone that plays a lot of games. I want to date someone that does girly things - things that I don't do. And thankfully my girlfriend wants a man who does manly things and wants nothing to do with girly things.

    most men like women who are women, and most women like men who are men.

    what's wrong with that? let women do their thing, they let me play games and i have no desire to add a woman into my gaming. if she wants in on her own accord, perfect! if she doesn't, perfect!

    my point is that there are few women in gaming for the same reason that there are few men working in beauty salons. most woman that work in a beauty salon want more men in there, and most male gamers want more women to game with, but the reason why its not happening is clear: most men don't *want* do do hair, and most women don't *want* to play games.
    • While i have to admit taking issue with your rigid definition of "guy things" and "girl things", you make a valid point-- most (sucessful) heterosexual relationships come with an undertanding of variety.

      The result, of course, is that nobody really seems to care why girls like certain types of games and why they're not playing many of the ones out there except the people who make or market those games! My girl likes a fighter or Sonic game just as much as the next guy, and we spend our time gaming together

  • What?! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:57AM (#6580611)
    First they take my rib, now they want my games?! FORGET IT!

  • Cultural Bias (Score:2, Interesting)

    by JavaLord ( 680960 )
    Women don't play games because it's seen as boring, dorky, geeky etc. Just like using a computer was 15-20 years ago. I suspect this will change, since every girl now has a gaming system of some type in her house (ie a PC) and most of them carry one on them at all times (a cell phone). Also, console/pc games are a lot more mainstream than they were 10-15 years ago. I think this bias will change with time, and a lot of the younger girls now will grow up playing games, where as women around my age (mid-la
    • Being a girl gamer, with mostly girl gamer friends, I have to say -- pretty much everyone I know, save for my mom, plays video games. My 10 and 12 year old girl cousins? Play video games whenever they get the chance. My 16 year old sister? Routinely plays through all of the Final Fantasy games over and over, and has beat Kingdom Hearts three times. My 22 year old sister is a Civ III addict. Of the six girls in my dorm room cluster, 2 of us were gamers. I'd say a 30% average wasn't too bad. Though it woul

  • Help me out, here . . . (Score:4, Funny)

    by Mordant ( 138460 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @11:16AM (#6580797)
    What's a 'girl'? ;)

  • Girls at Quakecon (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    At this year's Quakecon there will be a females only tournament.

  • Coincidence? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by aetherspoon ( 72997 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @12:10PM (#6581352) Homepage
    When I read this, I was IMed by a female friend of mine wondering when I'll be back to my Uni dorm so she can play more Diablo II. This was immediately after another female friend of mine sent me an email detailing how much fun she had playing Super Smash Brothers Melee as Kirby. ... I'm telling you, female gamers exist. They are all over the place - it is just that most males tend to look at places other than a computer/TV screen when it comes to females. Then again, it might just be that they never ask.
  • The editor now notes that the article was meant as satire.

    Ok, that makes sense, since otherwise I would have thought it was horseshit.

    However, we might have realized it was satire IF IT WAS FUCKING FUNNY.

  • Sigh. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by binarysearch ( 605184 )

    "As gaming becomes more mainstream, it's inevitable that many girls will join the ranks of the die-hard gamer. Gaming is typically reserved for those with that extra chromosome, which poses the question; in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority? As a female gamer, Dots @ Snackbar Games discusses reasons why it's ok for girls to enjoy gaming just as much as the guys do."

    It seems like a rather simplistic view to ask a question like this, be

  • Male goes to aerobics class. Most women shun him and think he's gay. Women walks into LAN party. Every guy in the room (most of whom are single) wants her and caters to her every whim. Luckily prison populations are increasing so the sex ratio can go back the other way. Right now there's far too many men.
  • But are less violent than males overall...
    Would that make it harder for those who try to prove that video games cause violence? Or would they just change the debate to "video games cause violent behavior in MALES" ?
  • This year at QuakeCon 2003 [quakecon.org] there will be the very first female gaming tournament in the event's history. The turn-out is expected to be a mix of boyfriends, hangers-on, and droolers.

    More details here [msquakecon.org].
  • Dear Snowcone and Dot,

    Please forgive me for the fact that this may belong in the discussion forum, however, since I do not have permission to post, I present to you here some support and counterpoint insights. This is in response to "chick gamer".

    Let me start by saying that the fact that society teaches girls to play with barbies and boys to play with hotwheels, is in my humble opinion, two halves of a full glass, in which the glass can not be filled unless both are present.

    While its true indeed that "so
  • From the summary:

    "in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?"

    Why? THIS [gamegirladvance.com] is why.

  • is probably a guy... :)
  • I am what you would call one of those few with the extra chromosone. I have played video games for the past 15 years and still going strong. I spend the good portion of my time playing online games, mostly first person shooter games. Name a game and I have played it, beat it, and taken on several of my male friends. I do not play because I want to fit in or view myself as a minority group. I play for the fun and love of the game itself. Why you ask do women put themselves in a group where they are goi
  • when I giggled at her. Turns out she had spent the last week trying to learn how to play half life...so that she could maybe go online and play counterstrike with me.

    She got all excited when I came home early from work one day and she was sitting in front of my computer...she tried to hide it. I told her to go ahead and sit and play and I would marvel at her wonderfulness. I was really excited that she would learn to play with me.

    I couldn't help myself. I laughed at her when I realized that she was

  • I dunno. I was always under the impression that most girls dont play games as much as guys. Then I took a look around my social circle (the females).

    My girlfriend: Has a SNES and a GBA. Loves 2D platformers, racing games and weird games. Likes: Burnout 2, Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure DX, Wario Ware. Dislikes: Quake, Street Fighter, Ikaruga.

    Female Friend #1: Has a GC and a NES. Likes plaformers and puzzle games. Likes: Super Monkey Ball 2, Mario Sunshine, Zelda. Dislikes: F1 2002, Grand Prix Legends, All

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