[MUD-Dev] Re: Gender specific

[Marian Griffith]

On Sun 09 Nov, Adam Wiggins wrote:

> [Marian Griffith:]
> > On Wed 22 Oct, Ola Fosheim Gr=F8stad wrote:
> > > But as there are game companies that are specificially targetting
> > > female buyers the competition will be there in a couple of years.  You
> > > don't want them to get your "customers", so that may eventually force
> > > others to follow.  I guess "totally convinced" was a bit strong... :)

> > I wonder if many girls are going to buy computer games. I've been

> Currently women are reported as purchasing 40% of all PC games sold.
> What you want to make of this (ie, if most of them are just buying them
> as x-mas gifts for their signifigant other) is up to you, I suppose.

> It's fine to say that *you* don't like computer games, but I think it's
> a bit much to say that this is true as a rule.

I never claimed anything other than my own impression.  If you take a
look at the shops you find that the vast majority of games are clear-
ly aimed at boys.  You will have to look  very carefully  to find one
that is not.  Under those circumstances I find it hard to belief that
a market of games aimed at girls is going to appear anytime soon.

> > looking around a couple of shops yesterday and I can honestly say
> > that it is entirely unlikely I would.  I can not say that this is
> > the same for every other girl but I strongly suspect that there's
> > not much interest.  Just looking at all the games is scaring  and
> > hardly inspiring to try to find some game  that might possibly be
> > interesting to play.  After browsing through the first rack I was
> > definitely tempted to just run out and find something more inter-
> > esting. The only computer game I have is Myst and that was a gift
> > from somebody who knew I would like it. I never would have bought
> > it myself. So I am not sure that there will be games targetted at
> > girls anytime soon.

> So, what you're saying is that you've never played any computer games, so
> wouldn't actually know what they are like? 

No, that was not what I said. I was saying that I got intimidated by
those stacks of boxes all showing images clearly aimed at boys. Lots
of machines and explosions, overly muscled male types and nearly na-
ked women. If I had been looking for a game none of those would have
appealed to me, and in the mass of unappealing boxes I couldn't find
a single game that might have been interesting  before I gave up and
left the shop. I don't fancy myself to be so atypical that my exper-
ience is not the same for most other women and girls.

> I'm not saying that you will like them or not.  But I think that
> making a statement about something which you haven't even tried
> is somewhat presumptuous.

I do not know about the games themselves,  just about the boxes and
the fact that I couldn't find a single game that looked interesting
to me.

> > Yes.  Now the next step is to take out the biggest gender biased
> > activity of muds and replace it with something slightly more ap-
> > pealing than fighting monsters or other players.

> Again, I don't think it has to do with 'gender bias'.  I think that the
> people that write the games try to create things which they think would
> be fun.  Naturally, the people that are going to think these games are
> fun are going to be people with similar interests to the game's creator.

I entirely agree with this. However this thread started a long time ago
with a question how muds could attract a more balanced mix  of male and
female players. My comment was to be read in that light. If there's but
one thing to do in a game and that clearly appeals to male players more
than to female players you should expect a majority of male players. If
you want to change that,  you ought to do something  about the focus of
the game.  My suggestion is to put much less emphasis on combat  in fa-
vour of other interests.

Marian
--
Yes - at last - You. I Choose you. Out of all the world,
out of all the seeking, I have found you, young sister of
my heart! You are mine and I am yours - and never again
will there be loneliness ...

Rolan Choosing Talia,
Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey