Re: [Open_Gaming] Re: [ogf-d20-l] Unorthodox D20 modules

[Trevor Romkey]

Title: RE: [Open_Gaming] Re: [ogf-d20-l] Unorthodox D20 modules

Hmmmm, Women who are adamantly against D&D. Here's the problem as I see it: The concept of what a 'Gamer' is. Let's face it, those of us who are here consider ourselves 'Gamers'. We are people for whom this is generally a way of life. some more than others. I myself can handle a game every other week comfortably. I have friends back home that go 5 games a week, every week plus boffer events during the summer. These friends are both men and women. They are 'Gamers'.   I think it is ridiculous to consider those that spend inordinate amount of time playing these games as your "core" group. In fact I would venture that those that impact the industry the most are much more balanced than the "gamers" you describe above.  Gaming is a hobby. Some people become very involved in their hobby (for the record gaming every night...or pursuing any hobby everyday is WAY over the top) but by in large a hobby is just that something we devote a fair but reasonable amount of time. The focus of any company should and must be on the majority of their target audience.(which is not the "5 nights" a week variety.) What you have proposed is to create a game that will draw non-gamer women into being gamers. Informal polls aside, one of the best ways to start is to look at what draws non-gamer men into being gamers. First of all, there is the type. A certain set of interests that inspires the gaming spirit. Sci-fi/Fantasy is a big one. Let's face it, not all men and not all women share these interests. I had roommates in college to whom the very idea was anethma, among other things it would have cut into the drinking time. Some women are the same way. Agreed. Those that show an increased interest in Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre tend to be more "open" to the concept of gaming. Interesting observation that those that don't game were (according to you) spending their time drinking. Not a really fair observation which smacks of an unconstructive stereotype.   Now you have a target audience. Young geeky guys. The majority of male gamers I know tended towards engineering/computer science. In a way, people who wanted a way to express their creative needs but couldn't really act. Now you want to find an analgous group of women. You don't want to be tapping Sororities (in general - there are some Engineering related sororities but I think those are the exception, not the rule). Anime fans are a good start. There are more and more girls moving into the engineering and computer science fields these days. I am not sure that "engineering/computer science" is an accurate or helpful category. In my present gaming group it is pretty evenly split between "the arts" and " science" and not all the science group falls into the above category. (i.e. one is a biologist)   One final note: I think that there are a lot more women gamers out there than you realize. In my experience the female of the species is less prone to 'Rules Lawyering', a Syndrome that often spings up in gamers who have read every single rulebook and know it backwards and forwards. You'll find that most guys say gaming is better with a woman. The reason for that is the difference between watching a movie in black and white vs. in color. The characters become less stats on paper and more detailed. Based on that, you can't judge the presence of women gamers based on how many books they buy. Again a propensity to quote rules does not relate to buying power. All serious players (once they become serious) own rule books and buy supplements.(whether male or female) Your above statements (as well as others) dance around the issue and present essentially baseless and somewhat sexist stereotypes. All of this is based off personal experience. Anyone with different experiences than me are free to dissagree. -Bill All the above highlights the problem with a discussion of this type. We all bring our various unsubstantiated views and these types of positions have driven the gaming industry over the past few years. The solution needs to be long term and thoughtful. a) Design well balanced supplements and corebooks. b) Monitor sales and identify sales trends. c) Establish a wide playtest base. d) React to the established data and not to preconceived notions. Not a quick fix for sure but it is Marketing 101 and generally produces level results.   Trevor