Jimquisition: Gamer Guys

[UNHchabo]

Obviously this is a spin on the fake gamer girl malarkey going about. I honestly have a good example of a fake nerd girl. There was a girl in my bio-class last semester who after talking with her for a few days admitted she was a hard-core Star Wars fan, loved the movies, read the books and played all the games. I was genuinely impressed. But then! She says that she and her roommate were going to get a pet ferret. Jokingly I asked if she was going to name it 'Boba Ferret" and she looked at me, dead eyed and asked if that was from something. I said "No, its a spin on Boba Fett's name." "Whose Boba Fett?" And then she moved on, saying they were going to name the little ferret 'Whiskers'.

Now I don't know her reasoning behind making up the Star Wars bit, and I honestly don't care. It was painfully obvious to me she just made up the 'I'm a Star Wars fan' and thats enough for me. Are all fans/gamer girls like this? Hell no. But really, please stop pretending there aren't two catagories. There are and please not men can fall under it too. If it makes you feel better, we can label them 'True Fans/Gamers' and 'Hipster Fans/Gamers'. See? Gender neutral and implies that one group is a fan because they truly enjoy it, while another is doing so ironically or whatever hispters do

It sounds like the ferret conversation happened later; maybe she didn't make the connection that you were making a Star Wars reference.

Or maybe she just never learned Boba Fett's name, because it's said only once in the original movies, in a line by Han that's easy to miss. It's possible that she has read a bunch of the books, but they either all took place before Boba Fett was born, or don't reference him in any way. I've read a few of the Rogue Squadron books, and I'm pretty sure he's never mentioned. Maybe if you'd mentioned Jango Fett she would have got the reference, especially since he's mentioned by name much more often, both in the prequels and in certain areas of the expanded universe.

 

[Phasmal]

I fairly recently saw one of the people who frequently post in these threads suggest that sexism in gaming is a "dirty secret" of the community and industry. I disagree with that presumption -- instead I think that the real "dirty secret" of "geeky" subcultures is that ultimately they were built by, for, and around people who are passionate about and delve deep into escapism, and the sorts of people who do that are rarely undamaged beforehand.

Actually, I said it USED to be a dirty secret (if you were indeed referring to me, I remember making a post like that recently- if you dont mean me disregard this). It used to be something we all knew went on but didn't really talk about it because we expected everyone to just put up and shut up, which is no longer the case.

You can call people damaged all you like, doesn't get them a `get out of acting like a human being`-free card.
And why why why do people keep talking about female gamers like we just showed up yesterday???

 

[magicmonkeybars]

You know, this was kind of super depressing, made me realize this is no place for people like me.
For all this talk of inclusion and embracing a larger demographic I have never felt more alienated from it.
Like you found a better group of people to populate the culture with and now the old residents are just trash to be shunned and discarded.
This whole video was just a giant " fuck you, you don't belong and you're not wanted."

 

[Rebel_Raven]

You know, this was kind of super depressing, made me realize this is no place for people like me.
For all this talk of inclusion and embracing a larger demographic I have never felt more alienated from it.
Like you found a better group of people to populate the culture with and now the old residents are just trash to be shunned and discarded.
This whole video was just a giant " fuck you, you don't belong and you're not wanted."

I gotta ask what kind of person are you that you feel excluded?

 

[magicmonkeybars]

You know, this was kind of super depressing, made me realize this is no place for people like me.
For all this talk of inclusion and embracing a larger demographic I have never felt more alienated from it.
Like you found a better group of people to populate the culture with and now the old residents are just trash to be shunned and discarded.
This whole video was just a giant " fuck you, you don't belong and you're not wanted."

I gotta ask what kind of person are you that you feel excluded?

The kind that doesn't matter.

 

[II2]

Gamer Guys

Jimquisition travels to another time and another place, examining a world taken over by gamer guys and their testosterone-addled inanity. Something must be done!

Watch Video

Beware alternate universes Jimothy, miniature Fantasy Wilhem Dafoe may betray you there.

 

[Littaly]

I have a new plan for becoming famous on the Internet!
Record myself on webcam, playing games while wearing a tight-fitted T-shirt using my supple smooth body and elegant nipples to sell myself on sex-appeal! It's gonna be great ~

 

[Gindil]

What did I just watch? That made absolutely no sense to me...

 

[Rebel_Raven]

You know, this was kind of super depressing, made me realize this is no place for people like me.
For all this talk of inclusion and embracing a larger demographic I have never felt more alienated from it.
Like you found a better group of people to populate the culture with and now the old residents are just trash to be shunned and discarded.
This whole video was just a giant " fuck you, you don't belong and you're not wanted."

I gotta ask what kind of person are you that you feel excluded?

