@Spokker I think you make a fair point in your first two paragraphs. But I think getting ragged on by your friends is something completely different from having a stranger call you names because you dared to log on and try to play a game. And frankly, I think it's very cowardly to use the anonymity of the Internet to say things that you would never say to someone's face.
@Spokker I agree that there are inherent differences between genders, and I think we do better when we don't try to gloss over those. I just don't think girls can't be good programmers is one of those. And I say again, without knowing whether more girls would choose to be programmers, we should at least make sure they all know that it's an option for them.
@Spokker In education generally, you're right. The school system is generally easier to navigate for girls than boys.
But when it comes to science and math, I suspect that we're doing something that makes girls think "That's not for me" or "I don't belong there." I'm not saying it's intentional or malicious, but I truly believe it's happening somehow. I don't accept that girls are just genetically predisposed to being bad at STEM subjects.
And even if the teachers are women (though most of my science and math teachers were men, frankly) they can be part of the problem too. "Don't worry, I'm not good at math either." How many grown women do you know who almost brag at having no technical acumen whatsoever? Why is that acceptable?
Anyways, I'm not blaming EA or anyone else. But I do think there's a real issue there, and as we head into an increasingly technological future, it might be really good for us all to address it.
@eddieham13 @theKSMM That's not surprising, it's an expensive hobby. I play a lot more games now that I have my own TV and a job than when I was begging my parents to buy games for me. :-)
@Spokker @theKSMM You're missing my point. Sure, I've seen straight white guys get taunted. But I've never seen them get taunted for being straight white guys.
"Ha, ha, look at you! You middle-class, white bastard! And he likes girls!"
@Spokker @theKSMM Going back to points I've made previously in this thead (but which get lost because the comment system here is wack) I think we're losing females waaaay before the C++ stage. I think we're losing them as 3rd and 4th graders who are subtly being told "Don't worry if you're not good at math. You're really pretty."
First of all, change in itself isn't a bad thing. I don't know about you, but if I thought that the presence of more women would help make online gaming more courteous, I'd be paying for women's subscriptions. That's a change that I would love.
And further, when straight, white men get dumped on, they're not getting trashed for WHO THEY ARE INHERENTLY. Sure they get called names, but I have never heard any slurs directed toward white guys. I have heard plenty of derogatory names for women, homosexuals, and ethnic minorities though.
Your last sentence goes directly to my point. Why is it that when a woman is on a team, she has to be a "token?" Given the story-driven nature of most big games today, why don't we see more females as writers? Why don't we see more female producers (which is mostly a managerial position)? Maybe the straight white guy isn't the best person to bring fresh perspectives to a team already full of straight white guys. But nobody ever assumes that they're "tokens" or not well qualified.
Microsoft's tepid support of Halo on the PC (despite its originally being planned as a PC game) has always been pitiful. I hope the community can come up with some way to keep the matchmaking alive.
As someone who plays across more than one console, being able to save games to the cloud is almost worth the price of admission to XBOX Live Gold alone. It's one of my favorite features of PlayStation Network Plus too.
Once or twice a year in the U.S., GameStop and Amazon will have a sale on one-year XBOX Live Gold cards. The price will be down from $60 to around $40. If I'm paying attention, I get my cards then. It drops the price from about $5 per month to less than $3.50 and less than the price of PSN Plus. I recommend keeping your eyes open for these sales if you're interested in XBL Gold.
Also, the PSN requires you to be logged on for Netflix, Hulu, and everything else too. It's just that their equivalent of XBL Gold log-ons is free, so nobody complains. But I've had times when I couldn't watch Netflix on the PS3 because PSN was down. Don't blame Microsoft for other companies' policies for apps on their consoles.
Finally, I repeat, I wish that XBL Gold was free, but I'd rather pay for it than see it disappear. Sony is losing money badly right now, enough that I fear that they might pull the plug on any new consoles after the PS4.
theKSMM's comments