New RPG Company Casting All Women for Genesys

I personally dont care either way, besides that i know one of the girls that may be a likely candidate, and she is excited about it, i agree that they shouldn't be trying to win players through sex appeal, but on the whole treating women as equals, i feel like its silly the girls doing the casting call know good and well what they are looking for. If they want to do this that is their choice. and lets face it, whether we like it or not, or whether it is right or wrong, mature or immature... it is what it is and sex sells, but this trend is losing its steam because now our society would rather see blood and guts more than hot chicks. Which may actually be even worse...(sorry I digress), if people didnt like it they wouldnt be in buisness, so yes it suxs but if the game is good it will stay around if the game suxs it wont matter who they have promoting it. And in a week from now will this even mattter anymore?

[MENTION=86279]Stacie GmrGrl[/MENTION]
People giving you problems over that is just wrong. I know that I would never judge you for that, and I'd kick out any player of mine who would give you trouble. I don't know why GMs, or more generally, PEOPLE in general allow that sort of discrimination to fly.

cyderak (in an xp comment to me): I disagree.....Its nice to see "easy-on-the-eyes" women in an RPG book.

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Thing is, and I'm really not being sarcastic here, I'm glad SOMEBODY gets to have some sex-positive fun with their RPG's if they choose that as a consenting adult.

That isn't, by itself, the problem. The problem is the social consequences when mostly just one privileged group of people (in this case, heterosexual males who enjoy looking at skinny white females with OMGBEWBIES) get to have their particular version of funsexytiems in mass market RPG material.

There is nothing wrong with funsexytiems among consenting adults, BUT, and this is a pretty big but (heh heh, no innuendo intended), stuff happens when RPG's get sexualized. There are effects. Some of them you might not even notice or think about, because you're one of the privileged group who is getting what you want out of the material.

Consider what happens when gaming material gets sexified in a way that is very specifically *not intended for heterosexual women to use or consume*. Heterosexual men (and the occasional lesbian or bi woman) get their jollies by being the consumers, while women are depicted as the objects of gaze. You're nodding and saying, 'Yes, this is good, I like this, I get what I want." But, and here is that great big but again, other people mostly aren't. And they're gamers, too.

This is what it feels like not to be part of the privileged group. It's sort of like being in a restaurant that doesn't really serve "your kind". We mostly get to sit and watch while you are getting served all the entrees. The people outside your privileged group are watching you eat and wondering why there is almost nothing being served on their own plates.

This restaurant is designed to serve most of the food to just this one group. People on the outside of that group can't help but wonder why they even came here in the first place, even if they can still really enjoy other aspects like the music and the decor and the company. We start to feel pretty unwelcome at that restaurant even if everyone else in it says more of us should come on in. After all, it feels just fine to them.

Next thing we notice is that members of our non privileged group are the ones being served as the entrees. And maybe we don't even mind that, because after all it's not actually us on the plate even if it is members of our group. But if the other people in the restaurant start treating us like entrees and not fellow diners, even if it's subtle and unconscious and mostly in the language they casually use, it's not gonna help that 'feeling welcome' factor. Maybe most of the diners in the restaurant can actually tell the difference between what is being served up for pleasure and who are the other patrons of the restaurant, but it's fairly likely that some attitude or "entree" type language to refer to us is going to carry over sooner or later.

Gotta ask you a question. How would you feel sitting around the table with women and some gay men, at a strip club where the men were there to be ogled and the women were ogling them and making commentary on their bodies? Would you feel kinda weird, maybe? Like this was not a party for you? Would you want to play D&D at that table?

In summary, while I'm of the opinion that sexy stuff for consenting adults is totally cool, there are some really bad social effects to having some people be the privileged consumers and everyone else being the products to be consumed.

I'm aware that there are no easy fixes for the issue, because it's a much more pervasive one than just the gaming industry. All I can really hope for is that my fellow gamers will just take a minute to think about what it means and how it actually feels to the people you say you want more of in your hobby.

1ofthe9 said:

Hello Morrus,

My name is Lynnette, and I am one of the owners of Fable Streams. I'd like to thank you for posting the release on our national casting search for 1 of the 9 female lead characters in our new tabletop RPG, Genesys; however, I think it is very important that we clarify what we are actually looking for with this casting process.

We are in fact looking for our definition of a "gorgeous women." The type of "gorgeous women" we are exclusively looking for are strong, independent women, who break stereotypes and embody the true heart of a gamer. Why can't girl gamers be referred to as "gorgeous?!" I personally know many girl gamers who not only serve as GMs, but can also show everyone at the table a thing or two about gaming.

We are only looking for women who actually enjoy playing or are exited about learning to play the same games that I, along with thousands of other women enjoy playing. The mainstream media, television, and film have dedicated many years to portraying gamers as unattractive introverted people, who do not enjoy interacting with others. A perfect example is Raj from the Big Bang Theory, who can't even speak to women unless he has a drink. Fable Streams is about breaking those stereotypes.

We have a company created by gamers for gamers, dedicated to sparking a movement to break mainstream stereotypes associated with the gaming community. We look forward to hosting our fellow gamers at Q Lounge this Saturday for our casting event and launch party. As gamers, shouldn't we be allowed to have a night out at a club, enjoy great music and have a cocktail, two or maybe even three. For too long gamers have been hiding—no more! Gamers Assemble!

Anyone interested in knowing more about our launch party and casting event is invited to visit Video Contest 1 of the 9 Fates for Genesys RPG |

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And what about the strong independent woman who are not gorgeous? What about woman like me I am 54 I am quite sure no mater how well groomed and extroverted I am I would never be picked because of my age.

