It's not that hard, boys. Girls want sex too.

This is not a good trend. We need fewer hardcore gamers, fewer movie nuts (guilty), fewer pro sports fanatics, fewer religious zealots, and more people who spend their time, energy and money doing something productive and creative.

So more girls are playing WoW... that one game in that one genre that I wont touch...

sad face times.

I love it when my wife rage quits Bejewled.

You can't just pick up a copy of skyrim and call yourself a "gamer".

Gamers begin at a young age. I was playing Wolfenstein 3d on my daddy's computer at age four.

Hardcore?

Obligatory Taxonomy of Gamers

wedun: You can't just pick up a copy of skyrim and call yourself a "gamer".

Gamers begin at a young age. I was playing Wolfenstein 3d on my daddy's computer at age four.

I played the hell out of that game and never managed to beat it legit. Thanks to Steam, I have a second chance.

/Also got other episodes of Commander Keen
//Thank you Steam.

This is a good thing.

I can say that the largest female gamer base I've ever run across (and verified because they used a mic) was in Left4Dead 1/2. Many of them were pretty good.

There are a couple girls that I know of who are regulars TF2 players. One usually plays heavy and she's deadly. Since I normally play medic she's a good teammate.

i grew up playin quake, diablo, and mechwarrior

wedun: You can't just pick up a copy of skyrim and call yourself a "gamer".

Gamers begin at a young age. I was playing Wolfenstein 3d on my daddy's computer at age four.

And you weren't a gamer then? Or is this just one of those "No True Gamer" arguments?

I know a bunch who play Minecraft a lot. Including my wife and daughter.

My first was X-wing on a computer with no sound card

One of my best friends is a 1337 gamer chick. She loves pwning 12 year old boys, and when they biatch, telling them they just got served by a 40 year old woman. Shuts 'em up quick.

Theaetetus: And you weren't a gamer then? Or is this just one of those "No True Gamer" arguments?

I'm saying that "gamers" are committed to gaming and have been their whole lives. A lot of the "gamers" you hear about today play angry birds.

wedun: You can't just pick up a copy of skyrim and call yourself a "gamer".

Why not?

wedun: You can't just pick up a copy of skyrim and call yourself a "gamer".

Is this one of those "You have to have loved the Elder Scrolls before Morrowind" comments?

/have yet to meet a female gamer that likes grand strategy games a la Paradox interactive

Meh, it's been no secret. I daresay women have been a larger percentage of gamers than anyone thought for at least a decade. I married a gamer, three of my (male) friends married gamers, and a fourth is dating one. They didn't appear out of nowhere.

The strange trend I'm seeing is the transition from progressive heroines to gender irrelevance. Old-school games like Metroid, Phantasy Star and Resident Evil had some kick-ass female protagonists. They were few and far between, but they sure made their mark. Now, more games allow character customization or otherwise make gender a non-factor. The industry still has a lot of sexism and always will, but it's easier to avoid, I guess.

wedun: Theaetetus: And you weren't a gamer then? Or is this just one of those "No True Gamer" arguments?

I'm saying that "gamers" are committed to gaming and have been their whole lives. A lot of the "gamers" you hear about today play angry birds.

According to the article, those'd be men:
Brand noted women appeared to favour strategy, first-person shooter, role-playing, sports and racing games; puzzle, board, card, simulation and fighting games were more popular among men. Adventure games were equally popular.

Also, apparently men are the ones playing Farmville.

I am actually surprised, due to the harassment they receive from male gamers.

I played Everquest with a female who usually had male characters so guys wouldn't hit on her.

This surprises no one. There have always been tons of female gamers, not to mention plenty of women involved in just about every kind of geek fandom. Maybe they'd be more vocal if the average male geek wasn't such a socially clueless mysognistic farkstick.

Imagine your average "hardcore computer gamer" male, then subtract the testicles, keep the same amount of body hair, acne and body oder ... and you'll see your average "hardcore computer gamer" female.

