Four things for pro KGV*

[British_Rover]

He's a male. He will project his own ego on things he can not directly identify. That's what humans do

He calls plenty of things she that are females though sometimes he messes it up when he can't tell. One of our cats is super puffy and he knows it is a boy but I think sometimes he says girl for that reason.

Still that is all you comment on in regards to my whole post? It makes more sense from a marketing perspective full stop.

[dr_jt]

What I fine funny is that developers can never ever win. Something culturally wrong will always be found with a game. KSP has humanoid creatures that only remotely resemble humans but it doesn't matter because users want the characters to reflect their biology and social structures. Where the KSP creators went wrong is with making the kerbal a little too human like. Sure the body proportions are way off. Giant heads with no ears, lips or noses. Big mouths and what looks like only two teeth. Big poppy eyes with no eyebrows, eyelids or eye lashes. Only three fingers without fingernails. To top it off they are green. You know like little green men from space. Not really human at all but it doesn't matter because for some people it's really important that the kerbals mimic human social standards and biology.

[Deadweasel]

Just looking back on the general trend of discussions in this thread, I think it's fairly obvious why SQUAD refuse to officially assign genders to the kerbals, and given the mouth-frothing that's trending over feminism in other games right now, I can't say I blame them. At all.

What's next? A spin-off of KSP based entirely on "female" kerbals in skimpy suits playing volleyball out back of the VAB (ala Dead or Alive)? Once you start down that path, where does it go? Where does it end? We're talking about a game about building rockets and blowing them to high heaven across the stars; why so much focus on the characters whose only real purpose in the game is to provide an additional level of immersion and empathy for the success of your flights?

[British_Rover]

Just looking back on the general trend of discussions in this thread, I think it's fairly obvious why SQUAD refuse to officially assign genders to the kerbals, and given the mouth-frothing that's trending over feminism in other games right now, I can't say I blame them. At all.

What's next? A spin-off of KSP based entirely on "female" kerbals in skimpy suits playing volleyball out back of the VAB (ala Dead or Alive)? Once you start down that path, where does it go? Where does it end? We're talking about a game about building rockets and blowing them to high heaven across the stars; why so much focus on the characters whose only real purpose in the game is to provide an additional level of immersion and empathy for the success of your flights?

Nice Slippery Slope there

why so much focus on the characters whose only real purpose in the game is to provide an additional level of immersion and empathy for the success of your flights?

And I think that perfectly states why there should be female Kerbals at some point in the development. Some girls are going to want to play with and relate more to girl Kerbals, hell some boys too my son seems to get along with girls his own age more then boys, and from a marketing standpoint it is better for success if that option is available.

[dr_jt]

For reference, people who truly don't care about a thing generally do not attempt to win an argument about said thing.

Not true at all. Some are in it for the debate. Debate clubs are a popular form of entertainment and learning. The debater does not have to care about the subject in order to mount a valid or lively debate. That is part of the challenge.

[Deadweasel]

Nice Slippery Slope there

And I think that perfectly states why there should be female Kerbals at some point in the development. Some girls are going to want to play with and relate more to girl Kerbals, hell some boys too my son seems to get along with girls his own age more then boys, and from a marketing standpoint it is better for success if that option is available.

Some might see it as a good marketing move, but by and large all it's really going to do is open up a further can of worms, just like the one that's unfolding right here, right now. See, this whole discussion is being based on the assumption that all kerbals are currently male, when the only possible point of reference that anybody has to go by is their names, which sound mostly male in context with HUMAN naming conventions. The fact is, though, that there are many names in the database that could just as easily be perceived as female. I'm using that to my advantage with the writing of my own KSP-based story right now, as a matter of fact.

However, when I see Nelnie or Mac(kenzie) show up in one of my ships, I don't have some subconscious little poke in the back of my mind that the pilot is of any particular gender. They're just kerbals, period. Sure, I'd like to see a little variation in terms of hair or skin tone or the like, but fretting over gender is both pointless and redundant.

If a kerbal can be viewed as male based on name alone, the same can be done for the opposite gender as well. There's no need to put so much thought and consternation into making them look how WE think females should. Just pretend that a particular one IS female, based on its name, and call it a day.

