Video Games: Not Just for Boys
 

For eons, games were seen as a male thing. The "Barbies" of males, if one were to make a comparison (actually, I don't know what to compare it with -_-'). This is because all games back in the days seemed to present problems which were resolved with violence, among other reasons. With the sudden influx of games which appeal to anyone (such as Nintendogs) the gaming market has changed quite a bit. More girls, adults (in their 40's or something, say) and even grandparents are discovering the gaming world.

For those out there who aren't adolescent boys, how do you feel as a minority in the gaming world? How did you get into the world of gaming? Why do you enjoy games rather than what you'd usually be associated with (for example, as a girl, singing and dancing... OMG this is SO MUCH GENERALISING... sorry for the sexism -_-') ?

So yeh... discuss. :)

Actually, girls have been gaming long before recently. I can't speak for the rest of the girls out there, but I do play lots of 'male' games like Duke and Battlefield 2. It's a common misconception that girls only like 'cute' games like Nintendogs. Girls usually aren't very open about their game playing than guys, so people usually think girls don't play games at all. I've been gaming long before the NES came out.

Unfortunately, game companies still think that girls only like Barbie type games or games where you dress up and things, and they're still making that crap. how demeaning!!!

that's my .2 cents.

P.S. I don't feel like I'm in a minority. There's lots of girl gamers out there.

Well, something a I've always disliked about Video games is when everything is directed towards the heterosexual male audience. Violent games and everything. I can tolerate everything up to seeing the women with hardly any clothes on.

I wouldn't mind as much if for in one game they focused on making the guys look sexy and what not (Wrestling doesn't count >_>). But again, slutty women make more sales then slutty men.

At this point it's pretty much a given that people of every age, sex, etc. play video games. Some companies have yet to realise (or at least, give a damn about) that fact, but I doubt any gamer who's NOT an immature 14-year-old guy is going to be surprised at discovering that "ZOMG GIRLS PLAY GAMES TOO!!"

Yeah, you wouldn't know it since the only selling point of a lot of games is "look, we have big-boobed chicks in tight leather bikinis!!" It makes games like, say, World of Warcraft kind of frustrating sometimes. Like when your female character's armour turns into a fucking thong when you put it on. Or when you get the feeling that the programmers spent more time on the night elves' jiggly-boob animation than they did on all those fugly male spirites combined. (It's pretty bad when the male UNDEAD are hotter than all the human and night elf males put together.)

Despite so many game developers' best attempts not to give a damn about anyone but their teenage guy demographic, I rarely feel like a minority. I know perfectly well that plenty of others chicks play games too, even if the game developers have yet to catch up to that fact and acommodate it. And not in the "oh, let's make some games for girls!" way. Guys? We don't need "games for girls." We don't need dumbed-down cutesy crap. We just need to be given some consideration in the games that are already being made. It's really not that hard. Just avoid being exceptionally demeaning to women and, if you're going for fanservice, at least give the chicks something as well. If your game includes female sprites with ridiculously huge boobs and chainmail bikinis, the LEAST you can do is add a few male sprites that are pleasing to the eye.

</rant>

Oh, and for the record, I've been playing video games ever since we got our first computer in my house. I was probably six or seven at the time, and I learned enough DOS commands to install and play games like Quest For Glory, Alleycat, Hoyle card games, Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Monkey Island... All kinds of things. These days I'm into Silent Hill, Thief, Morrowind, various RPGs... A nice mix of all kinds of games.

Damn....Amanda said what I wanted to say, except she did a much better job of it. I feel so inadequate :(

P.S. I grew up with DOS as well, playing the Sierra games and other things before I console games were big. Someone else has actually played Alleycat XD

It really doesn't bother me at all. I don't even really look at it like that until guys get this shocked look on their faces when I tell them I play video games. I got into the world of gaming mainly through computer games, such as the ones on Commodore 64 and Intellivision. Ever since then, I haven't stopped. Well, since RPGs are my favorite next to fighting games, I enjoy those because I look at them as interactive books (I love reading). But sometimes I combine the generalistic ideas of what a girl does, such as dancing and singing while playing video games. :)

It certainly sets the stage for some interesting conversations whenever I happen to pay for a game-related item, and the cashier is male. There have been more than a handful of instances when the cashier incorrectly assumed that what I was buying was actually for a male relative or a boyfriend.

