Jimquisition: Fake Nerd Girls

[xplosive59]

So basically this episode was about attention seekers.

I don't really play video games often so "gam3r grrls" don't bother me, Scene Kids and Weeaboos really piss me off though. These people mentioned do everything for attention and cling onto the most mundane shit, I shit you not this is an actual post from Facebook awhile back...

"Listening to BVB so hardcore LMAO x"

Why the hell do you need to say something like that other than to get attention?! People that claim to be something they are not just screams that they have no personality themselves. It bothers me because I get grouped in with these crowds because I watch anime and listen to metal, yet I cannot have a decent conversation with either group about these subjects.

I know Jim used Jessica Nigri as a video example, but from what I have seen of her she seems to know what she is talking about when it comes to nerd culture.

 

[Duvi0]

Repeating Jim's comments: is this a thing, Internet? Really?

Yes, I would like to get that question answered too. Is this something you see done a lot? Because I certainly haven't.

OT, even if it was a thing, like Jim said, what of it? It's not hurting anyone, at least not now, nor is it enforcing any stereotypes, except of those of alone angry gamers who don't like social interaction with other gender.

Yes, I've seen it tons of times before. Example 1- girl on the bus shows off Pikachu t-shirt, can't name one main character from the show or another one of them.
Example 2- girl pretending to play DS, turns out she's just scrolling around in the menu. Original DS, mind.
Example 3- girl flaunting her knowledge of video games, lists Farmville, Cityville, Call of Duty, and Pet Society. She can't think of any more.
Example 4- girl saying that she loves video games, can't name a single console other than PS3.
I have tons more of these experiences. I don't get bothered by it, but I know someone who is, and I need to show him this ASAP.
Just listing some examples because it really does fucking happen, people

 

[rbstewart7263]

Well in music people will dress the part for a certain group for the sake of making friends or fitting in. I suppose gaming is no exception though to ridicule that person is cruel and benifits noone however misguided they may be. At the same time it does noone any good to pretend such a person does not exist.

 

[jmarquiso]

The only issue I can think off is these people is they do exist are likely to be the same kind of people who 10 years ago would have bullied someone for liking games so I can see the problem there.

People who at one point would not like a thing, than ten years later do? That's what people call progress.

Sorry I didn't mean the exact same people but the same groups of people who only like something because it's popular and gets them attention.

So you're saying that something that wasn't popular 10 years ago, but is now, is a bad thing?

You realize that what this means is that the people bullying outliers for beginning to like games now are treating them the way gamers were treated 10 years ago, too, right?

 

[DoPo]

As much as I thank God for Jim, I feel this video was just propaganda to push an incredibly biased opinion. Here is the real truth - the truth Jim is trying to hide!

 

[jmarquiso]

OT, even if it was a thing, like Jim said, what of it? It's not hurting anyone, at least not now, nor is it enforcing any stereotypes, except of those of alone angry gamers who don't like social interaction with other gender.

Yes, I've seen it tons of times before. Example 1- girl on the bus shows off Pikachu t-shirt, can't name one main character from the show or another one of them.
Example 2- girl pretending to play DS, turns out she's just scrolling around in the menu. Original DS, mind.
Example 3- girl flaunting her knowledge of video games, lists Farmville, Cityville, Call of Duty, and Pet Society. She can't think of any more.
Example 4- girl saying that she loves video games, can't name a single console other than PS3.[/quote]

Just want to say I've met guy gamers who do the same thing, and they don't get nearly the same third degree.

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

Jim briefly touched on the reason, but then flew past it

"Nerd girls" DO steal a ton of attention, go to Youtube right now and you'll find videos of "nerd girls" getting SHITLOADS more views than say...a guy of equal intelligence talking about the exact same subject.

If the girl is hot AND showing a cleavage you can hide a christmas tree in (thanks Yahtzee) then multiply those views by a factor of 10,000. I wish I was exaggerating.

