Yesterday, a woman played at Warmachine night.

In a perfect world that wouldn’t be exceptional–but, sadly, it very much was. After playing miniatures games up and down the East Coast over the course of years, I can still count the number of women I’ve seen at the minis tables on one hand. It’s so rare that I think to count them in the first place.

That was on my mind this morning when I saw No Girl Wins, Juliet Kahn’s excellent article regarding the forces, some subtle and others blatant, that discourage women from playing video games as they get older. It’s easy to see a number of the same dynamics at work in other gaming genres, minis among them.

If you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to give the article a read. It’s thought-provoking and filled with concrete factors to consider while designing. The article is well worth your time, even if video gaming isn’t within your bailiwick.