I've grown accustomed to the stares when entering a game store and realizing that the majority of customers is male. Around my area however, I'm still in the minority since I have yet to meet other female gamers.

I have a question for you female gamers: what kinds of games would you like to be made? What would be the ideal 'game for girls'? It can be one made or a fantasy one.


I'll speak for my girlfriend, since she's a very casual gamer and only recently started. I had her play Animal Crossing and she enjoyed it very much because of the customization that goes on, like decorating your house and the interaction with the townspeople. I should get her the Sims because I know she'll love that. I also got her addicted to Tetris Attack. That right there is pretty self explanatory.

Mmm, I haven't met many female gamers either. But, then again, I can't find a lot of guy gamers with the same tastes as me. It's a bit annoying/embarrassing for me, because I can never find anyone to play with (I can't just walk up to someone and go "Hey! Wanna play Guilty Gear with me?" kinda awkward, y'know?)

I've been gaming ever since my brother got a SNES long time ago (I think my first games were Adventure of Link, Mario Bros 3., Dr. Mario, and Duck Hunt). Since then, I've deviated mostly to RPGs (like Lady Miyomi, I love to read), but I like all sorts of games.

The only thing that's annoying about being a "minority" (especially since I'm a Korean female; none of my asian girlfriends play videogames ;__; ) is that guys gives you strange looks or are surprised when you purchase or talk about videogames. It's not so bad now, but I do get the occassional "You play videogames?! :0!!" remark from both sexes.

Also, it seems as though there's a lot more female gamers on the internet than male gamers. I heard that it was because girls tend to go on forums and blogs more often but, then again, that sounds like a exaggeration.

EDIT:

Well, I like all sorts of games, but I usually look for something with easy-to-learn controls and great story. Violence, gore, and sex doesn't really bother me in a game, but I don't specifically go out to look for those things in my games.

Some of the girl gamers I do know usually enjoy puzzle games and RPGs though, if that helps.

My ideal game would be a rpgs-slash-fighting-slash-horror-genre all into one game (Shadow Hearts was a good start~)

I don't really have a particular "kind of game" in mind. I enjoy the games that are available now just as much as the male gamer, so I wouldn't want to see a game that would have to cater to the female audience, so to speak.

I don't really feel like a minority anymore since I know a good amount of girls who play videogames. The majority of my female friends all own at least one system and they're all updated on the latest releases. I first got into the gaming world when I played Crash Bandicoot on my friend's Playstation in 4th grade. It was an exciting new experience and I got addicted to the point where I purchased my own PS. Afterwards, I started hanging out with the gamers in my school and was introduced to new genres as a result.

The thing that bothers me sometimes is the fact that most guys tend to associate romantic RPGs, DDR, Karaoke Revolution, etc with females. A few of my male friends always give me weird looks or comments when they see me pop in Silent Hill or Resident Evil into my PS2. They probably think I'm a psycho for enjoying drilling bullets into zombies or withstanding the sight of blood and gore. -__-

"Why do you enjoy games rather than what you'd usually be associated with (for example, as a girl, singing and dancing... OMG this is SO MUCH GENERALISING... sorry for the sexism -_-') ?"

Who says you can't enjoy 'girl' stuff and VG at the same time? :p I guess I'm just open minded.

Oh...and I'm with Rydia. The games that are out today are good enough for me. We already have a wide range of selections.

Ironically, all the girls i'm friends with in school are all gamers. Ranging from Hardcore to periodically, but the majority do play video games.

