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Hello there!
Liked the video. In regard to picking an army, I think that it boils down to what 'speaks' to you. Some may well pick armies based on colour schemes they've seen, but I think what makes us choose an army is some inner mind process that just says "these models are perfect to my eyes" and you'll buy them and paint them. I'm surprised that people suggested that lizards are girly simply because of the colours; do they not realize that nearly all of the most dangerous animals in the world have all the brightest colours? To that way of thinking maybe they think you should be playing sisters of battle rather than orks!
Painting comments are generally helpful on dakka, almost certainly encouraging to whoever asks for advice. I'd like to think that they never made the nice comments simply because the poster was a girl, that would be wrong. It is more important that the person who asks for help and advice gets encouragement to continue(male or female), judge the model not the painter.
Well, that's the first time I've actually heard of Lizardmen being called girly. Interestingly, in 40K from what I've heard women seem to most frequently play Tyranids - now, I can't see a single reason that giant bugs would be considered girly, so I support your opinion.
Thanks for the video - it was an interesting insight that seemed to shed light onto stereotypes.
"Truth was a flame against a sleeping lake of petrol."
- Sarath Diyasena, Anil's Ghost.
Hi, just wanted to say I really enjoyed that video and its really interesting to watch and hear that. Thank you.
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Nice vid, you touch on some interesting points, specifically with regards to how showcase threads are responded to, I could be wrong but it's almost as though we're spoiled by excellence here on Dakka. 99% of the time when a new thread pops up the standard of painting is truly excellent. There are so many phenomenally well painted miniatures shown on this forum in comparison to stuff that's not as good it appears that members may have just become used to really high standards.
But this is probably also why threads showing miniatures painted to a lower standard get a lot of replies, because getting good takes a lot of time and practice and a bit of encouragement goes a long way.
It's good to hear that you recognize how people skew there opinion based on something as insignificant as gender, and also good to hear that you recognize this as a bit silly.
Perhaps people treat girls differently because they're just so uncommon in the hobby. As in "maybe we should be nice to her because she's a girl, because it's not like there's many of them around and we need to maintain all the ones we can get", or something like that.
Also, I too have never heard someone think of lizardmen as girly. The animal angle is strange, because in that line of thinking girls should naturally love snakes, which isn't exactly true (of course people in general don't like snakes very much but you get the idea). I really can't see any of the armies as "girlish" by todays standards. They all brutally clobber one another, and in some cases eat one another, or screw with each other after they die. You've got sisters in 40k, but they're not exactly girly, they're just made up of girls.
In any case, good to see that you've become interested in the hobby, and very good job on the video.
I also thought you were doing something crazy with your hair until I noticed it was a bird painting in the background, lol.
“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”
I always thought that Elves (or Eldar for 40k) would be considered the "girly" armies because they aren't all about brute force, or "manliness" if you will. I find that most females I talk to about war hammer find it kind of juvenile, though my girlfriend enjoys helping me paint my models (I've got her working on my Harlequins, as she's a much better painter than me ). It's probably more out of ignorance than anything though. My girlfriend thought that D&D was super lame and nerdy when we first met too, and now she's one of our more enthusiastic players.
In the end I think it's all about the kind of people playing the game. If you were to walk into a game store and see a bunch of greasy, sweaty guys all cackling around a game table, you're not going to want to have anything to do with it, whereas a group of relatively normal people with a grasp on basic hygiene is going to be far less repulsive, and may even encourage people to come have a look at what all the commotion is about.
Also, to discuss the video itself... I like your voice, accent, and general style of speaking; you speak with confidence and clarity that many youtubers seem to be incapable of, making your discussion very nice to listen to, and I didn't once have to rewind to try to figure out what you had just said.
So bravo to you on that I think a video series further discussing what you like about warhammer, your various experiences, etc would be quite nice to have, if you have the time to produce them!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/01/22 22:38:48
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
That was extremely refreshing! It's always great to see somebody change Thier mind about something, wether they are male or female. The one thing I have noticed among my female friends is that a lot of them thought the same way, until Thier boyfriends admitted to Thier plastic crack habit. They suddenly became more interested in the hobby itself and although most of them don't play, the vast majority immerse themselves in the fluff and/or enjoy painting the miniatures themselves.
The majority of my female friends do play RPG's with us and a few enjoy the odd game of Magic:The Gathering, but they are far more accepting of the hobby that they had originally dismissed as 'Geeky' because Thier significant others play, as do Thier mates....
