Study Finds Girl Gamers Are Seriously Hardcore

[Aktrez]

This is something we - with boobs - have known for a LONG time. The problem is that the internets are so full of hate that the stigmas and attention whoring and misinformation is what seems to radiate throughout the interwebz instead of the truths. Thus, the girls who DO come to the net and read up see all this hate and mistruths and say "F' THIS!!!"

I think that women are more social creatures, for the most part, and therefore game for different reasons. I think you would find more girls playing games to interact. I would be MORE interested in seeing an over arcing polling that includes console, handheld and computer based games to really get the feeling of where the genders are at currently. Polling from ONE MMO isn't going to really give you a clear vision.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

Firstly I'd say that one game (any game) is too small to be a valid poll of results for this sort of survey.

Secondly MMO players are not hardcore gamers. Hardcore MMO players, possbily, but a hardcore gamer is playing much older and/or better stuff than MMOs

 

[Silva]

I'm not sure if "hardcore" is the correct label for those who exhibit this kind of playing time difference, Mr Chalk. I noticed that the Scientific American did not put it that way, and with good reason. "Hardcore" is a concept not just measured by how much we play, but what games we choose to play. And frankly, MMORPGs are the kind of games that are played for "social reasons", and they are simply not the games that are conventionally considered "hardcore".

When we see a proper balance of women to men playing very realistic FPS games like Counter Strike: Source and insane retro games like I Wanna Be The Guy or Power Strike, THEN we can start celebrating equality or women's empowerment. Until then, things are going to look a little premature. After all, it is the acculturation of women to value different things from men (an influence that is really a remnant from their days of oppression) that leads to their playing for "social reasons" over concepts like achievement.

However, it is an excellent idea to shake up the ancient proclamation that there are no women on the Internet. That looked stupid when it was first popularised, and now it looks like a dinosaur driving a car. So, I hope we see more news regarding research which contradicts typical assumptions.

 

[ThaBenMan]

It turns out that the hardest of the hardcore bring something to the game that the rest of us don't: Boobs.

Uh, my huge pair of man titties would like to have a word with you. Perhaps you should change that to "vaginas".

 

[Labyrinth]

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It's nice to know that the second a stereotypically 'unattractive' female gamer is put up everyone yells and screams in horror whether they themselves are the pinnacle of sexy or otherwise. Here's the deal. We're not in gaming to be your eye candy and you have no right to flame us, troll us or otherwise just because we're females, attractive or otherwise. How the fuck would you feel to have a bunch of people saying shit like that about you?

Grow up and be a little more considerate.

 

[Gladion]

I think that women are more social creatures, for the most part, and therefore game for different reasons. I think you would find more girls playing games to interact. I would be MORE interested in seeing an over arcing polling that includes console, handheld and computer based games to really get the feeling of where the genders are at currently. Polling from ONE MMO isn't going to really give you a clear vision.

The second thought that came to my mind as I read this article. Especially since MMORPGs are generally known for being more 'gender-balanced' than other genres. By the way, my first thought was "so we really needed a study to figure this out." ;D

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It's nice to know that the second a stereotypically 'unattractive' female gamer is put up everyone yells and screams in horror whether they themselves are the pinnacle of sexy or otherwise. Here's the deal. We're not in gaming to be your eye candy and you have no right to flame us, troll us or otherwise just because we're females, attractive or otherwise. How the fuck would you feel to have a bunch of people saying shit like that about you?

Grow up and be a little more considerate.

You seriously need to reconsider where you are. It's irrelevant how right you may be, it doesn't matter on the internet. So just save your power.


BTT: Do we really need to reconsider all the time where the differences between male and female lie? Not only on the gaming-topic, but pretty much on each and every topic in existence, some time the gender-question will be risen. It's tiring.

It turns out that the hardest of the hardcore bring something to the game that the rest of us don't: Boobs.

Uh, my huge pair of man titties would like to have a word with you. Perhaps you should change that to "vaginas".

I am 100% certain that somebody would still interfere and ask for that to be changed.

 

[the_bearpelt]

Y'know, somehow I'm not really that surprised. My friend Ninja Kitty is a pretty hardcore gamer. On Halo 3, she makes her Covenant character pink and her symbol is frequently a unicorn. "YES, I am female. Does the UNICORN not give it away?" It's sort of a running joke.
I, on the other hand, am not a hardcore gamer. (Altho I kinda wish I was.) It is not my lack of interest, but my lack of any actual skill that prevents me from being one. lolz
But yeah, Ninja Kitty gets a lot of flame when she kicks people's ass on Halo 3. They yell stuff like, "Go back to the kitchen!" I kinda sit there and go, SRSLY?

Hey, guess what?

I don't care about someone's gender unless I'm having sex with them and I don't meet dates over video games, so...

I wouldn't go ahead and assume that just because they're female that they play "pansy" games, either.

EXCELLENT point. I concur.

 

[the_bearpelt]

I also think people are getting a bit too worked up over this.

Does it really matter about the ratio of male to female hardcore gamers? Or gamers at all?

I thought this country was supposed to be past all this pointless, pardon me, B.S.
Kinda disappointing that this is one of the more interesting things we have to talk about.


And my question is, if men or women play games more/are more hardcore/whatever, SO? Like it really means anything?
I mean, that's like saying that more men are hair stylists than women. My first response would be, "And?" Because it doesn't really matter, unless there's some sort of selective sexist process involved or soemthing.



