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View Full Version : Women of Giant in the Playground, what got you into TTRPGs?



Yelwyn
2017-06-03, 10:43 AM
Hey! For my studies, I am doing research into women and TTRPGs. My preliminary research found that today still, men seem to outnumber women in this hobby five to one. This is different from my personal experience, since a lot of my friends play. I am interested in hearing from you how you were introduced to the concepts of TTRPGs and how you think more women could be interested in/introduced to this genre.

I am interested in knowing what you think poses a threshold for girls who may like this game. What are your personal experiences?

Also, (and yes, I know what this looks like), it would really help me if you could fill out my survey. This would really help me to have more accurate data, and draw better conclusions.
https:// goo.gl/forms/Wg4LbW4a2zHbYjIR2
(Remove the space between https:// and goo.gl, since I'm new I can't post any links!)


Sorry for creating an account just to "post a survey". I understand it if moderators want to remove the link, but I hope they don't, and I'm looking forward to your replies!

Sariel Vailo
2017-06-03, 05:51 PM
My younger brother needed a ride and from their i started wacthing it evolvwd into playing.

Pugwampy
2017-06-03, 06:21 PM
Internet is like prison . There is only one gender so that leaves a void that needs filling . And we have lots of sissy bro,s including me who are happy to take on that cyber cosmetic surgery and become that girl of your dreams next door .

Look for real girls in that magical kingdom called real life land .

Love Jenny


Speaking from a dude DM perspective , the only girls who ever joined in came from boyfriends who were already players and not one of them ever gave me my buzz . This is just game for them and thats an unforgivable sin .

Recherché
2017-06-04, 12:14 AM
Hey for the question about what social media you use there's no option for "none of the above." I don't really do social media though. Also it might be nice to have a location to fill in the blank on which games you play so you can write in some of the odder ones. Finally you ask "Which of these factors posed a threshold for you when you started out playing TTRPGs?" I'm guessing you mean which of these was a problem that had to be overcome but the word "threshold" isn't really clear there

LokiRagnarok
2017-06-04, 01:06 AM
Considering you say it's for your studies, I am a little bit concerned that this study does not have one of those "preliminary information" thingies I am used to seeing from scientific surveys. (Who performs the research, "risks involved", who to contact, etc).

Also, it's fascinating how differently you approach this than me. With my background, I would have dived straight into aspects regarding social aspects of the game (e.g. "I enjoy taking a social role I cannot take in real life") whereas you seem to focus mainly on mechanics. Was this a conscious choice?

It would also be interesting to see how long it took women to get into the hobby compared to men ("Which year did you first hear about a TTRPG?"; "Which year did you first play a TTRPG?").

Also of interest would be to compare the "which gender distribution do you prefer in your group?" to a man cohort and to see how the preferred gender distribution changed over time ("Five years ago, if you could have chosen anyone to play a TTRPG with, it would have been a group of...")

Finally, I would be interested to see a similar survey directed at intersex and non-binary people.

Thank you for your research!

Yelwyn
2017-06-04, 04:20 AM
Considering you say it's for your studies, I am a little bit concerned that this study does not have one of those "preliminary information" thingies I am used to seeing from scientific surveys. (Who performs the research, "risks involved", who to contact, etc).

Ah, it's for my studies as in, I am a student and am collecting data. It is not a scientific study in the way that I think you mean. It's just a survey.


Also, it's fascinating how differently you approach this than me. With my background, I would have dived straight into aspects regarding social aspects of the game (e.g. "I enjoy taking a social role I cannot take in real life") whereas you seem to focus mainly on mechanics. Was this a conscious choice?
It was! There is a lot of similar research which talks about what women prefer in (online) games. The social aspect issomething that most women look for in a game. As such, I think it is more interesting to look at other aspects to complement that research.


It would also be interesting to see how long it took women to get into the hobby compared to men ("Which year did you first hear about a TTRPG?"; "Which year did you first play a TTRPG?").
Mhmm, that might have been an interesting one to add. Personally, I wouldn't really know how long it took for me to get into it.


Also of interest would be to compare the "which gender distribution do you prefer in your group?" to a man cohort and to see how the preferred gender distribution changed over time ("Five years ago, if you could have chosen anyone to play a TTRPG with, it would have been a group of...")
I've did post a survey with that question to Reddit, I haven't split the results per gender, but 21% of respondents to this survey were women,77% were men:
https://s30.postimg.org/7aqp1r9sh/surveyieie.png


Finally, I would be interested to see a similar survey directed at intersex and non-binary people.

I absolutely would love such a survey! I think that would be a great research topic for a social sciences student. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit the scope of what I'm doing.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, and for filling in my survey!