The kind that doesn't matter.

Alright, stay vague, then. I'm just trying not to assume anything here.

As far as I gather Jim Sterling is hating on the haters in this vid. The people that gatekeep, and persecute, and divide people. The sort of gamer that excludes others vehemently, even though they aren't directly affected by newcomers, "posers," more casual fans, and/or people who are fans, but not the same way the dividers are.
The kind of people that hate those who want to be included in the hobby, yet aren't into the hobby to the same degree, or same ways.
The sort of person that actively tries to scare off newcomers for what ever reason.
The sort of person who won't accept a person they don't know at face value, and must test them, and harass them, and lable them.

A person can't really be accepted by the masses if they aren't willing to accept the masses they shun.

Jim flipped the genders to show males what it's like to be a woman in gaming.

That's what I took from the video. I dunno if you fit the description, or not.

 

[IkeGreil29]

I'm at a bit of a loss here. See, I liked your Idealization of Men episode, because it correctly communicated the one itch I couldn't get off of me about the non-stop comments about games objectifying women. I couldn't communicate it though, because I couldn't understand what I wanted to communicate. To me, all those men you call "ideal" sort of felt objectified to me before the episode, because I quite frankly do not connect with any of those male figures. I can't really connect with any character, to be honest; I'm a pessimist and even though I do recognize my outstanding and amazing set of privileges I was born into, I can't help but feel the flipside of everyone BEGGING people to recognize it: some of us already do, and in fact, do not enjoy being a part of them. I'm not saying I hate it, I'm saying I hate the bad parts of privilege, because it sets in stone expectations of you. It means you can't for the life of anything complain even once, because you're privileged. It always communicates to me like the people that tell depressed people "You have no right to be depressed, other people have it worse than you"! Well, fuck you then. You have no right to be happy because someone else is happier than you.

That was getting off topic, but what I meant was that your episode has allowed me to understand what it was about the industry that I disliked. And what we have to correct. This just seems to squash the surface issues by being sarcastic, not by trying to view it in depth. And that might work for some, but not for me. It's not that I am one of those that spout fake gamer girl whenever there is a girl that likes games. It's more of an inability to understand females. Zelda, even though so many tout that it is a sexist terrible series, has been the one consistent thing I've found most females feel attracted to. I like Anouma's idea of making Zelda playable. YAY! Go ahead, expand the series, tilt it on it's head, change it! Zelda needs that, it's kind of stagnated in a formula at this point. But why do you have to go pick on the past titles so much? Can you not just enjoy the damned games for what they are? Adventure? Games are not a babysitter; if you expect them to educate your kids, you will have a shitty time with your kids, so the excuse of it's bad for kids is not very valid.

I've a feeling I'm about to be attacked by someone on this forum, it happens a lot. But can someone please help me understand this issue? I just feel lost honestly. I feel like I can't understand it because it's just not something I can relate to; I'm not a girl, and I'm a privileged straight white male. I don't think I've ever been manipulated by females, although maybe I have and just blocked it. I'm just really confused TT__TT

SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND!!!

 

[IkeGreil29]

What did I just watch? That made absolutely no sense to me...

You're not the only one, totally blew over my head...

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I'm at a bit of a loss here. See, I liked your Idealization of Men episode, because it correctly communicated the one itch I couldn't get off of me about the non-stop comments about games objectifying women. I couldn't communicate it though, because I couldn't understand what I wanted to communicate. To me, all those men you call "ideal" sort of felt objectified to me before the episode, because I quite frankly do not connect with any of those male figures. I can't really connect with any character, to be honest; I'm a pessimist and even though I do recognize my outstanding and amazing set of privileges I was born into, I can't help but feel the flipside of everyone BEGGING people to recognize it: some of us already do, and in fact, do not enjoy being a part of them. I'm not saying I hate it, I'm saying I hate the bad parts of privilege, because it sets in stone expectations of you. It means you can't for the life of anything complain even once, because you're privileged. It always communicates to me like the people that tell depressed people "You have no right to be depressed, other people have it worse than you"! Well, fuck you then. You have no right to be happy because someone else is happier than you.

That was getting off topic, but what I meant was that your episode has allowed me to understand what it was about the industry that I disliked. And what we have to correct. This just seems to squash the surface issues by being sarcastic, not by trying to view it in depth. And that might work for some, but not for me. It's not that I am one of those that spout fake gamer girl whenever there is a girl that likes games. It's more of an inability to understand females. Zelda, even though so many tout that it is a sexist terrible series, has been the one consistent thing I've found most females feel attracted to. I like Anouma's idea of making Zelda playable. YAY! Go ahead, expand the series, tilt it on it's head, change it! Zelda needs that, it's kind of stagnated in a formula at this point. But why do you have to go pick on the past titles so much? Can you not just enjoy the damned games for what they are? Adventure? Games are not a babysitter; if you expect them to educate your kids, you will have a shitty time with your kids, so the excuse of it's bad for kids is not very valid.