It doesn't bother me because I rarely click on such videos, but I can see why it can bother some other people who upload tons of videos or have a career revolving around getting views.

 

[Bayushi_Kouya]

I was aware of this problem. I heard about it last rearing its ugly head in Mass Effect 3.

If I might lend my analysis: the Internet has been great for turbocharging the large multi-armed thing that constitutes 'viewer entitlement' that's been known about since long before there was an Internet. The idea that everything out there is 'for me.' For a brief explanation: look at the trend of making fun of the TWILIGHT series of books/films. Most of the people making fun of it are NOT the target audience -- not women with a specific set of fetishes. What doesn't occur to these people is that TWILIGHT is not for them, it's for the target audience. They should not be offended that it didn't meet their expectations, they should learn to do some research so that they don't see movies that they won't like. But the viewer entitlement is there, deleting the 'I should do research' command line and replacing it with 'Be a hate-spewing spigot of ignorance and contempt.'

What does this have to do with 'fake nerd girls?' Well, people are starting to become aware of viewer entitlement as a concept, and once they know it drives advertising dollars, it shakes them out of the experience. Finding someone who shares your interests is a great joy, and if you might some day theoretically reach a level of intimacy with them beyond mutual interest, that's great, too. But one thing I know no human being on the world has patience for is wasting time and looking a fool doing it. The fear, and the word 'fear' is very important in this context, is that these fake nerd girls are wasting the 'true gamer's' time with false hope and insincere implications. Not unlike the 'booth babe' problem mentioned some weeks ago.

People are okay with being deceived, but it must be done with some effort and style. As Lewis Black said, 'You've got to lie to me better than that.' A product or service is nothing if not a reflection of the person who uses/experiences it. I expect some deception and pandering in anything I consume -- they must compete, free market and all that -- but too much and I get angry. Some people (the problem causers of this discussion, they who persecute and scrutinize women in this medium) are so afraid of being made to feel a fool that they will take their claws out if they even suspect perfidy. And that's the problem -- knee-jerk hate reactions instead of careful scrutiny.

Jim, as usual, cuts to the heart of the matter quickly -- if you don't like it, stop looking at it. The attention-grubbers you fear wilt if not fed, and you are feeding them almost constantly with your shotgun approach of painting all women with the same brush. It's unfair, counterproductive, and makes both of us look stupid.

What I don't understand is people who keep on being assholes after they find a woman has the chops to back up her claims. Why is the response not then delight? It took me a while, but I think I've sussed out the answer: it's still a perceived insult, because they were wrong about something. And no one likes being wrong. Could ya be more selfish? You bluffed and were called, deal with it. The world doesn't need to conform to your bruised ego.

 

[Toilet]

I think the whole anger about this doesn't stem from gender but stems from the whole jumping on the bandwagon. These same people who say "I LOVE VIDEO GAMES! I'M SUCH A NERD XD" are the same people who ridiculed people for playing games back in the day.

It's the hypocrisy that gets us mad, not the people.

 

[JasonKaotic]

I don't actively hate and scream at the thought of fake nerd girls used in advertising, but they do annoy me a fair bit when I see them... although I think that's more to do with the fact that I get annoyed when advertised to at all. Some ways much more so than others.
And with the ones who just do it for attention, attention-seekers in general just piss me off.

Edit: Aaron Sylvester pretty much summed it up.

 

[m19]

Attractiveness always breeds resentment almost as much as... well, attraction. If you can't be her or be in her league then you have to create a flaw to make yourself feel better.

However plenty of examples out there that really are whoring for attention. A few even are "real gamers" yet only half of what they do is gaming related, the other half is a sexy cam show (talking about ones that are blatantly obvious because they are trying too hard). And it should not be a surprise why that inspires disrespect.

Just like booth babes are not respected because of the same kind of logic. Maybe they shouldn't but that's the way it is.

