199 réponses à ce sujet

[Catche Jagger]

I agree with the sentiment here that this statistic does not represent the players, just what was created. My first (and main) Inquisitor was a female Qunari because that was the character I felt fit the role.

Also, I'm always surprised when I hear how many people play only as humans. I rarely play as a human character if I'm given the choice to play as another race. Similar sort of argument here that some have about only making female characters: There's human protagonists everywhere, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to be something different?

[Panda]

But how can you market games to women while not scaring the men off? I really don't know.

 

Before DAI was released and BW showed gameplay on streams there were lot of comments like: "Can't I play male character? Do I have to be female?" on twitch. So I guess it's very hard to market games to women without male gamers getting concerned ^^; 

[Abelas Forever!]

Before DAI was released and BW showed gameplay on streams there were lot of comments like: "Can't I play male character? Do I have to be female?" on twitch. So I guess it's very hard to market games to women without male gamers getting concerned ^^; 

I agree.

[Colonelkillabee]

Honestly, I think a lot of women worry when they see things marketed to women as well. I see a lot of chicks saying things made "for women" generally suck and are stereotypically girly and lame. So if that's true, who the heck are they really marketing for? Lol. Perhaps the problem's thinking about marketing for men or women instead of just players.

 

That said, just showing a female character playing, lol, yea those guys need to get a grip. As if they'd ever make dragon age one gender. How slow can you be.

[Colonelkillabee]

There's human protagonists everywhere, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to be something different?

There's a lot of things one won't get tired of just because it's common...

 

I've never had the urge to play as an elf, because the character models are rather underwhelming for one. And Dwarves... I'm six foot four. There's really no appeal playing someone half my size, maybe smaller. I just don't see it.

 

There's Qunari, and I might've actually played one, especially if there was an origins story, and ESPECIALLY a Qunari mage origin story. But, that wasn't there, and there's... very little for Qunari at all in this game. So once again, no appeal.

 

Male elves lol, what a joke. They look ridiculous. Females are frighteningly skinny, but they don't look bad in heavy armor. That'll be my saving grace if I make one for Solas. She'll definitely be a warrior.

 

edit: No elven love interests doesn't help either. At least no elven ones for straight males.

[Hazegurl]

Also, I'm always surprised when I hear how many people play only as humans. I rarely play as a human character if I'm given the choice to play as another race. Similar sort of argument here that some have about only making female characters: There's human protagonists everywhere, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to be something different?

Honestly, I've never had a desire to play non human characters. I tried it in Origins with an elf but couldn't finish it. My Human noble is my canon choice. I'm trying to make a decent elf female but only for Solas and Cullen and for no other reason. 

 

The elf bodies in DA is horrible

I think the Qunari female may have a good body type but the male Qunari slouches way too much.  In DA2 I think the Qunari men had great bods. I don't know what they did for DAI.

 

I'm already short and I tend to love playing mages so nope on the dwarves.

 

If they allowed us to customize the body type that would be great.

[Darkly Tranquil]

Before DAI was released and BW showed gameplay on streams there were lot of comments like: "Can't I play male character? Do I have to be female?" on twitch. So I guess it's very hard to market games to women without male gamers getting concerned ^^;

You should read the comments on Angry Joe's review where they decry being forced to be gay in the game.

I'm not kidding. Go look. I wish I was kidding.

[Abelas Forever!]

Honestly, I think a lot of women worry when they see things marketed to women as well. I see a lot of chicks saying things made "for women" generally suck and are stereotypically girly and lame. So if that's true, who the heck are they really marketing for? Lol. Perhaps the problem's thinking about marketing for men or women instead of just players.

 

That said, just showing a female character playing, lol, yea those guys need to get a grip. As if they'd ever make dragon age one gender. How slow can you be.

If we talk about DA series and think about trailers then how could anybody make a girly trailer that could actually market the game? lol I don't want to see too girly advertisements which are targeted to women either. But you could still market the game to women by showing that in a game you can play both female and male PCs  and create deep relationships if you want to or create your own story and if you want to enjoy the just the story then you can choose lower difficulty setting. I guess you could call this marketing to just players. But then again it's done so that more women would buy the game.

[Colonelkillabee]

If we talk about DA series and think about trailers then how could anybody make a girly trailer that could actually market the game? lol I don't want to see too girly advertisements which are targeted to women either. But you could still market the game to women by showing that in a game you can play both female and male PCs  and create deep relationships if you want to or create your own story and if you want to enjoy the just the story then you can choose lower difficulty setting. I guess you could call this marketing to just players. But then again it's done so that more women would buy the game.

The beginning of my statement was really media in general, but yea it just highlights my point that thinking of advertising for men and women individually is faulty.