I don't find it weird at all that girls play video games. Some of my them beat my ass in certain games. But who knows? Maybe one day there will be more gamer girls than guys. <_<

My friend was telling me something about how Asians sometimes will play video games too but I totally think he was making shit up. Does anyone know for sure if that was for real.

That'll never happen.

In my school finding girls that like a wide variety of games is a rare find. I was however surprised to find out that my friend Samantha's favorite game is Dead or Alive 4! A relief indeed.

I see this mentioned a lot in message boards. I am thinking it's strictly a US thing, for I've NEVER once been given strange looks or remarks from any males when I've played or purchased a game. Perhaps there are more girl gamers in Canada?

As for guyinrubbersuit's question, there isn't a game I would like to be made. Quite frankly, all the games that's out now, or will come out, are good for me. All the games that cater to a female audience are the stupid ones that are demeaning to girls, like that one where you 'dress up' a photo of yourself that you scan in yourself. Sure, there are some games that appeal more to a female audience, like the Sims, but that doesn't mean it's a girl-only genre. I know several males who enjoy the series as well.

Girls who play games are about as normal as girls who read comic books.

I agree 95%.

Only 95% because you will be very hard pressed finding ANY girl who plays arcade shootemups.

I don't know if it's what you'd call ironic, but Sony said at their press conference that PSP owners were what, 96% guys I think. Price tag aside, what's preventing you ladies of gaming from owning a PSP?

What's preventing people who aren't retarded from owning a PSP.

Oh nevermind.

My girlfriend is more or less a gamer like me--she mostly plays Shadow of the Colossus and God of War and Katamari, etc.

She likes the classics, too... I think.

I think there are more female gamers than "we guys" think--they just play different games than us. Consoles don't really appeal to them but they will play Bejewelled and Tetris online. I estimate that Puzzle Pirates is over 75% girls.

I suppose the DS goes some way to drawing girls in for console gaming (at least quite a few of the games seem to be aimed at girls), but I have never seen a girl with a DS so I wouldn't know how effective it is.

I said MAYBE. Never said it would happen.

I've never really looked at female gamers differently. I've been playing games with my sister since I first started playing games, and we've always played the same type of games. Because of this, I've just figured that most girls who play games play the same ones that guys play.

But then again, who are those Barbie games made for?

I've found my cousin Karen playing the Grand Theft Auto series, Katamari, & Perfect Dark Zero.

Little girls under the delusion thinking that any girl themed game is actually good. Most of the time they're not and generally have no point to them.

There aren't alot of guy themed games out there since most of the genres appeal to us anyway. <_<

I get this all the time and it's annoying as hell. I've had the cashiers actually ask me if I was getting it for my brother or boyfriend. I've been given the "why are you here" look many times, which makes no sense. Again, I really don't understand what's the big deal. So, to ease the tension (only when I feel like), I'll talk to them about Doom and Quake just so I can see the shocked looks on their faces. :)

The Guy Game is the only one I could think of. Though I guess that might appeal to lesbians also (even though it shouldn't appeal to anyone).

For the record, I love Time Crisis and House of the Dead ;__;

Well, it isn't so bad now. When I go to game stores or talk about games (in public) a few years ago, I would get lots of funny looks, and even comments about it. Nowadays though, it's not as bad. Dunno; it seems there's more girl gamers (either that, or the market recognizes us as group now...?)

Those are Light Gunners, not shootemups. I mean like.... this

:D

So in other words, we're fairly "normal" (whatever that means) and would only be considered otherwise by immature 10-year-old boys and pathetic guys who have lived sad, sheltered lives.

:0;;

(I guess those are kinda fun. Although I don't have the patience to play those games XD;; )

Another thing I don't understand is why people tend to associate dancing/singing games with girls. In my area, games like DDR and Karaoke Revolution are played mainly by guys. Is it different for other regions?