 

[Jimothy Sterling]

Yes, and likely that is what many of the complainers already mean, when they comment that "Lol, that ad just pulled a Fake Nerd Girl", or "that actress is just played up for Fake Nerd Girl appeal".

But your video just covered the worst possible conclusions of why one might use the phrase, while associating them with everyone else as well. That the very idea is inherently stupid, and everyone should feel bad about themselves for considering to bring it up.

Shaming everyone who might use a phrase or discuss a trend, rather than the people who misuse it.

It's a horrible term regardless, that puts the focus of the blame on the women themselves. And the stuff I've seen hasn't been about this manipulation, it's attacked hard working people, and just women in general -- usually just *concepts* of them, with nobody singled out as an actual basis.

I honestly wonder if half the outrage has just been contrived from smoke.

 

[jmarquiso]

It's not my responsibility to educate people in being interested in something, especially if they already pretend to know about it. I will gladly play with anyone who asks and answer any question they might have, provided I can answer it.
But I'm not going to justify bad behaviour by condoning it. It may not be enlightened, but it's certainly not elitist, unlike the statement you made.

I can understand that. Though I don't think "bad behavior" is dressing like cool video game characters that they appreciate the design of. This is possibly the most that they have done, and they get chastised for it.

There is no bad behavior here at all.

Remember, even Felicia Day was recently called out on this (by a Destructoid contributor no less), a woman who built her entire career and production company around a show based on an MMO guild. She was asked to produce her "credentials" so to speak. Whereas Jim, Angry Joe, Total Biscuit have never been asked.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

This is indeed ridiculous. All I'd want out of a girl is the sense that she respects the hobby and industry. I wouldn't care if she couldn't name all the Pokémon in a row or break down the Indoctrination Theory for me - all I'd want is her being able to have a sit-down, grab a controller with me, and have some fun for an hour or two.

That's it. I'd even take a girl who prefers casual gaming, because there would still be common topics we could approach.

To all those who really obsess over this, I'd like to ask if that really changes anything. More to the point, how does knowing all the Pokémon by heart or hundred-percenting Skyrim qualify as a worthwhile accomplishment? In the meantime, people are writing novels, composing music, putting businesses together or creating other art forms. You're just checking items off a list in an admittedly fancy manner.

I mean, I'm a gamer. I'm aware that I derive pleasure out of things a lot of other people consider to be pointless. I'm just not going to argue that MY self-indulgent pointlessness is in any way better than a woman's just because I'm slightly closer to the so-called hardcore demographic.

 

[Taunta]

Repeating Jim's comments: is this a thing, Internet? Really?

Yes, I would like to get that question answered too. Is this something you see done a lot? Because I certainly haven't.

OT, even if it was a thing, like Jim said, what of it? It's not hurting anyone, at least not now, nor is it enforcing any stereotypes, except of those of alone angry gamers who don't like social interaction with other gender.

Yes, I've seen it tons of times before. Example 1- girl on the bus shows off Pikachu t-shirt, can't name one main character from the show or another one of them.
Example 2- girl pretending to play DS, turns out she's just scrolling around in the menu. Original DS, mind.
Example 3- girl flaunting her knowledge of video games, lists Farmville, Cityville, Call of Duty, and Pet Society. She can't think of any more.
Example 4- girl saying that she loves video games, can't name a single console other than PS3.
I have tons more of these experiences. I don't get bothered by it, but I know someone who is, and I need to show him this ASAP.
Just listing some examples because it really does fucking happen, people

1- Maybe she just thinks Pikachu is cute. Last time I checked, there was no "must know source material" requirement for t-shirts.
2 - Maybe she was legitimately scrolling through the menu trying to do something, or idling around while she was trying to figure out what to play.
3 - Those are all video games. My "Fucking casuals" mindset alarm is going off.
4 - She got tested on video game consoles, she named a console. I don't see the problem here. Do you need to be able to name a certain number of consoles to be considered a "real girl gamer"?

