Russian Women Think Game Designers Are “Archeologists, But with Computers”

Russian game developer NevoSoft took it to the streets of St. Petersburg to find out what its countrywomen think of their profession.

Nevosoft, developers of casual games like Magic Academy 2 and My Kingdom for the Princess, got some crazy responses from women both young and old. Some of them didn’t think that game designers were very attractive, saying that they usually had long dirty hair, or that they didn’t care about their appearance. Thankfully, at least two women said that game designers were not especially different in any way from other people. The women in the video speak Russian, but English subtitles are provided.

“I think it’s a skinny man in glasses,” one woman says of a game designer. “Perhaps smart and living in his own world.”

“They look like archaeologists, but with computers,” another woman said. “They have beards, greasy hair and sweaters and they have crumbs in their beard.” Clearly, this woman has never seen an Indiana Jones film.

“Well, you know, they wear jeans and don’t take care of their appearance,” one older woman said. “Immersed in virtual worlds perhaps. Their hair is not well done and washed. I’m sorry but that’s what I think.” Well, at least she apologized.

The archaeologist lady disagreed though, saying that sometimes designers could be hip. “Sometimes on a special occasion they might put on a ‘trendy’ outfit,” she said with a smile.

Getting the unfiltered responses from the Russian public is a pretty interesting way to look at how game designers are thought of by the ladies. The video feels like the lame late night TV segment, “Jay-Walking,” where Jay Leno goes around and asks questions of the public with embarrassing results, but this one by Nevosoft is way more compelling.

Perhaps that’s because it was filmed in Nevsky Prospect, the main thoroughfare in St. Petersburg that I’ve been fascinated with since I read the stories of Nicolai Gogol. One day, I’ll go there and visit it myself, but for now, I have to be content with seeing it in the background of this video.