That being said, should we move on to something more interesting (and worthwhile) to discuss? Like NINJAS or something?

 

[TOGSolid]

F

That being said, should we move on to something more interesting (and worthwhile) to discuss? Like NINJAS or something?

Fuck your shit, pirates are WAY cooler than ninjas.

 

[likalaruku]

Well, THIS girl has no social motivation. I also mangaged to convert my dear old retired granny into a hardcore game addict. I suspect she will die gaming...a peaceful way to go.

 

[Revolutionary]

:0 really..........cool.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Well, it's like anything. When you feel like an outsider and you want to be accepted as part of a group, you work twice as hard.

... Is what I would say if this wasn't a freaking hobby. Something we do for fun. I have no problem not being hardcore. Some days I don't even play games at all. I play for fun, and I stop playing when it's not fun anymore. Sure, I'll buckle down and beat that level simply to deny the game the pleasure of besting me (especially if I hate the game and plan to talk about how crap it is later, since it gives my position credibility to not have given up halfway through), but most of the time I just play for fun.

I'm guessing it is WAY easier to sink more hours into a game if you're getting some social interaction with that. That right there is probably why people who play for the social/interactive elements play more hours. It's a scary thought, but I could play all day long if all my friends were playing the same game, too. Not because the game is GOOD, but because it's at least decent and anything can be fun with other people around.

That is why I don't play MMOs, among other reasons.

My sister is a gamer, and I've noticed she tends to gravitate away from short shooty titles in favor of gigantic RPGs and TBS games. Must be something about that way of interacting that she likes. It's probably more personal taste than anything, though.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

I also think people are getting a bit too worked up over this.

Does it really matter about the ratio of male to female hardcore gamers? Or gamers at all?

I thought this country was supposed to be past all this pointless, pardon me, B.S.
Kinda disappointing that this is one of the more interesting things we have to talk about.


And my question is, if men or women play games more/are more hardcore/whatever, SO? Like it really means anything?
I mean, that's like saying that more men are hair stylists than women. My first response would be, "And?" Because it doesn't really matter, unless there's some sort of selective sexist process involved or soemthing.



That being said, should we move on to something more interesting (and worthwhile) to discuss? Like NINJAS or something?

Exactly. It's ultimately a meaningless figure.

A more interesting study would be what percentage of female gamers play games from what genres. I'm curious how much of what we term as personal preference with regard what games people like is based on gender. Like, do I like FPS games because I actually like them on a personal level, or does the testosterone force me to think exploding a grunt with a Plasma Grenade is more awesome than whiny teenagers talking about a TV that makes people hallucinate alternate, homosexual versions of themselves?

Now let's see if anyone can get both references. First one is a gimme.

 

[Radelaide]

It's called penis envy

Pssh girls beat boys. Boobs are superior in every way!

Man, I've had Godfather 2 (recommended highly!) for almost three days and I've almost finished it. And I spent most of yesterday at my relos and boyfriend's house. Girls are so much more competitive than blokes I've noticed.

 

[DayDark]

I'm not sure if "hardcore" is the correct label for those who exhibit this kind of playing time difference, Mr Chalk. I noticed that the Scientific American did not put it that way, and with good reason. "Hardcore" is a concept not just measured by how much we play, but what games we choose to play. And frankly, MMORPGs are the kind of games that are played for "social reasons", and they are simply not the games that are conventionally considered "hardcore".

When we see a proper balance of women to men playing very realistic FPS games like Counter Strike: Source and insane retro games like I Wanna Be The Guy or Power Strike, THEN we can start celebrating equality or women's empowerment. Until then, things are going to look a little premature. After all, it is the acculturation of women to value different things from men (an influence that is really a remnant from their days of oppression) that leads to their playing for "social reasons" over concepts like achievement.

However, it is an excellent idea to shake up the ancient proclamation that there are no women on the Internet. That looked stupid when it was first popularised, and now it looks like a dinosaur driving a car. So, I hope we see more news regarding research which contradicts typical assumptions.

I think people tend to forget the difference between hardcore game / hardcore gamer

It's also a really a silly concept, because you can be casual at one genre, and hardcore at another.

I think a hardcore gamer, is someone who puts a lot of passion into the gaming, who's main hobby is gaming.

I think a hardcore game can be anything from a game containing gore, mature themes, player skill based entertainment, to a game having a steep learning curve.

 

[Rickyvantof]

I don't see your logic, sorry.

MMOs are just a step under a first person shooters on the casual gaming scale.

You think 57 hours of gaming a week can be considered casual? Wow...

 

[Singularly Datarific]

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It's nice to know that the second a stereotypically 'unattractive' female gamer is put up everyone yells and screams in horror whether they themselves are the pinnacle of sexy or otherwise. Here's the deal. We're not in gaming to be your eye candy and you have no right to flame us, troll us or otherwise just because we're females, attractive or otherwise. How the fuck would you feel to have a bunch of people saying shit like that about you?

Grow up and be a little more considerate.

Apologies. It's hard to grow up on the interwebs.

 

[Galad]

And my question is, if men or women play games more/are more hardcore/whatever, SO? Like it really means anything?

Quoted for truth, if anyone's looking for truth in this thread..