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out of all the 100's of gamers i have met, only 2 have been girls. i am interested to know if anyone knows of girls that play this?

So how many girls do you know that play GW?

I know half a dozen or so girls who play miniatures games. One plays blood bowl, one plays WHFB, Two play Flames of War and the other two play Wargods of Aegyptus, so out of that group, 2 play GW games.

I know several wives/girlfriends that play, but few that entered thehobby o ntheir own. Although therre was that stripper I played at a tournament.

I don't think GW makes enough effort to draw women in. I've noticed when we go into shops the staff immediately speak to me but not to my wife, even though she has an interest in painting and game playing too, though I've never actually played Warhammer itself with her.

The attitude is that women there are either buying gifts or just following their man around. Well that's an impolite assumption to make IMO. Even if it is the case they should at first engage them like they do the men and ask if they paint or play and what their interests are, because that's what they do whenever a man walks in. To do otherwise is sexist.

Yeah i only know a couple that are into this hobby, i remember a year or so ago when i was passing through Hull that the gamesworkshop had a female staff member which was the first one i had ever seen.

But i agree with Howard i dont think any effort is made on GW's behalf to engage female gamers. Though on the other hand i tend not to even take my girlfriend with me to the local grimsby store as it would appear as soon as i do a good share of weirdos do there best to stare and make her feel uncomfortable. (that and the BO smell that seems to go hand in hand with small GW stores).

But i think its one reason that my girlfriend has never moved past the occasionally painting something stage, and thats the fact that the hobby does attract a small percentage of what you might call the socially awkward that do a decent job of making females feel uncomfortable (current and one past partner have felt this).

This can i suppose be circumvented by finding a good group and playing with them, but about the wider hobby as this question talks about I think these are the kind of things that can put female gamers off.

Salad_Fingers wrote:(that and the BO smell that seems to go hand in hand with small GW stores)

Don't get me started on GW and BO. I mean really, would the kids wear it if GW sold their own brand of deodorant in the shop? I recall going int a GW in the summer holidays in the middle of a huge game with about 20-30 teenagers all around the table, the smell of BO was eye watering, they had huge fans going to cool the place down and one member of staff appeared out of the back room witha can of air freshener which he sprayed liberally around the room. I didn't last long.

I knew a couple of girls at university who were into wargames. They were more into the role-playing side of things though they did take some interest in historicals. This was before Warhammer was invented.

I haven't met a girl club member since then.

My wife is entirely disinterested -- she considers painting figures an occupation for prison inmates. My daughter has shown some interest because at her age (9) it looks like a kind of game of dolls.

I went out with a girl who played before I met her, I also know about 3 or 4 others. But mostly I think wargaming is a male hobby.

There are a handful of girls at the shop I frequent.

My wife plays sometimes. She enjoys painting individual models, but not the repetition of painting an army.

I have been playing 40k for about 8 years and have not once even seen a female player, nevermind played against one.

I played against a woman last night.

Mostly women arent strategic/mathematically talented by nature. Ofc, with exceptions.

Also, playing with toy soldiers have always by tradition been a male thing.

That's incredibily sexist. It also has no scientific basis.

In the U.S. historically girls were steered away from math and hard sciences during elementary and secondary school which led to the perception of women being less adapt at math/science. But that has gradually been changing over time.

Howard A Treesong wrote:The attitude is that women there are either buying gifts or just following their man around. Well that's an impolite assumption to make IMO. Even if it is the case they should at first engage them like they do the men and ask if they paint or play and what their interests are, because that's what they do whenever a man walks in. To do otherwise is sexist.

Having worked retail, the following is not something that's trained, but certainly implied. When assisting couples, it's customary to address the person of the same sex as you first. So if you're male, you speak with the male, and vice versa. This makes it seem as if you are NOT hitting on their parter (even though sometimes you are ). However, if a couple splits up when entering the store, then it's pretty much free game. Though I'd still try to approach the same sex person first simply out of respect.

I guess I kind of equate it to a waiter who puts the check down in front of the woman. On dates (particularly first dates), I find this insulting. If you can't put the check in front of the male, then put it mid-table. Though I'm still of the mindset that the guy should pay for the first date. After that, given Women's Rights, the economy, and other things, something else can be worked out on a case-by-case basis.

And for the record, I've played against one female, but have witnessed four.

None of which let me buy them dinner

I have seen four or five woman war gaming one has over 10,000 pts of nids. One i played two weeks ago plays necrons the others played fantasy or other games. We have lots of women come in the store for other things

budro wrote:That's incredibily sexist. It also has no scientific basis.

In the U.S. historically girls were steered away from math and hard sciences during elementary and secondary school which led to the perception of women being less adapt at math/science. But that has gradually been changing over time.

And that's revisionist thinking. Girls just aren't very smart. That is also why they don't play football.

Get with the times.

<- Female

I play Tau, CSM and Orks. I initially got into the hobby because of my enjoyment of RTS games (Especially DoW) and i thought the minis looked neat. So my husband and I picked up some battleforces and MacCrag and tried it out. He has been enjoying it, but not as much as me..

I'm up to about 3500 of Tau, 2000 CSM, and not much of Orks, but I'm working on it. I'm going to try my luck at 'ard Boyz next year, so I just might see some of you there.

I told you when you played her Zamboni, if you bought my girlfriend AND I dinner I would have let you take her out after the game.

