Borderlands 2 "Girlfriend Mode" Helps Noobs Win

[Easton Dark]

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures

Woah. Right there.

That would have been the spot to stop and rethink typing something like that.

 

[Mouse One]

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures, but I would put money on the fact that there's a 10:1 ratio of men to women who play videogames. This very situation the article explains (a guy roping his girlfriend into playing a videogame so they can have fun together) has happened to countless guys I know, and in fact has happened to me a few times. It's a simple fact of life that on average more guys are interested in videogames than girls. So it's not sexist. It's a joke.

Nope. Industry sponsored surveys find that about 40% or so of all gamers are female. Include casual games and it's higher. Average age of gamers is 33 (not the same as age of buyer, which averages in the forties). Percentages are lower for consoles, but still around 25%.

Bottom line, adult women are a larger gamer demographic than teenage boys. So, yeah, they get peeved when they're reminded that gamer culture as a whole has yet to catch up with that fact. One off handed remark by one dev isn't the issue. It's that they hear stuff like that all the time. Heck, just read the Escapist forums



Edit: looks like I got beaten to the statistical punch by the aptly named Boudica.

 

[Ariseishirou]

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures, but I would put money on the fact that there's a 10:1 ratio of men to women who play videogames.

So who do you pony up to with the cash, since you're completely, utterly wrong?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_and_video_games#Female_gamers_as_a_demographic

"According to another study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2010, 40% of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or older now comprise 33% of all gamers."

A simple trip down to Wikipedia would have filled you in on the correct figures, so why are you content to wallow in ignorance and make baseless assumptions about gaming demographics?

Frankly, it's people like you that makes it hard to take people who say things like "you make it hard to take feminism seriously", seriously. At least try to form a credible argument based on facts and figures, rather than pulling imagined statistics directly out of your rectum and staking your case on that.

EDIT: Ninja'd by Boudica, so I suppose you'll be ponying up the cash to her, then?

 

[m19]

The "clueless girlfriend" stereotype is offensive and harmful to the industry.

Only to people who either lack the intelligence or the desire to understand context, intent, and depth in words of other people.

Why do you think he's copped so much shit for saying it?

Because enough people are irrational, kneejerk-jump-to-conclusion beings that can do damage with their collective insanity. There is a reason almost no public figure anywhere would ever share with you what's really on their mind in a straight manner. Not because all of them are evil but because people only hear what they want to.

The person doing the interview made a mistake. But not by expressing something offensive, rather by underestimating people's capacity for stupidity.

It's saying that you consider (perhaps subconsciously) the trope to be true.

In relation to the real world most of us live in I do consider it true. What you seem to refuse to understand consciously or otherwise none of it has (or ever had) anything to do with inherent abilities of men and women in general.

 

[Sparrow]

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures

Thank you! That comment will provide me with A LOT of entertaining posts to real later today

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures, but I would put money on the fact that there's a 10:1 ratio of men to women who play videogames. This very situation the article explains (a guy roping his girlfriend into playing a videogame so they can have fun together) has happened to countless guys I know, and in fact has happened to me a few times. It's a simple fact of life that on average more guys are interested in videogames than girls. So it's not sexist. It's a joke.

Nope. Industry sponsored surveys find that about 40% or so of all gamers are female. Include casual games and it's higher. Average age of gamers is 33 (not the same as age of buyer, which averages in the forties). Percentages are lower for consoles, but still around 25%.

Bottom line, adult women are a larger gamer demographic than teenage boys. So, yeah, they get peeved when they're reminded that gamer culture as a whole has yet to catch up with that fact. One off handed remark by one dev isn't the issue. It's that they hear stuff like that all the time. Heck, just read the Escapist forums



Edit: looks like I got beaten to the statistical punch by the aptly named Boudica.

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames. I've never seen any statistics or figures

Woah. Right there.

That would have been the spot to stop and rethink typing something like that.

Alright, come on. I wasn't trying to be a dick. I didn't say "No women play videogames!"

I understand "barely" might have been a bit of a stretch, but I stand by my point that the it's still a majority in favour of men.

(Also, to clarify, I wasn't talking about indie or casual games. I'm talking "hardcore" titles. You know, man games!*)

[sup]*Yes, that was a joke.[/sup]

 

[Stealthygamer]

The unfortunate choice of title for this mode aside, this really does sound like a great idea! My wife can't really keep up with me, my son or my daughter. Something like this would allow her to play along with the rest of us and not get frustrated.

Why not just call it Casual-mode or some such?

The name "Girlfriend Mode" wont actually be in the game. As they said in the article its the BFF skill tree

 

[Jhooud]

The unfortunate choice of title for this mode aside, this really does sound like a great idea! My wife can't really keep up with me, my son or my daughter. Something like this would allow her to play along with the rest of us and not get frustrated.

Why not just call it Casual-mode or some such?

The name "Girlfriend Mode" wont actually be in the game. As they said in the article its the BFF skill tree

Damn my lack of reading skill, I know I missed the actual name. Forgive me, oh internets!

Still think the concept is really cool. So there.

 

[Sparrow]

But the simple fact is, barely any women play videogames.

Ugh... Really? Barely any women? You've never seen any facts, but you're willing to pull that out of the air?

Some people wonder why being a woman in this community sucks -_-

A new survey by Ipsos MediaCT for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) indicates 40% of gamers are female and the average age of gamers is 35.

-http://edugamesresearch.com/blog/2008/07/23/esa-survey-malefemale-gamer-ratio-is-6040-average-age-is-35/

Male video gamers still outnumber women 2 to 1.

