Female Gamers: An Unpopular Opinion

[Tarrou]

I think the OP has a pretty good take, at least from my days on WoW. My guild was largely older, with a few husband/wife teams, and one complete family (GP, GM, mother, father, son). My long time heal leader was female (and a doctor IRL, kek). There were basically three types of female gamers I saw.

1: The stealth girl. Never talks on vent, is as good as any of the guys, we all just figured (s)he had a weird voice or was super shy. They tend to warm up if you get to know them, but they are pretty paranoid about the level of creepiness that can be directed at them, which I get.

2: The normal one. Doesn't go out of the way to draw attention, plays the game (some better than others). Just doesn't make a big deal about it. Is still treated differently.

3: The drama whore. Seen a few of these come and go. Flirt constantly with whoever can get them into good raids, or whoever hands out loot. Throw shit fits when things don't go their way. Are obviously used to getting their way from attention starved male gamers. I have no use for these, and was fairly ruthless in eradicating them from my raids. Many guys will just put up with insane levels of stupidity if it's a girl, which if a guy tried to pull, he'd get teh /gkick before the keys were cool on his keyboard.

 

[Valksy]

I don't think that you can blame female gamers for advertising media - Hell I threw a fit at home today because bloody Nintendo is launching a new pink DSi in the UK and they think that because it is pink it will appeal to women. I hate that shit. I want to be knee-deep in blood and mayhem not playing with puppies or playing Cooking fucking Mama. I suspect that the media notion of a female gamer and the actual truth are very very far apart.

But you know, you cannot really point the finger at "female empowerment" advertising without looking at how games are advertised to males. Hell, I am sure that most of you have seen the screamingly hilarous adverts for browser game "Evony". How do you guys feel about it? Does it only require a rack and a smile for you to play a game? Really?

The simple truth is this - no one actually knows the percentage of female gamers and I doubt that they ever will. Some women gamers I know do not ever disclose their gender because some (not all, but some) male gamers are mentally or literally pre-pubescent jerks who have no clue how to talk to people of the opposite sex. Dealing with you when you are like this is tedious in the extreme.

Do some women seek attention? Sure, but then in every walk of life some people are tosspots. But for every woman in my WoW guild who gets a bit pushy I can think of 3 guys. You just don't notice it or process it the same or accept pushy/demanding or whatever you want to call it as a normally male response.

I know that I have been playing games in all formats for over 30 years now and I never once saw my gender making any difference at all.

 

[Axeli]

Also, being a gamer has nothing to with with women being hounded by men. They are approached and hit on by guys all the time, whether it's in a game, at the mall, in a bar, or at the bookstore, men are going to flock to them no matter the setting. We guys are in a constant state of arousal all the time, it's biological.... and no amount of bitching and pointing the spotlight is going to change that. It's out lot dealt by evolution.

Yeaah... Not really the same. I don't really see much of guys in real life flocking around one girl like that just because she happens to the only one present.
At least not the kind of guys who do it online, under the cover of anonymity. It's just awkward and slightly creepy, and kind of hard to explain to someone who hasn't actually witnessed it.

And are woman generally under constant hounding? And men always aroused? Maybe there's something wrong with my libido, but I wouldn't say so. I thought that stereotype was beaten to death already.

Lastly, men and women aren't equal anyways. Neither is better or worse then the other, we're just different, you know this.... I know this.... everyone knows this, and the people that deny it are just delusional. Because If we were completely equal, we wouldn't have the intensity in the interaction between the sexes, we would be able to predict one another all the time and life would be boring and people would be lame and uninteresting. It's our differances that make us so intriguing to one another, it's what makes the whole battle of the sexes so interesting and exciting. And the people that want these great things to be no more are just sad people not willing or brave enough to put themselves out there and embrace life the way it is.

Well, in all fairness most differences in behaviour are probably cultural rather than biological. Yes, men are generally more talented mathematically and women linguistically, and such and such, but most more radical preconceptions are usually just self-fulfilling prophecies.
And I assume when you say "not equal" you mean "not the same".

 

[Mr Wednesday]

Where the hell are these women you're refering to?

Girls under the age of 15 Do Not Count.

Pointless topic.

 

[latenightapplepie]

Someone who advertises their gender in a game is not asking for equal treatment, they want differant treatment

Not necessarily. I believe that a lot, if not most, of the people who express their identity (I don't like the term 'advertise', it's too commercial) don't want to be treated differently. If I were to mention being gay on my XBL profile like this guy did [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6alOnuN-wCY], I wouldn't be doing it so I could be abused and hated upon like he was. Sure, I might do it to make a friend or two over XBL because we have something in common. But I would never do it in order to be so dramatically othered at all times whilst gaming. That idea is ridiculous.

Ultimately we fix this problem by people learning to not be as bloody freaked out and threatened by things that are new and different, not by the repression of self expression.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

How do you guys feel about it? Does it only require a rack and a smile for you to play a game? Really?

A smile is enough for me. I am ashamed.

 

[IntangibleFate]

I agree with the OP. I remember from WoW days, which I think it was probably the most prevalent, a lot of girls flaunted their girliness to take advantage of the drooling boys. Sad, but true. In fact some guys playing female avatars told me they've pretend to be a girl and get all sorts of freebies for it, and also are able to just dick around without someone telling them off (sometimes goes the other way, too).

see...equality... both sexes take advantage of the idiots...


I've seen it many times on WoW as well.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Yeaah... Not really the same. I don't really see much of guys in real life flocking around one girl like that just because she happens to the only one present.
At least not the kind of guys who do it online, under the cover of anonymity. It's just awkward and slightly creepy, and kind of hard to explain to someone who hasn't actually witnessed it.

