"Girl Gamers"

[Naamah D.]

As a gamer who is a girl, I find the gaming community sexist in a way.

 

It has been said that 45% of video game purchasers are woman. I am part of that 45% and find that the 45% can, but not always be stereotyped. I've seen comments on websites stating how there's no such thing as "girl gamers". We've all seen pictures of girls licking controllers and because of that, I feel like we aren't taken seriously.

 

I don't play social media games. Neopets is really the only online games I play. I play games like Call of Duty and other games like that, but I also tend to play fighting, arcade, RPG, strategy and basically every game under the sun, but I don't play online or with other people. Video games have been a hobby of mine since 1998 and because they are a huge outlet for me, I play them.

 

What is your opinion on women in the gaming industry and women who play video games?

[BEE.]

It shouldn't matter that we play video games, and no one should have 'opinions' about it.

You can tell by my sig that I play games often, and I really enjoy it. I haven't been told that I shouldn't be playing games because I'm female but I have heard stories. I joined a gaming community back in March (PSNProfiles) who are actually very very nice :) They don't care if there are 'girl gamers' on there, because we're just like them. We're all there for the same reasons.

 

Only since The Last Of Us, have I started to play online more, and I really enjoy it. I think it's hilarious when someone comes out of nowhere and attacks me. I sit there and I'm like 'NOOOO! AFGHIWKRLJENK YOU!!! LIGBRLGJN" And laugh it off. My last trophy was to do with playing online. (Click my sig to see what I've been playing :P )

 

I don't play Call of Duty, but is that the one where there will be female characters online or something? I remember reading about something along those lines somewhere, and the male fanbase really aren't happy about it. I saw some memes about 'kitchen maps' and stuff.

(Sorry if it's the wrong game I'm talking about. I don't follow that series, lol)

 

Why those that that hate can't accept the fact that we 'game' I don't know. They make the other male games look bad

[Duma]

I am a bit of a gamer too. I'm not at the top of any game but I just love it. And being -very- competitive I will always give it my best shot. I was playing computer games on the commodore, but being just a toddler really it wasn't allowed often (Like once in 6 months or so) Only when I turned around 15 and we had a windows pc and no-dial-in internet were we allowed to play for 1 hour on Wednesdays and weekends. I started playing neopets at that time, for the games. Even later, when I had my own pc, at the age of 19 I started playing Unreal Tournament 99. (GOTY Edition) Not single player but online in a friendly, family like clan. The "leaders" were a husband and wife, so they welcomed girls because there weren't many. It was fun and no-one cared about girl or boy. That one is actually about the only game I really played online, all other games I prefer to play single player or with a group of friends on a LAN network.

 

So, I've been lucky and didn't encounter too much harsh things towards girl gamers. And, in the time I was playing UT, some guys would sometimes make little jokes about it, but not with harsh feelings or not being mean and it would make me feel so good if I was able to shoot him down and say "In your face! You've just been shot by a girl, how bad does that make you ;) "

 

But I've also heard about other groups of people who are really biased about girl gamers, I just think it's sad. If you do something a lot, you get better. Everyone has things they like and are good at. Boys can be good at cooking, girls can be good at driving cars. It doesn't mean they all are good at it, but it doesn't mean they can't be good at it. Same for games. Stereotypes are lame.

[Screaming_Peasants]

*chants loudly* LET US GAME LET US GAME LET US GAME!

Yeah as a member of a very steroetyped fandom and the girl gamer community I just have to say that stereotyping sucks no matter what situation you're in. Why can't people just look at us as induviduals?

[kris10ly]

Have you guys seen this site? http://fatuglyorslutty.com (content note: screencaps and recordings of harassment of female members of the gaming community, could be - rightly - upsetting)

 

I like seeing blogs like this, as awful as it is, because it means that I'm not the only person who's been treated like this - and it means that more and more GOOD people who DON'T set out to harass others are being made aware of the kinds of things that go on in their community, which empowers them to stand up against it when they do encounter it. Because it's not the occasional isolated incident from the occasional bad apple; it's a pervasive, ugly thing.

[hrtbrk]

I play a lot of games online, mostly on steam, and run into a lot of male players. In my own experience, I have met a lot of respectful, fun, great guys who just like playing games with friends - nothing more. I've only ever ran into one guy who was "I'm not taking gaming tips from a ~~~girl" and he was chased out of the match fairly quickly for making said comments.

 

Maybe I just play the 'right' type of game, or met the right people, but I do think that the stigma is changing. Not only are the creators noticing this, but so is the community. Yay feminism.

 

Of course there's always going to be some smartypants who has to ruin it for everyone. That's why we can't have nice things.

