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Gaming and Girls, Ugh?Follow

#1 Jul 15 2010 at 6:27 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Here’s a post on girl gaming since I’m bored… inspired by an IRC conversation. Yeah, I hate that it’s even a matter of concern and arises as a topic.

If you are any bit familiar with modern Western gaming culture, it’s either very loved (so cool! hot! wow rare!), or very hated (girls suck, drama, attention *****). Why so often a negative impression and a negative reaction? Sure, there are a lot of “undesirable” elements that get introduced by such things: they’re so different and care about things like socializing and causing drama and getting attention instead of trying to play the game well! They get free items easily, that’s so unfair and dumb! The stereotype has expanded so far that it’s almost guaranteed flame bait to simply mention it. And what’s the deal with having girl teams and competitions? What’s the point? Are they limited in potential and can not compete with men? Do they need to stick together because of discrimination? Is it because of sex appeal for the sake of media promotion? Personally, I think it’s insulting.

People often put the blame on girls, but isn’t the root cause in treating them with too much differentiation which results in segregation? What reason is there for this treatment to begin with? I think people who treat them as something special or as a subclass are more to blame for enabling those trends. And in regards to competition and typical skill levels, there’s the matter of personal priorities, and also cultural and upbringing influences which results in difference approaches and level of dedication.

I’m tired of hearing things like “best girl I’ve played” or “really good for a girl” or “never expected and surprised you’re a girl.” So I say, stop making a big deal out of it and let everyone play and interact on the same field, with fair considerations. If only everyone would take it easy, stop generalizing as much, and value or hate people as individuals compared to the whole… many of these issues in regard to gender should disappear… ideally. Gaming should be a neutral and unbiased space.
#2 Jul 18 2010 at 3:28 PM Rating: Decent
But Typewriter might have won one of those matches if not for the thoughts of a purty melon patch!!
#3 Jul 18 2010 at 8:22 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Guess that's his loss then!
#4 Jul 18 2010 at 8:50 PM Rating: Decent
All depends on how you look at it...all depends :P
#5 Jul 18 2010 at 10:41 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Irrelevant because we know he lost because the game was too old.
#6 Jul 19 2010 at 7:23 AM Rating: Decent
41 posts
I love you Chime. XD
#7 Jul 19 2010 at 8:14 AM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Me too... me too.
#8 Jul 19 2010 at 9:17 PM Rating: Decent
And dont forget that the hit reg was terrible too.
#9 Jul 20 2010 at 5:37 AM Rating: Good
How are you defining gaming? MMOs are blanket and anyone can be good or bad at them, regardless of gender or culture. However if you take, for example, FPS games, it is rare to meet a girl who is good at them, and if you were to encounter one online (especially if they kicked your ***) you'd have every right to be surprised because it just doesn't happen - not that it *can't*, but it is incredibly rare.

The negative views of girls in MMOs are different in that gaming is undeniably a male-oriented industry. It has always been the way of mankind to seperate things into gender classes (jobs, cleaning, cooking, sport, etc) so completely overcoming this even in today's society is a challenge. Added to this is the fact that there are many many many documented cases of women exploiting their sexuality to progress (that woman who prostituted herself for an epic mount in WoWs' Burning Crusade springs to mind) creates an image as surely as the men who respond to such things create the stereotype of the lonely basement-dwelling loser. In such an over-commercialised society it is difficult to escape such prejudices and while I agree that each person should be judged solely on the merit of their actions, it is just not feasible to expect.
#10 Jul 20 2010 at 1:34 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Afaik there is still quite a divide in MMOs and quite a few other genres. I'm not saying that it's not rare, but basically I'm saying that the preconception of a limit or major differences in potential or character and typical responses to such is irritating and unnecessary. I know there are a lot of reasons of why things are they way they are, but it doesn't mean that I like it.

Also about the women exploiting their sexuality to progress for mounts and such, there are actually a bunch of men who have done the same on places like forums, Craigslist, etc. Except instead of getting a huge long standing negative backlash, they just get a few laughs and then quickly forgotten for the most part.
#11 Jul 20 2010 at 2:01 PM Rating: Decent
The last survey I read about (about a year ago) had the girls vs guys playing MMO's ratio at 3-10 I believe, and was on the rise. That would play a heavy factor upon the rarity factor of a girl vs guy competition.