Lord Torath
2017-06-04, 09:15 AM
Hey for the question about what social media you use there's no option for "none of the above." I don't really do social media though. Also it might be nice to have a location to fill in the blank on which games you play so you can write in some of the odder ones. Finally you ask "Which of these factors posed a threshold for you when you started out playing TTRPGs?" I'm guessing you mean which of these was a problem that had to be overcome but the word "threshold" isn't really clear thereI'm also a non-social media user. Well, other than a few forums like this one.

Also, do you want to hear from just women? The title of this thread implies it, and the first page of the survey didn't have a gender box.

scalyfreak
2017-06-04, 12:20 PM
Women of Giant in the Playground, what got you into TTRPGs?

Probably the same thing that got the non-women here into them when they first started out.

A friend had been lent a couple of soure books by another friend, and showed them to me. It looked like all sorts of awesome fun, so we started trying to play, got hooked, and never stopped.

JNAProductions
2017-06-04, 03:04 PM
Probably the same thing that got the non-women here into them when they first started out.

A friend had been lent a couple of soure books by another friend, and showed them to me. It looked like all sorts of awesome fun, so we started trying to play, got hooked, and never stopped.

Yeah. I don't see a huge reason why women and men would get into TTRPGs for different reasons, solely based on gender.

Honest Tiefling
2017-06-04, 03:31 PM
Yeah. I don't see a huge reason why women and men would get into TTRPGs for different reasons, solely based on gender.

In my experience, women are more likely to get into TTRPGs to conquer, while men are more likely to be interested in world building. But I assume that yes, if you have a decently large sample size, it'll even out to the point there won't be a lot of difference.

Through it intrigues me that people have a preference with who they game with in terms of gender. That seems just plain odd to me. Were there reasons given?

scalyfreak
2017-06-04, 03:35 PM
In my experience, women are more likely to get into TTRPGs to conquer, while men are more likely to be interested in world building. But I assume that yes, if you have a decently large sample size, it'll even out to the point there won't be a lot of difference.


Since my experiene is the opposite, I assume you are right about us both having too small a sampe size to judge from.

Anonymouswizard
2017-06-04, 03:37 PM
Male myself, and I'm going to list the reasons why everyone I know who plays RPGs got into them. Going through my latest group, I think it goes along the lines of:
-My dad introduced me to them and I loved the mixture of rules and acting: male (me).
-I assume the GM got into either at university or at school, he's never really said: male.
-Not sure how they got into it, but they play because they enjoy it and their husband does: female.
-I tried D&D with friends in school: female (by default).
-I saw an invitation to the group on the university Sci-Fi society facebook page: male.
-His dad played: male.

For other people I know:
-I think because she was invited and it appealed to her fantasy writing self: female.
-Her dad played and she's just that nerdy: female.
-Something to do with university: male.

So in my experience, there's nothing that particularly gets one gender into RPGs over another. Women are slightly more likely to be introduced by a partner, but other than that there's just a lot of people who think, at some point, 'this sounds like fun' and gives it a go. But then again, that's the bias inherent in a small sample, I can only say I've played with maybe 20 people in my life.

Honest Tiefling
2017-06-04, 03:52 PM
Since my experiene is the opposite, I assume you are right about us both having too small a sampe size to judge from.

*looks at signature* *looks at forum gender marker* Well, you yourself aren't exactly disproving my point...

Through on a more serious note, I do wonder if many people come to TTRPG from CRPG and want to see what the original version is like.

Recherché
2017-06-04, 03:55 PM
Through it intrigues me that people have a preference with who they game with in terms of gender. That seems just plain odd to me. Were there reasons given?

Woman here and I slightly prefer not to be the only woman at the table because I get fewer uncomfortable/inappropriate jokes and unwanted come on when I'm not the only female in the room. However it's not a very strong preference and if I know the guys we'll and trust them I'm fine with being to only smurfette.

Kalmageddon
2017-06-04, 03:58 PM
My girlfriend got into ttrpg through me, specifically with a Rogue Trader campaign. The best part is that I told her the history of the Imperium in broad strokes and she fell in love with the Emperor of Mankind, thinking he was such a sweetie to endure as an almost corpse on the Golden Throne just so ships could keep travelling the wrap, and consequently made a Navigator so she could see his light.
Yes my girlfriend managed to make Warhammer 40k heartwarming. She's like that.

Honest Tiefling
2017-06-04, 04:00 PM
Woman here and I slightly prefer not to be the only woman at the table because I get fewer uncomfortable/inappropriate jokes and unwanted come on when I'm not the only female in the room. However it's not a very strong preference and if I know the guys we'll and trust them I'm fine with being to only smurfette.

Huh. I guess I don't realize how common this issue is (in many groups I've been in, the WOMEN are the ones cracking the most inappropriate jokes. I wasn't there, but I think someone got told that she wasn't allowed anywhere near a corpse after a remark...), but I was under the impression that it had lessened.

