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Women in Gaming

Throughout history, certain societal spheres and activities have been prescribed to one gender over another. Men were (and by some still are) associated with military duty, sports, working to sustain the home, and various physical labor whereas women dominated menial household work, rearing children, and working the fields. Although some of these traditional regarding women have gone obsolete, they still exist in the world today.

Gaming is an area today most people do not associate with women on a large scale. Men are traditionally the audience for most "hardcore" videogames as well as their advertisements. It certainly seems improbable for a woman to be a sniper in Halo or Call of Duty or traversing the Big Daddy filled streets of Bioshock. And yet statistics show otherwise.

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You dismiss this as fake games!

They play WoW too.

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And here is your undeniable proof:

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Why are women often associated as not active players, participants, and producers in the video game industry? Is this an example of yet another social prejudice that must gradually be erased?
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Location
Brexit
I don't think it's a social prejudice I just think people are genuinely taken by surprise by it. Despite these graphs and statistics many of the females I know are not gamers. Some play games but it is limited very often to much more casual games and many don't even own a console. I only know one female who has completed a pokemon game. I live in Britain so perhaps this is simply a result of living in different areas but the main reason for this 'prejudice' where I am from is for reasons I have listed above.

I am in a similar situation to this. A lot of the girls in the 6th form that I am a part of (which includes my year and the one below) don't own a console, and the ones that do usually own a Nintendo DS and nothing else. And unsurprisingly, they rarely play on them in comparison to someone like myself and my friends, as they tend to play casual games in a very casual manner whereas we don't. They don't really discuss the games in public either, where a lot of conversations that the guys I know and I have are based around games.

So over the years, I have come to the conclusion that while there are a lot of girls out there who play games, it's mainly the guys who play games excessively, talk about them excessively, play competitively and play on a very frequent basis. For example, this last two weeks for me has been a very busy week and I've not been playing anyway near as much as I usually do. But even then, on my PC alone, I have logged just under 27 hours of game time. Most girls I know probably don't even play 4 or 5 hours in two weeks. It just seems that the gaming community comes across as male as because a majority of the time, you will be playing against males in on-line games, which is were a lot of us get our own views about how many males play in comparison to females.

I also feel that is the male community that prefer to build up a large collection of games. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I have built up a larger collection of PC games since February 2011 than the collection of any type of games that all the girls in this 6th form have together.
 
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unknown

._.. .. _. _._ morse code
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Location
Sacred Grove
I wouldn't say females don't play games at all, but I think it seems like to me, that majority of people who play video games are male. I know maybe a 2 or 3 girls that actually have a console without having it be their brother's.
 

Go_Skyward

Seek a door that carries a [9]
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Location
Nevada Test Site
Psh. I own a Wii, Nintendo DS, 3DS AND Xbox! Iz so hardcore! (lol JK).

Honestly, it makes me laugh when they think girls don't play video games. And then they get all surprised xD. I play brawl with my friends sometimes and we get INTENSE. Proving girls can be just as good as guys when they play video games. Anyone can play video games if they put their minds to it. (well... maybe cousins can't... let's not go there)

I just hate when girls think they are so "hardcore" then they "play" CoD with their boyfriend -_-

and I can say is... "STOP DYING!!!"
 

Ventus

Mad haters lmao
Joined
May 26, 2010
Location
Akkala
Gender
Hylian Champion
It's not that girls don't play games, it's that girls aren't in the SCENE. You won't find a girl like Kayane everywhere you go, because girls aren't really major figures in gaming when it comes down to it. Again, that doesn't mean girls DON'T PLAY GAMES. It means they aren't POPULAR, and for good reason -- they don't make themselves popular.

There seems to be a stigma about where girls basically do not exist on the Internet. As laughable as that may seem, it is almost true because girls do not show themselves to be girls -- a circle of anonymity where people automatically assume you're a male simply because males show themselves more often than females do.

Hmm...girls don't seem to play hardcore/competitively as much as males do. No, playing on the hardest difficulty setting is NOT hardcore. Playing a game regularly is NOT hardcore. Being dedicated and buying all of the sheep material (merchandise, etc.) is NOT hardcore. Hardcore here means competitively, world tournament level play. So, for all you casual Brawlers out there, you're not hardcore. Same for Meleers.

Really, the only example I can think of a female video game who is relatively popular would be Kayane for her work on Soul Calibur:

example vid: SoulArena #4 - SC5 French Tournament - Part 4 - YouTube

I have yet to see/hear tale of a girl who takes part in MLG (Major League Gaming). That's where people get REALLY popular.
 
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Hanyou

didn't build that
Maybe more girls would participate in competitive gaming if they weren't treated like ****.

Frankly, the internet is a cesspool of misogyny and racism, and in many ways that applies to gaming as well. It's no surprise women would want to remain anonymous.

