For guys: Gaming with women

I surveyed some gamer chicks a couple months ago about their opinions and experiences on gaming with men. Here is my advice as a gamer guy when gaming with women. Some of it only applies to women new to a game while some of it applies to any female gamer.

1) Don't talk to them like they are children
If a woman has sat down to play a game with you, don't patronize her when you talk to her. Don't assume that they don't know the rules or that they have a hard time understanding them. If a woman is new to gaming, she is already stepping outside her comfort zone and anything talking down to her will have one or two effects. It could make her think that the game is very complex and become disinterested. More likely though she is going to feel disrespected in that you are treating her like it's not possible for her to understand or figure it out. In the end, she'll know when she doesn't understand something and will ask you questions if necessary. jewelry box glass prices

2) Do listen to their ideas
Every woman I've talked to that has played an RPG with guys has said that the guys don't value their ideas the same as they do the ideas of the other guys. So if any of the women at the table give an idea on how to deal with a problem, listen to them because their ideas and input are just as valuable as anyone else at the table. While this happens most often with RPGs, I've seen it happen with board games and card games, too. A woman in your game of Settlers of Catan realizes that one of the players will get longest road if she doesn't build another road piece first. miniclip

3) Don't exclude them from plot
It's really tempting when talking about a "complex" or "intricate" plot that's been going on for months in your group to say to the new woman at the table, "Don't worry about it, this is from before." This kind of goes back to #2 above in that if you explain the current events, you might get some new insights into an enemy, a mechanic, or plot that you've been dealing with for a long time. You want to involve the new female gamer as much as you would work to involve a new player. sydney electrician

These three things came up the most when I asked women about their experiences gaming with guys. Treating someone with respect and being helpful in integrating them into your gaming group is a lot more than just talking softly (which can be patronizing all by itself sometimes). Instead of thinking that the gamer chick or potential gamer chick that has joined you is just a gamer chick, think of her as just another gamer. Treating her like an equal that you want to involve in your entire game is the thing to always remember and will lead to a lot of fun times.

Afterall, we all just want to have some good fun.