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Female Gamer Talks Girl Gaming
Snowcone writes "As gaming becomes more mainstream, it's inevitable that many girls will join the ranks of the die-hard gamer. Gaming is typically reserved for those with that extra chromosome, which poses the question; in a world dominated by the male sex, why do women choose to put themselves in the position of the minority? As a female gamer, Dots @ Snackbar Games discusses reasons why it's ok for girls to enjoy gaming just as much as the guys do." This is another perspective on a much-discussed subject.
I dont think its a case of female gamers choosing to be in a minority. they choose to enjoy gaming, and hence that automatically puts thbem in the minority. I wonder how many female gamers take on a male moniker when playing online to avoid all the "A/S/L"-ing that always going on when someone called "Susie" joins a server.
I have no sig yet I must scream.
Of course girls play games. I always see female toons on EQ!
No, seriously... my girlfriend was addicted to Civ 3, now its NWN... we just got Mario Golf yesterday (god that game is FUN, and I HATE golf!!) and she was really into the N64 version so I expect lots of courses to be unlocked when I get home...
I tell you what, I've gotten 3 computers in 3 years, along with near constant upgrades on the basis of "but you'll get a better video card/more memory/whatever if I do" =)
This is my sig. Its pathetic.
Well, the author does make some good points about why girls should get more into gaming, such as it's another topic of conversation to use on dates, but she makes a lot of assumptions that I don't think she has ever experienced, namely marriage and working in an office.
She thinks married guys stay out all Friday night to play Halo with the guys? He's more likely getting plastered at a bar, and I doubt her liking video games would prevent this in anyway. Plus, nothing pisses guys off more than when a girlfriend/wife tags along for guys' night out.
And as for video games in the office...I have no clue how that ties into the gender issue at all. Most companies don't allow employees to even play web-based games, let alone console games. People would end up taking much longer lunchbreaks, and would be constantly sneaking off to play. Not a good idea at all.
It's kind of funny how the author questions why video games are only for men, but her reasons as to why women should play are just to please their men. She should have come up with some better reasons, like, oh I don't know, video games are fun.
what does that have to do with anything? They just want to play too, because guess whay, games are fun. Thats like saying, 'why do black CEOs choose to put themselves in the position of the minority?' They dont choose that. Its not like they turned down the opportunity to be the majority, there was no choice made.
i think a better question might have been 'Why are women interested in games when they comprise a minority share of the gaming demographic?'
I want 2D games back.
I've been gaming for about 4 years now. I didn't get into gaming until I was in college. Honestly, my parents didn't encourage gaming that much. I don't think they discussed the possiblity of buying me a game console when I was a kid.
Am I into different games than male gamers? Maybe, maybe not. I'd like to think my gender has very little to do with the type of games I prefer.
I have to admit that I do use male sounding names on gaming servers. I really hate joining a game and being distracted by some 13 year old's sexist comments. But on the same token if I'm kicking some 13 year old's ass and he's making stupid comments, I will inform him that a woman is kicking his sorry ass.
I am a little disappointed that one of the articles talked about gaming as a way to help women date. I also happen to be an IT professional, and the thought of dating or marrying an IT professional did not factor into my decision to pursue a career in computing. I'd like to think that the fact I love math, puzzles and logic had some influence in my decision. So I'd like to think I game because gaming is a great form of entertainment.
Anyway, I just think a lot of girls out there who won't touch a lot of games because of external appearances and how they perceive the game to be are really missing out on games that have great gameplay, which is really what it's all about.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
After reading that article, I have to conclude they have entirely different reasons for playing as well. Every example she made had something to do with a woman improving some kind of relationship, whether it be with friends, coworkers, boyfriends or the friends of boyfriends. That is not why you play video games. You play video games for fun, not so a guy will go out with you or you can get more responsibility at work.
But I think real "gamer chicks" know that. If I meet a girl who plays video games, it had better be because she likes it, not just so she can get in my pants. Girls are sneaky like that.