 

However, that also goes for the idea that creating deep relationships if you want or creating your story would be more appealing for women than it would men. Maybe it wouldn't attract the COD squad, but those guys aren't likely playing this much anyway. The guys that are drawn to this series, like the women, are here for story and characters.

 

Those trailers are generally super misleading anyway for dragon age.

[Colonelkillabee]

Though when we say "deep relationships", I gotta put the quotations around "deep", lol. Some are deeper than others, but still.

[Maverick827]

Some questions for the sake of questions:

What about current marketing, other than the gender of the protagonist, doesn't appeal to women? Why doesn't it? What kind of marketing does appeal to women?

If current marketing appeals to men and not women, does that mean that men and women, on average, just want different things? If so, is it wrong to make games with the things that appeal just to only one demographic? If so, then why?

Is "separate but equal" okay for video games/marketing (e.g., most companies make games aimed specifically at either men or women)? If not, is it okay for other products, such as shampoo, deodorant, shoes, etc. to be "separate but equal?" If so, what's the difference?

[Colonelkillabee]

Some questions for the sake of questions:

What about current marketing, other than the gender of the protagonist, doesn't appeal to women? Why doesn't it? What kind of marketing does appeal to women?

If current marketing appeals to men and not women, does that mean that men and women, on average, just want different things? If so, is it wrong to make games with the things that appeal just to only one demographic? If so, then why?

Is "separate but equal" okay for video games/marketing (e.g., most companies make games aimed specifically at either men or women)? If not, is it okay for other products, such as shampoo, deodorant, shoes, etc. to be "separate but equal?" If so, what's the difference?

 

To the first one, judging from reactions to the trailers I've seen, it's nothing about the genders that didn't appeal to people. The trailers were honestly kind of meh, as they almost always are. If you ask me, an action sequence appeals to everyone. I didn't like Halo's trailers any less when they showed a female spartan. I can't imagine it'd be any different for a woman seeing a male protag, though I'm sure they'd appreciate having a female one in the trailer every now and then. The same marketing that appeals to men appeals to women when it comes to games and movies, and if they don't like it, I doubt it's because of the trailer being too girly or boyish, but the quality of the trailer or the media itself. If anything at all is meant to appeal to men, I'd guess it'd be COD, besides that one time they had a female gamer in it. And GOD, the constant eminem songs and ****, and all he rest... didn't appeal to me at all despite supposedly being for "bros" as people put it.

 

As for the second question, whether or not it is meant to appeal to one gender, men and women do want different things. We're different. That's just a fact of life. But that doesn't mean we have nothing in common. We actually have a lot in common. Men and women being different doesn't mean that pizza hut should market their food any differently, for instance. We both like pizza all the same. Though hopefully people have eaten better "pizza" than pizza hut, lol. But no, it's not wrong to try appealing to one demographic. It's their game, they can do what they want. Even if they tried, female gamers would still play them, so.

 

I have no idea how a game can be separate but equal, honestly. Nothing is stopping anyone from playing a game.

 

 

[Violetbliss]

I don't even know what the male protagonist voices sound like in any of the DA games. So yes I play female character as that gels most naturally with me. I tend to focus the rp/background bit more on what the character actually is than the gender.

[Panda]

Honestly, I think a lot of women worry when they see things marketed to women as well. I see a lot of chicks saying things made "for women" generally suck and are stereotypically girly and lame. So if that's true, who the heck are they really marketing for? Lol. Perhaps the problem's thinking about marketing for men or women instead of just players.

 

That said, just showing a female character playing, lol, yea those guys need to get a grip. As if they'd ever make dragon age one gender. How slow can you be.

 

Problem there is seems to be that what female gamers want doesn't meet what game devs think we want in cases like these. Of cource female gamers are all different too but I'm talking what we in general want. For example for case where I think what devs thought female gamers wanted met what they in reality wanted was with Thane since at least I have heard him and his whole race was created in female gamers in mind.. and they really got me with that one

[Colonelkillabee]

For example for case where I think what devs thought female gamers wanted met what they in reality wanted was with Thane since at least I have heard him and his whole race was created in female gamers in mind.. and they really got me with that one

Wait, really?

 

Hahaha, I get it! Men who can never forget anything, it's perfect! LOOOL

[Panda]

Wait, really?

 

Hahaha, I get it! Men who can never forget anything, it's perfect! LOOOL

 

Yes, this is from wiki: "The creation of the drell species was the outcome of designing a male alien love interest that was required to be an attractive and stealthy assassin. The appearance of the resulting character, Thane Krios, then formed the basis of the design for other members of the drell species"

 

Lol at least there is no forgotten anniverarys!

