Girls in Gaming: Killing the Cliché with Chelsea
Remy: It seems every questions ends with you threatening to kick ass. That is awesome, I won’t lie. Ok, so the other end of that question. How would you change Xbox live to make it more appealing to female gamers like yourself?
Chelsea: Wow, I had never really thought of that before. I guess this is where that dual relationship I have with Xbox Live comes in. Xbox Live, to me, is appealing, but more should be done to cater to the female gamer. It seems like a unisex thing, which I do respect, though. The dashboard, the apps, and whatnot all seem to be geared towards a genderless persona. With the Kinect and the fitness aspect, more females seem to be playing. It is still a mostly male area, and some men can be real mean, but that’s what you get. If you’re a girl playing Xbox, and you let that get to you, then don’t play Xbox. Because they do the best they can, with what they can. I can hold my own when I have to, although I don’t like to. I just like to play the game. I’d like to see more hair styles for my avatar, though. Because my avatar is me, and she needs to change her hair as often as I change mine. Other than that, nothing can really make it more female. I mean come on, you can pick a Hello Kitty theme or get a Hello Kitty Xbox if you so wanted. What’s more awesome and girlie than that?
Remy: That is a question I ask myself every day, Chelsea. Anyway, I wanted to address the female characters in Video Games. Late last year Eidos released a redesign for Laura Craft, downplaying her sexuality and playing up the badass explorer aspects of her personality. Her haircut even looks freakishly similar to yours now. As a male gamer sick of the stereotypes of female roles in gaming, I thought it was nice to see, but it still seems rare. Most gamers get female leads like Bayonetta, whose most powerful attacks involve her getting naked. As a woman who plays games, what do you think designers could do differently?
Chelsea: Differently? I say keep it sexy. I might get hated for this, but sex sells. It has in history with Anne Boleyn. We know how to hold out, we know when to use our assets, and we know when not to. Women are sexual, and why should we be shamed for it? I’m not saying be a whore, I’m saying be beautiful, be sexy, and be proud of it. I would much rather play as Lilith, who is a Siren, who in mythology led men to their deaths by songs and beauty, than say…I don’t know…Princess Peach. Be assertive, be badass, and look good doing it. Femme Fatale is what I’ve always loved about video games, and they should keep it. Of course the huge tit thing with the anime beach volleyball games is different, but in games like Tomb Raider, Borderlands, Gears 3, Fallout, Dragon Age, and so on, I like my girls to look good, and fight well. I’m Commander Shepard, and I’m the sexiest person on the Citadel, but I will push you out a window if you don’t give me information I need. Women like that, need to stay in video games.
Downplay sexuality all you want, but keep them pretty. Like Cleopatra in Dante’s Inferno. She played her role exceedingly well. She was in the realm of Lust, and had to be naked. However, she was powerful. She fit the role she was meant to be in. I wouldn’t have respect for the game if they dressed her as a nun but made her smart. That’s not the realm of Lust. That’s the realm of stupidity right there. I like FemShep, Lilith, my Warden in Dragon Age, and my Fallout 3 lady. We’re all badass, and we’re all very sexy. So stop downplaying it. Be proud of it instead. I get to be awesome in games as a woman.
Remy: Well, fairly brave answer and one you may catch some heat for, but I definitely see the point in that. It is sort of like saying that just because Angelina Jolie was beautiful, that doesn’t make her any less talented as an actress. Embrace the sexy and embrace the badassery. I suppose that is a motto many could live by. So I know the answer to the following question, but I will ask it anyway to humor you. Do you feel there is a female character from any particular video game you feel has represented you or your gender properly?
Chelsea: Lilith. Lilith is exactly who I am. It’s like GearBox spied on me, and then said ‘Wow, this girl is amazing, we need to put her in this awesome game’. Because if life had character classes, I would be a siren. And I do make snide remarks. And I would have a shotgun that spits acid. And I would do all this while turning invisible and messing with people. I would also stay clothed like she does. But that does not mean you cannot show very subtle signs of sexiness. She is my personality, and my attitude. I tried out for the Lilith casting call, and they wanted me, but I couldn’t get to Texas in time. So I was sad for it for like, a minute. Then I went back to playing Xbox and forgot about it.
