Topic

Glitch: Too estrogen driven to attract male players?

So, I'm a 35 year old guy with a wife and kids who was invited to play this game several weeks ago by someone at Tiny Speck. I immediately found the game to be fun enough to play as a casual experience, but I honestly have been losing interest as quickly as I progress due to the feeling that it has little or no appeal for males to play.

Glitch has a lot of potential for many kinds of people, but I honestly feel it is focusing in on the 10 to 30-something female, thus limiting its appear to the other gender ENTIRELY. If I hung my masculinity on the wall and just played Glitch, I could easily spend hours of having endless fun with this game, but I am all too often reminded of how this game is NOT geared for men. Whats more, even my wife laughed when she saw me playing this during the EOTW party, asking if I was going homo on her.

So, while I could cite several examples of how this game personally makes me unattracted to it, I'll just offer the following obvious examples as seen while visiting the site:

1) Pastels, everywhere!
Is this really necessary right down to character customization? I mean come on, this is fine in San Francisco and NYC, but as stated before: No appeal for the manly figure.

Perhaps a customizable skin chooser for the game's frame, a set of "REI-like" clothing choices and less effeminate choices would help. The awards are atrociously gag-worthy... pink buttons for planting beans or cooking... lovely: beta.glitch.com/achievements/

2) Subscribers are designated as pink hearts.
Most men (who prefer women) would not be comfortable with this and I doubt that they would buy a membership strictly because of it.

Almost anything at this point would be preferable, seriously. You can go to the grocery store and watch many men pass up on purchasing products that offer immediate donations to breast cancer. It has nothing with support the cause and everything to do with the fact that it's a pink ribbon.

3) Characters, while cartoony, lack any wardrobe or vanity customizations that would be considered masculine in ANY way.
From feathers to MORE pastels to kilts and pumps, I see nothing here created by a straight male.

Simply have a man make some shirts with sports, trucks or booze on them... add basic sneekers and steal toe boots... might help just a *wee-bit*.
 
Bash me if you will, but I am not trying to say the game sucks as much as I am trying to offer constructive criticism as to why this game will lack male players, especially ones whom have insecurities about maintaining their masculinity (which is a majority of men). If you note, I am also trying to offer suggestions to make it more appealing to the potential male players out there.

Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  • I, and the half doezen real world friends (all male) who have played, have not had any of these reactions. Is it a bit twee? Sure! So are the Muppets.

    I am assuming you are being extreme in some of your responses... to the point of being... well, offensive. I am ASSUMING you mean this tongue in cheek.

    I think the answer may be that anyone who looked upon the games visual design and said "Ick! Too girly!" would probably not be that attracted to the somewhat touchy-feely game play. ("What?! Not player vs player fighting?! NO FIGHTING AT ALL?!!!?") 

    So it is probably actually a decent filter. Honestly, anyone who would be turned off by a heart by there name is probably someone who I'd not love playing with. The goal for anything should not be "How can we get EVERYONE to play?" but should be "How can we get everyone who would enjoy what we're creating play?"

    I mean there certainly are many manly clothing options. Suit of armor? A skull mask? Coat of baby heads? (I mean, what's more manly than a coat of baby heads?)
    Posted 17 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i'm trying to decide if this topic is meant seriously or humorously or both ..

    well, i'm a guy and i'm married [to a woman] so presumably i am attracted to women. or at least one woman.

    i don't mind the pastels or the hearts. there are lots of games out there that women play despite stereotypically 'male' imagery, so i'm not too concerned about the reverse.

    though i will probably never dress my glitch up in "girly" clothing, i think it is cool if anyone else of any other gender decides to do.

    i like your hat btw.
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oops.. Edited to fix spelling/grammer and not quiet sure what happened.. *shrug*
    Posted 17 months ago by BumbleBeez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @striatic It was written in the extreme sense to be meant to be both as humorous and serious in the sense that it needs a more male additions, nothing more.

