Girl Gamers

[soapymoose]

It's interesting what people consider a real "gamer" and how they define hardcore and casual. I've been gaming all my life, and I never really looked at myself as a hardcore gamer but some people think that I am because I know a lot about games, I work in the industry and I play whenever I get a chance.

I know women who play 60+ hours a week, does that make them casual because they don't like FPS games?

I don't understand why people need to label each other, because there is a hint of condescension when people say, "Oh they're not a real gamer or they're just casual." Don't we play games for the love of games? Don't we play regardless of who else plays them?

When I'm online I do not like to advertise that I'm female, heck, I always pick male characters just to avoid the question. When I switch over to a female character the questions "R u grrlll??!" don't stop until they're satisfied. I don't really want special treatment and I was always more comfortable being around guys who didn't change their behaviour when a girl stepped into the room. I know that a majority of gamers aren't idiots and don't go around harassing females because they think it's cool. Stereotypes exist everywhere and they're not all fat and smelly either.

In real life I don't keep my video game habits a secret. My coworkers, well, ex-corkers, professors, classmates are all surprised and fascinated over the idea that I do enjoy games. Growing up, I've always been the go-to person in my class for games. I guess it is uncommon to see a female into games, but I grew up playing games with my friends and many of them happened to be female. Their interest tapered off though, I can't seem to stop

As for the original question, from what I've seen, men and women play different types of games. The Sims is about 55-60% female the last time I checked, games like WoW is like 16% female, so yeah, they're not exactly the majority. I think a lot of it does have to do with social conditioning, how many girls are given tonka trucks to play with and guys are given barbie dolls? I just happened to have a younger brother and hated dolls, so I played with cars and I'd rather talk about tech-related stuff than nail polish. I know I'm not the norm, which is unfortunate because I think each side misses out on some good stuff by being pinned in their gender.

 

[Anarchemitis]

All I know is that the statistics my be correct (although they probably haven't polled every gamer alive and therefore are statistically incorrect) It doesn't represent what I've seen in online gaming in the games I play.
-Just saying...

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

The amount of female, normal, hobby gamers, who actually play a variety of games, are very small. And out of all of them, I've only ever met one who wasn't morbidly obese or unbearably irritating.

And this varies from the male gamers how? Oh, and for the record, I'm rail thin and unbearably irritating.

Oh? The only unbearably irritating person I've met was one who only spoke in internet references and thought he was funny. He also had no respect of the current conversations taking place. Basically, he was a walking, talking window of 4chan .

Besides, haven't I heard that sterotype used for gamers for, oh, 20 years now? I know it comes from somewhere, but still...

I'm much more unbearable in real life, I assure you. And since Shinkada was basically citing the female version of the gamer geek archetype, I just flipped it back.

Sure, it's a tired old archetype, and not particularly accurate in my experience, since most of the guys I know who game are more frat boys or Polo-and-Docker-wearing developer types than dweebs. But then, most of the guys I know are either frat types or business-casual types, period. Except for the aging goths, rocker burnouts, and the slam poets. The one guy I know who actually looks like the gamer stereotype wouldn't piss on a game console if it was on fire and has never actually owned his own computer.

And regarding the person you mention - I'm pretty sure drugs are the answer, I'm just not sure what the question is.

 

[Necrohydra]

And regarding the person you mention - I'm pretty sure drugs are the answer, I'm just not sure what the question is.

Really? I was thinking a baseball bat personally. Oh...wait...wrong question.

I know a few people that fit that stereotype, though. They aren't irritable to me, but I do hear of others complaining about it. I guess it's all in the eye..or ear..of the beholder.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

My mum and older sister are both casual gamers, between them, they play:

(third person action)
Mafia
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

(driving)
Need for Speed: High Stakes
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Need for Speed: Underground 2
Test Drive: Unlimited

(first person shooters)
No One Lives Forever
No One Lives Forever 2

(other)
Worms 2
Lemmings
The Sims 2

 

[Evil Genius for a Better Tomorrow]

In my experience, I've know quite a few female gamers. Most tend to play RPG's which are not so combat focused but allow them to play the role which they've chosen. These girls aren't so muh into FPS games but like Mario cart and other sorts of things.
IMO, I have to say that some of the best RPGers I've encountered online while playing NWN, City of Heroes have turned out to be girls. I suppose what it comes down to is that females are better at communication/empathisation while males are more task orientred.
ANyway, the more girls playing games the better is what I'm all for.

