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We're in a new room. Klaus 1443. Be there or be square, you nerds.
Presentation by Emily Cribb
Presentation by Mike Riley: Skill Curves
Discussion: "Gender in Gaming" lead by Emily Cribb.
-Everybody likes to look at attractive people, even of the same gender. See: G.I. Joe, Barbie, etc.
-A lot of people use games as an escape from reality, so it's preferred for things to be idealized. This includes how characters look.
-The market for people wanting escapism is much greater than the market for people who want agency (i.e. the ability to do whatever they want in a game, including make themselves). See Second Life.
-Look at all these freaking commmercials. There's a point somewhere in here.
-Marketing to a specific gender is a poor business decision. It's a better idea to market to gamers in general, unless you absolutely know what you're doing. If you're trying to pull in a niche market, it's probably because you're too inept to compete in the larger field.
-The stereotype of gamers being male is probably based on older traditions of male competitiveness in sports
-Stereotypical characters are useful in games because they allow the player to connect and understand plot and storyline without unreasonably lengthy exposition
Game Review: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) by some Asian guy who didn't tell me his name.
-This is the first Castlevania DS game. It's old and everybody's played it.
-Oh look Metroid elements, a giant castle, and RPG elements. This game is drastically different from all the others in the series.
-The plot of the game is that you have to explore a giant castle to kill Dracula. Again, stunning.
-You level up after killing enemies and get equipment and abilities that allow you to progress through the castle. Last time I checked, Gary Gygax made this game in 1974.