Remy: And that, my dear, is what makes you a true Gamer, gender be damned. Speaking of gender, I have to ask: How does gaming factor into your relationships, or does it?
Chelsea: If you don’t game, we don’t date. It really is that simple. I can go hours playing on my days off. No tolerance for that? Well then, goodbye. Actually, a date to me is being on XBL together, playing some co-op and just teamworking. Because I feel it builds communication skills. How do I know if I can trust you without first knowing if you’ll help me strategize on the battlefield of Black Ops? Or loot with me in Borderlands? Or blow holes in walls together in Battlefield 3? It’s communication. My boyfriend and I even have a plan that when ME3 comes out to put our TV’s side by side, and play next to one another. It’ll be the only quality time we get with one another when that comes out, and it’s perfectly okay with me. I also make game references in my everyday life, so a non-gamer like my sister doesn’t get it, and then it gets awkward. So we both have to game, or else I feel like some sort of outcast. Girls have gotten defensive, asking how I can like it so much, and then not wanting to be around me. I don’t know. How come you like Uggs so damn much? I just like it. I don’t need to validate that to anyone. And besides, I can have as many flings in my games as I want, and boyfriend can’t say anything. He sleeps with Miranda, but we don’t talk about that.
Remy: Wait a second. Miranda told me I was the only one.
*Storms out of room for five minutes and comes back with slightly damp eyes and a box of tissues.
Remy: I’m much better now, sorry about that. Space can be a cold place when you are alone. So some say there was once a time when men were encouraged to “let woman win” at any type of competitive situation, usually something sports related. Even as a man I always found that insulting to woman. Do you think that stereotype still exists and has carried over to gaming?
Chelsea: It better not. With the anonymous nature of the internet, you never know if you’re playing against a man, woman, old person, or child. I think all is fair. If we’re side by side, I want to win against you based on skill. Sure I’ll be mad if I lose, but I won’t die over it. I’ll just continue to try until I can win. I lose instant respect for anyone who ‘lets me win’ because I’m a girl playing video games. You do not mess with my skills. You do not mess with my video games. I earned the skills I have. Ten plus years of gaming, and I want to get better. How can I get better, if everyone just lets me win? That’s stupid. Don’t do it.
Remy: Wonderfully put and I agree whole heartedly. When a woman beats my ass at gaming, it is because she is a superior player at that moment. Not because she has breasts. When you let someone win just because they have breasts, everyone loses. Especially the breasts. So have video games always been a part of your life? What game and what system really made you stand up and notice that this was something you could get behind?
Chelsea: Like I said before, I was raised with video games. It was really Spyro the Dragon on the original PlayStation that got me totally into it. I was pretty much obsessed. Before then, though, it was like Putt Putt and Freddie Fish, but those didn’t count. I realized with Spyro that gaming was a hobby or past time I could really and truly love, because it challenged me. I didn’t have many friends as a child, and was kind of an outcast. But playing Spyro really made me feel like I had a purpose. I was a purple dragon, who had to save the world. I felt important back then, to have that ability. The whole dragon world relied on me, and liked me, even when the outside world didn’t. And I liked the feeling of belonging that I got from gaming. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Zelda, they all made me feel like I was important. I knew then the difference between reality and fantasy, but when you’re ten years old with no friends, and you crave some sort of stimulation, you take what you can get. The relationships between the characters felt like my own. I was able to be more comfortable talking to the other kids, mostly boys, because I too, could say I played that game. It helped me be more social. In the end, it made me more friends. We would just play video games, and it was a socialization I lacked without them. A common ground that I then found with them. I still, to this day, have Spyro on my Xbox hard drive. That purple dragon made my childhood happier. I love that thing.
Remy: Listen, we all loved that dragon. Did not hurt that Elijah Wood voiced him. So in the long run, do you think that more and more woman will progress towards gaming and continue this trend or do you feel the trend will slow down and why?
