[MUD-Dev] Girl appeal (was: Boys and Girls)

[Matt Mihaly]

On Thu, 7 Feb 2002, Freeman, Jeff wrote:
> From Matt Mihaly:
 
>> But John, that's all this argument is. Everytime I see this tired
>> Boys vs. Girls argument brought up here, all I see is everybody
>> saying "I know some girl gamers, and they play like this." It's
>> all anecdotal. I personally think everyone is talking out of his
>> or her respective ass when he or she says "Girls like X type of
>> games." I have no problem with sweeping generalizations, but in
>> this case I feel like the jury is just not in yet.
 
> Every time this argument comes up it makes me feel insecure and
> girly.  The games commonly described as "girl games" are the sorts
> of games I prefer.

Do you find yourself giggling/tittering a lot like an anime teenage
girl? If so, you're right to feel girly. ;)

> The consensus seems to be that we know how to make games for boys,
> but not games for girls.  But considering most of the random folk
> that I bump into on a daily basis don't play any sorts of games at
> all (and certainly not MUDs or MMO's), I'm not altogether certain
> we know what sorts of games boys like either.

I'm with you there, particularly on the MUDs/MMOs part. I only keep
informal track, but I'd estimate less than 5% of the people I meet
have even heard of MUDS/MMOs (I normally ask about Muds and
Everquest), much less actually play them. Most of those have "heard
of it" but don't really know what it is.
 
> The only real firm conclusion I can draw from all this is that
> girls don't like games that make them cry.

I dunno, we have some females playing Achaea that weep pretty
regularly over things that happen (though it's generally things
caused by another player rather than the game environment).

I don't like games that make me cry, but who among us didn't get
just a little teary-eyed riding around Epona in The Ocarina of Time?

--matt

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