El Freak: This surprises no one. There have always been tons of female gamers, not to mention plenty of women involved in just about every kind of geek fandom. Maybe they'd be more vocal if the average male geek wasn't such a socially clueless mysognistic farkstick.

Partially this, but don't forget the, "you play video games? Isn't that a guy thing?" bit from people in general.

ProfessorOhki: El Freak: This surprises no one. There have always been tons of female gamers, not to mention plenty of women involved in just about every kind of geek fandom. Maybe they'd be more vocal if the average male geek wasn't such a socially clueless mysognistic farkstick.

Partially this, but don't forget the, "you play video games? Isn't that a guy thing?" bit from people in general.

Probably why most of the girls I know prefer single player games. Or have nondescript user names.

Also, I question every woman's claim towards being a "gamer" until I see their resume.

I used to spend all my time on an old laptop with no sound and a sketchy 14.4/56k modem to play 10 minutes of laggy game before my mom would pickup the phone line. I would surrendered literally months of my time on nights and weekends grinding out levels for various MMO's -- and I would play multiple games at the same time. And that's all just the stuff I'm willing to admit....

Women ain't be gaming long enough to have half the experience of men. Yes, there probably are some now but not nearly as many as they say there are.


/got a career, got a life, got a woman ... put DOWN the video game.

PanicMan: ProfessorOhki: El Freak: This surprises no one. There have always been tons of female gamers, not to mention plenty of women involved in just about every kind of geek fandom. Maybe they'd be more vocal if the average male geek wasn't such a socially clueless mysognistic farkstick.

Partially this, but don't forget the, "you play video games? Isn't that a guy thing?" bit from people in general.

Probably why most of the girls I know prefer single player games. Or have nondescript user names.

Now that you mention it, most I know seem to favor single player as well. Of course, there's always that one anomaly... like the one with the super AW username who you initially expect nothing from but then single-highhandedly annihilates the other team.

/The "gamer" stereotype is about a decade out of date

machoprogrammer: I am actually surprised, due to the harassment they receive from male gamers.

That doesn't kill the desire to game; it only shuts off certain social avenues. Nothing stopped my wife from playing Phantasy Star back when she was a kid. It's a single-player JRPG, designed by a woman, enjoyed in the privacy of home. If you're a female gamer who's into swords-and-sorcery RPGs, what's not to like? OTOH, I can imagine any girl who plays FPSes on-line and isn't a crazy AW would keep a low profile (male or gender-neutral handle, no vocal communication) to avoid the rampant misogyny in that crowd.

Table-top RPGs have a much more uphill battle. The social interaction is the experience. One evening with a bunch of socially dysfunctional misogynistic farksticks can permanently dissuade any woman from giving D&D a serious try.

HellRaisingHoosier: Imagine your average "hardcore computer gamer" male, then subtract the testicles, keep the same amount of body hair, acne and body oder ... and you'll see your average "hardcore computer gamer" female.

Nah. . . they run the gamut. 40% of Americans are obese and half by definition are "below average" in looks, and in my experience gamers are perfectly representative of those ratios. They are a lot less likely to doll up in public, though.

Makes sense. Computer games are an extremely feminine past-time.

ProfessorOhki: The "gamer" stereotype is about a decade out of date

Agreed whole-heartedly.

dragonchild: Meh, it's been no secret. I daresay women have been a larger percentage of gamers than anyone thought for at least a decade. I married a gamer, three of my (male) friends married gamers, and a fourth is dating one. They didn't appear out of nowhere.

The strange trend I'm seeing is the transition from progressive heroines to gender irrelevance. Old-school games like Metroid, Phantasy Star and Resident Evil had some kick-ass female protagonists. They were few and far between, but they sure made their mark. Now, more games allow character customization or otherwise make gender a non-factor. The industry still has a lot of sexism and always will, but it's easier to avoid, I guess.

