A-Thon X has 32 chronicles

1. Girl Gamers: A Sociological Perspective
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Oct 06 2009

   Since i joined the GoG i've heard many horror stories from our esteemed female contingent here on the site. Most recently from Mz.Chaos in her chronicle "Being a female gamer" which can be read here...
   
   www.GatheringofGamers.com/profile.php?profile=5186&action=view§ion=chronicles&chronicle_id=1987
   
   So, fancying myself as some sort of amateur Sociologist (stop laughing) this naturally got the ol' hamster wheel turning. So i decided to ask a few questions to some ladies who i knew were gamers and get their reactions.
   
   I asked three questions:
   1) Do you play video games?
   
   2) If yes, what do you like about them?
   If no, why not?
   
   3) Why do you think there is a stereotype that girls don't play video games?
   
   The most common answer for number 1 was yes (obviously) but what surprised me was how many of these ladies classified themselves as casual gamers. These aren't Wii Bowlers or Party game girls. These ladies play through the Final Fantasies and Resident Evils multiple times. So what does "casual" mean anyway? well, thats another chronicle.
   
   The most common answer to number 2 was relaxation, with escapism coming in close behind.
   
   Having a little something to occupy the mind (games, books, Baths, etc.) helps most people to unwind, and shed the cares of the day. Some said that games were like movies except they can play the characters, and characters were a factor for several people. Others enjoy the intellectual challenges of the games. So if we boil these facts down to their base elements, these ladies like to be entertained by intellectual stimulation. (unlike men :P)
   
   And the most common answer for number 3?...
   
   Drumroll please...
   
   Gender Stereotyping! Yes folks, thats right. Gender Stereotyping! One response from a girl gamer was that most girls just don't "get it". Girls would rather be doing more "girly" things. Another responded that girls play just as much as guyz, but guys play for more social reasons, while girls mostly play by themselves. She goes on to say "i got into games through Anime (which isn't relevant, but i like anime too. :P) Guys brains aren't as active as girls, so guys need something to constantly stimulate them. That being one of the reasons guys play video games. Thats why girls over-analyze things so much, because we're always thinking."
   
   But the overwhelming majority believe that the stigma stems from the fact that the first (and most) games were/ are geared towards a male audience. I don't think anybody can deny who Dead or Alive: beach volleyball was geared towards. Video games are designed to appeal to male sensibilities such as action, violence, big breasts, etc. So with an emphasis on violence and the extreme sexualization of women (X-Blades, Bayonetta) the fact that more and more girls are coming out as gamers has society at large scratching their heads a little. Why would females, full of sugar and spice and everything nice, want any part of this? As it turns out, for all the same reasons as the guys. Girls just wanna have fun.
   
   I'd like to share one of the best responses as we close this chronicle: "1. Yes, I play video games. Though I'm partial to types I play, and then there are types I enjoy as a watcher.
   
   And then there are those that bore me to tears. (World of Warcraft for starters. *hides from impending glares*)
   
   I like to play puzzle games and suspense thriller games mostly. (Silent Hill 2 is a fav) Survival Horrors such as Fatal Frame series. And contrary to my previous statement of games that bore me, I enjoy the hell out of some awesome RPG's. Final Fantasy is of course at the top of that list, along with the classic Chrono Trigger. Also, the occasional Little Big Planet and Halo...and some more relaxing games like Flower and Eden.
   
   And games I find enjoyable to watch are typically FPS's like Fall Out 3, Bioshock, any Resident Evil game, etc.
   
   And also, games I like to take naps to (but not in an offensive bore way) are games like Oblivion. (nice music) Also, been known to fall asleep to Fall Out when there isn't too much gun play going on.
   
   When I was little, I played a lot of Sonic and Mario. But, really enjoyed Maniac Mansion, and Princess Tomatoe and the Vegetable Kingdom. (Not as lame as the title sounds, I promise.)
   
   I find video games relaxing on some level, in that they take you out of the day to day routine and stresses of life and give your mind something else to focus on. I distress when I play or watch..or nap to, video games.
   
