Lack of women in SWG

[Xx_Patman_xX]

It seems to me that the number of men will outweigh the number of women in SWG about 5 to 1. Wont this seem a little strange? Tell me what you think.

[swphreak]

Not really, I know there are at least 3 or 4 female forumers (that I know of) and I know 1 of them will be playing SWG.

 

There are just more men that play video games that women do. In fact, mu sister can barely operate a computer, all she uses it for is AOL stuff and she calls me at like 10PM to say her computer froze or crashed and I have to tell her how to fix it....... [sigh]

 

Before a female forumer hurts me, I know not ALL women know jack about computers/vid games, I'm just giving an example...

[Thew Rydur]

It's basically like that in any game you play (and I'd say 5 to 1 is a bit low ). I'm sure alot of guys will have females characters though.

[Sunshine Badass]

I will be playing a female character in SWG, as they are easier on the eyes and more of a challenge to RP. It will be interesting and will help offset teh ratio of guys to gals in the =A=.

[Xx_Patman_xX]

I doubt this will be in the game because it would be very sexist but do you think there will be any disadvantages (or maybe advantages) to being female?

[Sunshine Badass]

Taking Setsuko as a model for this... you tell me... ;)

[setsuko]

Break it down! Stop.... ranting time! *hit's her rake in the floor, á la MC Hammer*

 

Yes, there is a very shrewd proportion of males in gaming. But then, who can blame the girls for not joining in?

 

First, we have the entire 'technological thing'. Yes, it might seem a bit tedious to blame it on a patriarchic system, but I can't avoid it, because it is true; Technology is Power. Mankind has known that for millenia. Also, men has had most of the power in the world for millenia. To make sure they keep that power, they make sure (conciously or unconciously through religion, culture, education and other power structures) that items and ideas that enpowers people are reserved to men (especially white, anglosaxon males). Not very long ago, it was deemed unneccesary to teach women to read. Information is power. Also, women were supposedly gifted with a brain that doesn't understand the concept of politics, that's why women's suffrage didn't succeed until the 1920's in most countries. Hell, in Switzerland women were not allowed to vote until 1971! Same thing with machinery, military and science. Clearly powerful areas of the society has always initially been closed to females. Sure, this was a very dumbed down version of the enigmatic and huge field that is feministic science, but if you really doubt it, I could give you the whole lecture.

 

Mind you, if your parents insisted that you danced ballet or took up horseriding instead of "tinkering with all those machines, it can't be good for you" I guess a fair share of you wouldn't be reading this forum right now, either.Point is, to even start to get into computers as a girl, you'll have to fight a lot of conventions, a lot of raised eyebrows. Guys doesn't. And I doubt any of you know how much that can mean to some persons.

 

So, that settles why so few girls have mad kernel skills. It's because being a cumputer wiz and a girl at the same time can be consider guerilla warfare in some circles.

 

Now then, why don't girls play games more? Why oh why?

 

As soon as games leaves the Pacman level, they are aimed at men. Boys. Guys. All the way from Ninja Gaiden to Unreal Tournament the common link is very clear indeed: male protagonists (and often too, antagonists) is the overshadowing character, who is cool, strong and persistent. Female characters are at best either busty barbarians in fur bikinis, or whining little girls who just have to hide behind the hero as soon as danger draws near. And mind you, it's not easy (or very fun) to relate to either of these stereotypes when you are a twelve year old and encounter your first computer games. That is one really common reason why girls don't start to play at all.

 

Footnote: Oh, and yes, there's also "games made for girls". They are always an excuse to promote a badly coded game, with no gameplay whatsoever, no plot, poor graphics and a lot of pink. What are they thinking, just because you're a girl you are automatically a retard who enjoys bad games? Come on! It just makes the case even worse! Off course I won't buy more games after suffering "dimwit version of 'barbie dressup'"-trauma!