    @Lord Bacon-o Agreed with the muppets analogy, but as stated to striatic, it needs more male additions to conform to the stereotypical male identity.
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It would be nice if you could express your opinions about the lack of masculinity without proclaiming that every straight male must agree.
    Posted 17 months ago by larky lion Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @BumbleBeez

    Games do not have to have guns/fighting/violence to be attractive to men. As I stated in my original post even, this game is fun and I would enjoy it more if I felt there was more level of male identity to the game.
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Also, "emasculate" doesn't mean what you seem to think it means.
    Posted 17 months ago by larky lion Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ok i think that yes, the game could use some more stereotypically male clothing. i'm guessing a fair number of female players would wear such clothing and at the very least welcome its inclusion.

    unfortunately, the whole 'no self respecting male' thing and the implication that there are no straight designers on glitch just .. it isn't very funny, to be honest.
    Posted 17 months ago by striatic Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Hmm. Ok. This does tend to go to a a stereotypical male image you describe. But I have seen very "masculine" costumes and character images. You ever notice the suits of armor and such? The color of the subscriber heart is no biggie to me, but it's an easy fix. The core concept of this games world image is to be cute and playful. It closely models Japanese anime in this. Your wife was wrong. I know that's a hard thing to take, but she did you a HUGE disservice asking if you were "going homo". Has she even been playing the game?
    I'm a VERY straight man. I'm 44-years old and living in the Midwest.  Not exactly a liberal, feminine area! The pink hearts are fine with me. Why would I not be in my right mind? Cartoon hearts are traditionally red or pink. And the idea of a heart symbol indicating strong dedication is also traditional. They can change the color to red maybe, but I wouldn't see any real reason too. The colors on the buttons are picked for contrast and often are graduated. The light "pastel" look is just a consequence of a practical design.
    ... And why are you making this complaint wearing a cupcake hat?
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I wasn't saying ALL males are attraction to more violent games, just that the ones I am surounded by are and I felt your ideas of some more male dominated clothing had merit.
    Posted 17 months ago by BumbleBeez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It's refreshing to have a game which looks different. After a couple of years of WoW and a myriad of Flash games, I like the most how surreal and absurd it can be at times, the humor, the unexpected, and I don't think that's particularly "girly" (or "manly").
    I do think that there are few wardrobe and vanity options I'd like to wear. (Male here, likes women. Although it's somewhat stupid that I feel I've got to say that.)
    Posted 17 months ago by Ximenez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • For the record, this straight male buys many kitchen gadgets that are pink not only to support breast cancer research, but primarily because they are pink.

    'Course, that's the problem with stereotypes. Usually they don't apply.
    Posted 17 months ago by Ferbot Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Ximenez

    EXACTLY why the game was appealing. There is a shortage of good games out there and this one offers a lot of cool ideas and is something fresh. The humor and light-hearted approach of the game is rather appealing, but after what my wife said I started to see that it was indeed lacking in more male identity options. 

    @EVERYONE

    Realize I focused on a stereotypical view of the masculine ideal here and it does not in any way reflect my own sentiments or I might otherwise not even be playing, but sitting in the garage under the hood of a car. Quite the contrary, I enjoy the game, but feel it needs more added to be immediately appealing to a majority of "men".
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • There is little to no room in a really whimsical, lighthearted game like this, I've found.

    And I absolutely love it. It's refreshing, and different, and yeah, definitely feminine.

    Masculine items and buttons, skins, etc, would look out of place and would clash with the overall feel of the game. This game simply won't be for everyone, just like every other game ever made.

    But that's just my opinion.
    Posted 17 months ago by Luk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Aw, I just think it's sad you can't play this game that you enjoy without feeling the way you do.

