More guys play D&D than gals, Why?

[AuroraGyps]

I don't see why women play D&D more. I mean, dungeon crawls are the equivalent of braving the shopping malls at christmas. Only instead of purses, you pack swords, wands of fireball and ice-storm.

Oh wait....

Well, I HATE the mall at Xmas because it's way too stressfull. I'd rather spend a Saturday in Dec. with my PC hacking monsters to bits.
As a little girl, I played with dolls 'n' stuff, but I was always a tom boy too. It wasn't till I started hitting puberty around 12-13 that more of my feminine side came out (like wearing makeup and actually styling my hair instead or throwing on a baseball cap), but I still played football, and watched action movies, AND played D&D w/ the guys.
I'm still a tomboy... I don't watch "chick flicks", I love comic book, and RPGs,... but I'm still really into makeup, and I do some arts and crafts (no scrapbooking... it looks like too much of a hassle), and I have a "mom" gene. Actually, when I think about it, I think when it comes to things (like nail polish and other cosmetics, stuffed animals, stuff with my fav. flower the pansy on them, and my apt decor), the majority is feminine, but the things I like to actively DO (the books I read, the movies and TV shows I watch, playing RPGs and computer games), most of that is more the guyish type of stuff. There's the certain thing here & there that goes against this, but for the most part, that's the way I am... and as usual, like most of things I am, I'm not sure if it makes any sense.

 

[gothwalk]

Out of my current campaigns, there's an equal division in one, more guys in one, and more girls in two. This may be somewhat biased by the fact that my wife plays, but I've not really encountered the all-guys thing here. And yet at a convention, you see a 70/30 divide.

I'm wondering if it's self-perpetuating to some degree; people play with established players more than they introduce new people, and the existing playerbase is mostly male. Since I and my wife have introduced friends and colleagues to the game, we get a more even mix.

 

[tarchon]

I think women don't play because they're tired of listening to guys discussing why they don't play.

 

[Afrodyte]

I think women don't play because they're tired of listening to guys discussing why they don't play.

Mmmmm, that might have something to do with it.

Not to mention, RPGs frequently don't provide an avenue of escapism from many of the pressures women have to deal with daily, such as issues relating to body image, gender roles, and relationships with men. Of course, this is likely more an individual group dynamics thing than something inherent and supported in the system, but suffice it to say I do not think that the Conan RPG was aimed to attract women.

 

[glass]

Ha! One of the females in my gaming group is also a scrapbooker. Then again, that seems to be a hobby that is increasing in popularity.

What's a scrapbooker?


glass.

 

[WayneLigon]

What's a scrapbooker?

You make albums of memories or of themes, like 'my cats', with pictures, differenent colored paper cut into interesting shapes, stamped in colored inks, adding borders, layouts, all sorts of things. Like a very fancy photo album that had a child with a graphic design class and a webpage layout designer. There are magazines about it, conventions, retreats, workshops, etc.

I hear they praise the Devil at the beginning of every meeting and this woman, you know, she stamped something wrong and they threw her out and she, like, hanged herself in the steam tunnels sweartoGod.

 

[Hellefire]

I think the equation goes something like {girls} != {chips} + {soda} + {hyperactive virgin guys} = {mustard gas} + {nails-across-chalkboard screeching sounds}

Bah, I am raising a little tomboy/gamer/biker. Her name is Sunshine and the first things I am/will teach her are how to roll dice, how to fix a motorcycle, how to kick a guy in the nuts, how to climb trees and mountains, and how to shoot a gun. And probably when to kick a guy there, and more importantly when NOT to, especially her dad. Hm, she might see me picking up girls so she might be good at that. I am going to tell her and show her that she can do anything and everything and be anything that she wants. Even a girl. Though I don't know much about girls so her mom might have to help some there .

Aaron

 

[Hand of Evil]

1...Guys have given up the chance of dating and women have not
2...Artwork
3...Tentacles are cool to guys, eeky to girls
4...Men see it as a hobby, women see it as a game

disclaimer! I am trying to be funny here... I don't really know why other than males being the target demographic.

Data and stats from 2004 GENCON

 

[nothing to see here]

Within any fringe hobby, you are bound to see a process of self-perpetuating socialization.

While these boards are filled with mold breakers...I think most would agree that RPG's/D&D (which as far as mass culture are concerned are one and the same)...attracts a disproportionately high number of introverted or socially 'maladjusted' entusiasts to the game.

It's not unique to RPG's...fringe hobbies in general attract many people precisely because they are 'fringe'...which is to say, participants feel awkward, or uninterested in traditional socialization. Participating in, and mastering, the social demands of a subculture, is a far easier task.

At the same time, the only informal networks that emerge out of fring hobbies are networks that connect to others who share the same social predisposition. By and large these are not sales-people...damographic crossover is not their strong suit.

In short...at the point of time where many guys take up the hobby (high-school or less) participatns in RPG's are often the same guys who are retreating from having to interact with the opposite sex...why would they all of a sudden be succeeding in converting girls to the cause?

 

[Gentlegamer]

In my experience, systems such as White Wolf are more popular among women than D&D. I don't want to make generalizations, but the White Wolf system is typically more focused on RP than hack-and-slash and min-maxing.

Women are indeed more prone to drama . . .