Chelsea: I’m hoping more women will play. I really do, because I would love to have girlfriends to play games with. Right now I have none. But I’m not sure if women ever will truly come around to gaming. Most girls only play because their boyfriends do, and the woman don’t have a real interest in the game itself. But that’s really because nobody has showed them the right game. I’d show a girl the game Catherine, and maybe they’d get into it. Or Katamari Damacy, the big ball rolling game ( Editors note* Katamari was the game that bonded me and my girl ). Each person is different, and it’s a trial and error type of thing. But most girls aren’t willing to try. I hope they do, though, because gaming is incredibly fun. Plus, girls, you can get some awesome makeup styles from them. My personal favorite is Morrigan’s makeup. I can do that like a pro. But there’s more than enough girls in the gaming community. I just have yet to meet them. Because I am wearing cursed amulet I think.
Remy: Yeah, cursed amulets can really suck. So if you could say one thing to game developers regarding woman, what would you say?
Chelsea: PUT ME IN A GAME! I AM THE MOST AWESOME PERSON EVER AND I LOVE YOU, ESPECIALLY BIOWARE AND BETHESDA. Also, please make us look a bit more realistic. We can’t run with those huge tits flopping everywhere. Lilith and Morrigan and FemShep are good body styles that make us gamer girls feel good.
Remy: You heard it here first folks. Someday, Chelsea will have her own dialogue wheel and all will be well with the world. And now onto the last question: What words of advice do you give to other female gamers who may be getting slowly turned away due to the sexism and machismo of the industry?
Chelsea: Ladies please, ignore them. A few small minded assholes don’t represent every guy who plays. That is unfair. Play hard, have fun with the storylines, and you’ll have an amazing time. There are boys online that are exceedingly nice to women, and the few who are trolls. Take the time to learn the difference. If you give up too easy then you’re never going to really enjoy the game.
Wow, that was genuinely interesting.
Chelsea=Badass
Great article! Back in vanilla WoW I got accused of trading nudes for Bloodfang pants and it was ridiculous. However, at least in that game, the misogyny and sexism has shown a remarkable improvement.
I hope Chelsea finds some girl gamers. 🙂 I got lucky, my sisters are both huge Xbox fans and my best friend owns every console there is and has been so I have my lady face melting time.
I’m really looking forward to reading more of these profiles, thanks!
i disagree… the whole gamer girl thing… their are male gamers who are just as retarded…… 😀
While I sympathize with females that are victims of socially awkward people that make them uncomfortable in any circle of life, I really just don’t want to read an interview with a girl gamer with the premise that she’s a “girl gamer”. She may be interesting and have a story to tell, but why?
The only way to surpass stereotypes is to be blind to them. Drawing attention to the qualifier (girl gamer, a particular race, religion, whatever) just nullifies the point of being blind to prejudice.
I raid w/ a few girls and I never consciously think “hey they’re girls that play games!”. It just doesn’t matter. The same way I have friends of various races and never really think about it.
They’re all just people. Most have stories to tell. But I lose interest when it’s prefaced by a qualifier of who they are.
When I play online (PC only, don’t have XBox and I don’t do PSN) I just assume any girls playing get enough shit from everyone else, they don’t need me to call attention to them being girls or treat them any different, or like so many guys do, constantly make jokes in their direction to seem funny. I make jokes for everyone, because it’s easier to laugh when everyone else is 😛
That sort of fair, drama-free treatment has made me quite a few friends who happen to be female through L4D2 and WoW.
@Romple well its the premise that gets it on this site, a site for gamers, film gurus, sci-fi superstars, etc. I’d think people would have more of a problem with the premise that they picked an obviously attractive female gamer. It’s one thing to be beautiful and have all the confidence that comes with that, the confidence that they can do whatever they want no matter how unproductive it may be, because people will always like them… because of their looks. It sucks that that’s how it is, but it is.
People that may not be as attractive and may not show off “I’m a gamer” because of the stigmas it bears (The 24/7 WoW addict, the testosterone overload Modern Warfare psycho, the “Date Night should not involve Skyrim” guy that doesn’t get it, etc.) I think those stigmas need to be shattered, and gaming should not be something to be ashamed of, for men or women.
I would like to know if a guy online could ever be too polite. I meet the occasional girl on XBL with all my asshole friends and try to be the one nice guy. but I’m worried I’m being too polite and not casual enough, also overshadowed by my “friends”. I think I may be asking for girl advice without meaning to but whatever. what I would like to know is how does one guy get other guys to stop being assholes?