 

"Oh, but there are a lot of stupid male barbarians in games too, you know!". Yes, I know. But there's also Gordon Freeman's, there's Max Payne's, there's Ryo Hazuki's. Genuine role models who can run around without panting in a voice oozing of sex, who can wear other clothes than tank tops and shorts, and who are not called things like "Vixen". My point: you come across male characters that you can relate to or even admire more often than you see female ditos. Like, on a quota of 100 to 0.

 

Ok, but that has been written before, the "all games are suited for men only" yadda yadda yadda.

 

Now, the interesting thing is: there's a lot of girls out there that play computer or console games. And that we don't see on forums, on gaming sites, at conventions or at competitions. Why?

 

Right of the bat, I can tell you that being in an environment 99% made up by the other sex is not always a treat. Again, you'd be pretty damn alienated if you ended up at a sewing convention. Me, I've had a few unshielded contacts with the core of male-ness, such as my days in the army, or my computer geek friends, so I'm used to it. A lot of girls, however, aren't. A lot of them simply doesn't feel at home in a guys-only room. That is one reason.

 

Another is that sometimes, male gamers are not at all friendly. Yes, there is a reason why all-girl clans exists for all major FPS's. Sometimes, you just get fed up with the guys out there, to be honest! This is also in some way true to gaming sites, conventions and tournaments; sure, people say a lot that "oh, it's so nice with girl gamers for once" etc. But the day you step on their foot and point out that no, Jacky's Step-In Sword kick is actually Back, Punch+Kick+Guard and then Kick, not Punch+Kick, and that it does 30 damage, not 35, you'd be surprised how many "and what would you know?" you encounter. Simply put, few men likes to get trashed on what they consider 'their own domain', and things like cars, sports and computer games are traditional male domains. Fighting for position in such scenes can require very sharp elbows, indeed.

 

But girls being underrepresented in SWG... I'd say that if it is one gaming scene where girls have a larger precense than any other ('cept for SIMS, which is stupid) scene, it's the MMORPG one. After all, here we are not stuck with some of the biggest flaws of games, since we make our own protagonists. Also, it incorporates social skills on a level that no other games do. So yes, we might not be 50-50 in SWG, but compared to,say, Quake 3, the quota is great!

 

EDIT: and no, your sex will not in any way affect the gameplay. At least that's what they promised.

[swediot=)]

on a nother note did you now that you can actually marry in game hehehe i know i have said this before but i thinks its really funny and kinda sad at the same time. but abother thing also is to say that in the actual movies there were only really 2 female characters that really were with it through the whole thing and that was leia and padme all the other female characters were minor and mostly non existent (please dont be offended by anything im writing what i mean is please no rake set) but when we speak of ratio in the movies how many more men where there than women

[-=ReApEr=-]

Lol if i get married in game it will be to a fellow female bounty hunter

[Kiedo]

Originally posted by -=ReApEr=-

Lol if i get married in game it will be to a fellow female bounty hunter

 

A fellow female?

[-=ReApEr=-]

Yes not a man a female bah

[forgottendeath]

Originally posted by Sunshine Badass

I will be playing a female character in SWG, as they are easier on the eyes and more of a challenge to RP. It will be interesting and will help offset teh ratio of guys to gals in the =A=.

 

Thats cool i guess someone need to look at women and games i don't

HEhe

i am going to be a man a Real Man

[Drakan Sollumis]

I won't miss the females personally. I just find it hard to trust something that bleeds for 5 days and doesn't die.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love SOuth Park for comic relief.

[Wraith 8]

Originally posted by -=ReApEr=-

Lol if i get married in game it will be to a fellow female bounty hunter

female sure..... and you know what else she should be? Twi'lek... they are HOT

[BobaWP]

I hope that alot of women play, that way it will make the game more diverse and fun.

[RocketPack Jack]

Originally posted by setsuko

Female characters are at best either busty barbarians in fur bikinis, or whining little girls who just have to hide behind the hero as soon as danger draws near.

 

What about the final fantasy series, just 2 point out that, especially in the tenth game, they have female characters who kick ass just as much as the male chars, if not more. Apart from that i agree with u

 

ps: please, please dont rant at me...