    Just my humble opinion here but if you want a really masculine game, there are plenty where sword fighting, guns, and laser beams are rampant. That's just not what Glitch IS. I don't see anything unmanly about the EOTW party.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Aw, come on.  Isn't there a chest-hair shirt?  I mean, that's pretty manly.  Heck, just wear that!  Maybe some camo pants.  Mullet (isn't there one?  I swear I've seen one).  Baseball cap.  You'll be man all over, no questions asked.
    Posted 17 months ago by Kipple Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @c0mand0r - Gotcha! Your initial post kind of pushed the wrong buttons with me the way you first phrased it. I have had something in mind in fact, but it's something that has to be "dev's eyes only" and I don't have a reasonable communication channel on that one yet.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • First of all, OP, why even bring it up if you enjoy playing?

    ok, lets see....

    - the main things a Glitch does when left alone is scratch its butt and fall asleep
    - Everyone is running around nekkid
    - tools
    - Uralia

    oh yeah, chest hair
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ... And why are you making this complaint wearing a cupcake hat? Posted 10 min ago by Fokian Fool

    Proof I'm not the stereotype I depict in my OP and that the extremes were made to reflect how many men will view the game. I cook for my wife and kids everyday, I chose the cupcake hat for the silly responses it inquires. I did find it difficult to create an avatar with a more male identity however and I do find it lacks visual appeal for many men. The guys I invited to play it all laughed as it being a flash version of Sims Online or Cookin Mama, not for men.
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am actually kind of a big fan of the fluidity of visible gender in this game: I'm sorry if you feel you cannot visually present yourself in a way that increases your personal security with the options herein, but I'm pretty sure the developers are trying to be accommodating of you, as they are of me and anyone else. I mean, you can go around in what is primarily "male" underwear and chest hair. That seems pretty manly to me.

    Also, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought the subscriber heart was because someone loved the game, and that it wasn't a statement of gender, just appreciation.
    Posted 17 months ago by Caesura Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You can go to the grocery store and watch any man pass up on purchasing products that offer immediate donations to breast cancer. It has nothing with support the cause and everything to do with the fact that it's a pink ribbon. Um, what? Sorry, dude, but most grown men are past immediate opposition to the color pink (OOH, COOTIES!).
    Posted 17 months ago by Cupcake Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to c0mand0r! Good show. :)
    And what is "masculine" about Uralia? Trying to remember much about that location.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fokian- look at the background next time. it's the entrance to/area around the mines.
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh! That place! Yeah. I know it. Part of it is what we watch being created in that one Tiny Spec YouTube video. :) It still tends to the pastel though. It's whimsical, but I wouldn't hang either a "masculine" or "feminine" label on it, IMHO. In fact I wish it was expanded more somehow.
    Posted 17 months ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • enlarged, perhaps?
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, warmmamma ran around awhile with brown chest hair and Bob Apple dressed in drag, but he worried it made his bum look big. LOL

    I like that our avi is gender neutral and that we decorate it according to preference. I think the devs work really hard to introduce more variety. If you check the forums you will see tons of clothing suggestions that often get implemented. For what it's worth, I think the pink heart is lame too.  And, sorry, but I think your wife's comment was demeaning---to laugh at and put down something you enjoy was not very loving.
    Posted 17 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "...but feel it needs more added to be immediately appealing to a majority of "men"."

    I guess this is the premise that I don't buy. "Majority of stereotypical gamers"? Maybe. Sure. But I also think that is a very shallow view of males... and humans. And making changes to appeal to a stereotypical view point is the same as reaching for the lowest common denominator. THe same argument would go "Call Of Duty should have more softer colors and flowers to appeal to women." And I think that is insulting to (1) women and (2) to Call of Duty.

    So it is not even the specifics you list that bother me. It is the whole premise that it is problem for the game or a problem in society that needs to be indulged.

    Edited to add: I actually am probably not the person to address this issue. Heck, a few days ago in another thread I discussed how gender is not binary. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • OP, if you've posted not your actual opinions but what you assume what others will be thinking, then this discussion is moot. If you like the game despite what you think it lacks, then game doesn't need them.
    Posted 17 months ago by MaryLiLamb Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I see the things you point to as a feature of Glitch, not a bug. There are plenty of manly games out there for manly men who abhor pastels. What's the point of making just one more dudebro game?
    Posted 17 months ago by Yubi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Lord Bacon-o

    The problem is that if I tried to make an argument as anything other than the stereotype, it would be subject to countless amounts of scrutiny which would be directed right back at me. By using the stereotype, I can set a non-personal baseline to show the extremes of the visual styling when citing comparison to "men".

