Gamer Girls = Gamer Guys?

[Perraine]

I think it partially goes back to something that was a "meme" before there even was such a thing (yes, I am that old, and have been playing games for that long) There used to be an old saying that every "girl" player in a multi-player game was either a 45 y/o man in his basement or a 12/14 y/o boy in his bedroom, oh, and every 12/14y/o boy was an FBI agent.

 

You can also blame Hollywood and the TV industry for perpetuating the above. How do they nearly always depict male "gamers" and "computer nerds"??? Either as old men or young boys giggling over how big Lara Croft's boobs were in the original Tomb Raider. And whenever there is a "girl" gamer who seems (superficially) even moderately attractive, they invariably twist the story so that it turns out to be the afore mentioned middle aged man or boy up to some nefarious purpose.

 

If they ever do show an actual female gamer/computer nerd, they are almost always incredibly attractive/sexy, and almost always they are only "pretending" to be a gamer/computer nerd for some self serving or altruistic purpose.

 

All this = "Gamer Girls are Fake!"

 

...

 

Of course it's not true, as several studies have actually proven, but try telling Hollywood or the TV media that.

[kvnchrist]

You know what bothers me most about this is the typical chip on the shoulder ideal of bringing something up that is not really an issue and make it sound as though there is an overwhelming attitude in the gaming community that needs this topic to address it.

[Skagens]

You know what bothers me most about this is the typical chip on the shoulder ideal of bringing something up that is not really an issue and make it sound as though there is an overwhelming attitude in the gaming community that needs this topic to address it.

Don't think the man brought it up because of it being an issue, we're just discussing. One can look at regular sports and see that men's football is a heck of a lot more popular than women's football even though the women can perform. It's just an interest mainly held by men and there's nothing wrong with that. Same with this topic, I wouldn't exactly call it an issue but I wouldn't mind seeing more women in eSports or gaming in general. The subject isn't favored toward either gender, it's just about how good you are, same with every sport.

[Fkemman11]

The more I think about it, the more I think that women have an ace up their sleeve in regards to most things in life. The option is always there for them to say "But, I am a girl!"- which according to some antiquated code of chivalry- automatically obliges a man or group of men to take special consideration for a woman's gender. Like I have said, some women use this when it serves them and then turn around and demand equal rights or gender equality when it doesn't. At some point in the future, they may not have that option. It is this ambiguity or lack of consistency among women that will continue to influence men's views about them- not just in gaming- but in all aspects of life. Maybe it is unfair to women to believe that they are just as competent and able as men when it comes to everything- no matter how much they wish it to be so. But I do NOT believe this is the case when it comes to gaming.

 

Since the beginning of time, men have forged the way to the future with women following their lead. It will be interesting to see how things will be when man and woman truly are considered equals. I fear this will come at the cost of femininity and the beautiful grace that is inherent to most women. In their struggle for asexual egalitarianism it seems they adopt male's attitudes and habits, thus, denying a "woman's perspective" that has usually tempered a man's more narrow and dogmatic view or approach to a wide range of things. IMHO, this is why women are special and should be treated as such. Not to deny them anything, but, rather to recognize that they are different from men in some ways that should be considered advantageous for our species as a whole.

 

How this pertains to gaming is that a woman's or girl's perspective is refreshing to me because they might notice something I never did or create something I never thought of. Yes, you can get a fresh perspective from a man also. But, men's opinions usually are colored by ego whereas a woman's is more likely not. Does this make any sense?

[kvnchrist]

 

You know what bothers me most about this is the typical chip on the shoulder ideal of bringing something up that is not really an issue and make it sound as though there is an overwhelming attitude in the gaming community that needs this topic to address it.

Don't think the man brought it up because of it being an issue, we're just discussing. One can look at regular sports and see that men's football is a heck of a lot more popular than women's football even though the women can perform. It's just an interest mainly held by men and there's nothing wrong with that. Same with this topic, I wouldn't exactly call it an issue but I wouldn't mind seeing more women in eSports or gaming in general. The subject isn't favored toward either gender, it's just about how good you are, same with every sport.

 

The two are not synonymous. The gaming community caters to a different breed of person than football. It's a younger, more enlightened, for lack of a better word, community.

 

I just get tired of the victimization two-step that leads nowhere except bitterness. Not everybody is a victim and not everyone is a perpetrator and definitely not everyone brings up outdated ideals to simply discuss them. In the curent political climate politics is getting rather old.

[kvnchrist]

The more I think about it, the more I think that women have an ace up their sleeve in regards to most things in life. The option is always there for them to say "But, I am a girl!"- which according to some antiquated code of chivalry- automatically obliges a man or group of men to take special consideration for a woman's gender. Like I have said, some women use this when it serves them and then turn around and demand equal rights or gender equality when it doesn't. At some point in the future, they may not have that option. It is this ambiguity or lack of consistency among women that will continue to influence men's views about them- not just in gaming- but in all aspects of life. Maybe it is unfair to women to believe that they are just as competent and able as men when it comes to everything- no matter how much they wish it to be so. But I do NOT believe this is the case when it comes to gaming.

 

Since the beginning of time, men have forged the way to the future with women following their lead. It will be interesting to see how things will be when man and woman truly are considered equals. I fear this will come at the cost of femininity and the beautiful grace that is inherent to most women. In their struggle for asexual egalitarianism it seems they adopt male's attitudes and habits, thus, denying a "woman's perspective" that has usually tempered a man's more narrow and dogmatic view or approach to a wide range of things. IMHO, this is why women are special and should be treated as such. Not to deny them anything, but, rather to recognize that they are different from men in some ways that should be considered advantageous for our species as a whole.

 

How this pertains to gaming is that a woman's or girl's perspective is refreshing to me because they might notice something I never did or create something I never thought of. Yes, you can get a fresh perspective from a man also. But, men's opinions usually are colored by ego whereas a woman's is more likely not. Does this make any sense?

You are talking personality and self esteem here. I know men that fade away from something hard, just because it is hard and I know women that would walk through men to fix something even harder. There are always those out there who will manipulate a situation to their advantage and not everyone who uses their sexuality to gain an advantage. is femle. All you need to do is count the kids in the world without a father or mother figure in their lives because the sperm donor or their female equivalent was unable to give a crap about the person they helped bring into this world.