As a woman who regularly plays Magic: The Gathering, I often find myself wondering about the 38% statistic shared by Mark Rosewater back in 2015. As he pointed out, even though the number of female players has risen to 38%, that demographic is clearly not represented in those numbers in organized play. Instead women seem to prefer playing digitally through formats like Magic Arena and Magic Online, or casually with friends.
I personally think the disparity is deeper then just “male Magic players scare away women by being sexist,” because I’ve played at many different local game stores during my life and have never experienced any significant sexism while doing so. I know other women definitely have (Thea Miller’s “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts” and Jessica Estephan’s “Oh You’re the Girl that Won a GP” come to mind), but I’m not sure if negative cultures at individual game stores is enough to explain the overwhelming lack of women in organized Magic.
Since I’ve gotten the chance to study this topic in-depth for my undergraduate research capstone, I’ve done some research into the sociology of why men are more likely to enjoy competition than women. But in order to apply my research to Magic’s specific situation, I need the perspective of actual players. If you’re interested and have the time, I have a survey on the topic and would welcome responses regardless of gender — I need to hear from men as well as women for my results to mean anything. Link here: https://gvsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_428VKdKNEbtOVaR
Having 1 text field for multiple questions is kinda setting you up for misunderstandings in the answers.
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Women that dont make a fuss are vastly accepted.
A bit of banter is normal between friends and new people, some take it as an offense and that sets them up to not enjoy their stay.
If you cant speak freely and express yourself in your free time, you are not going to enjoy that time.
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A core issue of people is that they assume the worst intentions and make non-issues into a problem.
The moment you know someone is that picky and out to get you, the logical response is to avoid that person and reduce contact to a minimum semi-professional level, which opens up an entire level of awkward interactions.
Magic is at most enjoyable if the people dont think about their issues in life and can enjoy the game for what it is and have social contact with people of vastly different opinions.
Over time you either build your own bubble of people or you get to learn new people on a regular basis, and starting with a smile and good intentions helps tremendously.
Thank you, I just finished the survey. It was good because it challenged me to reflect on why I don't participate in most MtG spaces, in particular competitive events. There were a lot of anti-feminine comments and microaggressions levied in my direction in those spaces that contributed to me never really feeling like I belonged in those spaces.
I personally think the disparity is deeper then just “male Magic players scare away women by being sexist,” because I’ve played at many different local game stores during my life and have never experienced any significant sexism while doing so. I know other women definitely have (Thea Miller’s “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts” and Jessica Estephan’s “Oh You’re the Girl that Won a GP” come to mind), but I’m not sure if negative cultures at individual game stores is enough to explain the overwhelming lack of women in organized Magic.
Since I’ve gotten the chance to study this topic in-depth for my undergraduate research capstone, I’ve done some research into the sociology of why men are more likely to enjoy competition than women. But in order to apply my research to Magic’s specific situation, I need the perspective of actual players. If you’re interested and have the time, I have a survey on the topic and would welcome responses regardless of gender — I need to hear from men as well as women for my results to mean anything. Link here: https://gvsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_428VKdKNEbtOVaR
UBR Sedris
RG Omnath, Locus of Rage
UB The Scarab God
RUG Maelstrom Wanderer
WU Dragonlord Ojutai
Having 1 text field for multiple questions is kinda setting you up for misunderstandings in the answers.
----
Women that dont make a fuss are vastly accepted.
A bit of banter is normal between friends and new people, some take it as an offense and that sets them up to not enjoy their stay.
If you cant speak freely and express yourself in your free time, you are not going to enjoy that time.
----
A core issue of people is that they assume the worst intentions and make non-issues into a problem.
The moment you know someone is that picky and out to get you, the logical response is to avoid that person and reduce contact to a minimum semi-professional level, which opens up an entire level of awkward interactions.
Magic is at most enjoyable if the people dont think about their issues in life and can enjoy the game for what it is and have social contact with people of vastly different opinions.
Over time you either build your own bubble of people or you get to learn new people on a regular basis, and starting with a smile and good intentions helps tremendously.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
I'm glad someone is researching in this regard.
Archatmos
Excellion
Fracture: Israfiel (WBR), Wujal (URG), Valedon (GUB), Amduat (BGW), Paladris (RWU)
Collision (Set Two of the Fracture Block)
Quest for the Forsaken (Set Two of the Excellion Block)
Katingal: Plane of Chains