[Ali Cat]

I played WoW (World of Warcraft) for a few weeks (free trial, caps you at 20) and unfortunately ran into a bit of annoying behavior. I had a female character and male players would walk up to me and start following me around trying to get me to talk to them. Some ended up getting mad and responding with not-so-nice comments when I said I was working on a quest and sorry I couldn't stay to talk. Almost like I rejected them romantically, seemed like. It was definitely a minority of players (most people didn't care and I just went on my merry way) but there were a few that got me a bit disheartened with the community.

[Azurablue]

Hope no one minds if a total newbie here adds a word or two (or a lot). :laughingsmiley:

 

I respect those brave enough to risk their computers with online gaming, but it's something I will never ever attempt to do again. I was hacked within the first five minutes when I signed up for Battle.net to play Diablo 2. It took Blizzard a month and a half to erase my hacked account and fix the problem. I signed back up and was hacked in under thirty minutes. :sad02:

 

I was also called nearly every name in the book because I was a girl. The second hack ruined my computer with a serious trojan and a few worms that were so bad, the people trying to fix my computer said it would be cheaper to go buy a new one. I got three other people to check it out and they all said the same thing. Buy a new one. I've never played online every again. :sad02:

 

I've also been bullied at NeoPets, but that was because I didn't know you needed a thick skin to post on the Battledome pages. :sad01_anim:

 

What I would like to know, if someone has a clue, is why I should open myself to this kind of abuse from the guys? I'd like to think it's because it might help other girl gamers to band together and be stronger. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case when they form cliques and don't let anyone else in. Opinions anyone? I would really like to know. :)

 

Thanks for listening. :D

[lithium_kissed]

ive played tons of games over the years...the only problems ive had are the occasional guild perv on WoW...ive been on WoW for 7 years now and theres always "that guy" in the guild that will be gross because they notice you are female lol.i raid 3 nights a week with my core guild group and they take me seriously...there will always be dirty jokes but i just laugh right back at them lol *shrug* never had any problems on neo or Rift....as for call of duty well when they hear your feminine voice on the headset they usually laugh but whatever they are usually a bunch of little kids anyway haha

 

Azura im sorry you have had terrible experiences with Blizzard...that saddens me :( the support on the phone the many times ive called have been super nice in fact ive noticed i get way better results than my husband haha! they have given me more restorations to my acct and fixed my oops' :D

[Babygal4eva]

I'm a game freak and i'm not ashamed of it, Call of duty and grand theft auto is my best but i can still play others too if i feel like it except football games which i think are senseless and dull. now onto guys and their ways..... girls one thing you have to realize is that most of these guys online are like grade 1 nerds..

they probably haven't held a girls hands before in their entire life so when they come online they feel powerful because of their keyboards they can never say the crap they say in real life.They are just cowards who hide behind their computer screen... so when they insult you online just ignore them and make sure you beat their that's what i do.

A friend of mine actually exchanges words with them on occasion and she always wins cause she knows every insult in the book i don't bother and i just beat them and boast about it till they log out.

In real life in school some guys were like arguing with me and some other girls that the only games girls can play is dress up games, fashion games and the like and we challenged them to a game of need for speed: most wanted on a LAN network and me and my girls ended up beating their since then they have been trying to beat us and gain their dignity back but to no avail and even if they do beat one of us we throw it back in their faces when we beat them... so don't let them get you down and be who you are that i like video games doesn't mean i don't like shopping or hanging in the mall we all have our hobbies. and if they insult you you can always fire back at them if you are sure you have a tough hide cause guys can be mean.

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[brynchilla]

Because of the games I play, I've been told that I'm apparently not a gamer girl of any kinds. I think that's rather silly, because they're still games and I'm a girl.

 

I don't play CoD or WoW. I tried Wow, but just really couldn't get into it, and I haven't given it a second chance. I also don't have a PS# or a Xbox. I have a Wii, but my mom keeps hiding the controlers, because she thinks it will make me do my homework, and then she forgets where she puts them. I usually just stick to playing my DS.

 

I have read and heard of some pretty terrible things that have been said to girl gamers. :( It's really sad that some guys think that they are the only ones who can play video games.

 

I guess I can understand if it makes them feel weird being beaten by a girl, because of all the gender stereotypes, but being rude doesn't make you any cooler in anyone's eyes.

