More guys play D&D than gals, Why?

[dicechild]

Why is it that there are more guys than girls that play D&D? It seems to me that I can never get any players that are female, and whenever I need a female part played, it's mutilated by the players in game. This causes problems for me because I don't know how to play these female roles either, and am therefore left with petite little ladies who talk like some macho guy with a seperiority complex. What am I to do?
Dicechild

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I dunno, man.

Why do more women scrapbook than guys? Ever see a scrapbook convention? Scary, scary stuff.

 

[diaglo]

more ladies are hair stylists than men.

and the men that are ... tend to bat for the other team.

there are some excepts to all of these rulz.

Teflon Billy ain't one of them.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

I guess part of it has to do with guys are more interested in this TYPE of thing (role playing games, comics, computer games, playing 'army' etc.) Certainly the female population for these kinds of things have grown in recent years but it probably has something to do with conditioning. Also, keep in mind that RPGs - for many - are started when males are about 12-14, the exact age that the genders are usually spending time with their own gender.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

RPGs also tend to have monsters and lots of violence; something boys tend to be attracted to much moreso than girls.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

I dunno, man.

Why do more women scrapbook than guys? Ever see a scrapbook convention? Scary, scary stuff.

And so there you have it - the answer to gender inequity.

Announcing:

d20 scrapbooking! Collect all the memories of your latest adventure. Border scissors with flame and dragon designs. Stickers with magic spell effects, weapons, armor all easily placed on our special 1" grid pages. Buy your starter kit today - includes a set of dice that also double as rubber stamps as well as a complete copy of the SRD - your guide to the game that you will love to scrapbook!

Seriously, though, don't rely on women to play your female roles - some of the women I have played with would be annoyed by having to play a petite little lady and so might play them completely different.

 

[The_Universe]

I'd say it's because it's fanbase grew out of (originally) that of a traditionally male-dominated hobby (wargaming). Secondarily, there has been some issue with how the game has been marketed (mostly to guys), and there simply be a gender gap in how appealing the game's basic assumptions are.

But, I see more girls playing now than I did when I started the hobby, and I think as time passes any gender imbalance will even itself out, hopefully to the benefit overall.

 

[SweeneyTodd]

I don't have a problem getting female players, but that's for roleplaying in general. My female players have either no interest in D&D, or a profound disinterest.

Basically, women are less likely to enjoy long, complicated combats than your average D&D player. (Notice I didn't say "than your average guy." Lots of guys I know are bored silly by tactical combat, myself included.)

Yes, you can play D&D and not have tactical combat, but in that situation there's a number of rulesets I find more applicable. So I think it's just a relative taste thing.

 

[palleomortis]

JERK!!! I was gonna put a poll up, you should and we can see what the actual ratio is for boys to girls is on here.

 

[WayneLigon]

I dunno, man.

Why do more women scrapbook than guys? Ever see a scrapbook convention? Scary, scary stuff.

Our female player is also a scrapbooker. She brings back some pretty wild tales from her scrapbooking retreats and conventions of barhopping and clubbing in Florida with women half-again her age. Her currrent debate: more stamps and paper or Mutants and Masterminds?

Eh, I don't think we'll ever really figure out the reason why. Sort of like with comics and many other geekly things, it seems more a province of men than women. Certainly lots of women do these things, but not the ideal 50/50 split we'd like to see.