Hey guys, I appreciate the feedback, good and bad. As a male gamer, I just felt it was time to give a voice to the faceless female gamer. They exist and they aren’t properly represented, by the industry or by the fans. I found a couple people that I knew would be honest and sat down and asked them some questions. The thing about this article, you may not like it, but that doesn’t mean in shouldn’t be here. You might not want to see Liam Neeson killing wolves, but does that mean Paul shouldn’t review it? The other thing is, you won’t find anything like it on other game sites. Those sites seem to be populated with ” what video game character would you most like to bang” type of lists, and that is just not how we roll here. Also, Chelsea is on this thread right now, so if you guys have any comments or questions, feel free to aim them directly at her. She is, indeed, very cool and will address them.
Well, I’m impressed with Chelsea’s background and achievement in games. My first console was a ColecoVision in the early 80s, but I’ve never been a hardcore gamer, drifted in and out of the community since then.
I was up late last night reading about about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, so I’m sure that I’m feeling a little more sensitive about this than anyone else will be, but explicitly declaring yourself “no feminist” in an interview designed to expand awareness and respect for female gamers is pretty tone-deaf.
@Chelsea
Do you think there will be a more female friendly future in online gaming? Because I kind of doubt that will happen. It’s like if you go to a bar and you’re the only girl there. If you are slightly attractive, 100% will look at your ass and 50% will talk about it. Translate that to the anonymous world and every female voice will cause racing hormones. And in there you can’t even choose your bar, the bar will be full of the scum of the earth. Maybe there should be some kind of rating system where people can be judged on douchebaggery.
This guy is BRILLIANT!
@Lucien don’t be pressured to play with assholes. People should have a baseline respect for others to deserve any respect themselves. That’s how I view it; if someone I know is being a jerk for no good reason, I just stop hanging out with them. There are good, mature communities out there, just find them. Don’t enable the ones that are misogynistic or immature.
@Remy oh, hi. I just thought this was reposted from some other site. It was a good read, don’t take my “WELL HE SHOULD HAVE…” post the wrong way 😛 and you make the point I’ve made on this site before. The sort of language for cosplay photos people will use like “I think I’m in love” “Marry me” “I’d hit that” is creepy and of the type that stalkers will use, and is what I think keeps a lot of women away from participating in such communities. (and of course, I have to post the addendum that it can happen to guys, too)
I’m on mobile. Shit isn’t loading right. Because I am in a car waiting with no wifi.
@Drester
buy me drinks and talk about my ass all you want. I’ll only talk to the nice men there, and there will be few, but it won’t hinder me from going to the bar. Just like it won’t hinder me from gaming. Right now I’m tethering internet from my phone until I get to boyfriend’s to play xbox for a bit. I get shit for being a girl, but a guy can get shit for having shitty gaming skills. In the end, it’s all how you can manage it.
Jenne Frisby
What I meant by ‘no feminist’ was that I don’t get offended by the body types and overly sexed girls in video games. There’s a lot out there that do that, but it doesn’t bother me. I didn’t mean it in a way to say ‘I don’t care for the female gender’ but instead to say be proud to be sexy and that’s what men want. After all, all that men do, is for us, when you think of it in terms of mating and human nature.
You might not want to see Liam Neeson killing wolves
Bad example
Everyone wants to see Liam Neeson killing wolves.
@ Jenne, I agree with what you say. For that reason alone, I interviewed a few different woman from varying backgrounds and of different ages, so it would be a more varied representation, as oppose to being just “one girl’s view” This is just the first interview of (so far) 3, but we will spread them over time so to not oversaturate the readers. The best part is, all the answers I got are distinctly different, which makes the complete 3 interviews, when read side by side, set a really good foundation for what is a very broad market ( pun NOT intended ) @ Drester, Chelz will be in here around fourish when she gets out of work ( that is how you know she is real. Real people do not have Wi Fi at their work ) and she will be glad to answer that. @ Bad Acid ( I think I had you before lol) I actually appreciate all the feedback, any way I can get it, so no worries. Truthfully, for all the sites I have written for, the Unreality forums are honestly the nicest set of fans on the web. No one trolls, and people genuinely offer good advice, which, unlike most, I actually try to take. Honestly, my real goal here was to let the females who do game know that some of us do “get it”. I also think female feedback and fandom is needed in this area. It is a huge market that gets ignored and disrespected, and maybe if more stellar female gamers realize not all of us are coveting them, maybe it will become a more welcoming neighborhood for them.
