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roninnogitsune: So are all Women gamers cloned from your girlfriend that if they meet her needs they will have pleased all of them? I want to see a better female presence in gaming but the only way is for them to make themselves to make them look like a viable market, appealing to Ethics don't matter when talking to an industry that doesn't care or need to care, they target the audience that they think will make them money for what they do. A girl can like action movies but she has to swallow the machismo that comes with them. Expecting people to try and please everyone is foolish.
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amok: Nope, not at all But same as all men do not have the same tastes in videogames, neither does women. Do you really think that out of the 47% of women gamers only 1% prefer core games? When it comes to film, there is a lot larger variety, even within action films. It is also different as you do not get so immersed in a film as in a game.

There is a large, broad and cash strong group of people here which is not catered for because there is this incorrect view that a gamer is white male between 15 and 25. This is the demographics which they make games for, and they have sold because this is the games being made. They sold, therefore the logical conclusion is that we need to make more of them. Or is maybe not another conclusion that they sold because it is only this type of games being made?

I do not think it is coincidence that many of the AAA games are not selling as much as expected right now, because there is an emerging market catering for the other half of gamers. My partner want a good AAA game, but she do not need as she gets her fix from casual games right now. It does make me sad, as we do not play together as much as we did before, though. ( yes, I know I am stretching it a bit and that there are more factors, but I do think this is one of them)
Again, it's up to them to make themselves seem viable, and right now the evidence is pointing away, The new Tomb Raider failed to meet expectations despite having one of the better Female Protagonists, Mass effect gave a gender choice and only 13 % chose femshep even though the male actor couldn't emote himself out of a wet paper bag. Not enough people are supporting good female characters.

The problem is that instead of them making themselves look like a viable market, they're trying to play the morality card and say that there's a moral obligation to present women in such a way, but the companies look at them selves and realize that in a free society with freedom of speech, they don't have such an obligation because they're selling entertainment. They have a right to sell to who they want to and the only obligation they have is to make money. Sorry that's life.
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Potzato: Wait a minute all of you and let's consider the most played game in the world :

League of Legends : some statistics

Now you have some data on demographics : pretty hardcore game = mostly guys.
I can name dozens of pro gamers in that game : all guys, no girl pgm.
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JMich: Quick question about this, how did they determine the gender of the users? Registration doesn't ask for it. Was there a survey sent out or something?
Shhhhhh ... I forged all of this because I wasn't motivated enough to make a clean argumentation.
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langurmonkey: I don't understand your sense of humor. I find this thread, sad...
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Leroux: Well, that was the point, kind of. The whole world will appear like a sad place if you're not able see further than the end of your nose and put yourself into someone else's shoes, adopt a different perspective than your own for a change. The whole concept of fiction is based on this ability, whether video games, books or movies.
Easier said than done.
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amok: Nope, not at all But same as all men do not have the same tastes in videogames, neither does women. Do you really think that out of the 47% of women gamers only 1% prefer core games? When it comes to film, there is a lot larger variety, even within action films. It is also different as you do not get so immersed in a film as in a game.

There is a large, broad and cash strong group of people here which is not catered for because there is this incorrect view that a gamer is white male between 15 and 25. This is the demographics which they make games for, and they have sold because this is the games being made. They sold, therefore the logical conclusion is that we need to make more of them. Or is maybe not another conclusion that they sold because it is only this type of games being made?

I do not think it is coincidence that many of the AAA games are not selling as much as expected right now, because there is an emerging market catering for the other half of gamers. My partner want a good AAA game, but she do not need as she gets her fix from casual games right now. It does make me sad, as we do not play together as much as we did before, though. ( yes, I know I am stretching it a bit and that there are more factors, but I do think this is one of them)
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roninnogitsune: Again, it's up to them to make themselves seem viable, and right now the evidence is pointing away, The new Tomb Raider failed to meet expectations despite having one of the better Female Protagonists, Mass effect gave a gender choice and only 13 % chose femshep even though the male actor couldn't emote himself out of a wet paper bag. Not enough people are supporting good female characters.

