[MUD-Dev] Boys and Girls - was (Re: MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #163 - 25 msgs)

[amanda at alfar.com]

"Caliban Tiresias Darklock" <caliban at darklock.com> writes:

> I think it's rather obvious what it *is* about the game that
> females enjoy, myself, but being male I may be missing the point
> and just latching onto something irrelevant.

> Boys like to win. Girls like to play.

Chuckle.  OK, There may be something in this, although it could
probably be argued indefinitely about whether this is inhereny or
socially ingrained.  But yes, "winning" vs. "playing" does turn up a
lot.  I'm always a little perplexed by players on, for example, AC
who crow about getting the latest quest item, or how fast they are
levelling.  I'm always tempted to ask them if they're having fun
while they're busy winning.

> Most games fail miserably in all three respects, and I can
> personally assure you that it's not just women who like them --
> The Sims and RCT are probably the most-played games I own, for
> exactly the reasons I've given. People like to build things, if
> they can build *cool* things and show them off. It's that simple.

Yep.  That's what I liked about MOOs back when I spent time in MUDs,
it's what I've enjoyed most about FPS games (level design, even
though I've never put one up for public consumption), and so on.
It's what I've alluded to in my remarks that I'd love to spend time
in MMORPGs doing things besides killing the wildlife--I'm much more
interested in creating content for people to enjoy than in keeping
score.


Amanda Walker
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