Way back when...sheesh, Dark Age of Camelot, before most people had a VOIP of some kind, I was a guild officer for one of the ginormous casual guilds. Almost half our members were female, but the vast majority of them played male characters to keep from being harassed all the time. As I've migrated games, I've kept operating under the assumption that the spread was probably about the same, and where I've been privy to a guild roster or team makeup, it seems to be close to that.

I agree it'd help if so many games didn't treat the females of any race as barbie dolls.

dragonchild: Table-top RPGs have a much more uphill battle. The social interaction is the experience. One evening with a bunch of socially dysfunctional misogynistic farksticks can permanently dissuade any woman from giving D&D a serious try.

It's not 1983 anymore. My Pathfinder group is comprised of two dudes and two chicks. The group I learned to game with has always had at least 2 women in it, eventually ending up with more women than men. Real life nerds aren't the stereotypes from Big Bang Theory.

And I play Borderlands every week with 3 family members. Two men, two women. After we beat Borderlands, we're moving on to Dead Island, and then Borderlands 2.

The best definition of 'hardcore' vs. 'casual' that I've heard is: you are hardcore if you deliberately alter your daily/work/social schedule in order to play games. If you only play games when you've got spare time in between doing everything else, then you are casual. The type of game is not as important.

/I *think* that came from Totalbiscuit; I don't rightly recall

machoprogrammer: I played Everquest with a female who usually had male characters so guys wouldn't hit on her.

Carousel Beast: . Almost half our members were female, but the vast majority of them played male characters to keep from being harassed all the time

Alright, I've got to ask: people keep saying this, but almost every guy I know plays female characters and this has never seemed to be a thing. Well, save the one guy who made it a habit of flirting for items... but that was his own doing.

Is it really that much of a problem? I mean, I can see the angry twelve-year-olds on LIVE being an issue, but MMOs?

I'm casual about most.
I'm hardcore about a few.

Civilization, Diablo & The Elder Scrolls
are the ones I'll stay up hour after hour on.

And I still enjoy table-top RPGs.

Most women I know like puzzle gaming.
My wife likes it all, but like me, it depends on her mood and what strikes her at the time. (leave it alone, trolls)

Whatever floats your boat, I say.

chopit: One of my best friends is a 1337 gamer chick. She loves pwning 12 year old boys, and when they biatch, telling them they just got served by a 40 year old woman. Shuts 'em up quick.

Is she hot?

dragonchild: machoprogrammer: I am actually surprised, due to the harassment they receive from male gamers.

That doesn't kill the desire to game; it only shuts off certain social avenues. Nothing stopped my wife from playing Phantasy Star back when she was a kid. It's a single-player JRPG, designed by a woman, enjoyed in the privacy of home. If you're a female gamer who's into swords-and-sorcery RPGs, what's not to like? OTOH, I can imagine any girl who plays FPSes on-line and isn't a crazy AW would keep a low profile (male or gender-neutral handle, no vocal communication) to avoid the rampant misogyny in that crowd.



This. My wife and I used to play WOW a lot a few years back. it was sad to watch what happened when she would join a pug raid where someone was hosting on a vent server. Things would go fine for most of the raid, then they would ask her a question or something. The second she spoke, she would get flooded with private tells. Some were very, very sad and pathetic. Eventually she found a guild that was non-retarded at the idea of having female members, and turns out over half the guild was female due to the fact they weren't harassed there.

My guild was the same way, lots of females, well respected and we had a recruiting advantage since females wanted to be in our guild over others, we had a larger pool to select quality raiders.

I would say there are lots of female gamers out there, but they hide or group up to avoid mouth-breathers.

/Side story: someone up thread mentioned females will choose male characters to hide a little. Reminds me of a conversation that came up for me all the time. I would usually create female characters, to which my friends or other players would ask why I would want to be a female and tease if I was gay. I would respond to them that you are playing a game where you will look at your character for hours on end, and you would rather look at a short, hairy dwarf instead of a lean, slender night elf? who is the gay one?