[kris10ly]

One thing that's annoying as a woman who plays some games - it's often hard to be "allowed" to be a beginner or a casual player. If you're a girl who isn't able to beat all challengers ever at a game, it's BECAUSE you're a girl - whereas if you're a guy who isn't good at it, you're just still learning. At least that's the attitude I've encountered frequently in the comments people make to me when I lose at something - "that's okay, you're a girl! I'd be mad if YOU got a higher score than me!" etc

[lithium_kissed]

hey Bryn! *waves arm in the air* i knowwww youuuuu :happydance:

 

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[rinoa812]

As a girl who played wow since vanilla ( since before first expansion) I just got used to it. Some men are just like that I guess. I also play other games as well but I dont care for online play much anymore because of it. Whats really sad is that the few girls who played wow back in the day were pretty bad. Not all of them but same of them. Things like telling a male player that if they buy their epic mount they would get on chat with them and stuff. Ive never done the cod thing though but I hear women are treated badly on the online servers. I mostly stick to my rpgs and my fallout and games . No men or women to bother me except the NPCs

[Tenshinohana]

I haven't really met guys who are demeaning "because you're a girl" - I guess most of those types are in FPS games and in huge MMORPGs like WoW (even tho I haven't encountered that type there either, since there are a lot of so called "traps", guys who play as girls and girls who play as guys).

But I have met those who are "gamer girls", not actual gamer girls. They're like "OH I'M SUCH A GAMER GIRL" and then, someone asks "Well... What do you play?"
"I PLAY FARMVILLE AND CANDY CRUSH"
*facepalm*

Then, I've ofc met the type who seem to play games to get guys. Note, I only say it SEEMS like it. I think most of them play for the game itself, but still do stuff like shout "ARE THERE ANY OTHER GIRLS HERE?!" and try to make people notice that they are girls.

This is the type I'm REALLY annoyed about. The ones who enforce the stereotypes. :/

[pixyperson]

I will freely admit that I'm not a gamer (I run into the freaking corners on Rainbow Bridge), but that has more to do with my lack of coordination than anything else. My guy friends invite me to play these games and make fun of me, but it really is all in good fun, because I have a lot of fun loosing.

 

That said I am an engineering major, and trust me there are no shortage of competitive female gamers in that major, and it's less about getting boyfriends, than beating them. Though plenty of the girls get into gaming because it's a way to spend time together.

 

I am however a huge comic/cartoon nerd. Which is strange because I've never really read the comics, but I know a good deal of content, and what I have run into is the Cosplay persecution. Seriously, girls get ragged on for gender bending, and they get told that they just want to wear skimpy clothes, but a lot of the powerful female characters wear skimpy clothes.

 

Anyways it's almost easier to be an engineering major because comic books and gaming are ways to socialize, it's almost expected that you have some level of familiarity with at least the types of plot lines and/or game play (and I do enjoy some of the consul poltlines KH is my favorite). At least that's how it's seemed in my social circles.

[KyokoHateshinai]

I think it depends on what kind of game you're talking about. Guys around me usually take Neopets and Maplestory (both which I play) "girl" games and Call of Duty, League of Legends "guy" games. I enjoy playing Call of Duty, League of Legends cus it's an awesome way to socialize. Because honestly, if you don't have any kind of common interest with another person, chances are that it'll be hard to connect with them. I grew to love all the games guys introduced to me (at some point way more than anything else).

 

Honestly I think it's great for me that guys stereotype girls because when you don't fit into the mold, you're so much more special ;P Of course you'll have to build on it and if you really hate the game I'm not saying you should force yourself. But for me, stereotypes are good because you can break them and stand out. I think this goes for guys too. At least, guys that I know.

[passiflora]

That said I am an engineering major, and trust me there are no shortage of competitive female gamers in that major, and it's less about getting boyfriends, than beating them. Though plenty of the girls get into gaming because it's a way to spend time together.

 

I think this is a great point. I wouldn't really consider myself a gamer but it's fun to play with my boyfriend just as a bonding thing. That said, I think there are girls out there who put on a show or who brag about how geeky/gamery they are just to get the attention of boys. It's probably where the stereotypes come from, but I definitely agree the stereotypes are unfair to girls who do enjoy gaming!

[HomuraAkemiTheHero]

I am a girl gamer and i think it doesn't really matter about if gender should matter if your playing a game but it does annoy me when girls pretend to know a lot about gaming just for attention and then there are the stereotypes about girls don't play games or they just do it for attention really bugs me although i can't say much about anything i experienced since i don't own a Ps3 or Xbox or anything like that with games that have communication but i do play World of Warcraft but even then there was no room for socializing for me since i didn't do any dungeons for battlegrounds and the fact that i have account problems so i don't really play the popular games just browser games and games for the 3ds mostly rpg games.

