Women In Gaming

[Albion Knight]

Re: Women In Gaming

I think that it is essential that there be more women in the gaming industry for it to become a more mainstream art.

As for Women Heroine it makes some sense that like other warriors they would be a bit stoic. It doesn't make sense that they would be dressed the way they are. Men in Full Plate and Woman in Metal bikinis while might be visually appealing doesn't make sense. The fact that we are wanting more depth of emotion from the characters is encouraging to me. Games will take on a more real sense and can go from being considered predominately games for adolescent boys to everyone

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: Women In Gaming

It's weird in a way - on the one hand there is a part of me that bristles with indignation when I read about women having to put aside all intentions of having a family just because their career depends on it but then another part of me can see the sense in it. I mean, if you have to get something done on time and there will be enormous financial repercussions or something similar if you fail, then to have one or more of your essential team has to take time off for family stuff I can fully appreciate how much of a bind that puts you in.


I suppose you'd know this - would you say, with everything you know about people-y stuff (my vocabulary is not what it was five hours ago), that it is more of a social construction that we expect the women to deal with the sick kids etc rather than the men and treat both sexes accordingly? I've yet to come across an employer who lets the dad drop everything to be with his sick child (serious issues of course are a different matter)...they tend to ask if his wife can just take time out of her job instead. Presuming, I would guess, that the woman's job is not seen as important as the man's?

yeah, it's a social construct, and not based at all on biology.... there are cultures where the males are seen as the nurturing ones and it is their job to care for children and cook and clean etc... there is nothing about women that is inherently better able to handle a sick child...
however, employers don't really presume women will handle things here...I don't know how it is there... men are given as much time off to care for children as women... fathers even get Paternity Leave from work, he can take it at the same time as the mother, or in succession... it's also becoming rather common for men to be stay at home fathers here... so I guess it would depend on what the culture is like where you live...

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: Women In Gaming

yeah, it's a social construct, and not based at all on biology.... there are cultures where the males are seen as the nurturing ones and it is their job to care for children and cook and clean etc... there is nothing about women that is inherently better able to handle a sick child...
however, employers don't really presume women will handle things here...I don't know how it is there... men are given as much time off to care for children as women... fathers even get Paternity Leave from work, he can take it at the same time as the mother, or in succession... it's also becoming rather common for men to be stay at home fathers here... so I guess it would depend on what the culture is like where you live...

As far as im aware the fathers here get paternity leave its just not as long as a woman is allowed. Though like you said the father could be the one to leave work and care for the child though it isnt that common it does happen but usually when the woman has a career or higher paid job and it would benefit them more if the man were to give up his. I dont know all the facts really im just going on what ive seen and heard from other people.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: Women In Gaming

As far as im aware the fathers here get paternity leave its just not as long as a woman is allowed. Though like you said the father could be the one to leave work and care for the child though it isnt that common it does happen but usually when the woman has a career or higher paid job and it would benefit them more if the man were to give up his. I dont know all the facts really im just going on what ive seen and heard from other people.

here it's a bit complicated, but parents get a lot of time off... Canada gives mothers 15 weeks extra, so they can take time off before the baby is born and not feel forced to work if they aren't up to it... and so long as a person is only working 40% of a workload, they will still receive their parental benefits... both parents then get 35 weeks each parental leave after the baby is born... and Ontario gives each parent and additional 17 weeks... so really if a couple wanted to they could be paid to sit one parent at a time home with the baby for just past the first 2 years... though usually it's one parent who will prefer to care for the child while the other returns to work

 

[Angel]

Re: Women In Gaming

Wow - I wanna live there.

Things are slowly changing here but it is still largely accepted that women stay at home and the men get up to 2 weeks off (paid) before heading back to work - even if the woman earns more. If you haven't been working long enough before you get pregnant, your SMP (statutory maternity pay) doesn't exist, so you have to either rely on your husband/partner's wages or sign on to state benefits. So far, maternity leave covers a grand total of 52 weeks (this is very new as it used to be only 26 weeks in total) and you get 90% of your average weekly wages for the first 6 weeks and then £112.75 for the remaining 33 weeks of your SMP. After that, you're on your own.

You are entitled to take the full 52 weeks off no matter how long you have been employed for and there is no obligation to return to work for the same employer again afterwards, but SMP only applies for those who have been making enough National Insurance contributions to qualify.

Fathers get the same money as the mothers for the duration of their leave but for both parents, despite the fact they are taking a drop in income, they still have to pay the same amount of tax and national insurance. Plus, for fathers, it is still perfectly acceptable for an employer to refuse them that much time off - but if they do take the time off, they must still be allowed to return to work as normal once their leave is over.

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: Women In Gaming

Ugh. Kids seems to be more trouble than they are worth, if you ask me.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: Women In Gaming

Wow - I wanna live there.

Things are slowly changing here but it is still largely accepted that women stay at home and the men get up to 2 weeks off (paid) before heading back to work - even if the woman earns more. If you haven't been working long enough before you get pregnant, your SMP (statutory maternity pay) doesn't exist, so you have to either rely on your husband/partner's wages or sign on to state benefits. So far, maternity leave covers a grand total of 52 weeks (this is very new as it used to be only 26 weeks in total) and you get 90% of your average weekly wages for the first 6 weeks and then £112.75 for the remaining 33 weeks of your SMP. After that, you're on your own.

