64% of online gamers are women - Page 4

Lockeownzj00 · 10-08-2006, 02:20 PM

I'd just like to say, regardless of the veracity of this study, I think it's pretty darned hilarious that basically everyone's knee simultaneously jerked and responded with "impossible, impossible!" I have a feeling most of you didn't even read the article, actually. You have a preconceived notion of gamers: male.Actually, one poster said, "It is a known fact," basically negating the point of ever re-evaluating something.

I don't know if it's 64%, but I would say it's a lot higher than you'd think. What is it that you think girls do, exactly? Between all the shopping and the lesbian sex they have no time for games? What do you do in your free time? I have a strange feeling that pretty much anyone who's bored, in our day and age, is going to turn to videogames. I've got a hunch that 90% of the hullabaloo and theories about women gamers is missing the point.

The rampant popularity of WoW alone has brought a surprising number of females into the mix--the late 20s-40s demographic of women, ever since Everquest has been slowly creeping upwards. Think about it: if you are a housewife, and you don't like soaps that much, and, hey, here's a world you can escape into between diaper changes, why wouldn't you? I've observed casually that more than ever, this generation of MMORPGs (specifically WoW) has a huge amount of couples-husbands/wives playing (as others have already mentioned).

Statistical studies are flawed, yes. But christ, people, what is your inherent aversion to numbers? Afraid that they quantify something that you want to be nebulous? They're not all hacks, and probability is pretty damn...well, probable. They factor in likelihood of fluctuation and stuff like that. This isn't something to tattoo on your back, but it's something to think about. What would you say if an article came out that proved absolutely scientifically that videogames slowly give you cancer (through a combination of careless practices in manufacturing since the beginning of the games industry)? Would you reject the claim simply because you want it to be the other way?

Mirai Gen · 10-08-2006, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockeownzj00

I don't know if it's 64%, but I would say it's a lot higher than you'd think. What is it that you think girls do, exactly? Between all the shopping and the lesbian sex they have no time for games? What do you do in your free time? I have a strange feeling that pretty much anyone who's bored, in our day and age, is going to turn to videogames.

I do agree with the overall post, but I just have to say, this is very much not true.

You say, "What do you do in your free time?"

You're asking the video gaming area of NPF. Isn't that a bit redundant?

I doubt people really understand just how much time non-gamers have to spend.. To say that there are a vast majority of women who don't game is telling the blatant truth. To say that this number is small is what's stretching it.

So, no, I don't think that anyone in our day is going to go play a game. Us as gamers don't think much about other things that can be done, but there is alot.

Felt the need to say that.

EDIT: Also, while I'm at it, I'm just going to throw out the fact that this topic was humorous to begin with. I even started the topic the ever-famous Night Elf chick (guy) example. I don't think everyone's being 100% serious when they say "OMG NO WAI!"

Lockeownzj00 · 10-08-2006, 02:59 PM

I meant more, people in our demographic--early teens to late mid-20s. Any person "our" age who has at least an average aount of free time will probably play videogames to some degree. We're more "hardcore" about it, sure--but I still think you underestimate the power of not only casual gaming, but boredom.

Mirai Gen · 10-08-2006, 03:56 PM

Perhaps. But this is the generation raised on "Put down the video games! Go read a book!" I honestly have seen enough non-gamers to believe that gaming isn't just a time-killer everyone turns to once or twice. Some people are very resilliant about it.

Some of us are just rebels, which I guess is this circle in NPF.

Mesden · 10-08-2006, 04:18 PM

Well, Mirai, to just put it from my perspective, in Hickland USA, I can't say I've met someone who doesn't play one game sometime or another.

Jocks? Definitely. Preps? All of them bask in how many games they can afford and brag about. Beauty prom queens? I swear, Sims is infectious amongst them.

For the mid teens to 20s, I'd say that most people do turn to games as free time killers, generally at night time. Or heck, just as something to do when there's nothing on TV.

What else would they do? Their homework? Haha, yeah right.

Magus · 10-08-2006, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockeownzj00

What is it that you think girls do, exactly? Between all the shopping and the lesbian sex they have no time for games?

Well, that's the best case scenario, yeah.

Anyway, most sociological studies are only done with 2000-3000 surveys, for anyone thinking that this was not a high enough numer. As long as it is picked at random from the population (here being gamers) it is considered valid to apply to everyone in the overall population. The only thing that's wrong with it is if you want to see what it is for AMERICANS or CANADIANS you have to do the same surveys in those countries, as you can't really apply Australia's results to the other countries.