   Now, as to why it is generally believed that girls don't play video games.. This could get unexpectedly messy. So I'll try to keep it short. I think its a social standard that's been inplace and imprinted on boys and girls from early on. I have many friends with children that are concerned with their boy playing with dolls, etc. And many video games have violent themes, which is socially accepted as "male"
   Furthermore, women in video games are depicted much how they are in art, movies, etc. Very sexualized, and they always have been.
   
   (Check out old ass documentary called Male Guise for expansion on this idea of being raised boy/girl..oh and also G4 ran a very cool history of video games and sex that's really interesting)
   
   So, in short.. Its gender stereotyping that supports the idea that girls don't play video games. Or something like that. (Its very early in the morning for me and my brain hasn't quite come alive yet.)
   
   But, there's hope and the gaming world is slowly realizing that there are at least equal numbers of girls as boys who play. (I think this happens through online gaming and through gaming websites such as 1up.com)"
   
   
   P.s. Late in the research i realized it only made sense to include some responses from guys, since they were mostly the ones doing the stereotyping, and as it turns out, their responses mirrored the female response. So i would say that most people are very aware of this phenominon.
   
   
   

   
   

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A-Thon X has 5 comment s on this chronicle.

1. BEN
   Posted On Oct 06 2009

   Great Chronicle here A-Thon X. Although I truly enjoy the female gamer and seem to always be playing with a group from the many female organizations around here...I have heard this stuff happening while in a party with female friends.
   
   In my opinion, this will never stop, but that's only because shallow, close-minded mean people will always exist online.
   
   Nonetheless, the ladies should not back down because of this, because even guys get attacked by these silly mean people. Hopefully the girls reading this insightful and encouraging Chronicle...will always know that the GoG is a place for them!

2. MrsViolence
   Posted On Oct 06 2009

   Kill myself. Female gamer stereotype still going around.

3. A-Thon X
   Posted On Oct 05 2009

   JackDaniels> Thx, and if anything can be said about me, its that i fill peoples minds with questions, not always in a good way. lol
   
   Solincia> I apologize for the misunderstanding. I wasn't actually using Dead or Alive as a reference, it was just a matter of poor pacing on my part. This is a recurring problem in my writing and something i am working to correct. I thank you for your input.
   
   However, i came into gaming at the tail end of the Atari2600 era, after E.T. almost destroyed the videogame industry, and all the Arcades shut down, and at the Beginning of the era of the NES. I think it was at this point that videogames as a family activity kind of fell by the wayside, and the ball was picked up by a minority group that would later be known as the gaming sub-culture.

4. JackDaniels624
   Posted On Oct 05 2009

   Thanks for making me feel feminine ...I'm an over-analyzer and constant thinker...Anyway this pretty much is how I viewed the topic, but interesting none-the-less! Keep up the great work! Oh and thanks for sending a thousand questions into my mind...

5. PMS_Solincia
   Posted On Oct 05 2009

   "But the overwelming majority believe that the stigma stems from the fact that the first (and most) games were/ are geared towards a male audience. I don't think anybody can deny who Dead or Alive: beach volleyball was geared towards. Video games are designed to appeal to male sensiblities such as action, violence, big breasts, etc. So with an emphasis on violence and the extreme sexualization of women (X-Blades, Bayonetta) the fact that more and more girls are coming out as gamers has society at large scratching their heads a little. Why would females, full of sugar and spice and everything nice, want any part of this? As it turns out, for all the same reasons as the guys. Girls just wanna have fun."
   
   
   I'm going to quote you here for a moment. And correct something.
   
   You are referencing "the first" videogames, but then mentioning Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball as a reference.
   
   Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball came out in 2003.
   
   Now, the average gamer is 35. Here's why. Pong. Atari 2600. Video Arcades. All things that were around when I was a child (I'm 31). I think as a society we have to realize that video games didn't initially start out as male-dominated or even geared toward boys.
   
   Video games as a whole were first introduced as a family product. Something to enjoy with everyone vs. watching television.
   
   I spent many an evening as a child sitting at my Atari playing Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and Frogger.
   
   Honestly, I think this stereotype is held more by the younger generations than myself. When you come up against men in the 27+ age range, you have a tendancy to find that there is no gender stereotype.