Gaming for Girlfriends

E is my girlfriend and she is a non-gamer. That term has had a lot of definitions during our relationship - in the beginning, it meant she didn't have any tolerance for games whatsoever, of any form. Now it means she sort of accepts gaming as a legitimate pastime, and is willing to dabble a little bit in the different types of gaming available. These days, she will happily play poker with me at the pub, and at home whenever we have other players around for drinks. Without casting any aspersions, I'd still like to highlight the heavily social aspect of the game - she makes friends through poker, and gets a real kick when she wins money.

On the 360 she quite enjoyed creating characters on Soul Calibur 4, naming them after pornstars and charging through the single player campaign by mashing the throw command. It's by far the game I have seen her log the most time with and I'd say at least 80% of that time was spent on the customisation features. This doesn't surprise me, it seems to be a commonplace assessment of girls who play games, as recently mentioned by Tycho over at Penny Arcade. It has certainly been reinforced by the increased attention the NXE dashboard gets now that customisable avatars have been included.

I know it's kind of a stereotypical attitude, but I think it's fair to say that this type of approach to gaming is almost entirely exclusive to the fairer sex. E enjoys her video games most when there is no pressure, or at least very little of it. She doesn't respond well to heavy challenges in her games and is more than prepared to give up when they present themselves.

Tonight, she sat down in front of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, prepared to relive some of the magic she experienced ten years ago on her older brothers' Nintendo 64. She was unfamiliar with the driving mechanic and crashed into walls a lot. Very soon after beginning the game, she said "I remember why I don't like games now. It's because I'm not very good at them." My response to this would be that it's not a matter of lack of skill, but lack of patience and persistence. For most gamers the teething process for a new game is much shorter, but we all struggle with a new mechanic when presented with it. This is no different for us than it is for inexperienced girls.

A quick Google search on this subject unearthed this little gem - a study on the gaming habits of girls, circa 2005. It's a little out-of-date, because the general gaming lifestyle landscape has changed drastically over the last three years (Wii, increased acceptance of casual gaming, World of Warcraft etc.), but it backs up some good points. Girls respond very well to a game like The Sims because it totally circumvents many traditional game conventions (violence, challenge and competition) and places the highlight on the elements of gaming that appeal most to the ladies. Without repeating their definitions, I'll outline them here - character customisation, realistic but colourful art design, and control over the narrative. They also mention player relationships but I'm going to lump that into the narrative heading.

For the gaming public at large we're used to having these element isolated for us, but they're usually tied into one or more of the traditional aspects - creativity is based around optimising our approach to challenge, narrative control is pre-set based around how we complete those challenges and how well we did it etc. E tells me now that she enjoys customisation because it allows her to alter her own appearance vicariously through the characters. My guess is that the very same attitude extends to the actions and challenges performed by her as she plays a game. SC4 works because she makes hot, badass chicks who assert their authority over other characters quite easily because she spams the throw command and the computer can't handle it. I doubt the same theory would apply to characters created, no matter how simply or intuitively, in a game like Quake or Gears of War, because she doesn't have the dexterity or tactical mind to overcome the challenges presented. Nor does she have any control over the narrative - she wants to tell the story, not have it told to her.

A recent article in Hyper Magazine called Driving the Wedge: The Real Story of Female Gamers contains a quote from Nikki Douglas of Grrlgamer where she says "Community and collaboration are what women bring to the table? God, that is so 1950s, so retro. Well screw that, I don't want to be friends! I want to be King!"

Well, that is totally valid and okay, Nikki, but I feel you're in the minority, and that doesn't help me or my girlfriend at all. What you're saying there is that you fit square inside the demographic that is unconcerned with the "girl gamer". You're happy to play traditional games because you relish the challenge. E does not. What I would like to see are more games that straddle the line, where creativity and narrative control are paramount, but my girlfriend still gets the feeling of being 'fucking awesome' without having any of the pressure and stress that the rest of us so willingly face.

Believe it or not

Nobody reads this yet but the gaps need to be filled - I haven't had ready access to a PC for quite a while (August 2007 to be exact) but thanks to a very, very fruitful holiday season, I now have internet access, and the capability to adjust the NAT settings on my modem so the XBox Live actually functions like it should. Finally.

Here's a bit of an update on my gaming habits, for those that are interested -

• I still only play XBox 360 (I'm far from rich, you know). My collection of games has grown considerably and finally contains some of the classic games released over the past year and a half, not that I've played them yet (time is money!), but as I go through them I'll be posting my thoughts for all to see.
• I came into possession of a second 360 when I upgraded my phone plan. This good on so many levels - firstly, I have a haven to run to when E feels the need to watch generic television dramas such as Army Wives or Gossip Girl. Secondly, the multiplayer and networking possibilities that have opened up excite me in a way the no man should ever be excited by a machine.
• My XBox 360 got three red rings of death, three days before the third anniversary of it's purchase. A quick call to Support, and a visit to the post office, and five days later my antique launch-day machine was back in my lounge room working fine. Five days. I was amazed, considering all of the stories I have heard in the past.
• I mentally committed myself to playing Warhammer 40K, but financially dodged that bullet through being slack and unmotivated.
• I mentally committed myself to playing Warmachine, but dodged that financial bullet through not having anyone to play with.
• I've since flirted again with the idea of completing my 40K Ork army, but it's still a matter of funds and motivation. One day I'll get around to it I'm sure, but who am I kidding? It'll never get fully painted (not by me anyway).
• I had a coffee table custom-made at 4 feet square. Perfect for games of Mordheim. I'll let you know when I actually get around to playing some on it.
• I have been scribbling out plenty of design ideas for tabletop games, board games, and video games, but now that I have a PC and Internet access I can finally get around to actually putting together a portfolio.
  