The problem is that instead of them making themselves look like a viable market, they're trying to play the morality card and say that there's a moral obligation to present women in such a way, but the companies look at them selves and realize that in a free society with freedom of speech, they don't have such an obligation because they're selling entertainment. They have a right to sell to who they want to and the only obligation they have is to make money. Sorry that's life.
Yeah, that's life in a capitalist world. So all the people attacking me in this thread, are attacking me for revealing to them, reality in a capitalist world. WTF. Sorry folks, but this isn't fucking Narnia or Federation of Planets. These games weren't made to shit on women because MEN ARE BETTER THAN WOMEN AHAHAHHAH, now go make me a sandwich!. They were made to please the majority of customers.
Post edited May 29, 2013 by langurmonkey
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roninnogitsune: Mass effect gave a gender choice and only 13 % chose femshep even though the male actor couldn't emote himself out of a wet paper bag. Not enough people are supporting good female characters.
I was playing with femShep.

For reasons.
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Leroux: Well, that was the point, kind of. The whole world will appear like a sad place if you're not able see further than the end of your nose and put yourself into someone else's shoes, adopt a different perspective than your own for a change. The whole concept of fiction is based on this ability, whether video games, books or movies.
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langurmonkey: Easier said than done.
Just because YOU lack empathy, doesn't mean it ain't inherent in most of us homo sapiens. (Seriously, what are you even arguing at this point?)
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langurmonkey: Easier said than done.
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HMDK: Just because YOU lack empathy, doesn't mean it ain't inherent in most of us homo sapiens. (Seriously, what are you even arguing at this point?)
I lack empathy for calling you a feminazi due your man hating words? OR do I lack empathy for explaining to people how things work under capitalism? OR do I lack empathy because I enjoy playing as a powerful male character because it is easier for my brain to accept this as reality? I also enjoy playing as straight male character because I'm straight and I'd much rather have a female lover in a fantasy than a male lover. I guess that means I lack empathy too.
Post edited May 29, 2013 by langurmonkey
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Starmaker: Ur stoopid. Godwin is for unwarranted comparisons involving Nazism, not for actual historical Nazis.
Ur much moore st0pider! There's no unwarranted or not actual nazis in that st000pid law. That y u r st0pid, you use the stupid law, you misinterpreted the law, and you even proved my own law,stupid!

Plus, you also invaded Poland!
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langurmonkey: You obviously aren't really reading my posts. I never said my attitude is a %1 attitude or expressed this... And straight male gamer isn't %1 BTW. More like 99%. And I've experienced what it is like to be a minority many times in my life.
I am reading your posts. I'll repeat the section you said before.

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langurmonkey: They are just stories in games that are catering to the majority of gamers, straight males. And straight males usually like playing as straight POWERFUL males. Power shared is power lost so therefore, females have to be made weak. Otherwise, the straight male wont feel as powerful in the game he just purchased for $50 and therefore make the experience much less enjoyable for him.
This is what I'm hearing you say Langur. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Straight males gamers (SMG) like to feel powerful, so women have to be weak for this to happen. If we gave women any kind of power, that would take away from the SMG, and that would be bad. SMG with 100% power and women with 0% power is good. Women with 5% power means SMG with only 95% power, and 95% is worse than 100%, SMG shouldn't have to get only 95%, they should get it all, 'cause SMG deserve it all, so SMG should get 100%, and women should get 0%. SMG having all the power and women having none is a great thing, and how games should be.

Is this correct? Do you feel games should cater exclusively to what SMG want?

And may I ask, in what way(s) have you suffered as a minority? You don't have to answer.
A few people aside, can I just say how surprisingly civil this thread has been? :P

Heck even my rep went up, I thought by the now my Rep would be in the negatives o.O
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JMich: Quick question about this, how did they determine the gender of the users? Registration doesn't ask for it. Was there a survey sent out or something?
Well, I can only speak for me and my female friends but we don't normally tell people we're playing with online that we're females. Not in FPS, not in MMOs.
I did it here on GOG in the Blood Bowl league but that's a big exceptions. I didn't make positive experiences when "revealing" my gender. Things either got awkward or bad.
I know that there are some female gamers out there who like to play the Girl" card hoping for special treatment but I would guess that the bigger chunk just plays as me and my friends do - not telling gender, just let people come to their own conclusions which is that you're male because you're a gamer and leave it at that.
(My friend Pogopuschel once had a real-life meeting with her German WOW clan. They were quite surprised to find out that all members except one were female. XD)
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HMDK: Bing, bing bing... you just hit all the right buttons. Anyone using the term feminazi without irony is a spoiled little Limbaugh baby.
You hear Rush Limbaugh in Denmark? I'm so sorry.
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HMDK: Just because YOU lack empathy, doesn't mean it ain't inherent in most of us homo sapiens. (Seriously, what are you even arguing at this point?)
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langurmonkey: I lack empathy for calling you a feminazi due your man hating words? OR do I lack empathy for explaining to people how things work under capitalism? OR do I lack empathy because I enjoy playing as a powerful male character because it is easier for my brain to accept this as reality? I also enjoy playing as straight male character because I'm straight and I'd much rather have a female lover in a fantasy than a male lover. I guess that means I lack empathy too.
Once again, point out how exactly I'm hating men? It's only the third time I'm asking, and since you're so convinced it oughta be easy. And I don't give much of a fuck about what kind of character you prefer to play in a game. But if you have some wild aversion to playing a woman, that might be slightly peculiar.
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langurmonkey: You obviously aren't really reading my posts. I never said my attitude is a %1 attitude or expressed this... And straight male gamer isn't %1 BTW. More like 99%. And I've experienced what it is like to be a minority many times in my life.
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BlueMooner: I am reading your posts. I'll repeat the section you said before.