I think I've waffled a little bit, but hopefully you guys get the gist of what I'm trying to say!
Aun Tier wrote: now, I can't see a single reason that giant bugs would be considered girly, so I support your opinion.
And the girls in our town play Tyranids, Lizardmen and Dark Elves ... and like painting them most ... in bright colours (except the Dark Emo Elves of course) In our last tornament, the only girl played Tyranids, well painted Tyranids. And she played because of her boyfriend.
And the one female member of the WD team started Lizardmen ... painting some at least, so there seems to be a bias.
And would a boy or man have done that to his Land Raider?
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2013/01/22 23:38:05
... well, because you have boobs, and speak in a cute Swedish accent. I mean...
So, a few other questions along the lines of the podcast.
Firstly, most places on the internet (including dakka) are gender neutral. Do you feel that you are treated differently than if people knew you were a woman? Do you feel that people treat you differently once they know?
Do you feel that you are more attracted to men who are also 40k gamers, or are the neckbeards and stench too great to overcome? I came from a background as a video gamer in my teens, and when I met my woman, the only one she had played was solitaire. After we got married, I slowly started to introduce her. Is 40k something you look for, or is it something you think you can wean a future beau onto?
Does it bother you that people assume that women are naturally good painters? Do you ever feel that you get feedback on your painting that is dishonest because of your gender?
At my FLGS, people swear all the time (your rolled NINE 5+ FNP saves!?! Well, here's what I have to say about that...). Do you think that people in gaming stores watch their language around you, in a way they might not if you weren't?
Ailaros wrote: Do you feel that you are treated differently than if people knew you were a woman?
While the other questions I dunno if I can give a good answer for (I swear all the time online even if I fastidiously avoid it IRL, for example), this one I certainly can give an answer to: I KNOW that I am often treated differently based on my perceived gender, from prior experiences using a gender-neutral name and not actually declaring my gender. People default to assume I'm a man unless I or my username said otherwise. Sometimes they assume that I am anyway, in MMOs and other video games, although this is becoming less true as the years go on.
The difference in treatment is often astounding, and it is NOT, despite what is claimed by certain posters, only positive.
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
Aun Tier wrote: Interestingly, in 40K from what I've heard women seem to most frequently play Tyranids - now, I can't see a single reason that giant bugs would be considered girly, so I support your opinion.
When I was trying to get back into 40k, I was pretty much settled on Tyranids, though I thought I'd be charitable and ask my fiancees input. We walked into the store (something she refuses to do anymore), and looked in the display case. She said 'Those are pretty' while pointing at Tyranids. While I was happy she picked the army I'd settled on, the fact she thought they were pretty was beyond me. Giant dinosaur space bugs... This from the person who screamed in fright when she saw a giant Huntsman on our wall.
Ailaros wrote: Do you feel that you are treated differently than if people knew you were a woman?
While the other questions I dunno if I can give a good answer for (I swear all the time online even if I fastidiously avoid it IRL, for example), this one I certainly can give an answer to: I KNOW that I am often treated differently based on my perceived gender, from prior experiences using a gender-neutral name and not actually declaring my gender. People default to assume I'm a man unless I or my username said otherwise. Sometimes they assume that I am anyway, in MMOs and other video games, although this is becoming less true as the years go on.
The difference in treatment is often astounding, and it is NOT, despite what is claimed by certain posters, only positive.
I can second this. People do treat you differently when they think your a girl. If you don't say you are one, then most people will assume your male or faceless. Though it's not like you can tell who is who because no one really wears their gender on there sleeve. You could read a thousand post by some and never be able to tell if they are male, female, or anything else. I did know about melissia for the longest time. (My computer dosen't show avatars for some reason.)
Do people automatically assume that you're a bad player? Like, you know "girls aren't good at strategy games" kind of a thing?
It would be a little difficult to judge, as every 40k player started out not knowing anything once minis hit tabletop, and you can certainly find people who will be a pedantic ass to you without regard to gender.
On a similar note, do you ever get the feeling that people go easy on you or let you win because you're a girl?
TheCaptain wrote: Enter: That one thread where all of Dakka is relentlessly polite.
Contributing: I'm a woman, but nobody has figured it out yet. The internet is a magical place when you use anonymity to it's fullest.
And now everyone is wondering whether I'm serious or not...