I like to break the mold. Not only am I a female gamer, but I play pen and paper rpgs, collectible card games, and read comics. Yes, I am a geek. Oh, and a mom to boot. 14 year old boys minds may now explode when ready. ;)

As for games that I like, i'd like to think a little bit of everything. I mostly play rpgs, but I love platformers as well as horror. I'm learning to love FPS, though only on consoles so far. The only type of game I can't stand is sports. I find sports boring to watch, so why play them? Besides, if I was inclined, i'd rather play the sport instead on on a tv screen.

I was a casual gamer since I was small. My parents bought my brother an Atari, and I used to watch him play all his games as well as play myself when he wasn't using it. My parents refused to buy us any other systems though I begged them, so I stayed casual by playing at friends' houses from time to time. It took graduating high school and moving in with my fiance for me to feel like a true gamer. We now own quite a few systems and hope to own more in the future.

I think games will always be a great passion in my life. I have a daughter now. I plan on introducing her to games, and if i'm lucky, she may share my enjoyment in them.

Yeah, okay.

See, if a girl plays The Suffering, then I'd be extremely pleased. Other than that, I see no potential problems whatsoever.

Not like I care anyway. Both genders can have a go at it.

Most girls I know that play games only like classics, like Mario or Zelda.
And the others play "childish" agmes like The Sims. (Ok, you may like it but you have to agree that it's not a MACHO game such as God of War or Ninja Gaiden)

And those girls that don't play games get all angry when my friends and I gather to play games or even if we talk about it. Go figure ...

Only like 10% of the male population plays arcade shooters to begin with, no wonder no girls do either.

"Maybe" implies it might happen. It WILL NEVER happen.

I sometimes start conversation about a game if there isn't a line in the store. When I went into Gamestop to ask about the Advent Children movie, I actually spoke with a male cashier who didn't seem surprised about my questions. Of course, he was the only one who spoke with me on an equal level.

My mother still plays Ms. Pacman occasionally.

I find that most of my family won't touch gaming, but they'll watch. This is pretty annoying(although, I'm not going to let on that it is) as being watched while playing a game really puts me off.

That applies not only to family, but people who watch me in the arcades(and a prime reason as to why I've started playing arcade games at home, in the privacy - etc.), basically anybody who watches me. I'm terrible at gaming when I'm over at a mates house, simply due to the fact that he's watching me, and he always sticks me with an xbox controller.

Do you reckon the next generation (for portables, this generation) of consoles will likely help this perception that games are a guys thing only? What with the games I've seen comng out for PS3 and Xbox360 so far... Hmm...

On another note, slightly off-topic, this was a few months ago. A Current Affair program over here in Australia had a story about people not going to work because of games. Two people they interviewed were girls... But BOY were they like blokes ('scuse the pun). It's got me thinking... Are there any girls who doesn't have a "nerdy" or "geeky" type past who play games (DDR etc. doesn't count)? Or girls who don't act like guys?

Why do you think Nintendo sells so well?

I have been playing since the days of Pac-man, but good ol DOS game where awsome too! I loved Kings Quest and Police Quest games!

To be truthful, I honestly think that it's not much harder to find Girls that play games as much as you do, than it is to find Guys who do so.

More like 1%

Well, do girls usually incorporate the topic of games into their daily conversations? I know some friends who talk Warcraft 24/7 (annoying -_-').

It depends, I suppose. Females can talk about games when around males or other females who are gamers. I can't say that I've met a girl who spoke about games obsessively though.

There's little difference between a person with a vagina and a person with a penis playing games. Why wouldn't girls play games? It's just another form of media. Girls watch TV, girls read books, girls listen to music, as do males. I fail to see what the big excitement about women playing games is. If you like to play games, regardless of age, gender or nationality, good for you. I can't say I care.

That's an overgeneralization. I hardly play any particularly violent video games. Games like F.E.A.R., Doom, Halo, Mahunt, True Crime, etc. don't appeal to me. I don't play video games because "violence is cool" because, to be blunt, it's not cool.

