RPGDot Network    
   

 
 
Pool of Radiance - Ruins of Myth Drannor
Display full image
Pic of the moment
More
pics from the gallery
 
 
Site Navigation

Main
   News
   Forums

Games
   Games Database
   Top 100
   Release List
   Support Files

Features
   Reviews
   Previews
   Interviews
   Editorials
   Diaries
   Misc

Download
   Gallery
   Music
   Screenshots
   Videos

Miscellaneous
   Staff Members
   Privacy Statement

FAQ
Members
Usergroups
playing RPGs from female perspectives
  View previous topic :: View next topic
RPGDot Forums > CRPGs General

Author Thread
Remus
Overgrown Cat
Overgrown Cat




Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl
playing RPGs from female perspectives
   

o.k - i found this wonderfull oneline journal written by some novice female player (Arwen Eve - Trials of a Clueless Wood Elf) based on Morrowind experience. you could find the website at http://users.adelphia.net/~amito/index.html

i'm amazed that how good she role-play her character in game. When play RPGs, i usually can't restrain myself get a biggest hammers & start swinging it left & right most the time. Too much action RPGs probably, or because i'm a male player?.
_________________
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 6:57 am
 View user's profile
Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
SBR Belfry Bat




Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
   

Yeah, it's probably the whole testosterone factor. We're just not happy unless we can beat the hell out of everything around us. Role playing for me often becomes trying to make the strongest character I possibly can.
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 7:15 am
 View user's profile
HeWhoHasNoName
Lord of Sorrows
Lord of Sorrows




Joined: 25 Apr 2002
Posts: 1500
Location: The Land of Kangeroos
   

Wow she actaully seems to enjoy playing. When I play its just like an addiction that I can't beat until I have the strongest possible character.
_________________
=Moderator of The RPGDot Shadows=
=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Member of The Sixth House=
=Member of The Sports Fan Club=
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 7:42 am
 View user's profile
XeroX
The MasterCopy
The MasterCopy




Joined: 13 Dec 2001
Posts: 7125
Location: The Netherlands
   

Damm that site hurt my eyes. What a color.
_________________
The original RED poster (retired now)
=Moderator of The SportsFans Club=
=member of The NFG + Shadows + WWW + PC=

To join the Sportfans PM me
www.feyenoord.com
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 11:46 am
 View user's profile
Kendrik
Thin Blue Line
Thin Blue Line




Joined: 13 Jun 2002
Posts: 550
Location: England
   

I think in general female gamers are treated quite badly (particually online). Obviously not in the RPGdot world but in many MMORPGs but especially in FPS. Their was an article in PC Gamer about a year and a half ago wirtten by Kate Little about her experiences trying to play Quake 3 and she was abused and insulted as soon as they found out she was female (the only ones that were nice to her were also trying to hit on her).

In my experience of MMORPG women tend to fair somewhat better particually games like UO and even DAoC but still many of my female gamer friends have to put up with constant remarks (yes I know we all engage in banter (sometimes of a sexual nature)) but these are just complete strangers walking up and being very rude.

At the time the excuse was that they were younger gamers but having read these boards where there are many young posters I find very little (or no) sexism here so it has left me wondering - why does this occur in games?

Personally I enjoy playing with female gamers (perhaps more so than Male gamers as Males always try to out do each other). But the main point is we live in a world where 50% of the population is the opposite sex so why should our fantasy worlds be any different. I regulary play PnP with mixed groups and find the Men and Women can be just as good as each other at roleplay - it's the individulal that detrermines if they can roleplay well not the number of X chromosomes they have.

I would be interested to hear of any experiences (either good or bad) that any of the female board members have had.
_________________
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true."
JAMES BRANCH CABELL
~Member of The Nonflamers' Guild~
~~Champion of the (Unofficial) RPGdot Text Signature Contest 2002~~
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 12:34 pm
 View user's profile
MoonDragon
High Emperor
High Emperor




Joined: 25 May 2002
Posts: 1254
Location: Waterloo, Canada
   

quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik
it's the individulal that detrermines if they can roleplay well not the number of X chromosomes they have.

Ditto. (although put better than I ever could)

I found AO to have boundaries of male/female almost erased. It has a strong social underground movement at the time (when I was there) and it was generally devoid of hormonally imbalanced adolescent males. The interesting thing was that my character at the time was female (for RP purposes I wanted to create the weakest looking char there is, so I picked skinniest, smallest, bald, female char). I've had few male chars hitting on her, but nothing bad. It was perfectly within the RP confines. I did find though that female chars (who mostly happened to be controlled by females) tended to stick together. And if someone got nasty, he'd have a whole group behind him. It was very effective. But again, nothing out of the ordinary. You see stuff like this in RL every day.

On the other hand, there are MPFPS games. You better not admit you're female in there, unless you can wipe floor with people. Or you have friends on the server. Or even better, you own the server. I don't know why, but smack talk of the worst kind is perfectly normal and acceptable in MPFPS games. So I guess a lot of testosterone is being pumped. In that state, maleness becomes very... umm... sensitive I guess. So when a female appears there is this huge alpha male struggle over the female. Embarassing to be a member of that half of the spieces at those moments, but I guess it's only natural.
_________________
(@)
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 4:30 pm
 View user's profile
Jaz
Late Night Spook
Late Night Spook




Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot
   

The FPS part is definitely true; a friend of mine once committed the grave error of playing under a female handle and suddenly everybody on the server was humping her leg instead of concentrating on playing. I'm using quite neutral handles most of the time... never had any problems with massivly multiplayer online flirting .
I've never played MORPGs though.
_________________
Jaz
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:53 pm
 View user's profile
EverythingXen
Arch-villain
Arch-villain




Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
   

I knew a guy who custom skinned a naked woman to use in Q3 and the like. He racked up kills like nobody's business when the 13 year old testosterone pumped el33ters rounded the corner and saw 'her'. Even if they had before, the initial shock of seeing a (somewhat boxy) naked woman stopped them for enough seconds for him to decimate them with his weapon d'jour.

