How to Get More Women Playing EVE Online
Lililiari Aaken
“While there are more women in the world than men, there are significantly less female players in EVE Online than male. Gals are as little as 3.8% of all EVE subscriptions.”
I would like to focus on the reasons for this disproportion. And yes, I do know that in the gaming community we are still a minority. I have spent some time discussing the topic with fellow players, both men and women, reading everything I could find out about it; lurking through the comments below my first article and on reddit—I have to say that the conclusion is not very revealing, nor it is very funny. Dear gentlemen, boys, fellas, bros—you are the main reason girl-bros do not stick to the game, and eventually leave or lurk in the shadows, rarely revealing their real gender. I will not sit on my judgement throne and cast fireballs at you. I am not a person that does that. We are mostly an adult community, and I seriously hope you can identify, and correct, bad behavior. To that end, I will help you fix that. Here is a list of common behaviours that make us cringe: 1. ZOMG it’s a guuuuuuuurl! Have you guys heard?! A GIRL! BEWBZ! We have a FEMALE in comms!Just… stop. She knows she’s been a woman for some time now. In fact, she probably looks in the mirror every now and then. Honestly, this is pretty hard to hide unless you’re Mary Read. You are not being funny; it does not make you look like a stallion with cunning brains. You are being ridiculous, and you may make her uncomfortable. How would you feel if every time you started chatting in voice comms, someone shouted “OMIGAWD it’s a boy! Congrats on that dick thing!”
2. Go make me a sandwich! Why aren’t you in the kitchen?! Are you using your big brother’s account?“Casual” sexism. Don’t get me wrong, there is a certain group of gals who would laugh, and I am one of them. But this gets boring, really fast. While some of us might find this funny the first or tenth time, the 101st time is beyond old and nuh-uh, you’re not first this week. You’re probably not even first on that day. Google some new jokes, preferably not sexist, and stop nagging. It won’t win you anything, not even e-peen, and you may lose a fantastic pilot from your fleet, corp, or alliance.
3. Oh-oh, you’re helping her? Whoa brother, you love her! Are you going to have kids?Look, dumbass, there are gentlemen who know better than you how to treat fellow pilots, especially newbros. We were all newbs (some of us still are), and we all needed help from time to time. Remember when you were laughing at that one friend who helped girls with their backpacks, instead of pulling their braids? This is how you are behaving now. Congrats on being a man-child.
4. Do you have boobs like your avatar? Do you look like her?Those are pixels, and we are people. Some of us want the avatar to resemble themselves, some don’t. Some just don’t get the character creator and do not want to be bothered. And it’s none of your business! You should never show interest in anyone’s—be that a man’s or a woman’s—body parts, especially so-called private parts, because it makes people uncomfortable and may be seen as molestation. Do not do this. Keep your creepy stalker side to yourself, and we’ll all be happier.
CCP is working their asses off to make the game more newbro friendly, and some players are starting to cooperate. After all, it is always nice to have more people to pod, right? Part of the newcomers will be women; we might as well work together on keeping them, or at least on not making them leave the game in the middle of their first fleet. I’ve also heard other reasons why there are so few ladies in game, such as: the learning curve is killer, and the character creator doesn’t have enough customization options. The game lacks a feminine touch, special activities, and items for women. It is too competitive, too hard, and it lacks a point to all the activities. There are no pink skins for the ships, and there is too little Hello Kitty. Female models stand on their toes in flat boots, etc. And while some of those reasons are valid for some players, I somehow cannot see the heels issue as the reason for the disproportion between the general percentage of female gamers and female gamers in EVE. Let me know your thoughts. And Dear Ladies… boys will be boys. I wholeheartedly think this is a valid cause, and I certainly do not condone any sort of harassment—in game or out. Remember, we don’t live in an ideal world, and sometimes have to deal with things that make us uncomfortable. Do not run, do not hide. Our boy-bros come from different backgrounds; they may have their own issues, or they might have grown up following some seriously broken role models. Some of them are just plain dicks, and nothing will change that. But there is also a bunch (the majority) of normal guys who will welcome you with open arms as their pilot, logirl-bro (see what I did there?), trader, miner, diplomat, bomber, pirate or general carebear. If you end up in the wrong group—don’t quit. If you like the game, you will definitely find someone (or many someones) to fly with. Just note the names of the ones that piss you off, and blow their arses up to hell. Feels good, right? Love, LiliAbout the author
Lililiari Aaken
Pro ship spinner and Jita scammers’ troll, The New Eden Store fashion critic, all-around good girl. Vividly interested in phenomenons like the #boombitch effect. Founder of graph pr0n addicts support group. Gamer, nerd, wife. Occassional rebel.
