[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #277 - 13 msgs

[Dr. Cat]

> Message: 9
> Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 21:46:25 -0500 (EST)
> From: Tess Snider <malkin at Radix.Net>
> Subject: RE: [MUD-Dev] "Men are from Quake, Women are from Ultima"
 
> I think timing was the biggest killer on this one (with the PK issue
> being second).  Had the Internet population been what it is today,
> back when UO was released, things may have gone very differently.
> Now, everybody and her sister is online -- and even playing games.
> It's no longer a matter of getting women to sit down at the keys;
> it's now just a matter of getting them to put down the cards, and
> come play in your sandbox.

I don't know about that.  It might be a bigger issue with a huge game,
with a niche game able to acheive balanced usage earlier on in the
history of the Internet...  But from what I remember I think the
percentage of female Internet users was already pretty high three
years ago.  Certainly through most of Furcadia's four year history,
we've appeared to be pretty well balanced between male players and
female players.

While trying to cater to several diverse types of tastes, we
deliberately did NOT put in any way to fight or kill anything.
Because I think the mere presence of that kind of game mechanic leads
a lot of players to assume the game is all about that, and avoid it
without ever even having tried it out.  This wasn't done to draw women
specifically so much as "non-hack-and-slash gamers" and even more
importantly, non-gamers.  (Most humans aren't serious gamers, after
all.)  Women are a larger part of that broader audience in that the
narrow hardcore gamer audience is heavily biased towards males, and
the general population of the earth isn't.  (Actually biased a couple
percent towards female, I think.)

By the way, that Korean market sounds very promising.  If anybody over
there wants to license some of our product or contract our team to
develop something, give me a shout.  :X) And regardless I'm glad to
see other parts of the world besides the US able to develop successful
online gaming.  Europe is still hamstrung by their outrageously high
metered telephone rates, but we'll make our steps towards global
harmony someday in spite of 'em!

*-------------------------------------------**-----------------------------* 
   Dr. Cat / Dragon's Eye Productions       ||       Free alpha test:
*-------------------------------------------**   http://www.furcadia.com
    Furcadia - a graphic mud for PCs!       ||  Let your imagination soar!
*-------------------------------------------**-----------------------------*
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