[setsuko]

I totally disregard your begging for rant mercy.

 

Yes, final fantasy is one of my favourite series, but no, the girls are almost always weak and stingy in FF games too. You see Rikku crawl on the floor out of fear, but never Wakka. Yuna is aloof and always contemplating while the other kicks ass. Though, if we had seen more of Lulu, I guess it would be better. Even in FF, who has had a good amount of female leading characters (which is good), they have most often been the weaker characters, not only in stats, but in personality.

 

Thing is, FF girls continue to be either summoners, mages, theives or ninja. Boring, but true. That's the advantage of MMORPGs, as I said: you are not restricted in any way when you create the leading character for 'your' game. And since everybody has their own leading character, everyone can be satisfied!

[swphreak]

you know.. I actually read your entire "who can blame the girls for not joining in?" rant. You pretty much layed it out.

 

Again, you'd be pretty damn alienated if you ended up at a sewing convention.

 

That's soo true... just change the convention to class.... yes, I'm in a sewing convention class. 2nd period. Whatcha gonna do about it? How about I come over there and kick your.... anywho. i actually signed up for it to get a free A I know the teach, the teach knows my mom, I've known the teach since my sis was in High School. Free ride baby! Okok.. I actually sewed a thing or 2.... or 3.

[Cloned DarkLord]

that has got to be the longest post that I have ever seen ANYWHERE!!!!

[setsuko]

This post had... 1044 words. This post has 1700 words. So it's not the longest post I've ever seen anywhere, that's for sure!

 

EDIT: mind you, the only reason that post stopped growing was the fact that I wasn't allowed to use any more VBcode tags. I actually reached the maximum amount.

[Cloned DarkLord]

:eek:Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!! Now I have seen it all!!! I have never seen such post in all of life!! you must have tons of extra free time on your hands!!!!!!

 

By the way, I am still trying to learn stuff about posting ect... my question to you (And excuse me if it sounds stupid) how did you get the the word to be a link to another site. When someone clicks on that word it takes them to the page you are referring too? Please tell me how!!!

[setsuko]

A lot of people have a higher post count. But mind you, the day the amount of written words are counted, I doubt I'm far away from the top!

 

Fact is, I like writing. Sometimes, it enable me to find out new things, about what I think, what I feel. When I write, I find out new things. About the world, about my friends, about me. It is a far more pleasant way to pass time than watching TV. So the 2-3 hours most people spend watching TV, i spend writing, or drawing. Sure, I'm not as up-to-date to what happens in "the Bold and the Beautiful" as some of my friends, why who cares?

 

Also, my constant writing on forums etc has helped immensely when it comes to my written english. After all, I don't live in an english-speaking country. Sure, I encounter english all the time anyway, but I wouldn't write english myself if it wasn't for the forums.

 

And... to be truthful, I am proud of the fact that I can whip out a 1000+ essay at will. It is a nice superpower. Since it is fun, I tend to use every incentive I get to rant on and on and on. Like this!

 

Who knows, someday in my life I might become a collumnist, translator, writer or whatever. Then these hours writing are worth a lot more than my friend's hours watching soap operas, can we agree on that? Good.

 

EDIT: 1000 words takes approximately 30-45 minutes to write. So it's not like I spent an entire day. I'd say the editing is worse, it can even take as much time as the actual writing!

 

EDIT 2: oh, you added a question. Here's my edited answer, then, fair's fair after all!

 

Type (URL=insert url here)this is the words appearing(/URL). Then replace the () with brackets [], since I didn't want my example to become an actual link.

 

EDIT 3: Here you'll find the entire guide to VB code. Think of it as a dumbed down HTML.

[Cloned DarkLord]

Cool thanks!

 

You mentioned that you live in a non-english speaking country but you never mentioned where!

[c_afro919]

I'm not suprised by the fact, more males do play video games.

[setsuko]

I do mention it all the time. Look under my avatar!

 

And c_afro919, took a second to notice your avatar, but now I'm impressed. It was a very good picture.