The problem is, what are people gonna do about it? Why do girls 1,3, and 4 need to be tested in the first place?

OT: Because the point of the video is this leads to some sort of witch hunt which only affects women, which is fucking stupid. If you're a man, and you say you play video games, people take you at face value. If you're a woman, you have to prove that you have a right to exist. What are the requirements for being a "genuine" gamer girl? Do you have to own X number of video games? Must have a certain level of unattractiveness? Must play X Y Z genres?

I'm sorry, I must have missed the part where we went back to third grade. When did trying to share someone's interest in order to get their attention become a bad thing? When did video games become a secret elitist club? Why, instead of being excited that they're interested, and showing them more, is the response "EWWW, GIRLS ARE ICKY"?

 

[Ashoten]

Seriously Jim? Fuck you on this one. This a far more complex issue of social interaction that relates to all male/female interaction(Including transgender and homosexuals of course) and not just gamers in particular. Why do think those movies about 3 buddies that get broken up by a random set of breasts appearing keep getting made?

A lot of male nerds have toiled to establish the nerd culture(just as you said) specifically or indirectly because they didn't have female companionship to distract them. So now that The nerd culture is bigger and more acceptable it is only natural for old timers to be suspicious of any new comers. The poser knows no gender but in my own credulity I have witnessed what happens when a random poser usually a girl enters the scene.
Groups break up,feeling are hurt, and friends no longer speak to each other. Maybe this isn't the girls fault maybe the guys in the group let their testosterone take control. I have had legitimate nerd girls in my circles of friends and it was cool but the painful times when things went bad are the ones that stick out in our memories.

What you are seeing is real concern and fear that is always exhibited when previously unknowns are introduced. Interactions between men and women are real chemical reactions because they are different in some very distinctive biological ways. Of course since I am a Fat chud white heterosexual male neck beard in his early 30's you can dismiss my opinion as short sighted egotistical rantings.

And for the record men don't get off judgement free Jim. You always have to worry about weather you are perceived as an alpha who leads or a beta who follows or risk being outcast because you don't have a defined role.

 

[Cecilthedarkknight_234]

I only have one thing to say, Olivia munn.

 

[ShadowKirby]

Lots of fake geek guys around here, yup.

 

[getoffmycloud]

The only issue I can think off is these people is they do exist are likely to be the same kind of people who 10 years ago would have bullied someone for liking games so I can see the problem there.

People who at one point would not like a thing, than ten years later do? That's what people call progress.

Sorry I didn't mean the exact same people but the same groups of people who only like something because it's popular and gets them attention.

So you're saying that something that wasn't popular 10 years ago, but is now, is a bad thing?

You realize that what this means is that the people bullying outliers for beginning to like games now are treating them the way gamers were treated 10 years ago, too, right?

No I am not saying that games being popular now is bad I think its awesome I am saying that these people aren't interested in games they are just pretending to be to get the attention.

Basically my issue is that a person like that is pretending to be someone there not just to try and look cool and that annoys me.

 

[Callate]

Well, the episode definitely made me laugh. Partly because being happily married is a nice, safe vantage point from which to be snide about the foibles of younger, single people.

With the awareness of this rather undeserved sense of being above it all and that I'm probably making gigantic generalizations, I can't help but wonder if some men are "up in arms" because the promise of a "gamer girl" to them is of someone they can just talk about all their geekier fixations with who will also gratify them romantically (if not just sexually) without having to go through all that hard work of showing interest in their life and being sweet and so on. Ah ha! It's the long awaited short-cut to "being in a relationship" for socially awkward men! Victoly!

...Except it's not! These women still want you to show interest in non-game interests and be nice to them! BETRAYAL! They aren't what was promised at all!

Okay, I recognize that's very snide and cynical. And others have raised a valid point that whether you're selling beer or video games, no one likes feeling they're being yanked around by their vulnerabilities. Still, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a subset for which the above description isn't fairly accurate.