[Sirrobert]

Then there's literally nothing I can say to you.

Alright, counter question.

The movie in question has been written around the male group (or female group, I don't give a crap) doing typical male (or female) things. Should there be a female (or male) lead stuffed into the group because there is none yet?

Based on your previous posts, I would guess your awnser is YES.

In that case, the writers have to redo the ENTIRE script, because conversations, and everything else, is simply different in an all male group, than it is in a mixed gender group. So they can throw away the entire script (I would asume all female groups also do different things than mixed groups, but I wouldn't know that)

[um3k]

I am just going to leave this here:

[jcraft]

At the end of KerbalKon, I believe HarvestR said there might not be Female Kerbals because he was afraid that what Squad came up with would not be what people wanted.

Just ended rewatching the video and it is not exactly true - HarvesteR said that if they going to make female kerbals (and judging from the things that he said - they want to make them - but it's burried deeply on the priority list, so we will not see it anytime soon) they want to do it right, as they don't want to do something that will not go along well with people expectations. So OP - please adjust your first post because right now you are spreading misinformation.

(here is the video: http://www.twitch.tv/ksptv/b/487174346 go to around 10:10 to hear statement about female kerbals)

Edited December 19, 2013 by jcraft

[Deadweasel]

Just ended rewatching the video and it is not exactly true - HarvesteR said that if they going to make female kerbals they want to do it right, as they don't want to do something that will not go along well with people expectations. So OP - please adjust your first post because right now you are spreading misinformation.

(here is the video: http://www.twitch.tv/ksptv/b/487174346 go to around 10:10 to hear statement about female kerbals)

The thing I don't get is why OP found it necessary to re-introduce (yet another) thread like this when it seems apparent he/she is aware of the others already in existence. Perhaps they didn't read far enough into any of them to understand why they'd all been summarily locked after a mod stumbled across them?

[The Jedi Master]

Do I think that female kerbals would be a nice thing to have at some point? Yes.

Does that mean we need them RIGHT NOW? No.

[Deadweasel]

Do I think that female kerbals would be a nice thing to have at some point? Yes.

Does that mean we need them RIGHT NOW? No.

Well, like I said: there are those who seem obsessed with the idea for some reason, and for those folks, there's at least a few like-minded individuals who have attempted to address the demand with mods and texture packs. TextureReplacer will satisfy the lonely guys and adamant feminists alike by letting you add (human ideals-based) female textures to your crews.

At that point there's really little reason to discuss why the devs haven't already added them in stock, unless people are just looking to have their personal viewpoints somehow validated by their official adoption into the vanilla game.

[jchad]

This thread needs to closed. Guys(yes I'm not being politically correct) seriously. Put down the scale of justice and go build some ridiculously big rocket.

Nuff said.

[jcraft]

Do I think that female kerbals would be a nice thing to have at some point? Yes.

Does that mean we need them RIGHT NOW? No.

And the truth has been spoken. /THREAD

[lajoswinkler]

Or people could just get it in their heads that kerbals don't have gender. Just because they dont appear female, does not mean that they are male.

Kerbals might not have sexes, but they do have gender and it is masculine. It's painfully obvious to anyone who has a working pair of eyes.

I'm not an advocate of "X all the things!" regarding gender equality, but the design in the first post is flawless and I'd like to see it implemented.

[Benjpalmer]

This topic shoudn't have even been posted.

Female Kerbals are on the "DO NOT SUGGEST" list.

[Rowsdower]

This thread needs to closed. Guys(yes I'm not being politically correct) seriously. Put down the scale of justice and go build some ridiculously big rocket.

Nuff said.

I'm with you, jchad. Things are now going in circles and this thread has run its course.

Before I close this, allow me to throw down my two cents on the matter:

We might sound like a broken record, but the game is not complete. Features such as this are going to take time. We also want to make sure that when female Kerbals are ready to go, they're done right. We don't have a timeline on it, so I can't tell you how long it will take, but it's on our long to-do list. That said, all of your discussion on the subject, as well as the cool concept art like that in the OP really show how important this subject is in your eyes and is much appreciated.

Thread closed.