[Colonelkillabee]

Yes, this is from wiki: "The creation of the drell species was the outcome of designing a male alien love interest that was required to be an attractive and stealthy assassin. The appearance of the resulting character, Thane Krios, then formed the basis of the design for other members of the drell species"

 

Lol at least there is no forgotten anniverarys!

Mission accomplished... that voice... even I know that voice is sexy, lol.

[CuriousArtemis]

Problem there is seems to be that what female gamers want doesn't meet what game devs think we want in cases like these. Of cource female gamers are all different too but I'm talking what we in general want. For example for case where I think what devs thought female gamers wanted met what they in reality wanted was with Thane since at least I have heard him and his whole race was created in female gamers in mind.. and they really got me with that one

Big miss for me since I'm not a huge fan of the character and have no interest in romancing him. I do believe it is impossible to make declarative statements about what "all women" or "all men" want. It is such an arbitrary way to divide the human race.

[Colonelkillabee]

Liara 4 Ever

 

 

Would've gone Ash... but they ruined her. Literally made me play the whole series again to kill her and preserve her Marine girl badassery forever.

[Panda]

Big miss for me since I'm not a huge fan of the character and have no interest in romancing him. I do believe it is impossible to make declarative statements about what "all women" or "all men" want. It is such an arbitrary way to divide the human race.

 

Well I think in general Thane' character was success to female audience but of cource he's not for everyone's liking.

[kukumburr]

I'd say that 30% is unusually high and not representative of the gender mix of the audiences of other big name game releases. I highly doubt 30% of the audiences of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Destiny, watch_dogs, Shadow of Mordor, or Dark Souls 2 is female. Bioware's focus on storytelling (and romance) rather than on 360 no scoping noobs or butchering orcs is probably why they have an unusual audience mix. Now that does not mean for a second that devs should not consider female gamers as a viable audience (they absolutely should), rather it indicates that there are types of games that can be made that will appeal to a female audience, but that those games are fairly different to those that will typically appeal to the young adult male audience and that there isn't much overlap between the two.

In short, it seems that in order to get women to play a game (in any significant numbers), you need to offer them an interesting story, as the mechanical aspects of gameplay alone are unlikely to draw them in and keep them engaged; whereas males tend to care far less for story and can happily do through the same gameplay motions near endlessly without ever caring why they are doing them (the competition against other players tends to be what drives them rather than any story reasons). Designing a game that will appeal to both audiences is thus very difficult, but it's one that Mass Effect is perhaps the best example of, combining the action shooting gameplay beloved of young males, and the deep storytelling and romance elements which female gamers seem drawn to. That said, I think there are developers that are seeking to find that female audience that is out there, but they are still trying to figure out exactly what sort of game it is that they need to make for women, whereas with males they have a very clear idea of what sorts of game designs will work.

 

There could be something to this but I think there are probably a lot more factors involved than just "women like this, and men like this". I think it's important to note that video games have traditionally been marketed to boys. I know at least since the age of the NES, it was very much a "boy toy". Girls probably had less of an opportunity to get hooked on video games at an early age, either because their parents didn't buy it for them or because it wasn't targeted to them, so they weren't interested in trying it. So nowadays there are more men than women who have been playing video games for most of their lives. People who didn't grow up on video games probably have a harder time getting into them, since it takes time to get used to controls. This is especially true for FPSs and RTSs, which require learning twitch reflexes and quick reactions specific to those games. So no, I'm not surprised less women play shooters and competitive games, but I don't think it has anything to do with women inherently not liking them. It's a combination of past marketing, current marketing (most games are still aimed at men/boys), "gamer culture" (competitive games have always been a cesspit of harassment, including a lot of gender-specific harassment that doesn't make it easy to get into), and the fact that buying a console or PC is a big money investment (therefore people who aren't already super into gaming might not buy one, I also think this might be part of the reason more women play phone games).

 

And if you think marketing doesn't play a huge role in what people purchase, just look at something like deodorant. There are clearly defined men's and women's deodorants. But the ingredients are generally exactly the same. The only difference there might be is in some of the fragrances used. So they use different packaging, different advertisements, and even different prices (women's deodorant typically costs more) for something that uses the same ingredients. So if people wonder why more women don't play video games, they should also be asking why more women don't use men's deodorant. Because they've been told it's not for them.

 

Anyways, I just wanted to point out that I think this is a pretty complex issue that's not going to be solved by one or two games marketing a bit more towards women, and that people shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's an uphill battle that will take a lot of time and a lot of games making the push to be more inclusive before this becomes more equal. Personally, I'm a woman who loves both RPGs and FPSs, and I don't think I'm alone in this.

[Boomshakalakalakaboom]

Well I think in general Thane' character was success to female audience but of cource he's not for everyone's liking.

 

I'm a Thane girl!