Women gamers

[kafka47]

Ok, its time to know how many Traveller gamers are actually women? Much effort has been put into trying to recruit women into RPGs (I know that I have tried with my wife and been really unsuccessful). So two questions here to get a snapshot of sex distribution on the Board and the successful ratio of getting women more into RPGs.

If we do get women gamers responding indicate Yes for the second question, even if you came to Traveller independently, it will suell the results but one can account for when the first stat is met.

 

[veltyen]

Hey, there's only two options for sex.

 

[kafka47]

Yes, I will leave aside the issue of gender but if people want to comment upon it. Or how they were able to change their RPG strategy to bring women they ought to feel free. While the question is geared specifically toward Traveller, I would welcome hearing if others were successful with other RPGs. Eg. I have heard that women Mystery Lovers really like Call of the Cthulhu, etc.

 

[Jeffr0]

My wife has expressed interest in rolling up a Musician character with the T5 playtest rules...

She hates games, though... she'd feign interest just to try to please me, but she's more concerned with getting things done around the house.

 

[parmasson]

My wife played when she was a teenager but lost interest in it. When I asked her why she just shrugs her shoulders.

 

[Pickles]

I think I got my wife involved in two game sessions in all. She wasn't impressed. Maybe she just can't get used to the idea that what the ref (me) says, goes ...

I have played with and refereed a number of female gamers in various groups over the years, but significantly fewer than male. These female players were in no way less interested than the males, and I couldn't say there were any general differences in style. However, mixed groups in my experience have tended to play a bit more seriously.

 

[Flynn]

My wife enjoys gaming, but it's like crocheting or playing monopoly to her; i.e. it's fun occasionally, but it's not a hobby. She's very supportive of my interests in it, though. We joke around about how "my habit" is pretty cheap, compared to others.

I have seen my share of female gamers, both in my campaigns and in the LARPs I've participated in. The LARPs draw females a lot more than tabletop gaming does. That being said, I don't see many female Traveller players, though it isn't through any fault of mine. I just haven't been looking to consciously recruit by gender, and so far, only guys have answered my posts for recruiting new Traveller members when seats open up. D&D, on the other hand, is another story...

But we're talking Traveller here.

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[Jame]

Hey, I was right, no women here. There used to be, but all but one seems to have left... (No, not me.)

I've never had a girlfriend to bring into gaming, so 'no.'

 

[kafka47]

Interesting, Thrash, I can count many women as my friends as well but when I (or more accurately my wife) mentions my hobby...eyes roll and they can't get what is a grown man doing.

Selling RPGs to women is a separate topic but I will leave that to the designers. Selling the game, to potential friends this late in life is a harder task than it was in High School.

 

[Jeffr0]

The few times that the 'girlfriends' have joined in on the game sessions, we've typically played lighter card games...

They got mad when their boyfriend/spouse did anything against them in the game... and threatened to make 'em sleep on the couch!

It's sorta like how you shouldn't date someone at the office: I'm not sure if its a good thing to be 'involved' with anyone you game with.

 

[robject]

I assumed that the hook in to Traveller was wargaming, regardless of age. I suspect there are more male wargamers than female; and at least wargaming doesn't seem to have an overtly bad image... or am I wrong...?

 

[Chuck Anumia]

All guys here so far.
My wife will not even read a sci fi book (although she does love the whole Star Wars movie series).
Card games are it for her. She sees no value in Role Playing (she is a very concrete thinker).

 

[mike wightman]

Card games???

My wife is vicious when playing the various Munchkin games

And as for Talisman...

She likes RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, even Traveller, many moons ago.

Our long time gaming cirle consisted of three couples, but now it's down to two.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I tried to get my soon-to-be-ex-wife to try gaming - she adamantly refused. I got one girlfriend to try it out - playing a d20 Modern Zombie game. She liked it, but we broke up before we could ever do it again. And an ex-girlfriend found EverCrack and then D&D, but unfortunately it was after we broke up and she got married.

Ah well, maybe someday,

Dameon

 

[bryan gibson]

Ive had many gaming groups over the years ( I seem to GM far more than I play) and one thing I have noticed: Women detest gearheading as a rule, at least in my experience. They would much rather game than muck about with what went where in what ship, or how many dice the gun does in damage ( which is not to say they are shrinking violets- my most vicious player ever was the one who originally played the D'kelva Tashika. She was no less quick on the trigger in Call of Cthulhu, either)

Conversely, they are frequently either better RPers, or more into the RP. Also, when given a choice between Traveller and Fantasy - or almost anything else - I find Trav to be a very hard sell. The lack of non military options is one, and while the technical issues aren't that much of a distraction, when the guys get all gun bunny and stupid with what the ship does and relying on the gear to solve the problems, most f my women gamers get very tired very fast of that sort of thing. Most of my fem players generally are the brains of the outfit, more introspective ( not always, but generally ) and less prone to rely on violence as a solution.

This is as much their nature as anything I suspect- I long ago concluded that Trav, as most GMs run it, fails because most gals just don't find it interesting.

 

[Jeff M. Hopper]

I have to admit that I've run into the same difficulties as Bryan Gibson in getting women to be interested in playing Traveller. However, in my current game group, I have two women who are interested in more of the backroom intrigue and court politics aspect of the 3I - it ends up with a lot of role-playing in the sessions. That may be a universal angle to exploit if people wish to recruit more women into their Traveller games.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Our gaming group currently has more females (3) than males (2), but that's for playing D&D. Only one of the females in the group has played Traveller. She likes it OK, but likes D&D better.

 

[parmasson]

Perhaps the lack of female gamers is due to:
1. When we pick up the habit.
2. Most RPGs were and are written by and for guys

Adolescent boys are not known for their tact and perhaps being the only girl in a group of boys makes things uncomfortable. They may just get turned off early and now just stay away because of those early experiences. I am willing to bet that most teenage plots consist of "smash, grab and steal" with little role playing and more gun blasting. So while we are geeked about the tech 15 battle dress the ladies are playing The Sims. Since the rift appears to be gender and age related I see little hope of drawing more females back or into gaming. I know that there are exceptions here and there but I think that the vast majority of gamers (80%+) are male and most RPGs will continue to be written for and by us.

 

[Michael Schulz]

My current girlfriend played in a non-Traveller campaign I ran this and last year. I could never quite gauge how into it she was though... And had I not moved to the Toronto area I would probably have ran a brief 1 to 3 session Zombie game that would have had close to gender parity.

In my overall experience, until I moved to Montreal and started Grad school, my female friends were not interested in rpg-ing. That said, I was usually pretty 'in the closet' about gaming and really only started playing again last year after nearly four years of neglecting this hobby.

 

[Michael Schulz]

Originally posted by Parmasson:
Perhaps the lack of female gamers is due to:
1. When we pick up the habit.
2. Most RPGs were and are written by and for guys

Adolescent boys are not known for their tact and perhaps being the only girl in a group of boys makes things uncomfortable. They may just get turned off early and now just stay away because of those early experiences. I am willing to bet that most teenage plots consist of "smash, grab and steal" with little role playing and more gun blasting. So while we are geeked about the tech 15 battle dress the ladies are playing The Sims. Since the rift appears to be gender and age related I see little hope of drawing more females back or into gaming. I know that there are exceptions here and there but I think that the vast majority of gamers (80%+) are male and most RPGs will continue to be written for and by us.

So you're saying that we're supposed to grow out of 'smash, grab, and steal...'