I found this an interesting take, although I came at gaming from a different perspective. Never played them growing up (although I loved D&D) because my parents wouldn’t splurge for any systems. My now-husband introduced me to them when we first started dating and I got hooked. Baldur’s Gate, KOTOR, Icewind Dales–those sucked me in. As of now, I’ve finished more games than he has.
I mostly play on the PC (mostly because he hogs the XBox), and SWTOR is my first MMO, so I don’t have the same experience in terms of getting hassled because of gender. I’m nearly 40 and am working hard to find time to get moving on my first play-through of SWTOR (full-time job plus child=low game time, sadly). The cool thing is, my six-year-old daughter thinks the game is totally awesome (as is my badass and totally smoking hot female Sith Warrior, whom I named after my daughter) and I can only offer the supposition that it’s up to us to raise the female gamers of the future–and help shape the communities that can accept them as such.
Oh, and a female co-worker here is also a big-time gamer. We’re a lot more common than you think, no question.
@ Andy, you just owned life. Agreed.
@Remy
I’m here now, I’m tethering. In a car. At a machine shop. With no coffee.
I want to play Amnesia now that I have wifi. But I’d have only 15 minutes to play it.
@Remy
Your urgency to get me online somehow makes me want to play my Steam games. First world problems.
@Drester Sorry to respond to a question not directed at me, but I just wanted to say I think you hit the nail directly on the head about how online gaming works now. I rarely play multiplayer, and when I do I often “lose my headset.” But because I stupidly chose a gamertag that gives my gender away, I still get the inevitable propositioning, threats of rape, or something disturbingly in-between, via messages. And I feel that as long as the online gaming community’s majority is male, that’s the way it’s going to be. Really the only way a more female friendly future will be achieved is if more females play. And therein lies the rub: after I’ve been asked to take some guy’s cock in my mouth/pussy/ass for the 100th time, I start thinking I’ve got better things to do with my time.
This is not to say that most men in the online gaming community are assholes, because I don’t believe that to be true, but unfortunately the ones who aren’t are more often than not part of the quite literal silent majority. The upside to it all? Online multiplayer is by no means the only way to be a bad-ass gamer. Cheers to beautifully written and immersive single-player experiences! And, it should be noted, Portal 2’s amazing two-player online co-op mode.
@Romple
THe first and foremost reason this doesn’t work, is because of sexual attraction. If you were blind, you’d essentially never be able to find a significant other (I’m assuming your heterosexual.) OF course that sounds silly, you obviously don’t think it would stop you doing that, so mostly it’s being blind towards women’s issues, not women themselves.
Lets take the modern orchestra for example 30 or 40 years ago the audition process involved you to perform in front of people, like any other. At one point it was changed so they were ‘blind’ audtions, something almost all american Orchestra’s nope participate in, “about 10 percent of orchestra members were female around 1970, compared to about 35 percent in the mid-1990s” People argue that the blind audition is what led to this increase. If they had been ‘blind’ to this issue, then nothing would have ever been to correct the differential treatment of women in this case.
A lot of people advocate this for things like gender and race, and now, just like then, it’s ill-informed.
I think Stephen Colbert does a really good job of playing this character in his act, taking a ‘reductio ad absurdum’ approach, it works out quite well.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/405561/january-09-2012/melissa-harris-perry
Being ‘Blind’ to the issue resolves nothing, but it does make it easier to go in life not having to participate in any critical thinking of behaviors. People have prejudicial notions deeply socialized, from ethnic slurs to various stereotypes. This makes sense: They’re part of history, part of common parlance, part of the way we talk to each other.
There’s no problem with this, per se. These attitudes, stereotypes and concepts can be battled with consciousness and awareness. But that’s the point: It requires one to be conscious.