I've a feeling I'm about to be attacked by someone on this forum, it happens a lot. But can someone please help me understand this issue? I just feel lost honestly. I feel like I can't understand it because it's just not something I can relate to; I'm not a girl, and I'm a privileged straight white male. I don't think I've ever been manipulated by females, although maybe I have and just blocked it. I'm just really confused TT__TT

SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND!!!

Do keep in mind I'm not trying to attack you when I asy this.
I recommend you watch earlier jimquisition Vids. He talks about the "fake gamer girl" issue, and, on multiple occassions, the sexism in the game industry, like "The Creepy Cull of Female Protagonists."

I kinda broke down the vid in a recent post in this thread.
Adding a bit to that, Imagine an event where you've been excluded. Now multiply that many times over, and add up how much it'd suck. That's generally what it's like to be on the recieving end of the gatekeepers.

About the Zelda issue, it's met an immense amount of resistance and hatred as illustrated in the comments of this article:
http://www.destructoid.com/gamers-urge-nintendo-for-a-playable-zelda-257454.phtml

I can't fully fathom some of the reasons people have against the idea of a playable Zelda short of the fear she'll get the "Princess Peach" treatment and get sent on a mission for a happy making vibe-sceptor using wild moodswings to make her journey, or treated like Samus in The Other M, which aughta speak for itself.

Honestly, every time we buy something advertised by a person deemed attractive, we've been manipulated, or we acted like the people who were manipulated. Either way, mission accomplished in that they got your money.

 

[Lightknight]

Ok, all of you who believe the fake gamer girl thing, ask yourself this, and actually think about it.

Are these fake women MORE of a problem than female members of our community getting a nasty grilling for no reason other than their gender? Are they more of an issue than the hostility thrown at anyone female for speaking about games without sitting the written exam?

I really freaking doubt it.

What's more is the silliness of it all. We're being exclusive here? Us? Nerds who have had a history of being excluded and singled out from the "cool" kids groups are trying to exclude people who are interested in our culture and new to it just because they don't have a long and established history in it? We should have been so lucky in school to have had people pretending to be like us. To be fair, I was a nerd and a jock (president of the chess club and wrestler/football), but my friends were certainly nerds and I saw how they were treated. But man, I can't imagine any one of them excluding someone for wanting to hang out with them or pretending to like the same things they like just to fit in.

It's ridiculous. As I said earlier. Maybe this is similar to the person who farted blaming someone else first so that they don't get blamed themselves. Maybe it's the fake nerds trying to call other people fake early so that their friends know that they're true super-nerds.

Man... how that word, nerd, has changed in my lifetime.

 

[IkeGreil29]

snip

Do keep in mind I'm not trying to attack you when I asy this.
I recommend you watch earlier jimquisition Vids. He talks about the "fake gamer girl" issue, and, on multiple occassions, the sexism in the game industry, like "The Creepy Cull of Female Protagonists."

I kinda broke down the vid in a recent post in this thread.
Adding a bit to that, Imagine an event where you've been excluded. Now multiply that many times over, and add up how much it'd suck. That's generally what it's like to be on the recieving end of the gatekeepers.

About the Zelda issue, it's met an immense amount of resistance and hatred as illustrated in the comments of this article:
http://www.destructoid.com/gamers-urge-nintendo-for-a-playable-zelda-257454.phtml

I can't fully fathom some of the reasons people have against the idea of a playable Zelda short of the fear she'll get the "Princess Peach" treatment and get sent on a mission for a happy making vibe-sceptor using wild moodswings to make her journey, or treated like Samus in The Other M, which aughta speak for itself.

Honestly, every time we buy something advertised by a person deemed attractive, we've been manipulated, or we acted like the people who were manipulated. Either way, mission accomplished in that they got your money.

Thank you, that actually sort of helps. I still feel lost though; what do gamer girls want?

The best example I got off this discussion was how I constantly feel uncomfortable around metalheads for maybe not coming across as intense enough. Most of my friends aren't, I've only got one good friend who is, but it always makes me so nervous I won't come across as the real deal. I guess it's kind of like that, the metal community can be rather cutthroat at times. If it's like that, then I don't really see the issue of games becoming more accepted by all areas of society. In fact, I feel like it needs to happen so that they're not seen as chastity belts and all the other negative associations society has with gaming.