    It is obvious to me that the game dev's will not suddenly change everything to conform to this provocation, but it should none the less be used as a subjective tool to find some middle ground. Obviously, any man who is secure with himself can enjoy just about anything, but there is always going to be something that each and every one of us, male or female, can relate to from my original post and is why I brought it up: There's just not enough male things.
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 MLL and LBO

    I personally hate most pastels and pink, and am not crazy about the subscriber hearts. I love it when men and women here dress as the opposite sex. I find your stereotypes offensive and ....

    Ooooohhh! Butterfly!
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Yubi - You nailed it: "A feature, not a bug".
    Posted 17 months ago by Ximenez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Honestly, c0mad0r, you seem really insecure to begin with, to me.

    No offense meant.
    Posted 17 months ago by Luk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am a little confused.  You are wearing a tie and a cupcake hat.  I see you did not choose armor or a dragon suit or green skin or fangs or...  You have probably missed the Rook attacks and the floating male protrubrance and well, other "manly" features but if you continue on playing you will discover these things or maybe just your "feminine" side.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ bored.....oh, you have me LMAO!!!!!! I'm cracking up as I write.......
    Posted 17 months ago by GreyGoose Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Ooooohhh! Butterfly!" Vladimir Nabokov
    Posted 17 months ago by Ximenez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I tend to agree with this thread. I am a male who likes girls, but I play this game simply because many other friends play it. With that said I wouldn't mind a few changes or additions to even out the appeal, however it wouldn't stop me from playing it. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Gordon Gekko Subscriber! | Permalink
  • lol Ximenez. good reference.
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I would think that just being surrounded by creative, intelligent women would be reason enough for straight guys to play Glitch!

    Heck, I'm a straight woman, and I like being surrounded by creative, intelligent women...and men too, manly or not.
    Posted 17 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "There's just not enough male things."

    And again, this very premise is so odd to me. How do you define "male things" vs "female things"? I get that a gown or french maids outfit are feminine. But what is a suit of armor? A superhero suit? 

    Are pigs male or female? Farming? Mining? The Rook? Meditation? Chemistry? I think the VAST majority of the game is gender neutral. And the parts that aren't... well, they're gender optional.

    You say, "Oh! I'm cool with it!" Which is great. I just don't get this mysterious male audience that would be turned off by the game. If such an audience exists (which of course it does), it would be silly to court it. Just as it would be silly for Gears of War to court a more "feminine" ideal.

    (I point to the phenom of Bronies.)
    Posted 17 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, and I think you're selling men short. There are plenty of manly men in the world who wouldn't be threatened by what you perceive to be fun but girly. 
    Posted 17 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I can think of one other player who has frequently been mistaken for being male because in this game she dresses...well, like a dude from head to toe (although right now she is dressed like a dragon).

    Not to mention this is a game that features a male costume of black censor bars that actually extends in length on the bottom bar when your character emotes happiness.  I actually think the humor in the writing leans more to the male side of things.

    I think if anything Glitch is less estrogen-heavy than it is cuteness-laden.  And I don't really have a problem with that because it offers the opportunity to make fun of those stereotypes about adult masculinity and femininity.  
    Posted 17 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm going down the line and friending all the guys who are posting in this thread that they don't need to conform to stereotypes. These are the kind of guys I want to play with. If I'd enjoyed the numerous idiots in WoW, I wouldn't have left it for something different. Here's hoping our little world won't be filled with griefers and beggars.
    Posted 17 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I see that some things have already been pointed out here, but about achievement badges being too effeminate?

    Oh no, a staggering TEN PERCENT of the badges look effeminately pink! (32/332 = 9.6%)

    But wait....
    Doesn't that make 90% of them neutral-to-manly?