Khael! · 10-08-2006, 07:38 PM

Very true, that. I mean, here's my experience:
This Anime club we have at our school, which is a loose name for the "anime junkies, gamers, artists, nerds and other unidentifiable outcasts of the social demographic" club. There's about thirty of us on a good day. The girls outnumber the guys at a ratio of at least 2:1, and I know every single one of them is a huge gamer, be it online or just one player.

A lot of them do like sims admittedly - because they're flammable and get trapped indoors by ill-placed vases! Oh, how I do love a good roast.

Many of my female friends are the ones who introduce me to new free online games, and get me to party with them for leveling awesomness. Maybe I'm too lazy to look or something, but, hey! And they're not overweight ar anything either. Skinny gamers do exist. :p

"I want my DnD to begin with... nobody plays it in Canada."

SO NOT TRUE! They're just well hidden. I got me a Level eight Bard who's survived four years of gaming, and a level two Drow fighter who's gonna snap people's necks someday. We had seven people in our party once upon a time, not including our DM.

mauve · 10-08-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

What's all that 'we' business Mauve, we all know you're secretly a guy here for all the HAWT CYBAR AXXXTION.

Damn. You found me out. :p

Khael! · 10-08-2006, 08:18 PM

Oh sure, and I'm Debrah.

I've found a lot of guys on the mmo's I once played never took girls seriously. It was horrible and funny, because I always offered to party with them and pk the guys in vengeance. They were so nice to me.

:bmage: "NO I WAS NOT UNDRESSING YOU WITH THE POWERS OF MY MIND!"

Solid Snake · 10-08-2006, 09:25 PM

I will say, on an only slightly related note, that I'm reminded of a quote from a good (female) friend of mine, Rachel, who's an avid MMORPGer (more so than I'll ever be...) "If you're looking for a girl in WoW, you have a better chance interacting with the male characters than the female ones." (Obviously not what she said word for word, but it's close enough.) It's definitely been true through my limited observation that most women who play MMORPGs like to shield their identities by playing as male characters, or unattractive characters.

In fact, most "attractive female characters" in WoW are probably either really desperate, ugly women IRL, or gay men, or heterosexual men looking for laughs and a bit of free money. I'm not sure why anyone would want to meet a cute girl over WoW, but if you ever felt a desire to, you'd probably have better luck developing bonds with the "men" and the "ugly chicks" in the game.

As for the statistic: I wouldn't say the stats should be as high as 64%, but I'm actually not surprised. The thing is, I think much more gamers as a whole are men, but the vast majority of women who do play video games probably play 'em online, whereas most men -- like myself, for instance -- are more the loner types. The vast, vast majority of games I play are single-player RPG, FPS and RTS experiences. I rarely, if ever, go online for my gaming needs, because I'm a solitary kind of gamer. I like to curl up to my Final Fantasy and play alone; it's sort of my way of escapism, and going online actually defeats the purpose for me. After spending a long day among friends, family and coworkers, I turn to videogaming precisely because I desire the isolation, the quiet mental stimulation.

On the flip side, when I think of women gamers -- and yes, this is obviously stereotypical -- I think the only way most women I know would play a videogame was if it were online, or at least had certain social components. Women are more into constant interaction than guys. So if a girl plays a game out of boredom, she wants it to be one where she's interacting with all her friends, or meeting new people. My mother, for example, plays AOL poker online because she enjoys beating complete strangers, and chatting with them as she defeats them. Ask her to play poker against the computer, and she doesn't see the point.

So I think it's less about tons of women gaming in general, and more about online gaming, in particular, fulfilling more of what women would desire in a videogame. Overall, I still think when it comes to the gaming population as a whole -- including the much larger offline, single-player realm of gaming -- is predominantly male. Most women I know don't enjoy single player games. When they're bored, many of them look for something socially stimulating, and Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid won't exactly fill that void.

10-08-2006, 03:56 PM	#34
Mirai Gen We are Geth. Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 14,032	Perhaps. But this is the generation raised on "Put down the video games! Go read a book!" I honestly have seen enough non-gamers to believe that gaming isn't just a time-killer everyone turns to once or twice. Some people are very resilliant about it. Some of us are just rebels, which I guess is this circle in NPF. __________________

10-08-2006, 04:18 PM	#35
Mesden There is no Toph, only Melon Lord! Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Inside of a box inside of a smaller box Posts: 4,310	Well, Mirai, to just put it from my perspective, in Hickland USA, I can't say I've met someone who doesn't play one game sometime or another. Jocks? Definitely. Preps? All of them bask in how many games they can afford and brag about. Beauty prom queens? I swear, Sims is infectious amongst them. For the mid teens to 20s, I'd say that most people do turn to games as free time killers, generally at night time. Or heck, just as something to do when there's nothing on TV. What else would they do? Their homework? Haha, yeah right. __________________ I can tell you're lying.