People in general play video games because they're interested in them. It's just not really possible to play video games or even sports if you don't express some interest in it. Just because girls don't play violent video games (as far as you know, anyway) doesn't mean they don't play them at all.

Meh, I know another girl gamer who doesn't care about gory violence in games. I didn't bat an eye in Soldier of Fortune, which is one very bloody game. As long as the game is good, I don't mind some over the top violence. It's the gameplay that counts, right?

Well my gf plays games like
Fatal Frame
The Suffering
Resident Evil
Silent Hill...

Girls I think have more variety then us guys actually...see my gf has a wierd selection of games...

-Resident Evil 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and Code Veronica
-Silent Hill 2
-The Suffering 1 + 2
-Fatal Frame 2 + 3
-Pikmin 1 + 2
-My Street (PS2 Game which was actually pretty fun)
-Amplitude
-Mario Sunshine
-Mario Soccer, and Tennis
and some other games, I don't remember all of them...

As for me I play lots of DDR/ITG, and mostly first person and horror, action, rpg games...Wierd...She won't touch any final Fantasy game but quick to kill ghost...i don't get it actually...lol

Then again...thats the way the mind works ^_^

Very much an over-generalisation, there. In a couple of ways.

For one thing, I don't know where you're getting this idea that video games are an inherantly violent medium. Despite what the news media and people like Jack Thompson want you to believe, they're not. Saying that girls don't play games because they're not big on violence is just silly, for the simple fact that the vast majority of games aren't any more or less violent than any given movie, book, comic, etc. G.T.A. is no more representative of the "average video game" than Sin City is representative of the "average movie".

As for girls not wanting to talk about violence... Well, all I can say is that you must not know very many gaming girls. Maybe some of them are shy about talking about violence. But most of the female games I know like a mix of everything, and are perfectly happy to chat about violent aspects of games in addition to everything else. Most of them can squee over a cute RPG bishounen in one breath and discuss bloody, gory Silent Hill deaths in the next. Heck, my fifteen-year-old cousin is just as comfortable chatting about Harvest Moon as she is talking about her latest playthrough of Resident Evil 4.

Maybe female gamers are just more well-rounded in their tastes than all those testosterone-enslaved male gamers you mentioned. As long as we're over-generalising and stereotyping, it might as well go both ways. :rolleyes:

Wow, and to think I was just going to post a topic nearly identical to this. It was quite well-written too, if I do say so myself (har-de-har-har). Thank *insert preferred deity here* for the "forum search" option; I may have just saved myself from a flame attack and/or a quip from one of the mods. n___n;;

A recent article from The Inquirer and joystiq mention that women play more games than men (ages 25-24). It mentions that the female species prefer more the so-called "casual" games as the men prefer the "hardcore" games. It all makes sense, but again, it's up for discussion.

As for me:¯\(o_O)/¯ "snapping turtle in my pants" ~ Tritoch

Women play more games than men

65% of women, 35% of men aged 25-34 play games

eh, still the same for me. I'm a FPS gamer a and I know that the market is still heavily male-dominated, but it doesn't bother me.

me neither. I always walk into my local EB games and never get looks from anyone. I've even seen quite a bit of other females there (Although I don't know if they're getting games for themselves or thier kids/boyfriends) At one point, even, there were two female cashiers who knew quite a bit about games from what I gathered. I also have a lot of male friends around the 13-15 year range, and I play competitively with them without any remarks. All cool up here in Canada :edgartpg:

I'd have to agree with this. If there's one thing I hate, it's a girl in a gaming lobby that openly states she's a girl for attention. I guess I just don't view videogaming as a place for the feminist movement--just as another medium for entertainment.

I got into games when the NES was out and I had played Metal Gear, Super Mario Bros (1 & 3), Duck Hunt and Tetris. I went on a hiatus from console gaming cause of some family problems and then I got back into console gaming from a relative of a person that my mom was taking care of. Then that's when my gaming habits came back. I now own a GC, GBA SP (Black color), GBC, & an Xbox. The old PS2 that's in my room is technically mine because I'm the one who uses it the most. The old PS2 is the big chunky one. I like any kind of game if it appeals to me. If it gets to the point where a game is really ridiculous in my view, then I won't ever play it. I'd probably only play DOA 4 just for the Female Spartan.

Ha, sadly, I know more female gamers than males now. XD But, oh man, I got into gaming with DOS and Atari and those old games. I remember playing one of the first Wing Commanders for computer and I remember playing some shooter game on the Atari. And Zoids or ... whatever, where you controlled this pizza dude and had to watch out for the weirdo alien trying to kill you or take your pizza OR SOMETHING. God, that was an odd game. Oh oh and Hugo's House of Horrors! Those were fun games. Weird, but fun.

As for which games I like to play, sign me up for anything. I'll play MMO's, Racing games, Skater games, Fighting games (I kick butt with Sophitia in Soul Calibur II), RPG's, Puzzlers, Action, Adventures, you name it, I'll probably sit down once or twice and play it. The only ones I can't really stand are FPS and Shooter games and War games. They just don't appeal to me.

My grandmother is still trying to convert me over to sundresses and tea. (Ok, well, I took the tea part. :p )

Of all the female gamers I know, most of them play the same things guys play.

Like many other females, I don't quite understand why it's so strange for girls to be playing videogames. I was actually confronted by a guy who found it really strange that I could be fashionable and hack up enemies. Since when did female gamers need to neglect their appearance?


I'm guessing that much of this "surprise" comes from numerous stereotypes. Girls--clothes, guys, makeup, mall. Guys--swords, guns, blood. Of course, this isn't true. I was rather offended when I heard a little girl on TV go on and on about how Medieval Times was a HORRIBLE restaurant for girls because there were swords, and well, girls hate swords! I actually threw a pillow at the TV at that point. I love swords.


However, I do feel a bit uncomfortable staring at thongs and cleavage all day, but I generally don't let this stop me from playing a game. :(

My next-door neighbor, 8 years in age. :p

I tend to visit game stores whenever I happen to make a trip to any of the malls in my city, and I can't recall ever seeing a female customer in the store who seemed to be there because she wanted to. There were always the occasional girlfriends looking bored as their significant others looked around, but I've always felt somewhat out of place whenever I go into a game store.

Common occurrences are drawing attention from most of the males, and the clerks asking if games I pre-order or pay for are for my "boyfriend."

I would feel out of place in my GameCrazy if it wasn't for the fact that one of the clerks is a female. But I do know what you mean, as I always feel awkward going into a game store most of the time, not because I don't want to be there, but because alot of the guys end up staring and probably thinking "is she lost?" or come over and ask "can I help you?" in that tone of voice that's supposed to make you feel stupid. I take great pleasure in going "You wouldn't happen to have a copy of "insert game here" would you?" The look on their faces is always along the lines of "you PLAY GAMES?"

my girlfriend and I play games together regularly.

I'm a regular at gaming tournaments and have won my share of them... yet she can still hold her own against me in my multiplayer games of choice.


come to think of it, most of the girls I've dated were pretty into gaming.

I've never seen female gamers as this totally alien idea. This is because my sister and I are both avid gamers, so the idea of a female gamer has always been with me from the get go.

My best friend isn't too much a gamer, but she enjoys the Mario series and the Zelda series (A LOT). Another one of my female friends was at one point an avid Everquest player and a couple of my neighbours are alos in the same game programmes at the school we attend.

This thread:

"Please notice that I'm a girl playing videogames! I'm trendy! And out of the norm, and hip! I understand boys and what they like to do! I'm so much cooler than those girls who get mad when their boyfriends play Halo!"

Come on.