And are woman generally under constant hounding? And men always aroused? Maybe there's something wrong with my libido, but I wouldn't say so. I thought that stereotype was beaten to death already.

It happens, go to a social setting and keep an eye on the attractive women and you will see men flocking to them. Sometimes individually or in groups. And if she is the only girl around, it happens... I've seen it. ( Of course you have to take other things into consideration like, whether or not she's part of the group of friends you are observing and her looks and attitude.) The same thing happens online as well, it's just probably more frequent because of the anonimity. And yes men are in a constant state of arousal.... not full on.... but it's always there. That's why it's so much easier for men to be turned on then women, it's evolutions way of compensating to keep the species going.

Well, in all fairness most differences in behaviour are probably cultural rather than biological. Yes, men are generally more talented mathematically and women linguistically, and such and such, but most more radical preconceptions are usually just self-fulfilling prophecies.
And I assume when you say "not equal" you mean "not the same".

And I agree cultural influence is a huge part of that, I didn't specify that I was mostly applying my argument to women of western culture, which I was. And for me the term "not equal" is the correct term....men aren't equal to qomen in many things and women aren't equal to men in many things... however neither of us is elevated above the other. We are designed differently and we operate differently, which for me is what it is that keeps the species going. And those that feel pointing out the fact that we are "not equal" or "not the same" as being a negative or as an attack, are already biased and probably unhappy person to begin with.

 

[Indecizion]

I believe that true equality between the sexes will only be achieved when both genders are treated as totally equal. Female empowerment, while necessary to combat chauvinism to a point, must be kept in check as much as chauvinism should.

Women abusing men can be just as dangerous as men abusing women, and it should be considered as such.

I don't think that developers should cater to either gender, it seems patronising to me (as a person who really like Nintendogs) that girls always prefer cute casual games and men always prefer blood and tits-athons. Just make good games, and the true gamers in each gender will play them, regardless of content.

As well as that, the tendency to mention obsessively that your gender online, and carry it as a chip on your shoulder is just attention seeking, no matter what your gender. It's just another blow to individuality.

So yeah, total equality please.

why thank you furburt, once again you save me alot of typing, i side with the above completely.,

 

[Double A]

I know several girls on the Internet (ok, 3, and they're all on forums). They all have something in their username that shows they're girls. And no one cares. But a less "OMG GRRL" attitude would be great. But since I've only seen 3 girls, and as Tarrou put it, they're all "normal girls" except treated equally.

As a male, its genetically written into my code to have a certain interest in the "fairer" sex.

Orly? Link to article supporting your assertion plz.

Oh come on, don't bring up that "gay gene" crap in this thread, go do it somewhere else.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Not being a pecker, I'll agree with your statement as soon as I meet a female gamer. stupid ninjas hiding from me. >.>

 

[HTID Raver]

all the ones i ever play with ***** and whore attention

 

[nicholaxxx]

what if we would go out of our way to assist, help, whatever a gamer anyway, even if they aren't a girl, and the current gamer happens to be a girl? do I still have to be punished?

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Fair point, at that. It's the old 'free vs equal' argument. Do you want equality, or do you want us to celebrate your difference?

 

[Angry Caterpillar]

I completely agree.

Going out of your way to help, assist, or be around a gamer who you suspect, or can confirm, to be female, is bad. As in, rolled up newspaper bad. Bad gamer! Bad!

This was my favorite part of your entire post, as well. I've had girls briefly be on my friends list, but as soon as we end up in a party with my other neanderthal friends they end up getting hit with a barrage of "Oh, so you're a girl? That's cool, hey, want to be my friend?" and "Oh hey Nick, got hooked up did you?"
This sucks. It stops me from expanding my friends list and it makes people feel awkward.
*rolls up a newspaper*
Bad XBL trash, bad!

 

[Aerodynamic]

I actually agreed with everything you said, thought I was the only one with the mentality like that.

 

[Paksenarrion]

I agree with the OP. I remember from WoW days, which I think it was probably the most prevalent, a lot of girls flaunted their girliness to take advantage of the drooling boys. Sad, but true. In fact some guys playing female avatars told me they've pretend to be a girl and get all sorts of freebies for it, and also are able to just dick around without someone telling them off (sometimes goes the other way, too).

see...equality... both sexes take advantage of the idiots...


I've seen it many times on WoW as well.

That reminds me of the time I played City of Heroes with my guy. I made a character that looked pretty much like Kenshin, and he made a female character that was all boobs and ass...ets. Surprisingly, I got lots of attention for my Kenshin character than he did with his.

...or maybe they mistook mine for a female and were after DFC.

 

[Aesir23]

I definitely agree with you. I don't see why being a female gamer should entitle anyone to anything in the gaming industry. Upset about a girl with abnormally large breasts/ass flaunting herself on the case of a game? Well, then too bad. Such is life. Suck it up, deal with it and find a game you actually want to play.

As you can tell, I'm tired of the whole "the gaming industry should cater to girls more." shtick.

 

[Darchrow]

Along with politics, I agree that everyone in the gaming community should shut the fuck up about gender. A lot quieter that way.

Edit: But the girls I have met are equal to men, they are either okay, great, bad or cheat. Good job females, your equal to male gamers in my eyes. So don't think I'll be afraid to say "Good job", "You suck." or maybe "Go fuck yourself you peice of shit cheater."

I do this as well, but the problem is someone who has a different mentality will always defend the girl gamer and make you seem like a bad person instead. Happened to me when I was pointing out that one of the Priest healers was specced for PVP in Sunwell and I didn't say anything when she was extremely low on the healing meters but I think going in Sunwell pre-nerf in PVP setup is very unacceptable at this level of raiding, I called her out on it and was temporarily demoted from my officer duties for abuse of power? I'm meant to make sure everyone is on the top of their game!