MMORPGs - FROM THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE - Article 1

Raya · 06-11-2005, 05:46 AM

Click on banner to go to story.

Vexana · 06-11-2005, 12:45 PM

Yes! I'm so glad to see this up

*hugs Raya*

Raya · 06-11-2005, 06:03 PM

Glad you liked it, Vexxie.

For those ladies who did not get a chance to participate in the survey, I invite your comments and answers to the questions as we go along. It will certainly add to the results of the article and provide a more in-depth picture of what makes girl gamers tick.

Zhao · 06-11-2005, 09:50 PM

Nice article Raya, and I am looking forward to the rest of the articles.

Nepenthia · 06-11-2005, 09:56 PM

Yay, it's finally up

It's hard to wait a week between installments, but I'm looking forward to more!

Nep

Ieranii · 06-13-2005, 09:59 AM

Nice article Raya! The mmo games that I have played have been Everquest, Daoc, EQ2, and Lineage2. Of those four the one that I stayed with the longest and had by far the most fun with was the original everquest.

Can't wait to see what the answers to the next question are.

Laurel · 06-13-2005, 01:44 PM

Excellent article Raya. I'm really looking forward to the next installment. It did surprise me that Everquest was so popular, compared to the rest.

Dillgaar · 06-13-2005, 01:58 PM

I found it interesting that City of Heroes was #2 behind EQ...

hmmm maybe the correlation between gamer grrls and comic book fans is closer than expected

Raya · 06-13-2005, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurel

Excellent article Raya. I'm really looking forward to the next installment. It did surprise me that Everquest was so popular, compared to the rest.

As I noted in the article (and in the auxiliary information), although the number of EQ aficionados is impressive, it was to be expected because of the sources from which I solicited female participation (nearly all of them had an EQ connection). In addition, it is important to remember that this survey was conducted before either WoW or EQII went live.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dillgaar

I found it interesting that City of Heroes was #2 behind EQ...

hmmm maybe the correlation between gamer grrls and comic book fans is closer than expected

Actually I hadn't noticed that CoH was second, since there was such a huge space between the number who had played EQ and any other game. I remember when CoH came out, though, and people were already getting very tired of Sony's EQ. At the time, CoH was the first real alternative in a long time.

However, note that no one chose CoH as her most significant MMOG.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ieranii

Nice article Raya! The mmo games that I have played have been Everquest, Daoc, EQ2, and Lineage2. Of those four the one that I stayed with the longest and had by far the most fun with was the original everquest.

Ieranii, it's interesting that, out of the giants you have played, you still choose EQ as your most important MMO.

Zhao and Nep, glad you like the article. The rest of the series will be just as interesting. It is fun for me to collate the results and see what girl gamers really think

Jaedewytch · 06-19-2005, 01:12 PM

Very nice article. I am looking forward to the next installment since I am one of those women who got into gaming because of her husband. I have been blogging about my experience as a woman (I refuse to call myself a girl.) gamer for awhile now.

Oh and my regular games have been/are SWG, WoW, CoH. I am considering checking out Guildwars. I play a few others when my hubby and I get together at LANs with our local gaming friends/family.

Heloisa · 06-20-2005, 12:05 PM

Great write up Raya.

I think men should take note of this article too because I'm sure many would be surprised just how many female MMO gamers are out there.

Most of my good friends from EQ and WoW were female and I think it's great there are so many husband/wife teams.

It seems like a wonderful way to spend some exciting and quailty time adventuring and sharing those online experiences together.

cheers

Zenya · 06-20-2005, 06:48 PM

Very interesting, thank you! I'm looking forward to the other articles

.

Personally I have played EQ (release), Earth & Beyond (open beta), SWG (beta), EQ2 (beta and release for a bit), WoW (release).

IMO EQ wins hands down. Why? Well, it's the only game that (for me) had a truly immersive world, distinct races and diverse classes. I felt that everything I did mattered, even the smallest thing. And barring a few jerks here and there, the community was great.

Raya · 06-20-2005, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaedewytch

Very nice article. I am looking forward to the next installment since I am one of those women who got into gaming because of her husband. I have been blogging about my experience as a woman (I refuse to call myself a girl.) gamer for awhile now.

Oh and my regular games have been/are SWG, WoW, CoH. I am considering checking out Guildwars. I play a few others when my hubby and I get together at LANs with our local gaming friends/family.

Glad you are enjoying it Jaede. I would actually be very interested in reading your blog, if it's not too personal. I haven't written the rest of the articles (am still involved in pulling the data together--how do people with huge data sources do it?), and perhaps it might give me a better idea of where women want to go with this.

I noted your objection to being called a "girl gamer," and while I tend to agree with you, I also believe that the term "girl gamer," is used as a buzz expression, much the same as "fanboi" doesn't necessarily mean that all the fans are boys (meaning immature in this context). However, your objection did color my reporting to a certain extent, and I substituted "gal gamers" where possible. I dislike saying FEMALE participants/gamers/etc. since it sounds so cold and clinical, especially if used very often. Thanks though for your insight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heloisa

Great write up Raya.

I think men should take note of this article too because I'm sure many would be surprised just how many female MMO gamers are out there.

Most of my good friends from EQ and WoW were female and I think it's great there are so many husband/wife teams.

It seems like a wonderful way to spend some exciting and quailty time adventuring and sharing those online experiences together.

cheers

You have hit upon one of the main reasons I conducted this survey and created this series, Heloisa. Many males don't seem to understand that women play the game because they enjoy it. Other males would love to have their significant other play with them, but have no idea what to tell them. I am hoping, in part, that this series will help the men AND women understand what the currently playing females get from playing MMOGs. And yes, the shared experience is all that it's cracked up to be and more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenya

Very interesting, thank you! I'm looking forward to the other articles

.

Personally I have played EQ (release), Earth & Beyond (open beta), SWG (beta), EQ2 (beta and release for a bit), WoW (release).

IMO EQ wins hands down. Why? Well, it's the only game that (for me) had a truly immersive world, distinct races and diverse classes. I felt that everything I did mattered, even the smallest thing. And barring a few jerks here and there, the community was great.

Thank you for sharing your experiences, Zenya. You illustrate extremely well one of the reasons why the Vanguard fans are so enthusiastic about the Sigil team (same team as created EQ) and the game it is creating. I think I speak for the majority of fans when I say that we are all hoping to recapture that same thrill of playing that we had in the original EQ. It is gratifying to hear someone of your gaming experience confirm this trend, a prevalent theme amongst the women who participated in the survey.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, stay tuned for Article 2, going up in a few minutes

Jaedewytch · 06-21-2005, 02:56 PM

I'll gladly send you the link to my blog next week when I am off vacation. I am in the midst of porting it over to a new space and "fancying" it up some.