[precieuxly]

I played WoW (World of Warcraft) for a few weeks (free trial, caps you at 20) and unfortunately ran into a bit of annoying behavior. I had a female character and male players would walk up to me and start following me around trying to get me to talk to them. Some ended up getting mad and responding with not-so-nice comments when I said I was working on a quest and sorry I couldn't stay to talk. Almost like I rejected them romantically, seemed like. It was definitely a minority of players (most people didn't care and I just went on my merry way) but there were a few that got me a bit disheartened with the community.

 

Hahaha, I completely understand that feeling! I use to play Wow too and it was definely something! Then I switched to SWTOR and now College.. Hahah

[rinoa812]

Then, I've ofc met the type who seem to play games to get guys. Note, I only say it SEEMS like it. I think most of them play for the game itself, but still do stuff like shout "ARE THERE ANY OTHER GIRLS HERE?!" and try to make people notice that they are girls.

 

This is the type I'm REALLY annoyed about. The ones who enforce the stereotypes. :/

That is exactly what i am talking about . I mean why else would you broadcast your gender like that if you arent looking for some sort of attention. I always roll my eyes at girls like this. Its not that you cant tell people who you are its just when you do it in a public chat , where you dont know anyone, I think you are looking for attention.

[yasha]

I've actually never had a problem with this... I used to play mmo's or other online games a lot more when I was a teenager, but I've never really heard or seen anyone make bad comments because i was a girl, or towards any other girl for that matter. Yeah there were some jerks sometimes, but from what I remember they weren't sexist, they just tried to bug everyone with stupid stuff. Maybe I just got lucky? These days when I do play an mmo it's with a group I've known for years, and yes they pick on me, but I pick on them too, it's all in good fun and we're still there for each other when someone has a problem, whatever it may be.

[Oganagey]

I was always very interested in games and gaming, mainly the 'girlier' ones like Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda but also multiplayer steam games like portal and half life and left 4 dead...I always found that when people on the multiplayer elements found out I was a female I got negative comments or reactions, and when trying to discuss them online I was generally less well received. It greatly discouraged me from playing as I hated feeling like I couldn't join in with others! Which is why Neopets is so wonderful

[beruichi]

Ugh, the term "girl gamer" really grates on my nerves, because why is there a need for the "girl" as a descriptor? We don't call the guys "boy gamers," just gamers. Why are they the default? It's such a stupid label perpetuated by those misogynistic people who are under the (incredibly false) impression that the gaming industry belongs to the boys. [makes groaning noises]

 

That being said, I'm probably lucky that my guy friends aren't rude like that at all. In high school, I used to play DoTA, which is a very male-dominated game, so it's very intimidating, considering it's a team multi-player game. Basically, in a 5 on 5 match, there would be only one or two girls playing. It's very competitive, so there's a lot of jeering and trash talking, but I could hardly recall any instance that my being a girl was called out or insulted (my skills though, that's another story). It's the same with my college friends. When they found out me and my female friends play that game, their question wasn't an incredulous "Do you really play?" but rather an excited "Can we play with you sometimes?"

 

I think anonymity contributes to the rudeness of those who call out "girl gamers," because I've only experienced that prejudice in online games (I'm looking at you, pRO), while playing with people I don't actually know in real life. In my native language, when you don't know someone's name, you call them "ate" if female, or "kuya" if male. People assume I'm male, even if my character is female. And if I politely ask them to stop referring to me as "kuya," they'll start pestering me to prove that I'm actually female, often by asking me to give out my facebook. If I refuse, they'll insist I was lying about being a girl. It's just shallow stuff, easily ignorable, but the fact that it happens at all is highly irritating.

[agrinwithoutacat]

I feel like it's sort of popular to be a "nerd" these days, and playing a lot of video games falls under that category for some reason. This is why so many girls are taking those "sexy" pictures with their controller or console and making the rest of us look silly by association. I think it's great that girls are getting into games, though. They should be for everyone. It reminds me of when the Powerpuff Girls came out. No one thought it would take off because it was marketed more toward girls and the belief was that cartoons were sort of a guy thing. But it was a huge success, with both genders, and that's how video games are starting to be.

I've gotten into games the past few years, mostly single player but some MMOs (Star Wars: The Old Republic, for instance). In the online games I don't find that I really get a lot of flak for being a girl. Either the other players must assume I'm a guy despite the female character, or they don't mind. In fact my boyfriend and I were playing SWTOR once, and when a random person we partied up with found out I was his girlfriend he thought it was cool that we played together. Most of my friends are guys these days, and they don't give me any crap for being a girl, either. (At least not specifically in relation to me playing games, we do tease each other in general, haha.) So, overall my experience as a "girl gamer" has been pleasant.