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langurmonkey: They are just stories in games that are catering to the majority of gamers, straight males. And straight males usually like playing as straight POWERFUL males. Power shared is power lost so therefore, females have to be made weak. Otherwise, the straight male wont feel as powerful in the game he just purchased for $50 and therefore make the experience much less enjoyable for him.
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BlueMooner: This is what I'm hearing you say Langur. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Straight males gamers (SMG) like to feel powerful, so women have to be weak for this to happen. If we gave women any kind of power, that would take away from the SMG, and that would be bad. SMG with 100% power and women with 0% power is good. Women with 5% power means SMG with only 95% power, and 95% is worse than 100%, SMG shouldn't have to get only 95%, they should get it all, 'cause SMG deserve it all, so SMG should get 100%, and women should get 0%. SMG having all the power and women having none is a great thing, and how games should be.

Is this correct? Do you feel games should cater exclusively to what SMG want?

And may I ask, in what way(s) have you suffered as a minority? You don't have to answer.
If that is where the money is then yes in a capitalist world. I have really big feet. Like huge monster feet. A long time ago, I moved to a country where not one single store, sold shoes big enough for my feet due to most people there having small feet. So in this capitalist world, I had no choice but to suffer. I had to wear the same shoes for years and years. Because it was either that or nothing. If people with monster feet is a minority, I can't expect businesses to cater to me. It's just not worth it for them.
Post edited May 29, 2013 by langurmonkey
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langurmonkey: A beautiful woman turning into a hideous monster is more shocking than a man turning into a hideous monster. Women are more beautiful in the eyes of straight males. To see something beautiful become hideous is also memorable. There are many reasons why they do this and none of them have anything to do with sexist beliefs and misogyny. Gamers want to be shocked time to time otherwise life becomes too boring.
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Piranjade: For me that doesn't work. Maybe it's because I'm a woman.

The woman turning into a monster and then her loving man puts her out of her misery is overdone, and for me it's nothing more than a symbol that here should be a horrible, emotional plot moment but the designer had no creative idea what to do.
It's like the guys joining my Shadowrun P&P group and when you ask them about their character they start with "He's an orphan..."
Yes, it makes things easy plot-wise.

But really, I would like to see it the other way around from time to time, meaning the husband/boyfriend turning into a monster. And I wonder if video game designer then also come up with "put him out of his misery" as the only possible solution.
I don't know if I agree entirely with the purposeful exploitation of the "bad, sneaky, duplicitous bitch angle," because for all we know, the writer could have meant simply that those character traits are things to be punished, not the gender. The rest could simply just be a gross misinterpretation of writer intent.

That being said, it does seem to be rather uncreative if that scene couldn't be interchangeable with another character set, or if the roles were reversed, and in those cases, I'd be more likely to call it more a symptom of lazy writing, not punishment for those traits in that gender specifically.

For me, the scene, motivation, emotions and traits are far more important than the genders involved, but in many cases, a writer simply looks at the emotional attachment that a loved one brings into a scene, because it's easy, and it's easy to make the players care about important characters in the scenes if there's that motivation there, even easy, lazy motivation.
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HMDK: Bing, bing bing... you just hit all the right buttons. Anyone using the term feminazi without irony is a spoiled little Limbaugh baby.
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BlueMooner: You hear Rush Limbaugh in Denmark? I'm so sorry.
No, thank fuck. We have our own homegrown crazies. I've just been following the shitpiles of U.S. politics for half my lifetime.