It's insulting to everyone to be totally surprised that a girl could enjoy videogames and feel like it's some kind of recognition you have to fight for. I've never expected (or experienced) a guy being shocked and aroused that I owned Soul Calibur, so just play your games and be happy with it. It's not some sort of women's liberation movement.

...

Well I made this thread in response to Nintendo's speech about reaching "other consumers" and they (to my memory) included "girls" as "other customers". Not to do what you wrote above.

By now, it shouldn't have to be like, "Holy crap you play games?" when girls are buying their games over the counter. But yet for some reason no matter how much people think the industry has changed, girls are still seen as "another group" altogether.

This thread's intention is to discuss on many aspects of being an "other gamer".

And I guess to add a bit more flavour into this thread, are there any gamers out there who are not "boys" (boys: kid, teen, young adult)? Like, for example, a parent? A priest?

Discuss discuss.

-EDIT-
Discuss. (sorry technophile ^_^)

Pardon me for bumping this up from the abyss, but I ran across it while doing a search and this is a topic i'm very interested in. Also, I'm lacking sleep and have only read a few bits of the topic, for whatever that disclaimer is worth.

To be brief, as a male gamer, I find one thing endlessly frustrating. I know there are girl gamers out there, in fact I can name one (though only one) that I know in person (and I use the term girl gamer as in the equivalent to the male who plays xbox, cube, ps2, and/or pc etc, not the "minute" games found all over the web). I don't want to overstep my bounds and make an unfair assessment, but it just seems that a lot of girl gamers are not open about the fact that they game. As to why, that could be a book/debate/thread in itself i'm sure.

I think about this all the time. Guys are really open about gaming--it doesnt need to be said that being in a majority among brothers is comforting. If girls who gamed were, generally speaking, really open as well, ... well! I could have a conversation all day with a girl that was as into games as I am. As opposed to the trite crap that my fellow men talk about just to make conversation and work toward a [superficial] relationship.

If I could name the biggest two or three passions that constitute who I am, video games are definitely one. Not just as 'dude i'm gaming', but as an art form in its own right (I can say that on this board and not get gasps! that is to say, many people would scoff at video games as an art form, be those people knowledgeable of anything beyond the 'GTA' media whoring or not). Music (composition/playing/technical sides all) would be another. And you guessed it.. one is a subset of the other! Games, music, art in general. Yet while I have several male friends who are as passionate about games and VGM as I, there are no evident females (emphasis on evident). So where is this digression going? Well, I said that this is a primary passion of mine. That means that it is one of a few things that I am thinking about all day. To the point where, even if I'm talking to my similar-minded friends, I feel I tire them out from talking about a single subject or the intricacies of how [album] mesmerizes me. I could discuss games, music, vgm, literally all day, hydration permitting. It is not a side thing of mine, it's a vital part of me. Can any girls enlighten me as to how many of you are the same? That means not just plays on the side, but has a passion for it and thinks about it all the time. I've heard girls bring up how fun [game] is, but only for a moment.

As I said, it's a major frustration when I'm thinking (remember what i said i'm thinking about) and dont make conversation because nobody shows any noticeable interest. So i guess it's more of a psychology question. I know there are lots of girl gamers, so.. I dunno. Pick something out of my essay above and answer/discuss it. I'm too tired to continue forming a coherent string of thoughts ><

Someone clear up a confused chap. Excellent work chaofan, by the way, for starting up a good discussion.

At my feet are sitting 8 everquest boxes. Within an arm's reach 360º are several vgm albums, House of Flying Daggers OST, and out of reach are the Silent Hills. These arent no-brainer things.. I often try to derive literary application of Silent Hill games (and the film, which in my opinion did not ruin the series) while in class or zoning out otherwise.

Not trying to troll but holy shit what the hell did you just say?

Ahaha, Megalith with the poignant one-liner.

He actually (kind of) makes a good point, in his extremely terse way. I don't think that the average female gamer (or even the average male gamer, really) is equivalent to the stereotypical female (or male).

