gaming What do you think about girl gamers?

[Dr. Mechano 630]

The fact that gaming culture still feels the need to designate "girl gamers" as a separate category from the (presumably male) default is indicative of some serious internalized sexism in the gamer community.

 

As much as gamers (and nerds in general) complain about not being accepted by the mainstream, I find that many gamers are horribly elitist themselves, and this includes an absolute ton of misogyny that runs rampant in the community. As a subculture that often lacks mainstream acceptance ourselves, I feel that the gaming community should be accepting and welcoming to all people who play games, not a "boy's club" where women are excluded, or must somehow "prove themselves" to be accepted.

 

As an avid gamer myself, I know the gaming community is better than this. Treat women like you'd treat any other fan. Don't patronize them, don't assume they're less competitive or less capable, and - here's a thought - don't creep on them, objectify them, or make them uncomfortable because of their gender.

 

Really, everything I said applies across the board to other fandoms as well, MLP included. Let's stop condoning fandom sexism and call it out when we see it.

 

 

As long as I get my damn sandwich on time and it tastes delicious, and as long as she's sexually available, she can play video games whenever she wants to, no problem.

 

Nom, I say this gently and with love, since we're pals. But surely you know better than this.

 

Here's the thing. Women have their own agency and autonomy, and are in fact individual people of equal worth and equal value to men. Moreover, women do not exist to make you dinner or have sex with you any more than you exist to make women dinner or have sex with them. A "woman's place" is - not surprisingly - wherever she wants to be, doing whatever she wants to do. 

 

I'm not making the argument that women can't cook for their spouse (or indeed, that men can't cook for theirs), or that desiring sex (again, as a man or woman) is inherently sexist. Obviously they aren't, and both partners in a relationship can and frequently do happily consent to those things. I am saying that reducing a woman down to those two aspects - without taking her individual desires, ambitions, or identity into account at all - is to devalue and dehumanize her. Women are certainly capable of consenting to sex, but they are not defined by being sexually available any more than men are, and ultimately their interests, goals, and desires should be what takes top priority and defines them as a person.

 

Think about this how you'd feel if a woman said about you, "Hey, as long as he's feeding me and having sex with me, then I guess he can enjoy his hobbies." If you wouldn't like being reduced to being defined by those roles (or needing her permission to play vido games) yourself, good! You've put yourself in women's shoes, and may understand - if only partially - how they're constantly objectified and struggle to be viewed as individual people in our society due to sexist cultural institutions. You're obviously defined by far more important things than culinary skills and sexuality; And I'm sure you know that women are too.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Dr. Mechano

[SomariFeyWright 776]

I haven't the slightest problem with girl gamers. Perhaps simply because I'm naturally more comfortable with females in general, and because most of the girls I've met do happen to be gamers to some degree, but I look at girl gamers the same way as I look at guy gamers honestly (which is to say, with much respect). To me, there's nothing weird about it.

 

And, as has been said before, there's no need to point them out as "girl gamers", because all they are are gamers themselves. Of course, there are some who just do it for attention and some who do it for the sole purpose of erotic pictures on the internet, but still, nothing strange about a "girl gamer".

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

I don't really care too much about whether a girl is a gamer or not. But I can tell you one thing though, it's attractive. Still, it's a lot cooler if a girl is a true gamer.

[Shift 4,272]

I'm a girl. I play games. I don't exactly see the difference. We're just... females playing games. What does gender have to do about playing games? Also I whoop a lot of guys butts when playing, so gender doesn't exactly have an effect on skill.

 

The girls that use 'girl gamer' for a popularity boosts suck. I have liked video games since I got that Sega Genesis and Sonic 2 and I play video games because I like video games. Also, Valve is awesome and Half Life 2 / Portal 2 are awesome. And so is Fallout and Skyrim. And Pokémon.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Shift

[Frosty Flurry 173]

I'm a gamer and i have no reason to impress other people i just play games for the fun

And tell me guys, why does it matter if your a girl or not?

I don't see why this is a topic for conversation just saying
 

[ChoroChii 284]

They're nothing special and I think everybody needs to calm down.

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

What's the big deal? They're just gamers. I don't care what gender somebody is, if they want to be a gamer, then they should be able to be one.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

What about them?  -_-

 

I never see what's the big deal, so they are girl gamers.... and?!

 

Just like sexuality, I don't mind either way, so I'm cool with either way none the less.

[Katana 298]

GRRRRRR!!!!

 

I HATE girl gamers!!!

