Girl Gamers

[Keith K]

QJ.net is paying homage today to our favorite kind of people; Girl Gamers! Their latest Quicklist is an amusing read, separating female game enthusiasts into 7 groups.

These are girls we all dream of, aspire to meet or in rare occassions have been lucky enough to find ourselves with.

Which group do you find yourselves in ladies?

http://www.qj.net/QuickJump-Quicklist-Seven-types-of-girl-gamers/pg/49/aid/115159

[Kara]

From that list I could say that I'm a Hardcore Gamer. It seems to just fit me best. I do a fair bit of Social Gaming as well, but I'm definitely more their description of Hardcore.

[TimeCruiserMike]

I happen to know that the girl they have pictured with the wow box is more of a hardcore gamer than a social one.

[AlexanderDitto]

Because it's totally appropriate to single out gamers that happen to be girls, because they're SO different from normal gamers.



I mean, I'm not attacking this article specifically or anything. I'm speaking in general terms. I'm frustrated by the fact that our community makes a big deal about girls, and then seems confused as to why there are "so few." Oh wait, no there aren't, 40+% of video game players are female.

No surprise that the gaming industry has managed to convince itself that girls can only play stupid games. See also: Super Princess Peach. That game... makes me SO angry.

[Unclever title]

See also: Super Princess Peach. That game... makes me SO angry.

That's surprisingly appropriate.

For the most part I don't know any girl gamers. (leastways the ones I do know I don't know that well and are not in my demographic)

I grew up in a household in which only me and my brothers played video games. Now granted I don't have any sisters, but too me? Yes it's surprising, and a VERY pleasant surprise I might add.

Though I do need to throw in an exception for a period of time my Mother would fanatically play Dr. Mario, but that was the only video game I've ever seen her play, and think quite honestly, that she ever played.

It still baffles me to be honest, her mindset doesn't really lend itself well to video games, now a good novel or a board game is a whole other story. Which after just typing this baffles me even further... Because I know that every sentence in this past paragraph is true.

She's never held much interest in video games, save one, yet enjoys the components that go into good video games. If I had the slightest guess it would be that it relates to the music... but I don't think that's enough.

[Misty]

I'm definitely a Passionate gamer girl! I love quoting lines, and knowing really obscure facts about my favorite characters (no fanfiction for me, though *shudder*)

I also identify with a Cosplay gamer girl. I love all the intricate outfits, and am definitely going to try my hand at making and/or wearing some one day soon

[Nomadic]

Though not female myself, I find myself often enough being pwned hardcore by female gamers...therefore, I find myself wondering why there is this supposed drought of female gamers.

And to be honest, I'd rather be pwned by a girl gamer...I'm highly competitive, but not against girls. Helps me avoid behavior that I might regret later. Besides, girls are generally more gracious about both winning and losing.

No, not sexism...just a branch coming from the tree of my ingrained chivalry complex.

[NachoManLance]

My gf claims to be a Passionate Gamer, and as a witness I can attest to that.

Seriously. She can't put down any one game until she conquers the shit out of it completely. She's a better gamer than me by a mile.

[emma]

Shit like this pisses me off so much. Alex got it pretty much right as to how I feel - let's take normal people and separate them, and then treat them like a foreign entity and write entirely towards an audience that does not include them, all while telling that audience that it does!

HOORAY!

I was thinking about this today when I saw an ad for '50 hottest women in sports' and I thought, 'really? Why does this always have to happen?'

[TheRocket]

Chrono Trigger was fucking terrible.

[Graham]

Super Princess Peach. That game... makes me SO angry.

It's quite literally "Girls Have Emotions: The Game"... so silly.

[Keith K]

Oh come on, dont be so naive as to ask why this keeps happening.

Men are superficial. I doubt thats about to change.

I too see a sexist side to the article but I find it frustrating that even when we as men and women find ourselves on common ground, men (normally completely in the dark begging the powers that be for some common ground with women) cant take a moment to appreciate it.

I think it also must be noted that men need to be educated on the fact that girl gamers are still women and if you find yourself in a 32 person deathmatch with some of them, blow their heads off.. but be a gentleman about it. (Likewise when they blow your head off.)

Now, I may be wrong on that too. Comments?

[Unlucky]

Shit like this pisses me off so much. Alex got it pretty much right as to how I feel - let's take normal people and separate them, and then treat them like a foreign entity and write entirely towards an audience that does not include them, all while telling that audience that it does!

HOORAY!

I was thinking about this today when I saw an ad for '50 hottest women in sports' and I thought, 'really? Why does this always have to happen?'

I'm with Emma and Alex on this one - Why the hell should female gamers be singled out when the average female to male ratio is pretty God damned close? I just went to an Anime convention (Supanova FTW) with two female gamers, who also cosplay on a regular basis, prooving that female gamers aren't that rare.

Why must female gamers be separated from their male associates - what makes them so 'rare' in the first place? The world is evolving, no longer is it uncool to play video games, or rare to see female gamers. The world isn't full of "Ga-nyeh! Let's play Star Trek!" gamers anymore, days\events like this simply aren't needed or wanted, they just make the female side of the gamer stream feel more out of place and awkward, thereby driving female gamers AWAY rather than making them feel good.

I think it also must be noted that men need to be educated on the fact that girl gamers are still women and if you find yourself in a 32 person deathmatch with some of them, blow their heads off.. but be a gentleman about it. (Likewise when they blow your head off.)

See now, call me old fashioned but I believe in equal treatment to my gamers...why should it matter if you're male or female? If I just managed to throw a grenade onto you and three of your fellow teammates, of course I'm gonna laugh in your face at your unfortunate circumstances, regardless of gender. That's something I like about the internet - it's the great equaliser.