It doesn't help that a lot of Western games make an active attempt to appeal to the dudebro demographic, at least aesthetically. Women are scantily-clad and men are built to appeal to men's power fantasies. It all looks so aggressively masculine (in the stupid 90s comic book sort of way) that regardless of how many women play these games, it's never going to look like the sort of thing that would interest women.

Hmm...girls don't seem to play hardcore/competitively as much as males do. No, playing on the hardest difficulty setting is NOT hardcore. Playing a game regularly is NOT hardcore. Being dedicated and buying all of the sheep material (merchandise, etc.) is NOT hardcore. Hardcore here means competitively, world tournament level play. So, for all you casual Brawlers out there, you're not hardcore. Same for Meleers.

Wow. I guess my preference for exclusively single player gaming means I will never be hardcore, regardless of the fact that I've been playing video games for 20 years now and invested a significant amount of time and interest in them.

Good to know. :P
 
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
I agree with VanitasXII to an extent. It really has to do with what's seen most prominently, and females simply aren't reported as much in gaming. This is particularly the case in certain genres, such as Fighting, Sports, and Racing games.

I like to think this fact is capitalized on in a variety of ways: For instance, many gaming tournaments advertise female gamers when it gains publicity and popularity for those events. It also helps if the females in question are society's definition of femininity; being cute and girly and wearing skimpy clothing are a plus. Most males don't want to see a tomboy, let alone one who could kick their arses in Mortal Kombat. In any case, seeing a female in gaming is regarded as a special, amazing thing, especially in competitive circles, because of how rare it is.

Conversely, if females are not what the gaming majority wants to see, they shall remain behind the scenes, unreported. But they'll show up when they're needed. Quite unfortunate, but true.
 
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Joined
Dec 20, 2011
Location
USA, NJ
I consider myself more of a hardcore gamer. Many women are not - many girls I know like to play SIMS games, search and find games, rhythm games, and facebook games, not so much the good or 'hardcore' games. MMORPGS like WOW are becoming more women focused, however too. Though now, I'm not saying girls don't play 'hardcore' games; I'm assuming the majority of girls on this board are more like me and just might, or just they are just big Zelda fans (which is awesome). but if you ever learn anything about statistics, its that you cant trust them - such as these graphs, what am I looking at? What do these number even mean in actuality? Esp. the WOW chart - many guys play as women, so hopefully that chart is including buyer data and not avatar data. All i know is that as a women i rarely meet other women who play hardcore games like I do because they fully enjoy it - a lot of girls do it to get attention from guys, or again they play more casual games, platformers or MMORPGs and i think that is what a lot of the gamer data statistical charts express.
 

misskitten

Hello Sweetie!
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Location
Norway
Hm... interesting discussion. I guess it depends on what group of people you hang out with, because in my circle of friends, pretty much all the girls I know own some kind of console and enjoy playing games. Some in a casual kind of way, others get more into it - it varies.

I don't define myself as a hardcore gamer, but I don't really identify myself as a casual one either. I don't play games in a social capacity, I play games because I enjoy them, I am more drawn to games where there's a good story, where the characters aren't just tools for you to wander around. Sure I enjoy playing Mario from time to time, but I'm more drawn to games like Zelda or Fable, or games based on characters I enjoy like Buffy and Harry Potter... there's a story to follow, to complete, that is my kind of gaming.

I've owned consoles since I was little kid (and no, I don't have brothers, only sisters). My first console (NES) I bought together with one of my sisters (she's definitely a casual gamer, she and I would compete in who would complete the most levels in Mario without losing a life back in the day, but now she doesn't really play games anymore, while I really got into it as a kid and have sustained that interest in the years that have followed). I worked and saved up to buying a N64 when I was 14, I got a PSone when I was about 16 (sold it again at 19 because I realized that I wasn't interested in any of the games there that weren't available on the other platforms I owned), begged my parents to give me an X-box for Christmas when I was about 17 (and thankfully got it), upgraded to a 360 in my early 20's and got myself a Wii a year or two later, and last year I got myself the 3DS. My 3DS has its own specific place in my purse and it and all my DS-games comes with me wherever I go.

Now, as for the "hardcore" games mentioned here. I don't play WoW because I don't enjoy playing games on the computer (I prefer consoles, plus I use my computer for a lot of other things and I don't want to slow it down by installing a lot of games), also I like controlling a character directly rather than "directing" them in where they should go and what they should do. I don't play Halo or other shoot-em-up games, because I just don't find that sort of thing interesting. Not only do I hate playing in first person (I prefer seeing the character I play), but there should be more to a game than shooting at people... but that's just my opinion. I do find Sims enjoyable to a degree - but that's because I enjoy designing and building the house and characters - when it finally comes down to *playing* Sims I quickly lose interest. I guess that's why I haven't opened the game in years, lol, and why I find playing Sims on a console incredibly boring... lol
 
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
:P OH this again...
I have no problem what so ever to the fact that I am a girl and I am a gamer... I love playing video games... I do not have a brother, all the consoles, all the games are mine. I always have my 3DS in my back pocket. I have played all types of games. I have played nearly every Zelda game. I have literally caught every single Pokemon. I win most of the time in fighting games. So on and so on...
I have many friends that are both girls and gamers...
But, its not like there is not girl gamers.
 