The “blindness school” of thought, far from denying or reducing racism, actually allows it to flourish, by preventing the consciousness that would allow us to question subconscious stereotypes and implicit beliefs
@Draugr,
Well put. Although the only issue I see with “girl gamers” is that a lot of girls can make a good income by just being at least semi-attractive and saying they’re a gamer. I don’t understand why, in an industry where the average girl can turn into an idol that people worship by the sole fact they’re a girl, we need articles highlighting “the faceless female gamer.”
This is the complete opposite of what we need.
Maybe drawing parallels to actual discrimination and prejudice is a bit of a stretch. But there is a level of reverse discrimination in gaming. I don’t care if people want to lust over Trade Chat or Jasmine IRL (who’s actually really fucking cool). But when being a woman is such a commodity in the industry why do we need to draw more attention to girls?
Honestly, what’s the point of this interview? I don’t know who Chelsea is. I read her comments and she seems to be intelligent and have a bright personality. But why are we interviewing her? Because she’s a girl that’s a “real gamer” or something? I just don’t see the point of it.
I’m not trying to be insulting to the interviewer or interviewee. I just don’t see what merits these things have.
@Rompie
Remy asked me to do the interview so I could give my own persepective on gaming as a female who is generally unknown. A regular person you don’t know, rather than someone famous you do know. Just to get it out there plain girls game too.
@Chelsea
But do you think that will improve in the future? You almost have to be like a Lisbeth Salander kind of woman to keep playing online. Like Sara said, it will only be more female friendly when more females play. However, a lot of woman will not play mainly because it’s female unfriendly.
@Sara C.
Didn’t even know it was that bad. It already pisses me off when some little prick is teabagging me. I can’t imagine how it would be like for a woman. Does it matter what kind of game it is though? Are there more assholes in MW3 than there are in Portal? I would think that there are genres that are more female friendly then others.
@Romple I’m asking this in complete seriousness: are you saying we need more articles highlighting the average male gamer, since the ones highlighting female ones are as you put it, the complete opposite of what we need? I feel like the vast majority of gaming writing is skewed towards a male audience and/or written from a male perspective…
…and so is alot of the stuff that features girl gamers. Which is where your “a lot of girls can make a good income by just being at least semi-attractive and saying they’re a gamer” point actually hits on the problem. Too often girl gamers become valued in the gaming industry by becoming sex objects first and gamers second (sometimes a very distant one). Their primary function is to be lusted over. And sure, everyone likes feeling attractive. But sometimes I like to hear from a girl who *I* can identify with. Just a regular chick with skillz.
Kudos to Remy for doing this piece, and for planning it as a series. I was very excited to see it this morning.
And kudos to Chelsea for the skillz.
@Drester
Actually, many people have called me Lisbeth since our resemblances are uncanny and on-key. If a girl is brave enough she will play. Really it’s up to the female, not the designers to make the choice of who to market to. Like of a male market is what they want, they will get it, and a few girls too. It all really depends om the person.
@Drester
It totally depends on the game. Halo and the MW series is where I run into the majority of problems. I love Portal 2 co-op because it’s two player, and while I usually play with friends from IRL, it’s hard for a stranger to be a complete asshole when in a one-on-one situation. Like Chelsea says in the interview, the trick for any game is to play with an established group of friends.
And you also touch on a good point that it’s not only women that are the victims of sexual harassment online. Even in sessions where my silence effectively diverts the attention away from myself, I have to listen to guys say disgustingly homophobic things to each other. And sometimes the non-disgusting, casually homophobic remarks make me even more pissed. Can’t we nerds just play a game without berating each other? Jesus Christmas. Online gaming such a strange little social crucible.
@ Sara
I agree 100% with you. Can’t we all just get along, and give a face to something mostly faceless? I’m a regular girl, going to university, living a normal life who games. I’m not featured on G4 or in anything big, and that’s what the article is about. To bring light that there are female nerds, and we can be pretty, insightful, intelligent, and downright normal. I yell at my TV and computer sometimes (just got a new laptop, not great specs, but can manage Steam) but don’t we all?
I’m going to play Amnesia now that my day is over. I highly recommend it. Scary as hell. Well, when you’re in a dark room. Sort of like the DOOM series.