Something just dawned on me... could it be that certain male gamers are dubious of gamer girls because they have been shunned romantically before by them, particularly because when in a relationship you're not expected to be absorbed by games 24/7? Maybe, just maybe?

 

[Miroluck]

snip
The sort of gamer that excludes others vehemently, even though they aren't directly affected by newcomers,
snip

Well, you have to monitor your own people. If you don't, you're gonna end up with an equivalent of the TvTropes forum. So, in a way, they are affected.

 

[Sexy Devil]

*deleted*

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

snip

WOOSH!!

Right over your head. By about 10,000 feet. At around Mach 1 speeds.

Excellent points made.

Very constructive.

10/10 post.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

snip

Do keep in mind I'm not trying to attack you when I asy this.
I recommend you watch earlier jimquisition Vids. He talks about the "fake gamer girl" issue, and, on multiple occassions, the sexism in the game industry, like "The Creepy Cull of Female Protagonists."

I kinda broke down the vid in a recent post in this thread.
Adding a bit to that, Imagine an event where you've been excluded. Now multiply that many times over, and add up how much it'd suck. That's generally what it's like to be on the recieving end of the gatekeepers.

About the Zelda issue, it's met an immense amount of resistance and hatred as illustrated in the comments of this article:
http://www.destructoid.com/gamers-urge-nintendo-for-a-playable-zelda-257454.phtml

I can't fully fathom some of the reasons people have against the idea of a playable Zelda short of the fear she'll get the "Princess Peach" treatment and get sent on a mission for a happy making vibe-sceptor using wild moodswings to make her journey, or treated like Samus in The Other M, which aughta speak for itself.

Honestly, every time we buy something advertised by a person deemed attractive, we've been manipulated, or we acted like the people who were manipulated. Either way, mission accomplished in that they got your money.

Thank you, that actually sort of helps. I still feel lost though; what do gamer girls want?

The best example I got off this discussion was how I constantly feel uncomfortable around metalheads for maybe not coming across as intense enough. Most of my friends aren't, I've only got one good friend who is, but it always makes me so nervous I won't come across as the real deal. I guess it's kind of like that, the metal community can be rather cutthroat at times. If it's like that, then I don't really see the issue of games becoming more accepted by all areas of society. In fact, I feel like it needs to happen so that they're not seen as chastity belts and all the other negative associations society has with gaming.

Something just dawned on me... could it be that certain male gamers are dubious of gamer girls because they have been shunned romantically before by them, particularly because when in a relationship you're not expected to be absorbed by games 24/7? Maybe, just maybe?

What do gamer girls want? I cannot speak for them all, but largely the same thing gamer guys want, and often get as far as I'm concerned. Gamer Girls and gamer guys are two sides of the same gamer coin. Gamer Girls are people just like gamer guys. They're all as diverse as the other.

Your example about metalheads works well.

Personally I don't see the problem about games being widely accepted either, but that doesn't change the fact that people are actively being excluded, and there's people that support that exclusion which does cause problems. To say the least they aren't helping the image of the gamer improve.

A part of the negative associations with being a gamer won't go away, though. That part is the angry belligerent gamer. They use other gamers to vent on, and troll. They do this because there's not much that can be done in retalliation.v It's a sad fact of things that won't change until humanity does.

It's one thing to be dubious about the women that shunned them. It's another matter entirely to be dubious of women one just met, haven't met, and/or never will meet. That's just discriminating based on gender, to put it gently.
One one hand reactions like that are human nature to not be fond of what caused hurt. I get that.
On the other, one can always strive to rise above hating the many for the crimes of the few, or at least act like they have.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

snip
The sort of gamer that excludes others vehemently, even though they aren't directly affected by newcomers,
snip

Well, you have to monitor your own people. If you don't, you're gonna end up with an equivalent of the TvTropes forum. So, in a way, they are affected.

Not directly, still.
And if you're going to monitor your own people, you should be prepared to police your own people. If you're gate keeping, but not taking account the trouble makers you already let in, then, well, it's a bad thing, isn't it?
The bad people will ruin the rep of your own people, and the people turned away certainly won't be able to help clean up the rep, will they? They'll be on the outside, looking in, remembering the monitors that treated them poorly, and see the loudest, most obnoxious, most noticeable of your own people, and largely unable to see the rest.
Bad reps are created through misunderstandings, lack of information, twisted truths, and exclusion. Keeping people in the dark will not help.

The gaming community fits in well with what I just said. Are the trolls, and jerks the majority? All the bigots, sexists, racists, etc.? Doesn't matter because they're the loudest, most obnoxious most noticeable people. The fewer people allowed in to say "there are lots of good people that are gamers" the more prominent this bad rep will remain.
Once there are enough people involved in the gaming community, there will be enough to officially kill the bad rep.