How Can We Make More Gamers?
June 2007 Issue
![Cerise Issue 2 [June 2007]](http://cerise.theirisnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/cerisejun07_tn.jpg)
Features
- From the Editors
- Craft Check: Easy Felt Dice Bags
- Gaming in the Media: PS3, the Console Wars, and Violence in Games
Interviews
- Heather Michelle Rousse [Videogame Artist, Yatec Games]
- Patrick Weekes [Writer, BioWare]
Articles
- WisCon 31: Feminists, Geeks, and Gamers
Author: Andrea Rubenstein
- Final Fantasy: Stories of Strong Women
Author: Jenni Lada
- How Can We Make More Gamers?
Author: Robyn Fleming
Andrea talks about her experiences attending WisCon 31 for the first time.
Jenni looks at some of the notable women in the Final Fantasy series and what they meant, and continue to mean, to gamers.
Robyn explores some simple methods for expanding the gaming population.
Gamer Stories
Reviews
- Super Paper Mario
- God of War 2
- Viva Pinata
- Retro Review: Final Fantasy IV
If you’re reading this magazine, chances are good that you’d like to see more girls, women and members of other under-represented demographic groups getting into gaming. We all have ideas for what game designers can do to make games and gaming culture more accessible for those who are currently excluded – but what can we do about it? How can we make more gamers?
Be Open
First, we can be more open about our hobbies. More than once, I’ve realized months or even years after first meeting someone that we have interests in common that neither of us suspected. This happens most often with women, and with interests that are decidedly geeky. I suppose that most people feel more comfortable saying that they like to bake or read mystery novels when asked what they do for fun than admitting that what they’re truly passionate about is making one-tenth scale dioramas inspired by the Lord of the Rings movies.
But if you’re open about your love of epic storytelling and role-playing games, perhaps your friend with the dioramas will feel comfortable letting you know about her own weird hobby – and maybe she’d really get a kick out of wargaming with miniatures. You’ll never know if you’re not open enough to be approachable.
Be Supportive
When I started playing tabletop role-playing games at the tender age of seven, I was lucky enough to have two wonderful, generous teachers who patiently explained THAC0 to me over and over until it–well, actually, THAC0 never did make sense, but the point is that I had more experienced players helping me to learn the game and encouraging me to keep playing. The time they took to explain the rules to me, and to help me learn how to use the information on my character sheet, was well repaid. I stuck around, and became a regular and valued addition to the gaming group.
Many years later, when I tried to learn to play the console videogames that all of my friends were into, I wasn’t so lucky. My friends were impatient with my lack of skill, cracked lots of jokes about my incompetence, and often took the controller right out of my hands when they had had enough of my fumbling.
I still play tabletop RPGs any chance I get. Console games? Not so much. My anecdotal experience is pretty clear: support from other players is a big part of what makes a gamer. If you have friends who are interested in gaming, but don’t have much experience and need a little help and encouragement, you can do something about it.
Be Observant
All of this openness and mentoring isn’t going to count for much if you’re trying to get your pacifist cousin interested in your favorite first-person shooter, however. It’s important to pay attention to the interests of your proto-gamer friends. Your cousin might not dig the FPS experience, but maybe she’d like puzzle games, or tabletop games that are heavy on role-play and light on mayhem. That coworker who enjoys crafting costumes to wear to conventions might like LARPing more than MMORPGs. Consider your friends’ interests before making recommendations, ask them questions, and engage them in dialogue about which games they enjoy, and why.
And respect the boundaries of those friends who simply aren’t interested. We’ve all been cornered at a party by that gamer: the dude who won’t stop telling you about his Grignr-clone RPG character, or the woman who keeps insisting that if you haven’t devoted six months solid to her favorite MMORPG, you can’t possibly know whether or not you actually enjoy it. You don’t want to be that gamer, do you? Be observant enough to know when it’s time to recommend something different, and when it’s time to just move on entirely.
Be Fun
While you’re working on cultivating new gamers, don’t forget to have – and show that you’re having – fun. We joke about gaming as an addiction (and some games are certainly addictive!), but if it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t keep doing it. If you’re open, supportive, observant and clearly having a great time gaming, who wouldn’t want to play?