You are entitled to take the full 52 weeks off no matter how long you have been employed for and there is no obligation to return to work for the same employer again afterwards, but SMP only applies for those who have been making enough National Insurance contributions to qualify.

Fathers get the same money as the mothers for the duration of their leave but for both parents, despite the fact they are taking a drop in income, they still have to pay the same amount of tax and national insurance. Plus, for fathers, it is still perfectly acceptable for an employer to refuse them that much time off - but if they do take the time off, they must still be allowed to return to work as normal once their leave is over.

your way sounds like a complicated hassle :lol:
it could be due to lower birthrates here than there, I don't know what it is there, but we only have about 10 births for every 1000 people here... we don't have many children of our own, we just attract lots of delicious immigrants, so we can afford to support the few parents we have while they stay home...
we also have government subsidized daycare, so that once the parental leave runs out, if both parents would rather be working they can go to government daycare, where they'll eat all the food groups and learn to tell time and their colours and such so they're set for school when that starts at age 4...
I certainly hope school is free in the U.K. :lol:
but anyhoo... the point being we try to make it very easy for a woman or a man both to have a child here...
and of course with universal health care, she doesn't pay a penny for her pre natal care, or any care ever... nobody does :lol:

 

[Angel]

Re: Women In Gaming

Dammit - I've said it a million times but our country sucks...:lol:

Obviously, women are exempt from healthcare payments of any kind (unless she goes private) for the duration of their pregnancy but whilst immigration seems to boost your economy, it is crippling ours incredibly. School is free but varied - so you have to fight for your child to get into a decent educational establishment. People will move house just to get their kid into "that" school...it's crazy...

The birth rate here is still fairly low - but it is being blamed on a higher rate of failed relationships, lack of employer flexibility and many women waiting until they are nearly 30 before they even consider children, not realising that as you pass that threshold, it can become more difficult to conceive. I don't know if birth rate would have anything to do with the level of care available for parents - some countries have been doing everything they can in recent years to encourage women to have babies in order to fill the generational gap caused by lots of elderly people and very few young people. But if the country you live in offers very little in the way of financial support, it is bound to put you off.

If your employer doesn't have in-house daycare, or pay you enough to be able to cover the necessary childcare the Government are supposed to subsidise your income in order for you to be able to go back to work and know your child is adequately cared for. The truth of the matter is, the Government expect you to choose the least expensive childcare option when in reality, you'd want you child to have the best care and funnily enough, the best care doesn't come cheap...the so-called family benefits mean ultimately, you end up with less money than if you stayed at home and signed on for welfare.

Then there is the issue of, having been a career woman, staying at home but realising just how much it dulls your mind to not interact with other adults on a more intelligent level. It's not that you don't want to be with your child, but it's not the same as being at the forefront of some major project at work, or heading up your own team for example. You don't just lose the paycheck - you lose your identity.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: Women In Gaming

Dammit - I've said it a million times but our country sucks...:lol:

Obviously, women are exempt from healthcare payments of any kind (unless she goes private) for the duration of their pregnancy but whilst immigration seems to boost your economy, it is crippling ours incredibly. School is free but varied - so you have to fight for your child to get into a decent educational establishment. People will move house just to get their kid into "that" school...it's crazy...

Then there is the issue of, having been a career woman, staying at home but realising just how much it dulls your mind to not interact with other adults on a more intelligent level. It's not that you don't want to be with your child, but it's not the same as being at the forefront of some major project at work, or heading up your own team for example. You don't just lose the paycheck - you lose your identity.

healthcare... payments...?
yeah... we don't have those... =]

and our schools are all the same... the only program you need to be accepted into is the Enhanced Program, and you're selected based on being in the top 2 percentile of your peer group... so you don't have to fight for it... you're either designated as gifted or you're not... but you don't go to separate schools, you just have separate classes...

and that is why I could never ever ever ever stay home with a child... I couldn't take it and if it was a choice between me staying home and being a full time mommy or never having children, I'd rather never have the children :lol:
which is why they have paternal leave now :lol:

 

[Angel]

Re: Women In Gaming

Healthcare payments = prescription charges and certain vaccinations

Yeah, had it been up to me (not that I'd be without Jessica now) I'd never have had a child because I never wanted one...but I've gotten fairly used to the whole parenting rubbish now and because I had her at 18, I'm not trapped in that circle of hell reserved for those mums who seem to have delivered their brain with the placenta - I'm still young enough to get back on my feet and carry on...

That's another issue parents don't realise about going back to work after having a baby - your brain is temporarily scrambled and you do struggle to maintain any kind of line of concentration and your thoughts tend to be wound up with "is the baby ok?" and "why have I packed three nappies and not my annual report?"

 

[Triz]

Re: Women In Gaming

I know this is a old thread... but I say it is GREAT to have women in video games. If there is not any women in video games, EVERY single game would look like God Of War, only more nudity. :lol: