Poll: Be honest, do you actually treat girl gamers the same online? (Minor update)

[cora mcstrap]

As a girl gamer i find that it depends on the game u play. My guild in WOW treats me just like every1 else. Where as some other broweser based games i'm a seen as a kind of Mum figure for the teenage boys. I've never had a bad experience as a girl gamer so u men can;t be all bad

 

[superwookie]

At first I'm cautious, because it could as well be a ten year old who doesn't only speak sweartongue. When I hear decent vocabulary and know it's a woman, i treat her like any other player, and sometimes bash on other sexist idiot players.

 

[Something Amyss]

It's not that difficult to find a community that can smack talk without having to resort to adolescent muck spewing.

Unless you want to use the internet in some way, shape or form. If you want to game online using smoke signals, perhaps.

 

[BRex21]

I'm usually a little bit nicer, but mostly the same, the only real reason for the difference is that when i belittle and mock my male friends they usually know that i'm joking and will do it right back. Most of the female gamers i know assume that repeatedly accusing a teammate of bestiality, sometimes in song, is out of malice.
I guess i only really treat the girls differently if they treat me differently.

 

[s0p0g]

our guild in GW had quite a few girls/women, and i met quite some more while doing (whatever-) runs, and of course a few on CS:S as well, and yes, i treat them just the same - you know, because they are just people (who like to play video-games, and yes, sometimes pwn ur ass hard ^^ ), too, nothing special about it
except when they start bragging about it, but that's what ignore has been implemented for
BUT luckily i have only heard of such cases (and not even very often), never experienced that.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Frankly, gender doesn't really matter (especially in a competitive or multiplayer setting) in regards to how good a player is or what they can bring to the table. Having girl gamers just means that the title/genre that they are engaged in is very popular and it is reaching beyond the stereotypical gamer audience (male 15-35). I don't feel a sense of pride if I'm defeated by a girl gamer, neither do I feel ashamed if I get schooled by one.

It all comes down to skill, adaptability, know-how, and sometimes a little luck that determines matches. Having girls around when playing games might bring new perspective and tactics that we as a male dominant audience my not have thought of before.

In short, welcome all gamers, regardless of their gender. Sure trash talking is fun, but do it without sounding like brain-dead idiot.

 

[Akytalusia]

with regards to interactions with other players in a game: the only physical aspect of you that interests me is your avatar. the only mental aspect of you that interests me is your competence. you're my ally or enemy, and you're your class.

 

[HellbirdIV]

I tend to treat "girl gamers" as "G.I.R.Ls" just to be on the safe side, but generally I only really take note of gender (or for that matter, sexuality and race) online when I'm making jokes - sexism can be hilarious, when it's as a joke that everyone's in on. Otherwise, it's just dumb.

 

[jonyboy13]

Yes. I just get the opportunity to tell more sexist jokes.

 

[runnernda]

I am a girl who plays games. Being treated differently because of my gender is precisely why I don't play with people other than my IRL friends. I closed my Xbox Live account because of how offensive and annoying people could be. I have a few other male-dominated interests (sports, computers, etc), and the guys there treat me fine, or if they don't, I can handle it. But being constantly insulted and demeaned and targeted as soon as I opened my mouth made playing the opposite of fun.

Do I treat girl gamers differently? No. They're people, just like me. It'd be great if the rest of the gaming community realized it, too.

 

[Jandau]

Yes, I do. I also manage not to stare at girls' breasts on the street and can exchange polite conversation with them if so inclined. Not all of us are socially retarded. In fact, I'm willing to be most of us aren't.

The one difference in my relations with girls online has been the level of civility. Girls online tend to be more polite, considerate and pleasant to interact with. Therefore, I'm ecstatic when I get to play with some of them, since it tends to result in a more enjoyable gaming experience. The downside is that (on average) they seem to be less skilled. Now, this is just my personal experience and I'm not saying it's the rule or anything. However, the lower skill level is more than made up for by not calling me a fag every two seconds...

 

[Agayek]

I've met several, and to the best of my knowledge, I treat them the same I would anyone else for the most part. If I know them relatively well and know they're single, I might flirt with them a bit, but it's usually fairly clear I'm just doing so for fun.

 

[EHKOS]

Sometimes if they talk alot, I try to flirt just because I desperatly need the practice. I also make sure they don't get shot in FPS's....sorry.

 

[CroutonsOfDeath]

Absolutely. I was raised by two women and while I did have a brother, I had 2 sisters and when I ended up living with my second family in Japan I had 4 new sisterrs, not counting Chie who was a friend in my eyes and later ended up becoming my girlfriend and wife. So I'm more used to being around women than men, and as such I don't treat women differently when I meet them online. Chie plays a lot of the same online games as I do, in fact the Battlefield series and good ol' Doom are household past-times so I'm just as used to playing with a female gamer and therefore don't have any reason to treat others I meet differently. In fact if anything, I sometimes treat men a little differently since I openly admit and accept the fact I turned out a little effeminate in my mannerisms and thinking.

 

[Owlslayer]

Nope. I've noticed that i tend to , well... be nicer to them.
Tho most experiences with girl gamers comes from MMORPGs, so basically, an extra heal spell, or a buff recharge. I guess it's just the way I am...

 

[Kadoodle]

I'll actually give them EXTRA respect, because they are few and precious.

 

[Alduin Silas]

My name is Ashryka on Spiral Knights, named after a black daemon, but it doesn't sound male, so half a dozen people kept thinking I was a girl. Needless to say, I kept the act up until I had gotten a recipe out of them. It's weird how some people react differently when confronted with a potential girl. Females are like males, still human, yet they aren't always treated as equals.

 

[Sylvine]

Of course I don't.

Neither do I treat women and men the same when not online.

And most of the time, that appears to be the desired state. That is, in practice. It's all about equality and non-sexism until You don't hold the door open

~Sylv

 

[BaronUberstein]

I treat anyone respectable the same, aka, if you're not an arse I won't be an arse back.

There was a girl in a D&D game I was in, apparently I wasn't the only one who thought she was incredibly flirty despite already having a boyfriend, but meh, my job was to heal the party and I stuck to that.