There are a lot more stories to share which I'm sure I will do in due time. Long story short - XBox 360 provides the bulk of my gaming good times these days, and I still haven't given up on tabletop gaming even though the time, money and motivation factor still looms large.

Currently playing Fallout 3 - this game is the bomb (hahahahaha ha ha ha heh *sigh*)

Mordheim and support for old games

Recently, a friend from the Central Coast (about an hour and a half north of here) mentioned in passing to another friend that he's interested in playing Mordheim again. For those not in the know, Mordheim is a skirmish-level, campaign-based tabletop miniatures game produced by Games Workshop. I thought it was a grand idea, and promptly read up on all that I needed to know.

Soon after, I was making scenery for a new table. 4 foot by 4 foot, full to the edges with ruined buildings and so on. I've taken to it like a fire in a tissuebox, and in the space of a couple of weeks I've already improved my scenery skills twentyfold. I'm using high-density polystyrene to carve stone structures, balsa wood to make wooden embellishments...

but that's a different story, and I'm digressing from the point. When I first did my research, I found where the rulebook was kept at http://www.specialist-games.com. "Hooray!" I thought, "they still look after us!"

I looked through some of the optional extra warbands available to play in the "rulebook" section of the site, and settled on the Shadow Warriors - a group of exiled Elven warriors who excel at sneaking around, hiding, and shooting without being seen. I rushed out and bought the miniatures required, and after a few haphazard games while we refreshed ourselves with the rules, I totally owned one of my mates.

So he did a bit of research of his own, and discovered my warband is effectively "illegal" because they're too good. This disappointed me. I'd spent $40 dollars on these models. I didn't want it to be a waste! What disappointed me most, though, was that it actually took all of this extra research to find out that I was cheating my friends. I couldn't take the rulebook on face value!

This game is easily one of the best skirmish-based games available. The range of miniatures in plastic (one day I'll write a post about the virtues of plastics) means you can make your warband totally unique. The rulebook itself is purported to be "living" (e.g. monitored and updated as necessary) and free, so you can be up-to-speed at any time you need. Yet still, I managed to make a fairly big faux-pas.

I'm still going to play, don't get me wrong, I've decided to play an Averlander warband after I finished reading Honour of the Grave by Robin D. Laws. It's a novel set in the Warhammer world, and these novels get me excited and inspired to play (as I'm sure they are intended to do). The thing is, I'm going to have to buy the models slowly now, as I have to be selective and plan my purchases ahead these days.

Games Workshop is reporting a loss for the last financial year. They seem to think that they can rest the hopes of an international retail chain on the back of three franchises - Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, and Lord of the Rings. Gone are the days where you could walk into a GW and find heaps of different games being played. As a result, getting into the hobby is a massive investment of a consumer's time and money.

Give us more ways to use your miniatures, GW! We can't afford to play your games anymore. Bring back Mordheim, keep the rules free (and balanced) and give the casual gamer something fun and quick to do. Bring back Blood Bowl, and release a conversion sprue so we can turn your existing range into football players. Re-release Gorkamorka, and watch your Ork sales rise. Allow Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay into your stores and extoll the virtues of the tabletop combat system. Make Warhammer Quest a reality again - allow characters to fight against any monster from any army book!

There are so many ways to experience the hobby that aren't being explored. Instead, we're told we need a few hundred dollars worth of gear, hours and hours of involvement, and a mate who's done the same before we can truly enjoy the hobby.

Brains vs. Brawn

One day, a few months ago, I was on the way to work and I caught the train. I was playing my DS. At a very busy stop, a guy sat down and pulled out his PSP. He looked over at my DS, and raised an eyebrow in disdain.

Then the guy next to him pulled out his DS and asked if I had Mario Kart.

Video games make for terrible television

We don't get a whole lot of gaming television here in Australia. They show a terrible program called Game on ESPN, where the reviewers basically yell their thoughts at you in broken sentences, and the hostess is clearly trying too hard to look excited. We also get a marginally better program called X-Play, which does a better job of reviewing and has a pair of more relatable hosts, but is so out of date they're still anticipating the Wii.

I'm not sure it's much better in the states though.

In Korea, they get a great deal of Starcraft available on the box. This is a scary prospect. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to watch Starcraft for more than maybe five minutes straight. It just isn't exciting, the animations are all the same and never change, and it takes a while for things to get into full swing.