Not to mention though, how are you to know if someone's male or female anyway? Name? Attitude? Online gaming is, despite people trying, designed for the faint heartened. If you're gonna game, you're gonna get insulted, so buck up. There shouldn't be exceptions for half of the gender, and not for the other half. Equal treatment, it's there now deal with it.

[AlexanderDitto]

I think it also must be noted that men need to be educated on the fact that girl gamers are still women and if you find yourself in a 32 person deathmatch with some of them, blow their heads off.. but be a gentleman about it. (Likewise when they blow your head off.)

See now, call me old fashioned but I believe in equal treatment to my gamers...why should it matter if you're male or female?

Let me fix that for you.

Be a gentleman to everyone.

I'm a huge believer in chivalry, but for me, chivalry extends far beyond opening doors for girls.

[Kawaiicaps]

if I only go by their list I would be a Passionate Gamer but I do cosplay at every convention I go to (at least 2 a year) and wear a white mages cape or one of my character hats when I go out.
I believe in casual cosplay, that is to turn the outrageous outfits from videogames and turn it into something wearable in everyday life. I have made for friends cloaks with white and black mage patterns on it, so it is a nice cloak to wear but only other gamers know what it is from.
-^_^-

[Steelfeather]

I would probably be classified somewhere between Casual and Hardcore.

But I agree with the other sentiments in this thread - we aren't that rare, at least not anymore. My best friend is a gamer, along with me, and half of my female friends in high school where gamers as well.

Granted, I had more guy-friends in high school than girl-friends by virtue of my hobbies, but still - in a group of 14 people who were all gamers, 4 of us were female.

[TheRocket]

Why does everyone worry about the offensive side to everything?!

In my opinion, girl gamers aren't rare around me.

[Master Gunner]

Let's see...I can name at least a half-dozen girl gamers that I know in real life, probably a few more if I were to think about it (of course, not counting games like Guitar Hero or DDR), and considering the I go to a fairly preppy school, I'd have to say that at least among teenagers, the male:female ratio is getting pretty close to equal. As for those that I've met online...one of the leaders of my guild, a leader of a former guild, and another have dozen floating around in just one game that I play. Plus all of the ones here, and the fairly large percentage on the xkcd fora. So yeah, not rare in the slightest, and I treat them the same way I treat everyone, friendly until I am shown a reason not to be.

EDIT: Just realized, even my mother was a fan of the old text-based and side-scroller adventure games, that seemed to go out with Commander Keen though.

[Scone]

I would have liked to see that based off of some kind of survey. As it is there is no indication that he (I think Nicolo is a boy's name) didn't just make most of that shit up thinking about 7 different types of gamer girls he can fathom. That's not to say it isn't entertaining, but when he goes off and says that many hardcore gamer girls like Chrono Trigger without any proof, I am calling Shenanigans.

It's no secret that there are smaller game companies who can only afford development of Flash games and the likes...

And PopCap makes infinitely more money than any of them and can easily squash those small companies under its massive gluttonous bulk.

Finally, lol at the picture of the girl screaming into the headset. Do you think she got a head shot or got shot in the head?

[Kara]

Okay, so really I don't care if some people and ignorant and don't realize the amount of female gamers there are out there. It just means that when I kick their asses in whatever game (generally Smash) that it stings more.

I can show them there are female gamers out there, rather than bitching about how people are ignorant about it.

[AlexanderDitto]

I can show them there are female gamers out there, rather than bitching about how people are ignorant about it.

I'm quite sure no one is ignorant that females play games. It's the fact that male gamers still treat them as though they're freaks, something to be pointed at and oogled over. I do not approve.

Seriously, what's the point of this article anyway? I could replace "female" with "male" and every one of these stereotypes still holds. Watch! Hilarity ensues! Suddenly, the descriptions make no discernible sense.

Hardcore Gamer - You don't need a uterus to kill Altima in Final Fantasy Tactics...

Casual Gamer - What, you mean some of those old people who play Brain Age happen to be women? You mean Cooking Mama wasn't marketed to me? I'm going to go cry now.

Boyfriend Gamer - Being dedicated to someone in a relationship is no easy feat, and in most cases involving girl gamers, the partner doesn't always play video games fanatically. In a short period of time, they probably go to the gym more often than you do, and can still beat you at Halo.

Social Gamer - Massively multiplayer online games, known only as the realm of hardcore men and women capable of appreciating simple roguelikes back in the day, have become dude magnets because they're popular games.

Passionate Gamer - You might come across guys who are serious about what games they play - that's the passionate gamer. They're probably sing the Portal song, without you asking to, in a key that's much too high. Backwards. With Ocarina accompaniment.

Cosplay Gamer - The cosplay gamer we're referring to is the person who'd worry more about how her height, hair, skin tone and body build fits the character he has his eyes on, and dresses like Sephiroth anyway.

Closet Gamer - In some societies, only a geek would play video games instead of partying every night or joining the fraternity drinking club like everyone else. It is inevitable that a male gamer would keep her favorite past time to herself in such environment, thus the closet gamer came to be.

So why isn't this just "Seven types of gamers?" How is this any different than saying "seven types of 60 year old gamers" or "seven types of black gamers," or "seven types of tall gamers," all of which sound stupid and wrong?

[korri]

what about girls who enjoy video games, and playing them, but really really really suck... like i mean my friends watch me play as a form of entertainment...

[Keith K]

The "Get her GamerTag for Online Achievements" Gamer?

[AndyTheSkanker]

Super Princess Peach. That game... makes me SO angry.

It's quite literally "Girls Have Emotions: The Game"... so silly.

I lol'd at how sexist it was, but it was a fun game still. No NSMB though.

[Morgan]

Chrono Trigger was fucking terrible.

i'll fucking find you and cut you.