Lady Beryl Ersatz-Wendigo: The best definition of 'hardcore' vs. 'casual' that I've heard is: you are hardcore if you deliberately alter your daily/work/social schedule in order to play games. If you only play games when you've got spare time in between doing everything else, then you are casual. The type of game is not as important.

/I *think* that came from Totalbiscuit; I don't rightly recall

Guess when Borderlands 2 comes out, i'll make the shift from casual to hardcore. Will do it again if/when PSO2 is brought stateside.

ProfessorOhki: Alright, I've got to ask: people keep saying this, but almost every guy I know plays female characters and this has never seemed to be a thing. Well, save the one guy who made it a habit of flirting for items... but that was his own doing.

Is it really that much of a problem? I mean, I can see the angry twelve-year-olds on LIVE being an issue, but MMOs?

It was in EQ, from what I saw. I made a female character once, a high elf enchanter, and got an assload of tells from guys offering me free shiat and flirting. I told them I was a guy and I didn't want their items (since I had a high level character I could use to get anything they were offering that I wanted).

Then again, that was before most people started realizing that just because it is a female character, it may not be a female person playing it.

CSB: I saw an interview on YouTube with this woman who did the face capture for Samara and Morinth in ME 2 and 3. She's apparently a big gamer, cosplayer and nerd in real life and has gone to conventions dressed as the character.



I think I might be in love.

machoprogrammer: I am actually surprised, due to the harassment they receive from male gamers.

I played Everquest with a female who usually had male characters so guys wouldn't hit on her.

I honestly can't imagine that. Online multiplayer as a dude is obnoxious enough when you're dealing with 14-year-olds screaming "ni**er" and "fag" and threatening people. I can't imagine being sexually harassed on top of it.

There were quite a few female gamers playing Dark Age of Camelot...some were actually quite attractive.


/great game in its prime

Hyjamon: dragonchild: machoprogrammer: I am actually surprised, due to the harassment they receive from male gamers.

That doesn't kill the desire to game; it only shuts off certain social avenues. Nothing stopped my wife from playing Phantasy Star back when she was a kid. It's a single-player JRPG, designed by a woman, enjoyed in the privacy of home. If you're a female gamer who's into swords-and-sorcery RPGs, what's not to like? OTOH, I can imagine any girl who plays FPSes on-line and isn't a crazy AW would keep a low profile (male or gender-neutral handle, no vocal communication) to avoid the rampant misogyny in that crowd.



This. My wife and I used to play WOW a lot a few years back. it was sad to watch what happened when she would join a pug raid where someone was hosting on a vent server. Things would go fine for most of the raid, then they would ask her a question or something. The second she spoke, she would get flooded with private tells. Some were very, very sad and pathetic. Eventually she found a guild that was non-retarded at the idea of having female members, and turns out over half the guild was female due to the fact they weren't harassed there.

My guild was the same way, lots of females, well respected and we had a recruiting advantage since females wanted to be in our guild over others, we had a larger pool to select quality raiders.

I would say there are lots of female gamers out there, but they hide or group up to avoid mouth-breathers.

/Side story: someone up thread mentioned females will choose male characters to hide a little. Reminds me of a conversation that came up for me all the time. I would usually create female characters, to which my friends or other players would ask why I would want to be a female and tease if I was gay. I would respond to them that you are playing a game where you will look at your character for hours on end, and you would rather look at a short, hairy dwarf instead of a lean, slender night elf? who is the ...

My wife main tanks for a very progression driven guild and it sometimes seems like a second job to me... but she loves it. Most of their superior players are female and very hardcore.

She's run into the vent issue when she has helped other guild or friends of friends and it really has soured her on talking to anyone online she does not personally know. She has screen shots of guys sending her everything from the usual pathetic "Love me!" to fetish requests. It's boggling.

I suck at the actual game play (hands are kinda jacked from a work accident) so I am pretty much the guilds farm bot for ore, herbs, fish and cash.