Halo, on the other hand, gets me excited. During my time with Halo 2 I always dreamt of being able to sit down with my mates and a couple of beers, flick on XBox Live and tune in to top-ranked players duke it out in team skirmish. The beauty of Halo is that it could totally become a spectator sport. I can't tell you how many times I've declared "sweet kill!", "nice save!", or "I can't believe you pulled that off." They're definitely making steps toward this with the video playback options available in Halo 3, but that's only available if somebody opts to save the recording, then you'll have to look it up and download it.

Gamers are generally adverse to advertising in videogames, but I think this would be an area where it would be welcomed and beneficial. Would you really mind being told to quench your thirst if it was in between bouts of top-tier Street Fighter? Especially considering that Sprite commercial made the broadcast free for you to access. "Fragzor's 80-kill streak was brought to you by AT&T". The idea is certainly sound.

To be honest, I'm surprised ESPN hasn't already made an attempt to capitalise. It would certainly beat watching American children mutilate the Queen's English in the national spelling bee.

Ah, I love the smell of a first post in the morning

As this is an introductory post, I guess I'll introduce myself. My name is Mitch, and I'm a 'seasoned' or 'veteran' gamer living in Sydney, Australia. I've been going by the handle 'Nerje' for about eight years now, and as far as I can tell I'm still the only one. Don't ask me what it means or where it came from (or even how to pronounce it).

This blog is for my thoughts on games, gaming, gamer lifestyle, and game design. Like everyone who was ever a child, I played games from the very beginning. I started mostly with Lego (which I still think is one of the best things ever concieved) but, unlike most people, I never really grew out of playing games.

When I was six, my uncle Matt handed down his Atari 2600 and I became addicted to Berzerk. One day my parents bought me a NES and Super Mario Bros. became my drug. Over the years I moved on to the Super NES, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, XBox and now XBox 360. I'm not anti-Sony, I've just had enough friends who owned a Playstation that I never needed to buy one. I'm also not a Nintendo fanboy, in fact I'm far from it (I still feel somewhat cheated by the Gamecube). I don't really have a list of favourite games, but the ones I have the most emotional attachment to are Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo, and Halo 2 for the XBox. I also rate Perfect Dark and Super Smash Bros Melee quite highly too.

When I was eight, my parents bought me a game that I'd seen an ad for on television. That game was Hero Quest. Now, I'd played board games before, but Hero Quest blew my mind. I fell in love with the idea of adventure on my tabletop and I played the hell out of that game. I got most of the expansions (the ones I knew about anyway) and when I didn't have people to play with, I made up my own adventures and thought I was ace for doing so. Naturally, I moved on to Warhammer, riding a wave of enthusiasm brought on by my friends. We all discovered it at roughly the same time when our local games store started to stock the miniatures. On the tabletop I've bought and played Warhammer, Warhammer Quest Warhammer 40K, Mage Knight, Pirates of the Spanish Main, HeroClix, Confrontation, Flames of War and many, many others that I just couldn't name off the top of my head.

The other thing that came of the Hero Quest fascination was an interest in role playing. Not the type with cop outfits and handcuffs, but the games involving statistics and oddly-shaped dice. As a kid, my friends and I took the 'play pretend' thing to the next level, creating persistent worlds and concepts that existed in between the short spaces of time we spent together. We had adventures, rivalries and interactions that occurred outside the school playground, outside the boundaries of reality in fact, and we never really though twice about it. It just came naturally. Our first experience with structured roleplay gaming was with an older guy named Noel who introduced to us Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. We were really young, like 13-14 years old and we could never afford a full army so this gave us something to do with out Warhammer miniatures. Not long after, I got my Dad to buy me the book for Christmas. Since then, I've played Dungeons and Dragons (post- and pre-d20), d20 Modern, Men in Black, Nobilis, and my current favourite is the latest iteration of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game, which I play regularly with what you could call my 'gaming group'.

When I was about ten, I collected the X-Men '94 series of collector cards (as did most of my friends). Around the same time, I picked up a whole bunch of packs from a series called Magic: the Gathering. I was a little disappointed, as I liked the artwork but the card text was nonsense and nobody would trade with me. Later, a friend named Ryan came to school with his own cards, and he showed me how to play. I think, since, I spent more money of Magic: the Gathering than any other past-time apart from video gaming. I loved it. I thought the whole idea was great. I was never any good, of course, but that didn't stop me from spending all of my pocket money every Saturday. More recently, I started to play UFS from Sabertooth Games. I loved this game also, going as far as becoming a 'scout' and running tournaments, but lately the CCG just became too much of a drain on my time and money to keep going. I also played a bit of the Pokemon CCG for a while.

So, that is a brief history of my gaming life. Going into the future, I certainly hope to be further involved in the industry. I plan to become a games designer and publish my own ideas and concepts (in the tabletop, roleplaying AND video games areas). I do, however, know what a fickle industry it can be, so I'm working on establishing a career in the retail industry (games of course!) where I can apply my knowledge and passion to something I truly love.

So!

Please tune in any time, to hear my thoughts and ruminations on this little thing called playing games.