CrazyKinux has a Blog Banter challenge: The Ladies of New Eden:
What could CCP Games do to attract and maintain a higher percentage of women to the game. Will Incarna do the trick? Can anything else be done in the mean time? Can we the players do our part to share the game we love with our counterparts, with our sisters or daughters, with the Ladies in our lives? What could be added to the game to make it more attractive to them? Should anything be changed? Is the game at fault, or its player base to blame?
Here’s what I think….
I am all male (last time I checked). I do not know of any females who play EVE. So, my insight into the female gamer is limited. When CK came up with this challenge, I asked around my office. Unfortunately, none of my female coworkers play any online game. They’re that lame.
Then it hit me: Second Life. There are more females that you can shake a stick at. I downloaded the client, figured out my old id and password, and logged on.
And I started asking. I knew some folks on there, so I talked to them first. Why Second Life? The answer they gave can be pretty much summed up like this:
- Creativity. There is a vast array of self expression, from creating clothes and such to designing scripts. Photoshop power!
- Community and friendship.
- Ability to do anything you want
- Romance
I don’t play WoW or any other games, so I will have to use the SL sample to formulate my thoughts.
- Allow for player created items to exist. Paint schemes for ships? Icarna may be a better fit for this as uniforms, clothing, scripts and such can be created and sold for the station walking experience.
- In Incarna, have player owned stores, clubs, etc.
- In SL, you can start creating right away, as the creation is really outside of the game. Fast-track skillsets not related to pew-pew or mining may be in order.
- I don’t like this suggestion, as it is core to EVE: Soften TFU. Space is harsh, and it is one of the reasons why I like it. However, the biggest complaint I heard from those who knew about EVE or had tried it was that, well, EVE’s a bitch.
- Romance? Um…no. Surprise buttsecs still should be a gank. Maybe something like a matchmaking service. Corps of Love.
- LOLcats and Smurfs. Incorporate them somehow.
Really, I don’t believe there is much hope for transplants from Second Life to EVE. Maybe those who get WoW would like EVE. I doubt it, though. WoW seems to be full of goblins and elves and such, which is right up the fantasy aisle. And don’t get me started about vampires. Jeez. Maybe a Nosferatu module could be some sexy misunderstood hunk?
No.
Here are some other folks’ thoughts on this:
I haven’t read most of them, yet, as I didn’t want their stellar writing to influence my crap-fest.
Fly feminine?
-Ze
Ore, Pirates, and Pods 
Don’t be so sure. That was the first MMO I played, and I love EVE. Gamers can enjoy different genres just as readers can.
True. A friend’s teenage daughter loves her WoW, and was impressed with the latest EVE graphics, but she really didn’t want to play. She just wanted to be with her friends, and her friends are on WoW.