Gamer Grrls

[Elf Witch]

I would like to make an observation. I have noticed that whenever a topic of female gamers come up so will the horror stories of bad experiences about female gamers who ruined games for what ever reasons.

Also some guy will post how in real life some girl messed him up or how in game some gamer girl ruined the group so now the rule is no girls allowed.

It gets tiresome. First of all there are plenty of female gamers who suck just like there are plenty of male gamers who suck and just like there are plenty of really excellent male players their are aslo excellent female players. So why the need to preface a comment about a player with female or male how about just use the noun player because bad behavior at the table is not gender specific.

Secondly if you want to play in all male game or all female game for that matter that's perfectly fine sometimes you just want to get away from the opposite sex but why the need to justify it by telling how rotten your luck has been with the opposite sex.

Just my two cents

 

[tarchon]

I would like to make an observation. I have noticed that whenever a topic of female gamers come up so will the horror stories of bad experiences about female gamers who ruined games for what ever reasons.

I was in a game once with a guy who kept ruining it. Gotta watch out for the gamer dudes too.

 

[dvvega]

Mythago ... yes it sucks. I'm not happy about it personally, and I would expect more from friends, however my wife's feelings on the matter are more important to me. If she wants it left alone then it shall be so.

But yes, as the group has been getting older, habits that used to be overlooked have become more painful - one of the players hasn't really matured, and is still using the same old material he did when he was a in his early twenties. So maybe it's just a maturing thing.

 

[Clueless]

Myself, I've only run into this once in a Shadowrun game, with a player that apparently missed when the GM looked over at me and saying that I knew the rules better, asked for a clarification on magic drain. To be honest, when the rest of the group sort of gave him the Look (you know the one that asks, 'what are you? stupid?') I felt avenged.

Doesn't hurt that that particular player also had a habit of sleeping through games and was generally one of the more... idiotic I've played with. So yeah, dumb players you've worked with - definately time to shop around if it's getting to be such a trouble that you can't play anymore.

After all - my current group is a good mix of male/female. And I even had dinner this weekend with some friends who'd come to town. The ratio at the table: 2 male gamers, 5 female.

I guess my point is: It *can* work, really it can.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

I have a related problem in some ways. I tend to play female characters alot and have trouble with other guys at the table taking it seriously, they always think that either a) it's a joke or b)she a sexpot. I am male, 26 years old and have no qualms with my sexuality, I like girls (alot). I tend to play them in roleplaying games because I think they are very interesting to explore, including their mindset, their emotional adaptability and their ability to be more than one thing at the same time. I have never played a sexpot (except as an npc now and then when I dm if the story calls for it), even though most of my female characters (and male characters for that matter) are very attractive (maybe because I am not irl). Will my female characters take advantage of a guy who underestimates them? Of course, but then so will my male characters. What I don't understand is why men seem to have problems accepting that another guy might actually play a female character and it not be a joke or some kind of hormone thing? The first thing out of most of the guys I have gamed with is "So, who are you going to be sleeping with first?" I understand that this may be just joking, but it does get old after awhile. Do female gamers have the same issues when they play male characters? I have only had a few female players and they are all played female characters (and were extremely good at it, would still rather play with a bunch of girls than guys most of the time).

 

[PlotDevice]

mix it up

After all - my current group is a good mix of male/female. And I even had dinner this weekend with some friends who'd come to town. The ratio at the table: 2 male gamers, 5 female.

The best game I ever ran was in the early 90s. The players were 1 male, 5 female. The women in question had largely gotten interested in gaming via their boyfriends, who were my university RPG main stays. The group had previously played games separately and had had diverse experiences that tended to negative.

I can happily say that my game firmed some of them in as life-long gamers. And was the best fun I have ever had as a GM. After each session the players would talk for days about the previous events and plan how they would try to sort out the problems in the next game. It was an amazing experience to be involved in.

To generalize my experience, young female gamers begin with a more mature outlook and better ideas than males of the same age, but there are less of them out there, so they get swamped.

Oh, and Sydney-siders are generically more up themselves than the rest of Australia. And it is not just post Olympics self importance... the Emerald City in the land of Oz has had an attitude problem since before I can remember.

Present company excluded, of course.

Evan

 

[Clueless]

My female players are just as good RP'wise as the men, and at times just as mature (or immature) as them as well. I've actually had to cater to the sexed up whim of them more than the guys. (of course one of the guys is bi, so the 'give cheesecake' demographic is offset equally by the 'give boytoys in leather' demographic).

... Hey, now, Shemmie. It's not *our* fault you put the tanar'ri brothel beside our inn. Well. Technically that was Florian's fault, but it wasn't intentional. Sides, the one NPC that both I and FH agree on as a studmuffin - you won't do *anything* with. *grins*

 

[Shemeska]

... Hey, now, Shemmie. It's not *our* fault you put the tanar'ri brothel beside our inn. Well. Technically that was Florian's fault, but it wasn't intentional. Sides, the one NPC that both I and FH agree on as a studmuffin - you won't do *anything* with. *grins*

Absolutely never, you perv you

Heck, we've got A'kin potentially dating the lupinal, and I say no to that request of yours. That's saying something.

 

[Beale Knight]

Gamer Girl
(With a nod to Avril Lavigne)

That's great. You so need to send it into Knight of the Dinner Table.

 

[Taneel BrightBlade]

bump