Sugar coat it all you want you are looking for a Penny from Big Bang as representative of us gamergirls.

It is not to bring more females into gaming it is to appeal to the same guys who drool over booth babes at Gen Con.

I think the thing that upsets me the most about this is the response the FableStream folks have gotten here. They obviously saw Morrus' original comments and those that followed here. After that, they willingly chose to walk into the lion's den and plead their case. Some of the responses they've gotten are good examples of how we train game designers not to interact with us.

Do I like how this looks? Not really. Sell me a system or a setting. If it's pretty too, even better. But can we at least put down the torches and pitchforks for a couple of minutes?

I did an interview with these guys a few days ago.

The Dork Night Podcast

They seem earnest enough, and if this is cheesecake, I'm not sure they intend it that way

TanithT said:

There is nothing wrong with funsexytiems among consenting adults, BUT, and this is a pretty big but (heh heh, no innuendo intended), stuff happens when RPG's get sexualized. There are effects. Some of them you might not even notice or think about, because you're one of the privileged group who is getting what you want out of the material.

Consider what happens when gaming material gets sexified in a way that is very specifically *not intended for heterosexual women to use or consume*. Heterosexual men (and the occasional lesbian or bi woman) get their jollies by being the consumers, while women are depicted as the objects of gaze. You're nodding and saying, 'Yes, this is good, I like this, I get what I want." But, and here is that great big but again, other people mostly aren't. And they're gamers, too.

This is what it feels like not to be part of the privileged group. It's sort of like being in a restaurant that doesn't really serve "your kind". We mostly get to sit and watch while you are getting served all the entrees. The people outside your privileged group are watching you eat and wondering why there is almost nothing being served on their own plates.

This restaurant is designed to serve most of the food to just this one group. People on the outside of that group can't help but wonder why they even came here in the first place, even if they can still really enjoy other aspects like the music and the decor and the company.

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I think it's a bad analogy, sorry.

It's not that they are not "serving your kind". They are definitely serving everyone. But some people may just not like what's on the menu. The solution? If you don't like spicy food, skip the Mexican joint and find a better restaurant.

Having said that, I don't even accept the basic premise that "the menu" is not catering to females in the hobby due to perceived "objectification".

As a sound engineer I've done a lot of gigs and covered the whole spectrum of music styles. And in the venues where I work, artists who do "the objectification thing" encounter massive... massive success with women. Scantily clad chicks singing hip hop and rappers singing about b****** (female dogs) have a much higher ratio of women to men than ordinary-looking people singing about existential and social issues. You'll be lucky if you get more than 15% women in attendance at post-rock shows around here.

I don't think eye candy immediately turns off women. How many guys are attending all those insipid boys bands and girls bands and sex icon pop star concerts exactly? Who's buying into all that crappy music wrapped in publicity stunts like pseudo lesbian French kissing between popular female singers?

As far as roleplaying is concerned, it's mostly escapism (not surprising that it got its start in the fantasy genre considering that). It's about contrasts, things larger than life, black and white. And in some ways, probably wish-fulfillment.

Most players want their characters to look like Kate Beckinsale or Brad Pitt, not Rosie O'Donnell or Tom Petty. It's just how it is. Should I be offended that roleplaying art often showcases guys with bulging muscles?

Do I personally wish the world was a little less about appearances and glitter? Yeah, but there are limits. Trust me, nobody wants ME to replace Daniel Craig in the next James Bond. Not even myself, unless they paid me enough money to buy myself an island and disappear forever

So, some random, probably crappy company is looking for female roleplaying models.... what's the big deal exactly? Females who feel like trying out can do so. And people who want to attend can do so.

The last thing I am worried about when it comes to gender issues is the roleplaying hobby.

Greatwyrm said:

I think the thing that upsets me the most about this is the response the FableStream folks have gotten here. They obviously saw Morrus' original comments and those that followed here. After that, they willingly chose to walk into the lion's den and plead their case. Some of the responses they've gotten are good examples of how we train game designers not to interact with us.

Do I like how this looks? Not really. Sell me a system or a setting. If it's pretty too, even better. But can we at least put down the torches and pitchforks for a couple of minutes?

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Well-said.

I don't currently have interest in what Fablestream's doing, but I do get sick of all the sanctimonious attitudes that portray cheesecake as something only juvenile people are into. Sexuality is not juvenile. Enjoying the site of a beautiful woman is not juvenile. Sexual fantasies are healthy as long you keep them in perspective, separating fantasy from reality.

But that won't be heard under the weight of endless pretenses of superiority.

Elf Witch said:

And what about the strong independent woman who are not gorgeous? What about woman like me I am 54 I am quite sure no mater how well groomed and extroverted I am I would never be picked because of my age.

Sugar coat it all you want you are looking for a Penny from Big Bang as representative of us gamergirls.

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Well, that's a gamer type they're going for. That doesn't mean that the existence of a variety of female gamers is being denied.

It is not to bring more females into gaming it is to appeal to the same guys who drool over booth babes at Gen Con.

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It's certainly cheesecake. That's the business they're in. But the great thing about the free market is that the dollars do all the talking, not indignant posts in discussion forums.

CleverNickName said:

True. But as ridiculous as the "beefcake" art can be, the men are almost always depicted in positions of power, strength, or authority...and women are nearly always shown in positions of subjugation, helplessness, or weakness.

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"Almost always"? Decades ago, yes. These days, hardly that. Badass chicks are the draw in modern cheesecake fiction.