Gamers. They're wacky.

Of course, who am I to talk? I met my wife in an online game (she doesn't even play games, though... at least, not after she met me. She was just using them at the time to try and find intelligent and sensitive men (ie geeks) with hard bodies (ie rarer geeks))
_________________
Estuans interius, Ira vehementi

"The old world dies and with it the old ways. We will rebuild it as it should be, MUST be... Immortal!"

=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Worshipper of the Written Word=
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 6:06 pm
 View user's profile
Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
SBR Belfry Bat




Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
   

quote:
Originally posted by Kendrik
(the only ones that were nice to her were also trying to hit on her).

Yeah, it can be hard not to hit on women on-line, I think sometimes we do it without even realizing we're doing it. Why I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't make the ocassional comment to Jaz like, 'Do have any idea how good we'd be together, baby?'
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 11:24 pm
 View user's profile
Remus
Overgrown Cat
Overgrown Cat




Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl
There's something about Lady Aribeth
   

from what you guys said, it's obvious women gamer facing sexism in gaming world that dominated by males. This bring to another point - using underdressed women figure in publicity material to market/sale games. There are some articles on the net that criticizing this kind of marketing trick and cited Tomb Raider series as example. Everyone i think still remember the scanty/tight clothing Lara Croft with her voluptuous figure. The game it said, as a whole, aimed at the male market - particularly the pubescent boys. And more interestingly, just recently i finish NWN with my male character & start anew as female wizard character. When i buying a new armor i start laughing myself because the all the wizard light armor are low-cut style infront that show her "thing". And Lady Aribeth IMO is NWN's most recognizable character through publicity; on the official forum few days ago, i was amazed of one thread with around 15 pages full of fan entries (probably got locked away now) that talk about her "thing". Some fan even gave tip on how using Aurora tools to load up chapter one, then find Lady Aribeth, click on her and shaking her figure to get a better view!. Sigh. Poor Lady Aribeth.
_________________
Post Sat Jul 06, 2002 11:29 pm
 View user's profile
HeWhoHasNoName
Lord of Sorrows
Lord of Sorrows




Joined: 25 Apr 2002
Posts: 1500
Location: The Land of Kangeroos
   

Being female might have its disadvantages but also has advantages. Like in Diablo if you pretend to be female you can get free stuff.
_________________
=Moderator of The RPGDot Shadows=
=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Member of The Sixth House=
=Member of The Sports Fan Club=
Post Sun Jul 07, 2002 3:25 am
 View user's profile
Moonslash
Celestial Guardian
Celestial Guardian




Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1378
Location: California, USA
   

Free stuff? How?
_________________
=Farseer=

Things are neither completely bright nor dark.

Do you go right? Or do you go left? A simple decision, yes? No ambiguities. Only the dream of the path not taken! And so one might stand in this place and contemplate for a long while. What will I miss if I go left? What will I lose if I go right? And in my indecision, have I chosen a worse fate?
Post Sun Jul 07, 2002 4:30 am
 View user's profile
HeWhoHasNoName
Lord of Sorrows
Lord of Sorrows




Joined: 25 Apr 2002
Posts: 1500
Location: The Land of Kangeroos
   

I haven't tried it myself but just get a female character name and then join a game. Act all cute and pretend that you don't know much. Then there should be plenty of offers to help you.
_________________
=Moderator of The RPGDot Shadows=
=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Member of The Sixth House=
=Member of The Sports Fan Club=
Post Sun Jul 07, 2002 7:33 am
 View user's profile
Moonslash
Celestial Guardian
Celestial Guardian




Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1378
Location: California, USA
   

quote:
Originally posted by HeWhoHasNoName
Then there should be plenty of offers to help you.


Are you one of them?
_________________
=Farseer=

Things are neither completely bright nor dark.

Do you go right? Or do you go left? A simple decision, yes? No ambiguities. Only the dream of the path not taken! And so one might stand in this place and contemplate for a long while. What will I miss if I go left? What will I lose if I go right? And in my indecision, have I chosen a worse fate?
Post Sun Jul 07, 2002 7:43 am
 View user's profile
HeWhoHasNoName
Lord of Sorrows
Lord of Sorrows




Joined: 25 Apr 2002
Posts: 1500
Location: The Land of Kangeroos
   

When I was playing regularly, I was more than happy to help someone out once in a while. It doesn't mater if they are male of female.

Unfortunately I have nothing now so I really can't help anyone out.
_________________
=Moderator of The RPGDot Shadows=
=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Member of The Sixth House=
=Member of The Sports Fan Club=
Post Sun Jul 07, 2002 7:49 am
 View user's profile


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
All times are GMT.
The time now is Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:34 pm



Powered by phpBB © 2001 phpBB Group
 
 
 
All original content of this site is copyrighted by RPGWatch. Copying or reproducing of any part of this site is strictly prohibited. Taking anything from this site without authorisation will be considered stealing and we'll be forced to visit you and jump on your legs until you give it back.