Hi Maggie,
As a gamer who has worked in a gaming store I think I can mirror some
sentiments others on the list may have by saying:
What planet are you from?
*My point is that many women grow up like I did. We are taught to
*avoid men who look like most gamers and avoid places that look like most
*comic stores because if we don't we are going to get raped and pregnant
*and uneducated and jobless and it will be all our fault.
Hmmm, a very intelligent and qualified statement. Despite the obvious social
bias evident in your posting I can even find some ground to agree with you
on. However a lot of the gamers ( such as myself ) on this board might take
this as a personal attack.
Your statements are akin to saying:
"All Star Trek fans are maladjusted dorks with no social skills."
or
"Members of sororities are elitist snobs with a shallow world view"
just not as direct.
* But for now the look and customer base of most gaming stores will make
reaching new customers difficult.
Ahhh yes, it's all about beauty isn't it? That's the reason I play games, so
people can percieve me as being cool and fashionable.
Here's some marketing advice for free:
I AM a gamer. I play games twice a week. I have a beautiful girfriend (also
a gamer) that I treat like gold. I make in excess of $70,000 a year. I bathe
daily and after excercise, and brush my teeth more than once a day. I have a
University education. I have many friends who meet roughly the same
demographic.
If you don't want to market your game to gamers, don't. Good luck in selling
more than vanity press level amounts of the game though. Certainly your
perpetration of a stereotype will not endear your efforts to me or many
others who might be capable of helping. You should be very careful of what
you say, because in this industry it is the gamers who can make or break
you.
Cheerio,
R.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Margaret C Vining" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2001 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] Unorthodox D20 modules
> On Wed, 21 Feb 2001 02:10:36 EST [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> > Here's the thing. You can do focus groups, panels, and testing aimed
> > at
> > making RPG products more likely to appeal to women. However, the
> > non-gaming
> > women you want to attract are extremely unlikely to go the one place
> > your
> > products are going to end up: the local hobby store.
>
>
> I think you hit the nail on the head. Comic stores are usually
> disgusting. I know there is no way I am going to be able to sell my
> products in conventional gaming stores because I know my target audience
> will never set foot into them. And even if they did I doubt they would
> ever go back Dirty store fronts, cluttered counter tops, noisy groups
> of rough-looking people gathered to paint miniatures, lack of customer
> service, and lack of some type of store directory are all common reasons
> why gaming doesn't reach out to a variable customer base. Stores like
> Barnes and Noble sell gaming materials, but IMO you have to be looking
> for them and know what you are looking for. I doubt that many newbies
> are drawn to D&D through book stores.
>
> In time, RPGs will spread to a wider variety of people as young gamers
> grow up and as more gamers invite new gamers to play. But for now the
> look and customer base of most gaming stores will make reaching new
> customers difficult. Personally, I know that most gamers are harmless
> and I feel comfortable in the gaming environment, but it wasn't always
> like that for me. People who looked like the average gamer truly
> frightened me. I was taught that people who wear suits and ties and
> designer casual clothes could be trusted. I was also taught that people
> who look dirty, smell dirty, talk dirty, and played games about evil
> things _were_ evil and wanted nothing more than to hurt me. I got that
> assumption from movies, books, my private school, my sorority, my
> college, my family, TV....
>
> My point is that many women grow up like I did. We are taught to
> avoid men who look like most gamers and avoid places that look like most
> comic stores because if we don't we are going to get raped and pregnant
> and uneducated and jobless and it will be all our fault.
>
> At some point everyone grows up and sees the world for that it is
> (that everyone is evil, some just look nicer than others ; ) ), but
> different people reach that stage at different ages. So, if you want
> your products to reach the people who are not comfortable with the look
> of most comic stores then you need to get your products to them through
> another route. I don't know what that route is, but believe me I am
> looking for it. Right now the Web and popular bookstores are the best
> option.
>
> Maggie
> -------------
> For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
-------------
For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