Women outnumber men in online games.

-http://news.cnet.com/2100-1043_3-6123172.html

Forty-seven percent of all players are women

-http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp

Pay up.

As I noted earlier, I was referring to "hardcore" titles such as Borderlands. Not casual games played entirely by 40 year old mothers, like everything made by Zynga. I also apologised for wording my argument poorly. You've proven the main point of my argument is still correct, anyway. "Male videogamers still outnumber women 2 to 1". That's what I was getting at.

Also, "some people wonder why being a woman in this community sucks"? Oh, come on. I may have worded my argument poorly, but I was in no way being sexist. Come on, stop playing the victim all the time. You're going out of your way to feel insulted at everything now.

 

[Sparrow]

Also, "some people wonder why being a woman in this community sucks"? Oh, come on. I may have worded my argument poorly, but I was in no way being sexist. Come on, stop playing the victim all the time. You're going out of your way to feel insulted at everything now.

Mouse One summed it up very nicely:

Bottom line, adult women are a larger gamer demographic than teenage boys. So, yeah, they get peeved when they're reminded that gamer culture as a whole has yet to catch up with that fact. One off handed remark by one dev isn't the issue. It's that they hear stuff like that all the time. Heck, just read the Escapist forums

We're either told we don't exist, that we're some kind of rarity, yelled at for speaking out against something we feel is insulting or sexist, or are bombarded with shit the second we dare to talk (http://fatuglyorslutty.com/).

"Dare to talk about"? Oh come on. This is an internet forum. People are going to disagree with you, others are going to agree with you. I've never seen someone on this forum being sexist. NEVER. They're mostly all white knights, wanting to stand up for women.

You are making yourself look stupid, but worst of all you are making feminists look stupid. This isn't some battle of the ages, in which you're defending women everywhere by standing up to the misogynist hordes of men. I disagreed with something you said. I'm not sexist. I'm anti-sexist, would you believe. You can disagree with what I say, by all means please disagree with what I say whenever you want to. However, you're conducting yourself like a child.

TL;DR: Yes, sexism exists in the videogame community. But it doesn't exist on this site. Stop acting like it does. This is the most well rounded, intelligent community I've ever come across who are willing to listen and debate with you if you give them the chance.

 

[trlkly]

It's called Easy Mode, and it's nothing new, other than the exact way you'll bring it up. There's no reason to be upset about this at all.

 

[Easton Dark]

Alright, come on. I wasn't trying to be a dick. I didn't say "No women play videogames!"

I understand "barely" might have been a bit of a stretch, but I stand by my point that the it's still a majority in favour of men.

Naw you weren't being a dick or sexist about anything. It just sounded stupid. "This fact, which has nothing to back it up" you know?

I've never seen someone on this forum being sexist. NEVER. They're mostly all white knights, wanting to stand up for women.

I think the first time I've seen actual sexism here is... two days ago, I think the guy was from Russia, and it was either in this thread or the one about nice girls, and he said that women's opinions are inherently worth less because they lie a lot.

edit: Fucking coincidence, Boudica found the quote two posts up ^^

edit 2: Lots of white knights, but you should know there are also stalkers on here as well. I can name one I know personally, but I'll save that bullet.

 

[Sparrow]

But it doesn't exist on this site. Stop acting like it does. This is the most well rounded, intelligent community.

I am not racist, but I generally don't care about what women think, its just never interesting. I am sorry for bruising your inferiority complex, but it's just the way I am.
CAPCHA: men in suits :O

Edit: perhaps I should clarify - I don't care about expressed female opinions, cause statistical surveys show that women lie 3 times more than men, and women are generally much more manipulative than men (although they suck at it).

That was yesterday. On this site.

Yeah, ok. You got me there. That... yeah.

But seriously, for the most part can't we just agree that the majority of people on this site are forward thinking, smart and gender-respecting people?

Alright, come on. I wasn't trying to be a dick. I didn't say "No women play videogames!"

I understand "barely" might have been a bit of a stretch, but I stand by my point that the it's still a majority in favour of men.

Naw you weren't being a dick or sexist about anything. It just sounded stupid. "This fact, which has nothing to back it up" you know?

I've never seen someone on this forum being sexist. NEVER. They're mostly all white knights, wanting to stand up for women.

I think the first time I've seen actual sexism here is... two days ago, I think the guy was from Russia, and it was either in this thread or the one about nice girls, and he said that women's opinions are inherently worth less because they lie a lot.

edit: Fucking coincidence, Boudica found the quote two posts up ^^

edit 2: Lots of white knights, but you should know there are also stalkers on here as well. I can name one I know personally, but I'll save that bullet.

Yeah, that quote is... I honestly don't know what to say. I've never seen anyone say anything like that on here.

Honestly, the white knight thing kind of irks me. Defending women as if they can't be defended themselves is pretty darn sexist. Women don't need men to defend them, they can do it themselves.

 

[trlkly]

But it doesn't exist on this site. Stop acting like it does. This is the most well rounded, intelligent community.

I am not racist, but I generally don't care about what women think, its just never interesting. I am sorry for bruising your inferiority complex, but it's just the way I am.
CAPCHA: men in suits :O

Edit: perhaps I should clarify - I don't care about expressed female opinions, cause statistical surveys show that women lie 3 times more than men, and women are generally much more manipulative than men (although they suck at it).

That was yesterday. On this site.

I've just reported that. That's almost certainly against the rules.