*Puts on a diaper and starts Amnesia*
Great read! It was fun learning a bit more about the other side. I have nothing but respect for the girls I have played with and may have but never knew, and hopefully some random idiots never turn you female fanatics away. It’s sad that just hearing a different voice on the other side changes the attitudes of some people. They could probably benefit from leaving the basement every now and then and interacting with the opposite gender. In other words, keep fighting the good fight! 😉
On a related note, trying to teach my wife what offsides and icing is in NHL 12 is painfully hilarious. At least she makes it up by fondling the goalie after the whistle blows. Progress will be made!
P.S. I am terrible at COD, so I concede that you would most likely whoop my rear.
I must say, this thread has just turned into my favorite internet exchange ever. And to be have been an essential part in it makes this writing gig incredibly worthwhile. HUGE props to Sarah C, Drester and Romple. You guys just had the most civil and evolving convo I ever read, and to just sit back and see it play out like that was marvelous. Also, a huge thank you for the feedback and support. As a writer, you sometimes have to take chances. You never know how a piece like this will go over, because it steps outside of “norms” so to speak, but the reward has really been in watching this thing grow legs of it’s own. And another HUGE shout out and thank you to Chelz, especially for keeping it real and answering everyone. I started this series with Chelsea for a reason! And again, you Unreality readers and unreal (terrible pun intended). This post on ANY other site would have resulted in Chelz being harassed. Speaks volumes for the quality of reader this site attracts.
The thing that surprised me most was a 21 year old knowing what Atari was, never mind actually playing it. I remember it being obsolete by the early 90s
@Rompie
‘Well put. Although the only issue I see with “girl gamers” is that a lot of girls can make a good income by just being at least semi-attractive and saying they’re a gamer. I don’t understand why, in an industry where the average girl can turn into an idol that people worship by the sole fact they’re a girl, we need articles highlighting “the faceless female gamer.”’
“Idols” do as much to prove that sexism in gaming doesn’t exist in the same fashion that Barack Obama being president means racism doesn’t exist. Which is to say it’s irrelavent.
Though to adress the issue of these women itself, These women being ‘idols’ speak more to the demographics of what people assume ‘Gamers’ (they assume presumably men) want to see, They markey accordingly, and they show these women ‘being one of the guys.’ Its about as effective in combating sexism as lad mags.
The reason articles like this exist is to bring it to consciousness, while it might not be an issue for you, a lot of people might not consider things like what this article discusses.
Guys, I wanna really say this thread just floored me. Sarah C, Drester, Draugr and Romple had the most evolving and civil exchange I have ever read on a forum, and it speaks volumes of the quality of the readers who come to this site. If this piece was on almost any other site on the web, Chelsea would have been subjected to harassment of one kind or another, and your reactions and the questions it opened up between you guys was amazing. I took a chance writing this piece, only because it steps outside of ‘norms, and the reaction thus far has been incredibly rewarding. And thank you guys again for the kind words. I started this series with Chelz for a reason! Oh and about AMNESIA. I love horror, which will reveal itself over time through more articles. That being said, that game scares me almost too much to play it. Something about the helplessness of having no weapons just wrecks my nerves….
I just posted two versions of the same comment, mistakenly thinking it did not post. Herp Derp.
Drester and Chelsea, Penumbra is made by the same people and is also excellent. Try that too if you haven’t already. Also scary like whoa.
Remy, thanks for the article. I’m seriously looking forward to reading more from you. And It’s true, Unreality readers are pretty much awesome.
@Remy
Well, I hope you will be writing allot more articles in the future. Also thank you for the horror movie list in your first article. I’m now half way through and there are some real gems in there.
Does this new series btw mean that you are no longer a guest writer but will continuously write for unreality? Don’t think I’ve seen an announcement or something so I’m not sure what the deal is.
About Amnesia: It’s really too scary. It was 3 in the morning and I was playing like 4 hours straight when my lips started trembling. My hands and my feet went numb, my knees buckled and as I fell to the floor… I pooped my pants. I did.
*Hugs to Hekati*
Now THAT’S what I wanted to read. Much love and respect to Chelsea, it’s always great to hear about more girl gamers. But honestly, the majority of articles I read about females in gaming revolve around the younger crowd.
