Jeffy Arensmeyer Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 If you look here, I posed the question about lady gamers that visit this site and there's already been one reply. Thanx JuperJenn. I'm still curious about how many there are. Gaming has never been as mainstream with ladies as it has been with men. It even seemed that there were few games really aimed at the female market. And then, those often sucked badly. (Strawberry Shortcake, for example). How many regular visitors to this site are ladies?How many are programmers or are familiar with code?Do you collect or just play?What are your top picks for each Atari system?What are your top picks for other systems? Just wondering. I remember and article (in Electronic Games, I believe) that listed the games that were popular with females. There was Ms. Pac-Man, Tempest, Frogger and others. Does this still hold true today or are there other 2600 favorites among the ladies? ò¿ó Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Wasn't Centipede listed as the first game to be more popular with women than with men? Supposedly it was designed by a woman as well (though the other programmers say she just came up with the concept and couldn't program at all). I don't know how popular arcades are with women today, but the only girls I see in arcades are usually playing pool or hanging onto a guy trying to play some shootem up game. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffy Arensmeyer Posted July 31, 2001 Author Share Posted July 31, 2001 Come to think of it, Centipede was one of the female favorites. Ladies are quite rare in the arcades now, but all I typically see are teenagers anyway. The large arcades that cater to classic gamers are limited to larger cities. Even at those, the men outnumber the women 4 to 1. Why are women not as interested in gaming as men are? Is it because most games are too violent and confrontational these days or is there some other reason? ò¿ó Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 It's one of those Mars/Venus things. Yeah Tempest, from what I've read into, Ed Logg was really the mastermind coder behind Centipede, and Donna Bailey was the one who came up with the idea. One report stated she couldn't code her way out of paper bag. It seems very evident that her increased involvement was an 'attract females' marketing ploy, and one that worked well. I don't post this to claim that female coders are inherently worse or more inept than male ones .. but come on, you got Ed Logg there! The guy is a freaking genius game designer and coder, and then you have Donna Bailey -- what else did she do? Then the testimonials and comments .. it seems clear now that Ed Logg was the golden boy once again. I also like Logg's Xybots -- was playing it on mame last night, first time in years since I'd seen it. Ed said that game basically used character-mode graphics to accomplish its 3D! Got me thinking.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Xybots would be an awesome game to try on the 5200. I play it on the Lynx all the time (I've almost beat it). There are some very compentent female programs out there. Carol Shaw and Carla Meninsky come to mind. There were a whole bunch of them over at Mattel as well. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostalgic Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 I think part of the gender difference you're seeing might be attributable to age more than gender. Video games were very much a male-dominated interest back in the late '70s and early-to-mid '80s. After that, probably with the advent of either the NES or SNES, girls and women started playing more. Among my friends who are very close to my age (27), there aren't female gamers. Those who are a number of years younger (19-21) seem to enjoy them more. Somebody said you see primarily teens in the arcades these days. While that seems to be true (at least from what I've seen at Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor - forgive the plug), many of those teens are female. Maybe the reason you don't see many women posting here is because you're looking for a cross-section of Atari 2600 fans and people who are active in message boards. I am, though, at a loss to come up with any concrete reasons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djfudgebar Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 i was just reading something about this, like yesterday... but i can't remember where i read it or what it said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osbo Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 my g/f loves ms pacman too! sometimes i can get her off the TV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgel Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 To answer Mr. Arensmeyer's questions: a) I am a female classic game collector and I try to visit this message board daily. b) Basic, VB, and C++ are the only languages I can program in with any degree of confidence. I am currently studying 6502 assembly language. I have a few game ideas for the VCS I would actually like to program. c) I collect games and manuals. The boxes take up too much space. d) My favorites change frequently depending on my frame of mind. Currently they are Midnight Magic, Tapper, Snoopy and the Red Baron, Halloween, and Frankenstein's Monster for the 2600. I would pick The Last Starfighter and Donkey Kong for the 800. e) The only other system I play games on is my PC. The Monkey Island series, the King's Quest series, and the Leisure Suit Larry series are my favorites. Elizabeth [ 07-31-2001: Message edited by: Burgel ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 I remember reading a while back an interview with Roberta Williams (who, with husband Ken, founded Sierra On-Line and, subsequently, the highly popular King's Quest franchise) that touched upon this very subject. When asked about whether there were differences in the sort of games that appealed to females as compared to males, she said: quote: I think there are dramatic differences between male and female gamers. This is 'generally speaking,' though - not necessarily in specific cases. Generally, men like games with more action - especially violet action, games with more hand-eye coordination, and games with lots and lots of strategy. Women tend to like games with more story, more character development, and more interaction with characters, games with solving puzzles, games involving the brain rather than the hand, games with a more social aspect, and, surprisingly, with hand-eye coordination games, women seem to like those types which have 'gathering' aspects to them, a good example being 'Tetris.' (Full text of this interview can be found at http://www.womengamers.com/interviews/roberta.html) Oddly enough, and somewhat contrary to what Roberta said in this interview, my fiancee absolutely loves linear target shooting games -- House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, things like that. I think much of that is because the linearity makes them easy to learn, and the target shooting aspect makes good use of hand-eye coordination. She also does like the odd adventure game. She got right into Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System. And of course like most people, she loves relatively simplistic games like Pac Man and kin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videotwit Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Although