Also as a funny note,
One of Piratess's old guild mates did a college thesis on "The benefits of playing a girl in an MMO (or mangina in this case)". This was back in 2003 right after the launch of SWG. Was funny to hang out in the cantina's when he was doing this report and poke fun at him, plus he would give us some of the loot sometimes that "lonely guys" would give him. :)
#12 Jul 20 2010 at 2:54 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that that sort of social commentary can even exist online. I know it exists, I know why it exists. But, it just makes men seem really... well... gullible and simplistic and silly in that department. lol

Edited, Jul 20th 2010 4:56pm by Chimeko
#13 Jul 20 2010 at 3:41 PM Rating: Decent
Well my t-shirt reads "Yes, men are pigs..now who wants sausage!" ;P
but..ya.
#14 Jul 20 2010 at 3:48 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Maybe if you gave some loot as an incentive!
#15 Jul 20 2010 at 4:03 PM Rating: Decent
That made LOL in RL because it was that funny :P
#16 Jul 22 2010 at 5:27 PM Rating: Decent
I personally enjoy gaming with a mix of male/ female company.
I' don't want this to sound wrong but i probably will.
it's nice to hear more female voices in vent
other then just guys all the time.
I've played many games with a # of females that were talented at them.
For instance Chimeko literally bent m over in quake and inserted rail gun
up me ************ lube).
just nice to have a mix of races and gender to play with is what I'm getting at i guess.
#17 Jul 22 2010 at 5:29 PM Rating: Decent
41 posts
Quote:
just nice to have a mix of races and gender to play with is what I'm getting at i guess.


Its nice to have variety!

Otherwise everything gets quite boring.
#18 Jul 23 2010 at 11:33 AM Rating: Decent
When it comes to gaming for me, gender is largely irrelevant. In reality, I tend to connect and converse better with females because I'm such a reasonable and open-minded guy with great listening and understanding. However, that only translates into the gaming world so far because I do not seek out female gamers.
#19 Jul 23 2010 at 12:42 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
If those are 4 traits that help with you with connecting and conversing with females, what would be the traits that would help you connect and converse with males?
#20 Jul 23 2010 at 12:49 PM Rating: Decent
I wasn't meaning to imply that that was conclusive to gender. Just that in my experience those are things that females tend to look for on a communicative level, so that tends to promote healthy conversation and friendship. That said, most of my best friends are guys. I guess I was more relating it to casual friendships/acquaintances.
#21 Jul 23 2010 at 2:48 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
Fair enough. I think that says more about what you prefer than your own communicative traits though.
#22 Jul 23 2010 at 3:06 PM Rating: Decent
Not necessarily. Females are more likely to put emphasis on the traits I mentioned, which weren't all inclusive, just a sampling. Guy to guy friendships are a lot simpler in that regard. I'm being general with that, by the way.
#23 Jul 23 2010 at 4:33 PM Rating: Excellent
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137 posts
I meant regarding most of your best friends being guys. Or are you saying that isn't the case?
#24 Jul 24 2010 at 2:33 AM Rating: Decent
It's not really a big deal anymore. I can understand why it's a big deal for teenage boys, though. These days every other girl plays games, even if she might be the Queen of shoes IRL. Mature players don't care if their fellow team-members are female/male, it's all about skills.

The teenage-boys might get lured into the trap and offer bribes to the hawt girl-gamers. Hoping for revealing photos/videos or even CYBER. Yeah you heard me, some of them want to talk dirty. Just create a female character in any random mmo and shout "anyone wanna cyber?" in world-chat. The pervs will bombard your private-chat.

10 years ago it was hard being a crossdresser in any game, people always asked if you really were a girl. These days genderbending is very easy to create and most of the time you will have a big LOL how retarded men/boys really are.
#25 Jul 24 2010 at 2:41 AM Rating: Decent
41 posts
Quote:
It's not really a big deal anymore. I can understand why it's a big deal for teenage boys, though.


Personally I find it to be more maturity level than anything. I've come across guys in MMO's that absolutely FREAK OUT when I get in vent and they find out I'm a chick. Even then it has nothing to do with my play skill - its.../zomgmusthiton.

I've lost track how many guys 30+ have freaked out then gone all pervy on me trying to get pictures, video, webcam, etc. For a while I just stopped going into new vents because I got sick of it tbh. Its funny at first and then it just gets stupid.

I think I've been hit on more buy older guys actually, versus teenaged boys, and the reason for that is probably pretty simple. Men are wired to be attracted to younger women. Younger women are fertile, older women aren't necessarily. /shrugs I wish guys would get over it, but eh...horomones will keep on kicking and the problem will never entirely go away.

Now I just let people know up-front I'm a chick usually, laugh when they assume I'm bad, then totally pwn their pre-conceptions. I like letting know people up-front I'm a chick though, gets all the "AMAGAD UR A CHICK CYB0RZ ME NAO!! PICS NAO!!! AMAGAD AMAGAD /faint" bullcrap out of the way.
#26 Jul 24 2010 at 6:24 AM Rating: Decent
I'm somewhat fairly young compared to some (25). The attractive to age thing doesn't imply to me.
I'm gonna get me **** kicked for saying this but. In most cases younger women in most of my
experience can tend to be a bit more annoying and I'm using that very very loosely.
I've been atracted to women of all ages. I once dated a women in her 30's when I was 20
well...I wouldn't call it dating but ya. In any case that mostly irrelevant i guess.
I find women sometimes more enjoyabe to game with because they listen more than guys do.
when you get in a game that require strategy most guy think they know almost everythig about
said game. Not implying that women don't but they tend to listen and try to work together more.
At least this is something I have noticed.
But at the same time the stereotypical guy comes out of me and it definitely is a lot nicer
to listen to a woman's voice over vent than a guy's , but that could just be me.
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