Nyan Cat

Nyan! Nyan!
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Location
In the Nyan Galaxy!
Lol, just about everyone at my school...and town for that matter are either super perpy or what you would think of the typical teenager...and then there is me xD People in my town think it's extremly strange for a girl to play video games. I only know one boy in my school that okays with girls playing video games. Ofcourse there is the ocassional guy who will be okay with me playing a video game until we play together, and if I dare do better than in anything he turns into a jerk. But I know their are guys who don't act like that. It's just mostly my town. Not to mention where i live people think it's a rich perpy place and most of the residents act like...like snobs. (My town was even voted as one of the United States most snobby and rude places xD) So my point is, in my town either you are a gamer in secret or you are open about it and it gets awkward.

Though I don't mind. I'm happy with being a girl gamer, and my parents don't mind me playing video games, and neither do my friends. So it doesn't bother me one bit.
Anyways back on topic. I do think of myself as a hardocre gamer. I don't just stick to Nintendo like a lot of people expect. I have a PS3 and 360. I play a lot of games regardless of genre, as long as it's fun I'll play it. When people come into my house they tend to think the games are my brothers game (who might I add only plays one game which MW, he knows nothing of anything else and he sucks at the one game xD)

I think people need to realize that gaming isn't just for boys. Even if you go on an Xbox and play online, I promise you at some point if people realize you are a girl they will most flip out. It's silly.

People need to chill out about girls and games.

Which reminds me, has anyone ever gone into gamestop and sometimes they have the little cart in the middle of the floor with a sign that says "Games for girls!", and it's all games like strawberry shortcake and my little pony? xD I always laugh at that, and I've seen this at serval gamestops xD

On a side note though..something that gives girls a bad rep for playing video games is girls that don't play video games for real. You know the type....they take a photo of a controller and post on Facebook along with "LOL I'm such a nerd".

That my friends...gives girls a bad rep. Because when people ask them about games they lie and sound dumb, so people tend to not take a lot of girls seriously when it comes to games.
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
I am actually doing a research paper on this subject! Personally when I tell people I know that I play video games, most of them are shocked when they first hear it. Society mostly thinks that women don't play video games even though they do. Or they assume that I play the silly little games. I tell then I will play any game, I tell them I may not be the best at it, but I will try it and if it interests me I will beat the game. The prejudice is from when games started out and it mostly was just boys playing it. But the industry has changed with 40% of gamers being female, but most people still don't think women play.

I really wish that people would be more accepting of the fact that there are women who play video games and not the "girl games" like my little pony or barbie.
 
Joined
Apr 6, 2012
I guess another problem is a phenomenon I noticed: Even if girls are playing not only girly games, in public they tend to just talk about them and not the games boys like as well.
There are some girls in my school that I know play RPGs ect. and then they talk about what funny things they created on Sims.
How could you expect that prejudice to change if most girls don't do anything to change it?

In addition, I fully agree that some girls don't want to be recognized as girls on the internet. I know websites with discussions where you get laughed at when you say you're a girl. Quote: 'Girl = Guy in real life, lol!' and they are absolutely serious with such comments. You just don't want anybody to know you're a girl if it's clear that no one will listen to you because of it. It's sad but I try to use no username that screams girl when I'm not sure there are already a lot of girls wherever I sign up.

Another example from school. I chose information technology (or whatever you call it) as voluntary subject. There were about 12 boys and two girls including me and they were all like 'What are you doing here? You're girls, it's not possible that you know anything whatsoever about computers.' So it's not like those prejudices are only still existing where games are concerned.
It's just... When you think of a girl, you have this one stereotype, because we don't usually choose our appearance depending on our hobbies.
But when you think of a guy, you have a lot more images you can think of.
I don't want to label anybody, but in my opinion you can often see what boys like to do. There's the typical athlete, the typical nerd, the typical gamer and so on.
Most gamers in my school wear t-shirts with names of games on it or similar things. So I guess they expect girls to behave the same way.

Well, I know not everybody is like this but I guess it's partly a explanation why it's not a widely held belief that girls play games and it's totally based on my experiences.


Just a side note: I'm a typical girl. I wear dresses and skirts and I like make-up, and everytime I walk into a gamestop or the like shop assistants come to me to ask if they can help pick a game for my boyfriend or brother. I fail to see why I should change my appearance when I want to buy a shooter or RPG... :dry:
Sorry for blowing off steam...
 

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