This is gonna end up being somewhat sexist, mysoginist and probably inflammatory....

But I don't like miniature or role-play gaming with women. And our gaming group eventually came up with a "ban" on allowing women to play.

Our experience has been that they are not fun to game with, they bring drama to the club, they are more concerned with socialzing rather then gaming, and just bring down the whole experience.

It's the same when watching football.....hardly any women understand the strategy, and all they do is giggle and talk about watching the men's asses in the tight pants.

Now, play some games like Settlers of Cataan, or Monoply or Boggle, and women are fine to game with...except when they start losing and get bored and whiny.

General Hobbs wrote:

This is gonna end up being somewhat sexist, mysoginist and probably inflammatory....

But I don't like miniature or role-play gaming with women. And our gaming group eventually came up with a "ban" on allowing women to play.

Our experience has been that they are not fun to game with, they bring drama to the club, they are more concerned with socialzing rather then gaming, and just bring down the whole experience.

It's the same when watching football.....hardly any women understand the strategy, and all they do is giggle and talk about watching the men's asses in the tight pants.

Now, play some games like Settlers of Cataan, or Monoply or Boggle, and women are fine to game with...except when they start losing and get bored and whiny.

Well, rather, but...

I'm all for Gentlemen's Clubs. We all need to get away from the other half for a while on occasion.

I just wish I could get my wife to have the same attitude towards taking me shopping for shoes.

At the FLGS there are several women who play WM/Hordes but none who play 40k/Fantasy.

My wife wanted to learn how to play 40k or Fantasy to humor me, mostly, but I wouldn't want her to learn. I certainly don't want her to start painting- she would certainly be better than I am (which isn't difficult).

Salad_Fingers wrote:
But i think its one reason that my girlfriend has never moved past the occasionally painting something stage, and thats the fact that the hobby does attract a small percentage of what you might call the socially awkward that do a decent job of making females feel uncomfortable (current and one past partner have felt this).

This can i suppose be circumvented by finding a good group and playing with them, but about the wider hobby as this question talks about I think these are the kind of things that can put female gamers off.

Bingo! We have a winner!

Basically we've got a hobby that appeals to a small part of the overall population. Most people involved in this have been introduced to it by their friends, or by going into a hobby store (dominated by men). If you're a woman who DOES know somebody who's interested in this sort of thing, what are the chances that you're also going to be interested? I'm going to guess on average, pretty low, and whatever interest you DO have is likely to be tempered some degree by the socially awkward people you're likely to run into.

At the heart of it, these games are largely about social interaction. If I just wanted to paint stuff I could do that at home. If I just want to play a game with little soldiers there are a ton of computer games out there, with instant match over the 'net stuff.

So if the social interaction is not what you're comfortable with, then you'll leave.

So to those guys who are lucky enough to have a woman (or two) who are interested in play with you, the BEST thing you can do it treat them just the same as all the other guys in the shop, just maybe with a little less trash talk.

Cyporiean wrote:<- Female

I play Tau, CSM and Orks. I initially got into the hobby because of my enjoyment of RTS games (Especially DoW) and i thought the minis looked neat. So my husband and I picked up some battleforces and MacCrag and tried it out. He has been enjoying it, but not as much as me..

I'm up to about 3500 of Tau, 2000 CSM, and not much of Orks, but I'm working on it. I'm going to try my luck at 'ard Boyz next year, so I just might see some of you there.

Thats great to hear

General Hobbs wrote:This is gonna end up being somewhat sexist, mysoginist and probably inflammatory.... But I don't like miniature or role-play gaming with women.

Easily the funniest thing you've ever said Hobbs.

BYE

General Hobbs wrote:

This is gonna end up being somewhat sexist, mysoginist and probably inflammatory....

But I don't like miniature or role-play gaming with women.

I total disagree, some of the best games i have played is against women and some of the best painting has been done by women

As has been said, GW does not cater to women and that women who go into a store are often ignored in favour of their partners.

This problem, however, is not down to sexism amongst GW staff - its down to poor quality of GW staff.

GW needs to realise that if it stops paying abysmal wages, and incentivises staff to stay on by rewarding them with year-on-year pay increases (as happens with lots of other jobs) it will get...

...wait for it, drum roll please...


...GOOD STAFF!!!

Most GW staff are young and inexperienced - and work with other young and inexperienced staff because of the lack of retention. It becomes difficult for them to learn the art of conversation and the ability to pitch conversation at the appropriate level for the customer in question.

As a result, everyone gets the 'YAY, SPASE MARIENZ, HURR...' treatment. This works fine with 12-year-old boys, but tends to be grating on older gamers and sends women running screaming and/or laughing from the shop.

Good conversational skills can overcome a lot of prejudice (hell, I got a mum to agree to buy the WFB 6th ed box set to play with her son by talking up the virtues of the literacy, numeracy and artistic skills required ) but you need people who have done more than graduate from playing in the shop as kids to working in the shop as adults to make it happen.

just my $0.02

@Chimera_Calvin, sounds like you turned you $0.02 into $85AUD lol, good return and totally agree with you on the staff thing.

I would love to work a t GW but am 100's of K's from them, i totally know what you mean by lack of conversation, im only 16 but find it really trying if they use 10 year old talk to me.

That's strange...

Aren't bald men pointing and screaming attractive ?

I play warhams to get the white womens.