    (And curiously, I found that the footwear was not girly enough for my liking! All the shoes are so....flat)
    Posted 17 months ago by Biohazard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "The guys I invited to play it all laughed as it being a flash version of Sims Online or Cookin Mama, not for men."

    To this, I say that this is not the game for them. Glitch is unique in its art, wit and humor. I think this is why many people like this game in particular. Also, you're making the assumption that Sims and Cooking Mama are not for men. The assumptions you're making are off-putting for me to say the least.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Lord Bacon-o

    When a dev studio creates games, they focus on a target audience. I worked for SOE (Sony Online Entertainment) in developing games such as Everquest and WizKids where they always started with samples of people that fit a specific stereotype/demographic. No major studio starts off of neutral entities as it doesn't prove profitable, it never does for the likes of SOE or EA or Blizzard.

    Indy studios such as Tiny Speck have more flexibility than this, but it none the less has to be asked who is targeted with their theme to make money: "players must learn how to find and grow resources, identify and build community and, at the higher levels of the game, proselytize to those around them". If the male demographic is indeed part of the targeted audience here, which it seems to be to me, then more should be done to address that stereotype as there is no way to address the general populace of males otherwise.
    Posted 17 months ago by c0mad0r Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But you know...little suits with the standard bulging-all-over action MMO body types...male and female included...it would be so awesomely hilarious on the little singly-curved Glitchy body.
    Posted 17 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • But the thing is, this game seems exceptionally gender-neutral. An equal amount of features cater to men and women, without being too extreme in each category, and there are still more features that can be discerned to be appealing to either gender.

    It just doesn't matter that much.

    Though, if you want manly men features here, I don't really think it will ever happen.
    Posted 17 months ago by Luk Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What I find amusing in all this is that the word "stereotype" keeps popping up, yet everyone agrees that Glitch is unique. I say it is what it is and leave it be. If the "typical male" doesn't like it, so what? not everything is for everyone.

    I cannot wait to see if a dev responds to this.
    Posted 17 months ago by bored no more Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have a few kids. Two of them just turned four a couple of months back. If I'm playing glitch either one of them, or at times both of them, are on my lap watching. A lot of the time I let them play while sitting there- mining shiney for me, or tending my garden, even let them play around in Plexus. The jumping and floating was a big hit with them.

    Kindly what I like about glitch so much. There's not a whole lot here that I have to worry about or try to explain away. Nothing that I even remotely think will scare or trouble them. I spend my time with them doing their things, and they spend time with me doing the things I like. I don't have anything to be embarrassed about when we're together and glitching. It's pure and conveys a loving message. You can contend that the presence of alcohol isn't appropriate but they have no idea about what's going on. They've never seen me drink a drop of liquor all their lives so they don't have anything to swing a comparison to.

    When I come across other people ingame no one's cursing or making rude comments. No sexual innuendo or double entendres.  Again, nothing that I feel like I can't share with my kids. I realize that this place isn't geared towards that demographic, but it doesn't exclude me either.

    I'm a guy. I know where to find violent games if I feel like that. I know where redtube and cam4 are. But that's not how I choose to live my life or present myself to my children. I'm also in the majority of men who have lost family and friends to breast cancer so seeing that pink ribbon is an incentive to me to buy that product. Do the relay for life gig too. I'm not excluded from love and concern just because I sport that cool Y chromosome. If equal opportunity was available to raise awareness about testicular cancer I'd do that as well.

    If I was concerned with how my friends perceived the games I play I would eschew them altogether and spend my time outdoors playing foothockeypornball. I'm getting long in the tooth though; I don't rodeo no more and I'm getting too slow for even beer league. I spend some time playing here and there. The fact that I have found a place that doesn't celebrate gratuitous violence or glorify winning to the extent that cheating and botting are acceptable is what got me interested. Being able to share this with my children and not having a single moment where I questioned the content or community keeps me coming back. 
    Posted 17 months ago by malo Subscriber! | Permalink
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8