Proof
Spoiler:
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/01/23 02:56:25
'I've played Guard for years, and the best piece of advice is to always utilize the Guard's best special rule: "we roll more dice than you" ' - stormleader
"Sector Imperialis: 25mm and 40mm Round Bases (40+20) 26€ (Including 32 skulls for basing) " GW design philosophy in a nutshell
Ailaros wrote: Do you feel that you are treated differently than if people knew you were a woman?
While the other questions I dunno if I can give a good answer for (I swear all the time online even if I fastidiously avoid it IRL, for example), this one I certainly can give an answer to: I KNOW that I am often treated differently based on my perceived gender, from prior experiences using a gender-neutral name and not actually declaring my gender. People default to assume I'm a man unless I or my username said otherwise. Sometimes they assume that I am anyway, in MMOs and other video games, although this is becoming less true as the years go on.
The difference in treatment is often astounding, and it is NOT, despite what is claimed by certain posters, only positive.
Well, whenever I venture into a new store, even with figure case in hand, I get the wierdest looks from half the crowd of guys, while the other half look on with stuned "should I ask for a game or a date first?" expressions.
On the other hand, amongst the guys that know me, things tend to get out of hand *really* quickly due to the dreaded "Escalation Game" always being in effect.
Usually it's my friends just trying to mess around and push a button or three, but almost always within minutes of it starting, conversations will go from PG to X-rated! (it is however a great way to weed out potential dates amongst guys who don't know me! )
On-line, people always assume that I'm a guy on forums like Dakka or other gaming sites. Heck, on some forums, even if I put "female" in the gender box on my profile, some still assume I'm a guy?!
Are girls in the hobby really that scary a concept to accept?!
Experiment 626: Actually, some people really DO feel that threatened.
There was thread on this forum a while back which I think was the perfect example-- a man in it said that women shouldn't participate in wargaming and that men should scare women off from wargaming because it was a man's thing and men should be able to enjoy it without the presence of women. It ended up being because he had a bad break-up and was going through a "he-man woman hater" phase, but this kind of person really does exist.
Most people who feel a bit threatened, however, do not react that strongly.
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
My blog
I'd love to have some females to wargame with, if the females in my clan are anything to go by they're pretty chilled out and have much better hygiene.
Ailaros wrote: Though it's not like you can tell who is who because no one really wears their gender on there sleeve. You could read a thousand post by some and never be able to tell if they are male, female, or anything else.
A persons gender is masculine or feminim, there sex is male or female. sorry just one of those things that annoy.
Great video, presented with such confidence, in what in all likely-hood isn'y your first language.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/01/23 00:25:16
Ailaros wrote: Though it's not like you can tell who is who because no one really wears their gender on there sleeve. You could read a thousand post by some and never be able to tell if they are male, female, or anything else.
A persons gender is masculine or feminim, there sex is male or female. sorry just one of those things that annoy.
Great video, presented with such confidence, in what in all likely-hood isn'y your first language.
Sorry. I'm aware of the distinction. (Gender is kind of a study of mine.) I just worded my post poorly. Most of the time, you can't tell a persons sex by their writing, but it can also be hard to tell their gender too. Or maybe that's just me. Other people may have a easy time.
I can't name a single girl I've ever known who "liked to paint" lol. I am sure they exist, but I can't name them.
So there is that, lol.
Edit: Oh so you seem to be aware of the shameless neckbearded deification guys have for females in the hobby (Which is not exclusive to this particularly nerdy hobby).
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/01/23 00:54:17
Ailaros wrote: Though it's not like you can tell who is who because no one really wears their gender on there sleeve. You could read a thousand post by some and never be able to tell if they are male, female, or anything else.
A persons gender is masculine or feminim, there sex is male or female. sorry just one of those things that annoy.
Great video, presented with such confidence, in what in all likely-hood isn'y your first language.
I'm not clear on what you're getting at here, but ok. Gender and sex are used interchangeably.
As far as the Tyranid/Lizardman thing, those are the two armies my wife likes the best. Interesting, because I wouldn't have pegged it. Eldar or Tau, maybe.. Though Tau is her second choice.
). It's probably more out of ignorance than anything though. My girlfriend thought that D&D was super lame and nerdy when we first met too, and now she's one of our more enthusiastic players.
Alaitoc 9300 points
Chaos 15000 points
Speed Freeks 3850 points
, and people praise my painting all the time. 
5000 
A persons gender is masculine or feminim, there sex is male or female. 
sorry just one of those things that annoy.