10-08-2006, 07:38 PM	#37
Khael! I'm somebody else these days. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Same house same hill same bat channel still canada Posts: 1,968	Very true, that. I mean, here's my experience: This Anime club we have at our school, which is a loose name for the "anime junkies, gamers, artists, nerds and other unidentifiable outcasts of the social demographic" club. There's about thirty of us on a good day. The girls outnumber the guys at a ratio of at least 2:1, and I know every single one of them is a huge gamer, be it online or just one player. A lot of them do like sims admittedly - because they're flammable and get trapped indoors by ill-placed vases! Oh, how I do love a good roast. Many of my female friends are the ones who introduce me to new free online games, and get me to party with them for leveling awesomness. Maybe I'm too lazy to look or something, but, hey! And they're not overweight ar anything either. Skinny gamers do exist. :p "I want my DnD to begin with... nobody plays it in Canada." SO NOT TRUE! They're just well hidden. I got me a Level eight Bard who's survived four years of gaming, and a level two Drow fighter who's gonna snap people's necks someday. We had seven people in our party once upon a time, not including our DM. __________________ "Life is like a box of chocolates. Cheap, thoughtless, perfunctory gift that nobody ever asks for." - CGB Spender Super Perfundo on the Early Eve of Your Day.

10-08-2006, 08:18 PM	#39
Khael! I'm somebody else these days. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Same house same hill same bat channel still canada Posts: 1,968	Oh sure, and I'm Debrah. I've found a lot of guys on the mmo's I once played never took girls seriously. It was horrible and funny, because I always offered to party with them and pk the guys in vengeance. They were so nice to me. :bmage: "NO I WAS NOT UNDRESSING YOU WITH THE POWERS OF MY MIND!" __________________ "Life is like a box of chocolates. Cheap, thoughtless, perfunctory gift that nobody ever asks for." - CGB Spender Super Perfundo on the Early Eve of Your Day.

10-08-2006, 09:25 PM	#40
Solid Snake Erotic Esquire Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 5,563	I will say, on an only slightly related note, that I'm reminded of a quote from a good (female) friend of mine, Rachel, who's an avid MMORPGer (more so than I'll ever be...) "If you're looking for a girl in WoW, you have a better chance interacting with the male characters than the female ones." (Obviously not what she said word for word, but it's close enough.) It's definitely been true through my limited observation that most women who play MMORPGs like to shield their identities by playing as male characters, or unattractive characters. In fact, most "attractive female characters" in WoW are probably either really desperate, ugly women IRL, or gay men, or heterosexual men looking for laughs and a bit of free money. I'm not sure why anyone would want to meet a cute girl over WoW, but if you ever felt a desire to, you'd probably have better luck developing bonds with the "men" and the "ugly chicks" in the game. As for the statistic: I wouldn't say the stats should be as high as 64%, but I'm actually not surprised. The thing is, I think much more gamers as a whole are men, but the vast majority of women who do play video games probably play 'em online, whereas most men -- like myself, for instance -- are more the loner types. The vast, vast majority of games I play are single-player RPG, FPS and RTS experiences. I rarely, if ever, go online for my gaming needs, because I'm a solitary kind of gamer. I like to curl up to my Final Fantasy and play alone; it's sort of my way of escapism, and going online actually defeats the purpose for me. After spending a long day among friends, family and coworkers, I turn to videogaming precisely because I desire the isolation, the quiet mental stimulation. On the flip side, when I think of women gamers -- and yes, this is obviously stereotypical -- I think the only way most women I know would play a videogame was if it were online, or at least had certain social components. Women are more into constant interaction than guys. So if a girl plays a game out of boredom, she wants it to be one where she's interacting with all her friends, or meeting new people. My mother, for example, plays AOL poker online because she enjoys beating complete strangers, and chatting with them as she defeats them. Ask her to play poker against the computer, and she doesn't see the point. So I think it's less about tons of women gaming in general, and more about online gaming, in particular, fulfilling more of what women would desire in a videogame. Overall, I still think when it comes to the gaming population as a whole -- including the much larger offline, single-player realm of gaming -- is predominantly male. Most women I know don't enjoy single player games. When they're bored, many of them look for something socially stimulating, and Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid won't exactly fill that void. __________________ *WARNING:* Snek's all up in this thread. Be prepared to read massive walls of text.