[MUD-Dev] Re: Gender specific

[Marian Griffith]

On Fri 21 Nov, Sauron wrote:

> > 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.

> However, you are assuming that what appears to be aimed towards boys to
> you is viewed in the same light by everyone. There are many games whose
> advertisments really have nothing to do with gender (many of your sims,
> and things such as the Lucasarts Xwing/Tie Fighter series). 

Perhaps I have looked in the wrong stack but I did not find anything
like that in the shop I visited.  I do not believe that there are no
games that are not aimed at males, I just could not find them.

> > 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.

> That however is you. I know many young women who find machines,
> explosions, and especially the overly muscled male types extremely
> appealing. In fact, I also know a number who enjoy the Mortal Kombat
> series of games, which by your definition is geared only towards the
> male audience. 

A counter example does not mean the point can't be true for the majority.
If I do not know any girl who likes mortal kombat that doesn't mean there
doesn't exist any girl who doesn't. If you know girls who do that doesn't
mean girls in general do like it.

> > 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.

> So an incredibly good product you would dismiss because you believe that
> the current advertising style is not aimed at you? If you really were
> interested in buying a game, most likely you would have talked to some
> people about it, possibly looked over some reviews of it, and get a demo
> if possible. At least that's what I do when I intend to purchase a game.

If I really were interested in buying a game I probably would. However
after looking at what is available I did not get interested. Perhaps I
should look in a magazine, but I have the sinking feeling that the ex-
perience would be the same for me.
Maybe I can put it more clearly.  I was about as tempted to buy a game
as you would be in the make-up department of your local warehouse.

> > 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.

> However, if combat is an essential part of a person's theme, they are
> not likely to dismiss it as less important than gaining a few more
> female players. IMHO there are not that many female players to be
> gained, because many with opinions similar to yours refuse to try muds
> because they don't believe they are geared towards them.

Yes,  so you have to work at changing the perception if you want to have
a more balanced number of male and female players on your mud.  Changing
the focus away from combat  is one of the possible changes. If that does
not fit the theme of a mud, then it will likely remain male player domi-
nated (not exclusive!)

> However, that
> doesn't mean there aren't many female players out there. I know of many.
> Simply put, the ones who aren't playing or at least looking into muds
> probably won't anytime soon. 

Finding out about them might be difficult as well.  I would be the last
to claim there are no female players of muds. I'm one myself after all.
But I also can say that most (again not all) of us female players  play
the game differently than most male players. That is not a judgement of
the different playing styles, it is just an indication of different in-
terests. To be appealing to women a mud must cater for those interests.
If you are not specifically aiming at drawing more female players  then
there is nothing you have to change.

> Anyways, the only real way to "gear towards women" in your sense is to
> have that idea in mind when developing a setting and theme for a mud.
> Many muds (as was mentioned before) are designed by people who want to
> make something that would be appealing to them, not that would gain more
> female players. Honestly, when I am finished with my MU* I really don't
> care if I don't have a single player besides myself, at least I can
> acknowledge my (and my team of course) accomplishment and have something
> I will enjoy playing.

Which is your free choice. There may be others on this list who chose
differently and neither would be wrong.

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