The culture of videogames and the internet is serving a similar role to the counterculture movement of the '60s. The next ten or fifteen years should be a really, really interesting time for video games, I think.

Interestingly, I teach my sister how to play some of the simplier games an eight year old can do decently well at, katamari for one, and a few racing games. Sometimes when I'm bored and have stuff to do, I instruct her how to attack enemies in RPGs. Select character --> attack --> select target. She's getting pretty good now, moving onto magic next.

As for the thread, I haven't come across many gamer girls, but I've been playing a few on Metal Gear online and you can tell. Names such as "kitten" "killa lady" "meowtime" and their following conversations lets you tell. They're not to be underestimated.

You know, growing up I played video games all the time with my brother. Even though I was a little tomboyish, my sister who was totally into Barbies, played video games too. Granted, she grew up being a dancer and totally into chick things, I grew up still playing video games. I feel like a minority where I live in California because I haven't met that many girls that play. I grew up In Canada with a lot of girl friends that played video games. Even if they weren't hard core, they at least knew how to play and don't mind playing.

Here, the girls kind of look at me and go "You actually play?" and they won't touch a controller with a 10 foot pole. The girls that I've met that do play, they call themselves a gamer when they play Puzzle fighter and the hardest game they've had to play is Kingdom Hearts. No offence to anyone who plays puzzle fighter, but you kind of get the point.

I have lan parties at my house. Of course it would be all guys and me :p I play UT until I start getting dizzy. I play Halo and I suck at it, but I still don't mind playing it. I just got back from E3, not too many girls there. Maybe it's just who I end up bumping into, I don't go to gaming conventions and what not, but just in every day social gatherings, I haven't really come across another girl that plays nearly as much as I do.

Of course the guys all think my husband's a lucky bastard, but then again, I'm hogging the big screen HDTV with my Xbox 360 and he's stuck on his 17" LCD monitor ;)

I just think it's funny when guys find out that I do play. For some reason they all get this impression that I'm the nice little girl that goes home and cooks :p Little do they know how much of a geek I am :D I actually play a male online, that way I never get the "r u gurl?!" questions.

Perhaps it's because I have plenty of female friends who play games, but I've never been shocked to find that a girl plays games. On the other hand though, all the games they play are all the ones they're expected to play: fantasy-based RPGs (FF, Kingdon Hearts), puzzle games, Mario Kart and Smash Bros.-type games. I'd like to meet a girl who is into games that are considered esoteric by most standards. A girl, for instance, who knows who Compile was, or what a PC-FX is, etc. That'd be something, as I don't know that many guys who knows these things either.

Actually, I agree totally with what that Overkill dude said back in the thread, it doesn't really make much difference on your gender. You either enjoy games or not.

I suppose there are alot of chavvy guys out there who enjoy shooters and other crap more than the rest of the game genre, because, you know, its guy culture. Especially british chav guy culture >_>

There are nerdy guys who will be obsessed with more intelligence or jappy diverted games too, and generally I never seen either of them stereotypes belonging to a female. (Doesn't mean they aren't out there, just I dun think they're common...)

I agree that some females might be very unopen about their gaming experience o.o but I don't know enough of them to judge too well.

Females can like games, its just they usually like it in a diff way than guys do. Guys seem to either be chavvy and obsessed with action games because of their obsession for speed and destroying stuff or shit, or be nerdy and jap fanboyish and over serious about games.

But just cause you usually don't get girls that fit those stereotypes, doesn't mean they can't just play games for fun anyway o.o if they're open minded ones. (Alot of females I met have been close minded to games... or uncaring.)

...


On a sidenote, I have exactly the opposite problem to what most guys have concerning having a gf that doesn't play games with them. I'm bi and coincidentally have a football obsessed bf who doesn't like to play games outside of Fifa and the odd game of Soul Calibur >_> (which he gets pissed at cause I own him at it) haha, I know its not a very common situation, but does this prove enough?