I’m more delighted when I read about other gaming ladies that don’t fit into the low to mid 20 range. I’ve been gaming since the original Nintendo and it’s just nice to know that I’m not alone. I used to shock male coworkers when they would find out that I gamed too. Now days, most people think anything of it.
I had posted a longer comment, but it looks like it got wiped for some reason or another. Or I just hosed it.
Either way.. great article, fun interview! Gaming is all about having fun with a good group of people, regardless of the voice or gender on the other side (or so it should be). Glad to see people fighting the lame stereotypes and being genuinely awesome.
I laughed my ass off when you wrote “Segway” in one of your questions.
Think the spell-check got away from you there, eh?
Well I just played some Amnesia, had a panic attack, went back to this and all is good. Thanks for the support, the feedback, and comments. Feel free to find me on Facebook, or XBL or Steam. And yes, my Atari worked until about 94 which is when my uncle had to give me the very first Nintendo due to severe temper tantrums. Which was then replaced with Sega. So on so forth.
@ Drester, I hope so. We are starting off on a test run basis I believe, but I am gonna do all I can to earn the respect of Paul and Nat, as well as the readers. So far it has been a thoroughly amazing experience, and to be a part of a site that I have loved for quite some time is definitely an honor. @ Spreistie, the woman in my next interview in the series is almost 35. I made sure to cover a large spectrum to get a much more honest overall representation. @ NickR, thank you, kind sir. I thought one of my comments got eaten earlier too, but I ended looking like an ass and posting twice. And lastly, @ tyler, looks like it just got away from me when I went to capitalize your name, too. It is selective like that. All kidding aside though, if that is the extent of the negative feedback I get, I am okay with it. Well played.
@Remy
Looking forward to the next one.
While it is technically correct that “Bethesda won the rights to make a Fallout MMO”, I don’t think they will do it. Fallout Online was being developed by Interplay and all Bethesda did was stop them from making it. Fallout Online is most likely dead.
The reason you haven’t found any girl gamers is because there is no such thing. There is ONLY “gamer”.
And I have to say I’m the opposite of this chick. I can’t play CoD or other hardcore shooters because they were meant to be played multiplayer, and the people who play them don’t play them for video games sake, they play them because others are playing them. Which is why all the males in my family play and make fun of me, AND why you get so many haters, trolls, and children in those games.
I get shoved out of their gaming sessions when they’re using MY xbox. I almost lost my controller for a broken one because my brother borrowed some other controllers from a friend and let my retarded twelve year old nephew tell him which one was mine when he had to take them back. The same one who had been switching the battery packs, which had been marked to tell which controller was mine, when he was specifically told to only switch the batteries. I should point out that my controllers were in much better condition than anyone else’s, and were pretty clean before they started using them. He also stole two of my rechargeable batteries putting them in his stuff when I told him they were only for the controllers. Now he’s in a different state, the little bastard…
I find it funny how my dad started playing games because my brothers did, but told them they were not allowed to buy me any video games for any holidays. They didn’t know what to buy me which led to some crappy ass birthdays. Now that I’m older my favorite brother finds ways around that rule and my mom ignores it even more.
The issue isn’t really gender in gaming here, especially when the gender ratios are almost 50/50 these days. NOT what you’re assuming. It’s not hard being a gamer, it’s hard to be a woman. It’s the same thing as when women started wearing pants. A lot of males consider these types of games their territory, and play them because their friends do. It’s a “guy thing” to them. Most wouldn’t want a girl with them on guy’s night out. It’s also interesting to note that a lot of them also won’t play other types of games that aren’t hardcore mulitplayer. I don’t consider anyone a true gamer unless they play a variety because of this seeing as all the hardcore gamers I have met of both genders are NOTHING like them.
This girl is cool- I’d love to have her on my team on COD. Just two badass women kicking ass
i like this post enough to comment, ‘nuf said. if you can’t tell from the name i am also a girl, and i to like to game. one of my earlier memories is playing duck hunt with the huge orange gun on a really old tv. And i actually fried the tv, as in i played so long that the tv was never the same again. now i do sisterly bonding over killing things on borderlands with my little sister, and my lilith can kick my older brothers’ collective behinds. go gaming and yeah i look forward to finally getting ME3.