Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
Our group has 9 people, three women. all wives of men in the group. Our other DM has started seeing someone seriously, so we figure it won't be too long before we corrupt her and get her hooked on the game.
Female Gamers? Are there more of us now?
- Thread starter Djeta Thernadier
- Start date
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
When I played in KidCthulhu's game the other week I was the only guy, as the other four players and the DM were all women (the other two guys couldn't make it that day.) That's a game we started to introduce new players to the hobby, and it's worked wonderfully.
I've tended to see the hobby be about 20% female (at least judging by quick counts at gaming cons), but our gaming groups have historically tended more towards the 50% mark. My own game only has two women in it (out of eight people) at present, which is fairly low compared to normal.
I haven't seen any particular stereotypes with female players, either good or bad.
I've tended to see the hobby be about 20% female (at least judging by quick counts at gaming cons), but our gaming groups have historically tended more towards the 50% mark. My own game only has two women in it (out of eight people) at present, which is fairly low compared to normal.
I haven't seen any particular stereotypes with female players, either good or bad.
Last edited:
DonAdam
Explorer
Our school gaming club just had a big influx of freshmen this year, with several girls (we had one token girl before).
There are 3 active campaigns. The two new ones are 2/6 and 3/6 girls; my 3 year old game drafted one of the girls as well, but is 6 guys and 1 girl. Of course, I go to a small, quirky liberal arts college, so our demographics aren't exactly typical.
There are 3 active campaigns. The two new ones are 2/6 and 3/6 girls; my 3 year old game drafted one of the girls as well, but is 6 guys and 1 girl. Of course, I go to a small, quirky liberal arts college, so our demographics aren't exactly typical.
Ycore Rixle
First Post
In my home games, the numbers are 1/5, 1/4, and 2/5. That's 4/14 ~ 28%. However, one of the females is not dedicated at all - after two years she still doesn't really know the rules - she just sits at the table because her husband is the DM and she likes the company. So if we don't count her, that's 3/13 ~ 23%. Which seems close to PirateCat's 20% number, which is also what I have observed at cons. Intereestingly, at cons where the gaming is more computer than tabletop/RPG, I see the %'age of women dropping to around 14%. Now, that's completely unscientific, just what I do when I look around the room while standing in the registration line or the concession line, but it seems to me about 1/5 female at the RPG cons and about 1/7 female at computer games/RPG cons. Another interesting data point would be all-computer games events.
Gilladian
Adventurer
I've been playing since '76 when I was eleven. I was drafted by my older brother as his only available player and have been hooked ever since. My parents both play, as my brothers did (I don't think either of them plays anymore, mostly due to time constraints and lack of wifely interest).
I'm the DM for my group and have always pretty much been stuck with that role. In the past couple years I've gotten to play and DM alternately in a second game.
Over time my games have gone from mostly guys with just me DMing (10-12 guys ranging from 14-25 and a 19 yr old female dm) to me and 2-3 other grad-school age women plus my husband.
Now I play with my parents and my best friend from work as well as my husband. I find that age and interest level are a far higher indicator of play style than gender is. My mother prefers to fight, to do some basic roleplay interaction with other characters, and not worry about rules too much. My husband just likes to kill stuff. My dad wants to do everything, and Tara goes along going along until she has an idea or a focus, and then she really plays it up. To her, combat had better havea point or she's not impressed. Of course, the point can simply be "stay alive until next time".
I find I prefer roleplay and risk-taking behavior, but combat is a bit tedious.
Gilladian
I'm the DM for my group and have always pretty much been stuck with that role. In the past couple years I've gotten to play and DM alternately in a second game.
Over time my games have gone from mostly guys with just me DMing (10-12 guys ranging from 14-25 and a 19 yr old female dm) to me and 2-3 other grad-school age women plus my husband.
Now I play with my parents and my best friend from work as well as my husband. I find that age and interest level are a far higher indicator of play style than gender is. My mother prefers to fight, to do some basic roleplay interaction with other characters, and not worry about rules too much. My husband just likes to kill stuff. My dad wants to do everything, and Tara goes along going along until she has an idea or a focus, and then she really plays it up. To her, combat had better havea point or she's not impressed. Of course, the point can simply be "stay alive until next time".
I find I prefer roleplay and risk-taking behavior, but combat is a bit tedious.
Gilladian
milotha
First Post
Ycore Rixle said:
I think that observing the number of female gamers at cons might not be representative of the actual percentage of female gamers in the population at large. I've known many women gamers who won't attend cons due to unpleasant experiences at the hands of some of the less socially gifted attendes.
eryndel
Explorer
Hi Djeta, welcome back to the boards.
Just to skew your statistics some, women have been a significant part of the groups I've been in since about '88. There was a while in the mid 90s where I was the only guy in the group (we had me, my fiance, and 3 of our friends.) My wife has gamed since she was 9 ('81, coincidentally the same year I started) and the last group I was in had at least two (of 6 or so) women in it.
Don't game right now, though... my group all moved away
Werner
Just to skew your statistics some, women have been a significant part of the groups I've been in since about '88. There was a while in the mid 90s where I was the only guy in the group (we had me, my fiance, and 3 of our friends.) My wife has gamed since she was 9 ('81, coincidentally the same year I started) and the last group I was in had at least two (of 6 or so) women in it.
Don't game right now, though... my group all moved away
Werner
Djeta Thernadier
First Post
Afrodyte said:And what about those gamer women who can't afford to attend a con unless it's in town?
That's also true. The only con I have ever been to, wasn't really a con, but more of a gameday at PCats house in 2003. GenCon last year, and this year just did not work out $$-wise for me but will be going for sure in 2005.
I can take anti-social creeps (who I'm pretty sure are a very, very small minority of con-goers) but financial strain when cons are in other states is definately something I think keeps many gamers of both genders away.
Allura
First Post
I haven't been gaming that long, just since '93 or so.
Started off in a Shadowrun game that was 12 players, 3 females. And one of them played a guy (only person the GM would let play a non-same gender character).
Currently in two D&D games, which are both split evenly (if you count the GM). One is 2 couples, and the other 4 couples (so 3 & 7 players plus male GM in both cases). We have one female player that occasionally needs to be told not to stress over the game, and just have fun (she's a perfectionist
), but otherwise I don't see a huge difference in playing styles between the 50/50 game and the 1/4 game.
Oh, yeah, I'm playing an archer in the first game and a elven thinblade expert (ftr/rog) with a warfan as my offhand weapon in the second.
Started off in a Shadowrun game that was 12 players, 3 females. And one of them played a guy (only person the GM would let play a non-same gender character).
Currently in two D&D games, which are both split evenly (if you count the GM). One is 2 couples, and the other 4 couples (so 3 & 7 players plus male GM in both cases). We have one female player that occasionally needs to be told not to stress over the game, and just have fun (she's a perfectionist
), but otherwise I don't see a huge difference in playing styles between the 50/50 game and the 1/4 game. Oh, yeah, I'm playing an archer in the first game and a elven thinblade expert (ftr/rog) with a warfan as my offhand weapon in the second.
