My missus is a CSI nut and we played the adventure game for a while until the game itself started sucking so much we gave up on it.
These days she watches Aussie soap operas while I play on my PC.
What did I say that was offensive? I had qualifiers throughout the original post. I don’t see anything wrong with stating the obvious: men are more into gaming than women, generally speaking.
This isn’t speculation people. And frankly, I don’t think it’s offensive to say that. There are plenty of entertainment categories that in general break along gender lines: romance novels, action movies, teenboy rock bands, etc.
Of course, there are some guys who like romance novels, and some chicks who love action movies, and some boys who like boy bands. But generally speaking, that’s not the case.
Part of me would worry. Fair or not, I would wonder in the back of my mind, “Is she a little off?” It’s just not normal for women to be into gaming at the same level men are - and I’m fine with that.
I’m sure that QT3’s female readers will be interested to find out that they’re “a little off.” Sorry ladies, you’ve failed Jake Plane’s normalcy test.
I mean, come on man, you basically admit that it’s an unfair thing to say, so you can’t get all upset when people call it out as such.
I don’t see anything wrong with stating the obvious: men are more into gaming than women, generally speaking.
Of course, what you really mean is that they’re less likely to play games that are explicity targeted at the 18-35 male demographic (“hardcore games” as they’re sometimes known) and on that point you’re undoubtedly correct. Of course, there are plenty of games that lie outside of the Gears of War vein, and there are even plenty girls who enjoy playing those types of games (I used to play quakeworld with quite a few of them.) Frankly, if you’d stopped there I’d have no beef with your post. The problem was when you inferred that there was something wrong with women who have the gall to…share your hobby.
This isn’t speculation people. And frankly, I don’t think it’s offensive to say that. There are plenty of entertainment categories that in general break along gender lines: romance novels, action movies, teenboy rock bands, etc.
Wow, you’re an incredibly sexist asshole. There are plenty of women who are into gaming, PC, console, or otherwise, thank you very much. It’s not some tiny minority that dickheads like you seem to think.
Maybe if less games involved modeling the physics of the female character breast models there would be even more. But particularly in MMOs, there are something along the lines of 30% or so of the playerbase being women (and that was back in 2002 or 3, when someone from Mythic told me the percentages of DAoC, I would imagine that Wow has substantially more.)
You may have had some qualifiers in your post, but you specifically said there was “something wrong” with a woman that was more into gaming than you. I’m sorry, we’re not all frail housefraus, sitting on our couches eating bonbons, reading romance novels and watching soap operas/reality shows.
Hush you, Peggy Bundy was hot.
Yeah, if you’ve tried to get her into gaming by showing her Bioshock, The Darkness and fucking Halo 3 you’re doing it wrong. These are games she will probably never like. You might as well have tried to get her playing Madden.
There are a ton of games out there that aren’t hardcore shooters. Animal Crossing is a great gateway, as are puzzle games. WoW gets a lot of women hooked, but it’s not really a gateway to anything so unless you want to play WoW with her you’re better off keeping her away.
Yeah. There’s a difference between liking games period and liking the same games. Jake’s mistake is equivocating the two, and claiming that since girls (in his arguable experience) don’t like the FPS games he likes, or aren’t gaming hobbyists (not to be confused with game players), it’s a lost cause.
My girlfriend hates my gaming habit, and tries to get me to stop every time. The only time I’ve ever heard her somewhat excited about m gaming is when I said I got Halo 3 for only a few dollars (Preorder downpayment and exchanging a few games). Even then, it was mostly the “You saved some money for once” thing, not the “Its okay that you game” thing.
She play(ed) the Sims, and she has admitted that she’ll try Guitar Hero II… but I don’t expect her to get into games like me, at any point.
Oh, and my Ex loved Oblivion. Let her make a character, that seems to be the drawing point.
yep… get a wii… they have a blast just creating Mii’s… it’s freaky, but accept it!! at least she’s starting to use the console.
There’s a difference between citing demographics (e.g., “the majority of gamers are still men,” “the majority of women are not interested in current games”), offering explanations for those demographics (e.g., “the overwhelming majority of videogames are focused on violence which a lot of women find a turnoff or simply aren’t interested in”), and passing judgment on the statistical outliers of those demographics (i.e., “there’s just something not right with women who love games the way men do”).
You were fine when you were limiting yourself to women you knew: that’s just presenting anecdotal evidence. You didn’t drop yourself into hot water until you said, “It’s just not normal for women to be into gaming at the same level men are.” In my experience, female gamers don’t want to be described as “abnormal” any more than male gamers do; but they especially don’t want to hear it from male gamers just because they have a matching pair of chromosomes.
EDIT: and, as Bill D points out, there’s a big difference between hating all videogames and simply hating the ones your SO loves.
I think we’re missing his point. Apparently it’s only cool to be a gamer if you’re Jake Plane. The rest of us are merely crazy. I’m happy to be in the crazy pool.
Wait… how many games do I have to trade to get a girlfriend again? And will my wife approve?
Go for Puzzle Fighter on XBLA. Chicks love that.
They?
Now you’re describing my six year old daughter and I somehow think my wife would resent being lumped in with her (she doesn’t care for Club Penguin either).
Some people just don’t care for gaming. More females than men, but I can go point out examples of men my age, who don’t game. At all.
What’s so wrong be being abnormal? Yes, I think women who actively seek out and enjoy gaming are abnormal. Since when is being abnormal bad?
Shit, I’m a guy that enjoys cooking and baking. I consider myself abnormal but I don’t see how that’s offensive.
Why the hell would you want to pass the “normalcy” test or whatever hogwash you guys are talking about anyways? The world has enough “normal” people in it already.
Reading this thread, I was thinking along the same lines. However, if you read Jake’s original post, it’s clear that he means “not normal” in the “I’m going to shun you” sense.
Part of me would worry. Fair or not, I would wonder in the back of my mind, “Is she a little off?” It’s just not normal for women to be into gaming at the same level men are - and I’m fine with that.
Connotation my friend. While technically correct your use of the word “abnormal” implies a defect. That’s just the connotation of abnormal. If you want to say the same thing and not get punched in the face by angry women gamers, might I suggest referring to female gamers as “the special few who appreciate video game action” or “the elite cream of the female species” instead?
“Eccentric” or “quirky” is cool; “abnormal” is at best condescending and at worst insulting. [When describing other people, that is; feel free to describe yourself however you wish.]
At least he didn’t say they were queer.
The wonderful world of semantics and connotation! Doubleplusgood! I’ll be sure to use your gooder words instead of my ungood, insulting language in the future. Wouldn’t want to offend.
Of course, in this case I meant what I meant. Describing behavior as “eccentric” I find to be very dismissive - you’re implying its bad, but can be safely ignored. An individual person might be quirky, but I dislike using that word to describe an entire population.