Every time i have a conversation with a man in the gaming industry it inevitably boils down to some form of awe and fascination at the fact that I'm a woman and I like games. I can only imagine what it's like for ladies who have to work side by side with these men. The behavior is fascinating, it's as though society teaches us that women do not like video games, which could not be further from the truth.
I'm here to set the record straight, we do exist. And what we like about games is as varied as what men like about games. There is not one sure fire story line or type of game that will catch our interest any more than a guy's interest. For me I love a good RPG that's easy to learn to play, with a fun and imersive story line. When my friend Chanda put me in front of Rockband for the first time all I could say was "I think the rock is going to be a lot harder to stop that it was to start."
When men in the industry discuss women it's as if they're talking about Big Foot or the Loch Ness and what kind of bait you would use to trap it. Women are already involved, want to be involved, and are involving themselves, how do we make it more welcoming?
Thought #1: You're game does not have to be centered around a female character. I think the Metroid series did an excellent job showing us that the sex of the main character doesn't really matter so long as the game is fun.
Thought #2: The only time I was ever turned off from playing a game based on the sex of the character, was when I beta tested Lord of the Rings Online. I could not make a female dwarf... mucho uncool. I've talked with a couple of folks from Turbine (the company who produced LOTRO), and they usually give some lame excuse about staying true to the Tolkein lore. Give it up guys we know you were too cheap to pay for the art.
This to me was a negative move towards female gamers basically I felt someone had said your population is too small we don't care if you play or not. Some women may disagree with me, but that's just how I feel.
Thought #3: I used to play the Mario series at a friends house (girl) all the time. I sucked at jumping - still do. If we played it when we were younger and there was nothing specifically centered on what women want then, why should it change now.
I was at a Boston Post Mortem meeting last tuesday (see previous blog post) and a sales guy from one f the big local companies asked me "How do we get more women involved?" We're already involved... duh. I never go to those events and feel that my gender is under represented, we are there, maybe not in the offices, but we love to play.
Thought #4: Stop focusing on our differences, yes I know boys like boobies, so do I. Calm down and realize that besides a few organs, the only thing that's different about us is the way marketing industries decide to target us. Target fun! Do you have a good story line or a fun activity? Yes, then I'm on board.
I'm here to set the record straight, we do exist. And what we like about games is as varied as what men like about games. There is not one sure fire story line or type of game that will catch our interest any more than a guy's interest. For me I love a good RPG that's easy to learn to play, with a fun and imersive story line. When my friend Chanda put me in front of Rockband for the first time all I could say was "I think the rock is going to be a lot harder to stop that it was to start."
When men in the industry discuss women it's as if they're talking about Big Foot or the Loch Ness and what kind of bait you would use to trap it. Women are already involved, want to be involved, and are involving themselves, how do we make it more welcoming?
Thought #1: You're game does not have to be centered around a female character. I think the Metroid series did an excellent job showing us that the sex of the main character doesn't really matter so long as the game is fun.
Thought #2: The only time I was ever turned off from playing a game based on the sex of the character, was when I beta tested Lord of the Rings Online. I could not make a female dwarf... mucho uncool. I've talked with a couple of folks from Turbine (the company who produced LOTRO), and they usually give some lame excuse about staying true to the Tolkein lore. Give it up guys we know you were too cheap to pay for the art.
This to me was a negative move towards female gamers basically I felt someone had said your population is too small we don't care if you play or not. Some women may disagree with me, but that's just how I feel.
Thought #3: I used to play the Mario series at a friends house (girl) all the time. I sucked at jumping - still do. If we played it when we were younger and there was nothing specifically centered on what women want then, why should it change now.
I was at a Boston Post Mortem meeting last tuesday (see previous blog post) and a sales guy from one f the big local companies asked me "How do we get more women involved?" We're already involved... duh. I never go to those events and feel that my gender is under represented, we are there, maybe not in the offices, but we love to play.
Thought #4: Stop focusing on our differences, yes I know boys like boobies, so do I. Calm down and realize that besides a few organs, the only thing that's different about us is the way marketing industries decide to target us. Target fun! Do you have a good story line or a fun activity? Yes, then I'm on board.
