I have an agenda: I want more women to play the game. I think it is a great game, and I think it is a shame that so many women miss out on it. For those of you who don't care about that, there is another argument: We could pay a lot more developer's salaries and get much more development done if we got the sales we currently aren't getting from female players. Some quick stats: SC has around 1-2% female players, wheras the average for a AAA PC SciFi game is 16%, and Star Wars:The Old Republic (a SciFi MMORPG) shows that it is possible to achieve at least 30%, so we are far below the curve. If SC were to achieve the same female popularity as SW:TOR, we would add more than a million female players to the game. That would be many, many, many times more money than we could get from letting the Valkyrie hold cargo! I have a pet theory on why there are so few female players in the game. To explain, I need to give you an example: Think of the experience when going into a make-up store. The styling of the store makes it very clear that the store is made for women. As a man you might feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or at least that the store is irrelevant to you. It doesn't mean that you can't buy anything in the store, just like a woman could, but nevertheless it is obvious to a man that the store isn't meant for them. Right now, SC is the male counterpart to the make-up store. As a woman, it is obvious that the game is made to appeal to men, not women. It might not be on purpose, but it clearly is that way. Since there are many games out there, even your avid female SciFi fan will move on to something else. The main problem is not only the lack of female avatars (though they are a biggie), but the general style, game design and marketing of the game. Just to make it clear: None of this has to do with the actual activities in the game; they can all be done by both men and women. It is the style of the game that clearly shows that it is not for women. Now, importantly, I don't think there needs to be a single style for the game. The size and scope of the game is so huge that we can easily fit in many different styles, and I believe CIG intends that as well. All I am asking for is to also include areas in the 'verse directed to female players.