 

[_Janny_]

I studied a tad psychology and I've learned that women/girls in general have a strong sense of conserving life, so killing things, even in a game is sort of against the "inner rules".

I have no problem with slaughtering things in games, not even people, but maybe I'm just different (my conservation sense has probably been beaten to death a long time ago). I'm not sure why girls tend to stay away from games, maybe because they think it's too hard, maybe because they say it's a "guy thing"... A shame though. I saw a tv show that stated that women in general have better reactions and are capable of playing a game better that guys (no offense, no offense...), so stating that "games are too hard" isn't a good excuse...

I actually love games and couldn't live without them, but I know a single girl gamer at school. Ah, well, more games for us.

 

[Blayze]

I saw a tv show that stated that women in general have better reactions and are capable of playing a game better that guys (no offense, no offense...)

*sigh* Not another one. One more source of misinformation to avoid. I'll probably go home tonight and see another "Move over boys" article on the MSN website. Skill isn't due to what gender you are, dammit!

 

[Natural Hazard]

I'm in a Game Design class, so I'm at the forefront of girl gamers. Not only are they fairly common, they're also pretty normal (at least as normal as women are for me...I always seem to find the craziest ones out there!). My friend plays games more often then I do, and she can destroy basically anyone in Halo 3. The other gamer girls I've met are also pretty good, too.

I feel sorry for the 1 lone female we have in our games design class, its like 100-1.

 

[The Reverend]

I studied a tad psychology and I've learned that women/girls in general have a strong sense of conserving life, so killing things, even in a game is sort of against the "inner rules".

That would explain why my female TF2 chums play medic a lot. But then, they seem to laugh when they get good kills as a combat class, but then, anyone would I guess.

 

[Natural Hazard]

Any person who plays the sims, girl or male, has obvious lifestyle issues.

Anyway, personally female gamers, nothing wrong with, they are on the rise, and will continue to do so.

I have been against female gamers online, i treat them no differently than i would a fellow male, however the only thing that strikes me sometimes is the a small number of them [Not the majority, before you flame me], tend to have to tell everyone that they are a female gamer and that makes them different... Its somebody who craves attention.

On the otherhand, i no alot of female gamers, most of them are just normal and don't really care or have the urge to flaunt that they are a female gamer. However i do like to take the piss out of one of my friends, becasue she plays the sims, she doesn't mind as she takes the piss out of me playing Half Life 2, just as i take the piss out of the majority of male fan boys, tis all good.

 

[_Janny_]

*sigh* Not another one. One more source of misinformation to avoid. I'll probably go home tonight and see another "Move over boys" article on the MSN website. Skill isn't due to what gender you are, dammit!

I didn't say it was true, just thought I'd share what the tv promotes nowadays.. But it does encourage more girls to pick up gaming.
And yes, skill isn't due to what gender you are.

 

[DeathsAmbassador]

I'll third that: I found that most girls I know who game at all seem to cling onto a select few games, usually those that got them started in the first place. WoW, the Sims, Rock Band, Psychonauts and Warioware are the most common cases here.

yeah, my sister will only play, the sims, WOW, or halo 3

 

[werepossum]

I think being classified as a gamer only requires that you regularly spend time gaming, not that you play a specified game, or genre of games, or platform. I play FPS's almost exclusively. If I look down on those who play The Sims or Viva Pinata (whatever that even is) shouldn't I in turn expect to be ridiculed by those hardcore RTS or flight/sub/racing sim gamers, or people who play WOW literally forty hours a week?

For the record, the few times I've been in gaming conventions or events the women have been reasonably attractive - I'd say more or less a cross-section of women in general other than being younger than average. And also for the record, my wife is quite thin, quite pretty, and quite bearable. (And yeah, I'm quite whupped.)

 

[Blayze]

I demand YouTube videos of the fallout if anybody actually employs that tactic.