AshfireMage
2017-06-04, 04:07 PM
Another female here! I was introduced by a friend of a friend who mentioned they were planning on starting a group soon. I mentioned that it sounded like fun, so he invited me. Of the other female players I know, one was introduced by her father as a child, three were invited by significant others, three by friends, and one I don't know, but has been playing for a number of years.

About preferences- I don't really have a specific preference as to the gender makeup of my group, but I have been at various tables over the years, and I do notice a different vibe between groups where I'm the only woman and groups with an approximately even mix. We'll see how the all-woman group that's getting started here soon turns out (I don't know if the mixes were intentional at any point. Of the two I was responsible for putting together, the evenly split one was just 'whoever I could find that was interested' and the all-female one started with myself and the one other person left from my old group, also female. I'd already intended to ask a third girl I'd gamed with before to play with me again, and then my roommate asked to join. At that point, I just figured that I should probably invite another girl for the last person)

Admittedly, there's not enough for a good scientific study, it might just be the particular groups I've gotten. Weirdly enough, I tend to find more arguing in the more mixed groups, but the arguing is less intense. Also, the all-male-but-me group stayed on topic far better.

Recherché
2017-06-04, 04:11 PM
Huh. I guess I don't realize how common this issue is (in many groups I've been in, the WOMEN are the ones cracking the most inappropriate jokes. I wasn't there, but I think someone got told that she wasn't allowed anywhere near a corpse after a remark...), but I was under the impression that it had lessened.

Honestly it's only an issue with a relatively small number of guys. It's just that I don't know which ones those will be until relatively late. Also I don't have issue with merely sexual/scatalogical talk. My issues have to do with when rape jokes and homophobic stuff starts coming up.

Ninja_Prawn
2017-06-04, 04:25 PM
women are more likely to get into TTRPGs to conquer, while men are more likely to be interested in world building

https://preview.ibb.co/iBSGOF/Invasion.png
Man, that came out kind of tiny. Well, hopefully it's still possible to get the reference.

scalyfreak
2017-06-04, 04:42 PM
*looks at signature* *looks at forum gender marker* Well, you yourself aren't exactly disproving my point...

Through on a more serious note, I do wonder if many people come to TTRPG from CRPG and want to see what the original version is like.

I never claimed to be typical. :smallamused: And I actually came to CRPGs from TTRPGs.


Huh. I guess I don't realize how common this issue is (in many groups I've been in, the WOMEN are the ones cracking the most inappropriate jokes. I wasn't there, but I think someone got told that she wasn't allowed anywhere near a corpse after a remark...), but I was under the impression that it had lessened.

It hasn't.

Keeping in mind that I'm not typical and don't speak for any other women out there, the reason I fire off inappropriate jokes at times, and occasionally get downright mean with the trashtalking, is that for me it's the easiest way to stop the uncomfortable jokes and innuendos Recherche was talking about. Though to be honest, now that I'm an adult (in some ways at least) the men around the table are a lot more mature about these things as well.

Kalmageddon
2017-06-04, 05:05 PM
Honestly it's only an issue with a relatively small number of guys. It's just that I don't know which ones those will be until relatively late. Also I don't have issue with merely sexual/scatalogical talk. My issues have to do with when rape jokes and homophobic stuff starts coming up.
Yeah it's a major problem with my group, and one of the reasons I don't invite my female friends to join us. They are ok people but very much on the chauvinistic side, if only in jest. I can tolerate them most of the time, but even I sometimes give them a smacking for some of the stuff they say.

The Vanishing Hitchhiker
2017-06-04, 09:25 PM
I'm not sure exactly when I decided TTRPGs would be pretty fun to play, but I remember checking out a few sourcebooks from the local library in middle school. (I didn't get into CRPGs until after high school.) I was never very social, though, so even though I knew and even dated people who had played various TTRPGs, I never managed to join a game until I was nearly 30. My girlfriend and I moved back to the area where she'd gone to college, where she rejoined her old gaming group and brought me along for the ride.

It's a fairly diverse group, very LGBT+ friendly, and the more colorful subject matter is on the lighthearted side. One of my DMs even has an explicit "skip this subject" rule, no questions asked, but it hasn't come up yet. I've never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable with the actions of my fellow players, aside from more typical in-game concerns like "why are their new characters a monk and an artificer when my character has monk levels and an artificer sister? :smallfrown:" (kept to myself, a petty complaint) or "let's not send my absent wife's character fumbling into the basement with his lack of darkvision and trap him in the Shadowfell just because I rolled a one on his check :smallredface:" (the entire group thought that was dumb, even the DM about five minutes later).

GPS
2017-06-04, 10:30 PM
Why does this survey look like it was made by an advertising company? Seriously, a lot of these questions seem out of place. Is the social media thing really relevant?