not truely A gamer, my girlfriend really loves 2600 Ms. Pac-Man. As a matter of fact, last night we were sitting around the house, and I suggested we play cards or something. At that point, she stood up and walked into the bedroom while saying "I think I just want to play Pac-Man." I wasn't sure if I should be mad that she didn't want to play cards with me, or happy that she decided to play the VCS on her own. I decided that I am proud. Very proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjenn Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 I've read that interview with Roberta Williams. To an extent I think she's on the money, but then again, I also like to shoot missiles at things and blow them up. In answer to Jeffy's questions: a. At least 2 (me, and my best friend of 10 years, Cassie). b. At least 1 -- I took a C++ class, and am pretty efficient with html, and am familiar with javascript and splicing it together. I don't exactly make computer games in my basement. c. I've started collecting with playing in mind, if that makes sense. I lived with my parents until I was about four, and my whole life I've had the background music to Sneak 'n Peek and Mountain King in the back of my head as a result. When I stumbled upon these games, I was rattled. I've made it my mission to collect those games I remember my parents playing. So it's not real collecting, I guess, but there's a mission at least. On the flipside, my best friend Cassie is a fledgling hardcore collector. d. I've only got the one, the 2600, thank you -- I am relatively disinterested in other Atari platforms. And for the 2600, I am absolutely addicted to Enduro, Phoenix, and Breakout. I do understand the affection women might have for Ms. Pac Man, but I also understand that men liked it too? e. My top picks for other systems include Metroid (for NES), Metroid II: Return of Samus (for Gameboy), most Squaresoft games, and -- I confess -- I did enjoy adventure games by Sierra, back in the day, particularly Gabriel Knight I and II. I also am a fan of multiplayer Half-life at my dorm at school (that's *my* copy you'll find on all the boys' computers). I also liked Betrayal at Krondor and a few other turn-based strategy games. I have on my person an article which appears in the Summer 1997 issue of ***** Magazine titled "You Don't Know Jane" (if you can find this article at the site, I recommend giving it a looksee). In the wake of girl-oriented computer software, ***** looked at several "pink-software" games being applauded in Newsweek and Wired. Unsurprisingly, the best game was the one that was the least gender-specific ("Chop Suey"). I think Nostalgic may have struck upon the real issue ["Among my friends who are very close to my age (27), there aren't female gamers. Those who are a number of years younger (19-21) seem to enjoy them more"]. Indeed, my best friend and I are both 19, and are regular staples in the mall arcade. However, we may or may not continue to be regulars in the arcade as 27-year olds; heaven knows we'll probably be married and off in another sphere entirely, so as to have babies, thus giving our lives newfound meaning, all in the name of not feeling like crazy old spinsters. And that's too bad, that we'll feel socially obligated to reorient our interests. Especially since boys don't have to; it's perfectly acceptable that they go right on playing sports and collecting miniature war figurines and watching football and playing videogames. Women are expected to leave their youthful hobbies behind. Maybe that explains the discrepency in age, and the way women suddenly drop off from the gaming scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Destructo Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Being fortunate enough to have a large classic arcade (over 50 games) in my hometown, and having spent much time there (researching, of course ), I can say that, without a doubt, these arcade games are tops with the ladies: 1. Ms. Pac-Man 2. Frogger 3. Tetris 4. Galaga 5. Centipede 6. Burgertime 7. Pac-Man 8. Space Invaders And, for newer games: Puzzle Bobble Super Puzzle Fighter They almost never play anything else! Looking at this list, I just noticed a couple of things: . Only three games involve firing a weapon. . Most of the games are geometric...they either limit movement four directions, or involve a maze or a puzzle. Interesting. Talk amongst yourselves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superjenn Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 Conversely, which games, would you say, are most popular with the men in your hometown? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 I always thought chicks would enjoy Beat Em and Eat Em... an all time 2600 family classic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kondre Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 My Wife Loves Centipede, she will play that game for hours. its funny too cuz we get the whole house shacking with the sound coming out of the surround sound system. if the phone rings, no one can hear it. she thinks water ski is a neat idea but we dont play that one much, cuz the sound just irritates her (women, sometimes they just cant tell the difference between noise and music) Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudmann Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 I had to buy an old C=64 monitor to hook up my spare Atari to so my wife could play games and not hog the TV. It's only a 13" monitor, but I can still use my TV when she's in a gaming mood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nostalgic Posted August 1, 2001 Share Posted August 1, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Burgel: b) Basic, VB, and C++ are the only languages I can program in with any degree of confidence. I am currently studying 6502 assembly language. I have a few game ideas for the VCS I would actually like to program. If you haven't already, I'd suggest subscribing to the Stella listserv. Many of the modern-day 2600 programmers, as well as those just interested in the inner workings, are subscribed. They post their works in progress and get help and advice. Send an e-mail to Majordomo@biglist.com with no subject and a message body of 'subscribe stella "your name" ' (without the single quotes). Beginners are most welcome. I've gotten a lot of help from the list, both from direct advice and reading through the archives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco(2) Posted August 2, 2001 Share Posted August 2, 2001 quote: Originally posted by El Destructo: ...I can say that, without a doubt, these arcade games are tops with the ladies: 1. Ms. Pac-Man 2. Frogger 3. Tetris 4. Galaga 5. Centipede 6. Burgertime 7. Pac-Man 8. Space Invaders And, for newer games: Puzzle Bobble Super Puzzle Fighter Damn, there's too much girlie blood in me - I love all of the above! ... though I'd replace the Paccies by Mr.Do!, my all time favorite Cheers, Marco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgel Posted August 3, 2001 Share Posted August 3, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Nostalgic: If you haven't already, I'd suggest subscribing to the Stella listserv. I am already on the list, but thank you very much for the suggestion. Elizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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