Maybe they are good reasons to get started, but if you never have fun doing it, you will not stay a gamer.
The cancel button is your friend. Do not hesitate to use it.
My parents didn't let me get a system, so at about my senior year in HS I bought my own. I quickly figured out what kinds of games I liked. It turned out to be games with pretty defined goals. I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next. The only way I got through a few games was with my boyfriend, now husband, walking me through them at places. I can't say this is typical of all girls, but I know at least a few more like me. That's why you'll us playing games like Tetris. The goal there is pretty defined. No guessing that you collect certain items in a correct order, at a certain time on the clock, to get a door to open. I don't like fiddling around with things like that and if I can't figure it out, I'll quit.
Another thing that really affects which games I enjoy is that many of the 3-D games give me motion sickness. Some are done well enough that it is not a problem, but many are not. That cuts out a lot of the shooter style games, as well as driving games.
A tip to the guys out there trying to get their girlfriends to play (this should be obvious but it's not always) - don't convince us to play a game that you love and have played religiously, and then kick our butts. Continual losing when you don't even know what button does what yet does not make someone enjoy a game.
I don't think gaming really provides many dating opportunities on its own. In our case though, the fact that I enjoy games too helps our relationship. If your S/O is a non-gamer, they many really wonder whether that $300 you spent on the new console is worth it and/or envy the time you spend on the computer figuring out the latest RPG because that means you're not spending the time with them.
Most people would die sooner than think; in fact, they do.
girls like girl things and boys like boy things. overall this is where things are, where they're going to stay, and where they should be.
girls like gay men because most gay men think along the same lines as most women.
men like girl gamers because most girl gamers think along the same lines as men.
i for one don't care that there aren't many women in gaming - let them do what they want, i'll do what i want. my girlfriend (and my friends who are women) don't try to get me to learn hairstyling or try to teach me the intricate details of fingernail painting, or try to get me to watch sex in the city all the time. i, conversely, don't try to get them to help me work on my car or play any of the games i play.
why some men want to have a woman that thinks like them is beyond me - i love that my girlfriend spends a lot of money on silly porcelain dolls and frilly house decorations. i don't understand it, but i don't go around trying to recruit women that think like me, or try to convince her that my way (the mans way) is better. She also never tries to get me to watch any program on lifetime, or anything like that. we each love that the other is filling the role that their chromasomes have given them, and enjoying it.
I for one like the variety that comes with the presence of a woman. i don't want to date someone that knows a lot about computers, and i don't want to date someone that plays a lot of games. I want to date someone that does girly things - things that I don't do. And thankfully my girlfriend wants a man who does manly things and wants nothing to do with girly things.
most men like women who are women, and most women like men who are men.
what's wrong with that? let women do their thing, they let me play games and i have no desire to add a woman into my gaming. if she wants in on her own accord, perfect! if she doesn't, perfect!
my point is that there are few women in gaming for the same reason that there are few men working in beauty salons. most woman that work in a beauty salon want more men in there, and most male gamers want more women to game with, but the reason why its not happening is clear: most men don't *want* do do hair, and most women don't *want* to play games.
Perhaps, as Steven Pinker discussed in his book The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, the reason that more girls aren't gamers is that they simply aren't interested. The book points out that the entry ratios for male and female applicants to undergrad math/science/engineering courses are often about 50:50, but many more female students than male decide to persue other interests; when interviewed, they often reveal that they attended the math/sci/eng. course due to pressure from family or teachers.
Pinker also makes note of the fact that while professional women (snicker) do often make less money than their male counterparts, they usually do so because they place a higher priority on leaving the office in time to spend time with their children and families than do most corporate-ladder climbers missing a chromosomal arm; they are willing to trade money and status for things that males are not.
Of course, I'm not trying to make sweeping generalizations, shoving people into cubbyholes, but statistically, this is what seems to happen.