Does your game pass the Bechdel Test?

[jbear]

Hmmm ... category A seems very difficult to fulfil.

In my last tabletop campaign (that ran nearly 3 years) we were left with 5 core players and myself. 4 of the 5 players were women playing female PCs. The BBEG was a gal, as were many of her main minions, as were the majority of the key NPCs in the game.

But I still don't meet the requirements for category A because the male PC was present in each of those scenes (despite being the minority). Which is odd.

But if you were to reverse the situation, there was no single scene that did not involve at least 4 female characters at any time.

So I'm not sure if the test tells anything about anything at all to be frank.

Category B: Pass, with flying colours I guess.

 

[Dordledum]

Criteria A: two female PCs having a discussion without the rest present not about men? pass, easily, on several occasions.

Criteria B: haven't had more than 1 female player in our game at the same time, so not possible.

 

[Jhaelen]

I think our game passes both tests at least some of the time.

Our group includes two female players who almost always play female characters.

I also make it a point to use npcs and monsters of both genders with roughly the same frequency (actually, I simply determine gender randomly). This makes sense since the game's setting (Eberron) also assumes gender equality (for _almost_ all species).

When not engaging in combat encounters, the party splits up from time to time, particularly when they're involved in extended skill challenges, and there's been several (roleplaying) encounters not involving any males.

 

[Lwaxy]

Participate in an encounter not involving a man? Why would this matter? It's near impossible, especially with our usually large groups. Sub-parties form based on skills not on gender.

Unless going shopping and talking to a market woman counts.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I suppose this is a nice pie in the sky goal, but what about groups that do not have female players. I have played for 35 years and only one year in university did I have two female players at the same time.

I just do not think this test has any real validity for RPG groups.

 

[Nagol]

I can't think of a campaign in the last couple of decades that failed the in-game test. There is close to even split on character gender typically. The current Strands of Fate game has two male, three female, and one undetermined (undeveloped replacement character).

The group currently fails the out-of-game test. We only have one female player. Interestingly, my first long-term group in 1980 had two females and would have passed.

 

[Dordledum]

I suppose this is a nice pie in the sky goal, but what about groups that do not have female players. I have played for 35 years and only one year in university did I have two female players at the same time.

I just do not think this test has any real validity for RPG groups.

I think the test has hardly any validity for whatever media. Regardless, criteria A should still be within your group's abilities. They just have to play female characters once in a while.

 

[Insight]

I'll be honest - it's a little ridiculous to apply this to gaming.

In a TV show or a movie, the writer (or creator of a TV show) controls character gender and writes what the characters do and talk about.

In a game, the GM has little to no control over these things. As a GM of an all-male group, I can neither force my male players to create female characters nor force said characters (if my male players were to create female characters) to interact in some convoluted way.

If you want to accuse me - as a screenwriter - of creating sexist content, I can accept that. I don't feel that this applies to gaming in any reasonable sense.

 

[Desdichado]

No, and no.

And I don't care.

And I don't think that test means anything substantive either. Even in the world of media entertainment.

 

[The Red King]

I have this one down. We have several female NPC's that are not just chix in metal bikinis.

Plus my wife plays a female character.

To be fair, there would be more female characters in my campaign if I could get more girls to play. (But it is fun to have the party of mostly guys have to fight women as they "don't want to hit a girl"!)