 

Gamers are fine. Girls are fine. But girl gamers? OOOH, it makes me so MAD!!!

[Proton 565]

I believe they are okay, but only when they don't care about attention during gameplay.

For example: "oh hey guyz im a gurl here playin dis gaem wit you lov me pl0x"

That is something I really hate.

[Diamondeye83 49]

I think that of girls think video games are fun, they should play video games. Exactly the same thing that applies to boys. It is beyond me why they get so much hate, I mean, they are just another player, and should be treated with the same level of respect that anyone should be treated with. I know that doesn't really happen, but it should.

[Thrashy 2,800]

I hate the ones who wear it like a badge. It's almost like browsing covers on YT and seeing "girl guitarist" in the title of every other vid, as if the sex of the guitarist were important or relevant in the slightest. But those who game just for the fun of it, without feeling the need to caulktease a bunch of dudes about it, are totally cool with me.

 

...Tangent, but ladies with a taste for the classics get an automatic +2 to Charisma.

[Acchan 232]

Unless Maplestory counts, I'm not a girl gamer. (Level 70 Mercedes- and what?!?)

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Wait there are girl and boy gamers? I thought they were all just gamers, since when did we go back to treating people differently because of gender again? Wasn't there a big movement to end that back in the early 20th century or something?

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

It shouldn't be a big deal if a girl plays video games of any genre,  popular or obscure. Girls should enjoy the same "rights" to gaming as guys do!

 

And they shouldn't have to rely on employing attention whoring tactics to draw attention to themselves. I'm not saying that every girl who plays games does this, I'm just saying the ones who do need to stop. They're only part of the problem!

[Wild Star 141]

heh, well, i guess you could call me a wannabe girl gamer (becuase my parents wont buy or let me buuy any video games. ) there is a social part sometimes, but its really about the game.

[Midnight Dragon 264]

I myself am a gamer girl, along with my mother...and I think we're pretty awesome xD

 

Also, one of my requirements for my future bride is that she loves video games as much as I do

[RubyVesper 100]

I think it's normal.

 

Girl gamer on CoD lobby: Everyone flips the fuck out

Girl gamer in TF2 Mann vs Machine game: *no fucks given by anyone*. Seriously, I had a girl in the lobby, and the team did not even focus on her at all, and focused more on annoying me by not letting me lay down krit stickies.

[Lagom 204]

One of my friends is actually a girl gamer, and probably at level 30 in League of Legends... I think she's really good neitherless.

I don't have a personal opinon towards girl games, since I just think they're okay.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

Doesn't make any bit of difference to me. The only time I have an issue with it is when girls pretend to be gamers I don't know why hey do it but it's annoying as hell. 

[iceestarz 5,764]

As a girl who absolutely loves video games I don't see the big deal. I like doing "girly" things like baking, sewing, shopping, but I also like "manly" thing such as gaming, manswers and forcing other people to make my sandwiches.

 

I've been gaming since I was three, I'm sixteen now and find no reason to quit.

[PoniesPlease 365]

I think of them the same way that I think of male gamers.

 

They're all assholes, fighting like barbarians over different platforms and games, etc.

 

To see them as anything other than a gamer is sexist, as they would yell at me.

[Enemy Stand 446]

As most people have said, they're just gamers, their gender doesn't matter that much when it comes to gaming.

 

However, I can't stand it when a girl thinks she's all edgy and tries to make herself look like a super important hardcore gamer just because she plays Call of Duty or something.

[Lightning Bliss 1,674]

*facehoof*

 

We really going down this topic? Seriously?

 

That's like me asking "So what do you all think of guys being in MLP FIM franshise?" Is it so taboo? So guys like MLP, girls like to play games, big whoop. Though I admit, back in the mid 90s when I first got into games I was stalked by alot of guys online...simply because I was a girl and it was a shock to them apparently...

 

I would think that over nearly 13yrs have passed since that time for me...that we've all grown out of this silly gender nit pick on what girls and boys do. Guys we are no longer living in the times of Blue and Pink, Transformers and Ponies, times are different now. Girls can do boy things just as boys can do girl things, hell I don't even like calling it boy things and girl things. Everyones things ok! We all should have equal right to love what we love, do what we do, play what we play.

[n00bert 18]

Judgment should always be withheld. Men can watch a show intended for little girls, while girls can engage in a media that is equally alienating. Gender norms must be discarded to promote equality between men and women.

 

My GF plays facebook games. I'm trying to get her to play "real" games so that we have even more in common.

Edited January 14, 2014 by n00bert