@melcene: It sounds like what you're getting at is a girl should never ever ever ever show any characteristic ever forever never that she's a girl ever to avoid any chance of getting harrassed online. Guess what no matter how smart, intelligent, vain, or honest a girl is about avoiding shit on the internet, they're still going to come through as the person they are every once in a while. Doesn't it seem fair that any instance of a girl saying she is on online is assumed to be met with hostility. Depending on the social context this may be a reality or a stereotype (on here it's the latter, on Live its the former) but it's still there. These confusing expectations are why there are women that take advantage of the stereotype to feel more important than they are and women who feel pressured to not be themselves online. Luckily there is a growing group of women who take the hate with humor and generally support the places that support their gender equally and not more or less.
I don't agree with the idea that everyone has gotten their due on the internet because frankly the young white male has not. You have to admit that there's no real bias against this group who curiously make up at least a slight majority of the gaming population. Granted it's not an overtly intentional thing but I don't buy the idea that everyone gets made fun of equally. I agree that they should but they don't.
@Chirag4: and @Jolt92: I completely agree with you both.
@SethPhotopoulos: You have a point too... but then there are the types. Well there's this certain chick that I've met on gaming sites that comes to mind. I won't name names because I wouldn't be surprised if she's got some fans. But her, and chicks like her, apparently feel like they need to go on this huge effing crusade to bring equality to female gamers. They're like suffragettes for gaming. Only it isn't necessary. Granted, @Tuffgong: for example has a point, in that people don't get made fun of equally. This is because in the online world, stereotypes aren't perpetuated equally. Black stereotypes aren't perpetuated anywhere near as much as female stereotypes, for example.
@Tuffgong said:
Doesn't it seem fair that any instance of a girl saying she is on online is assumed to be met with hostility.
I guess that depends on what you deem hostility. Some females apparently deem flirting enough to count as hostility.
@Tuffgong: listen, everyone knows men are savage, brainless animals that go crazy at the mere thought of a woman and therefore can't be held responsible for their actions. women should expect to hide their identity or "cover up" if you will, lest they offend the good tastes of the gaming community with their obscene and whorish behavior.
i would also like to see this policy extend to real life..
" @Tuffgong: listen, everyone knows men are savage, brainless animals that go crazy at the mere thought of a woman and therefore can't be held responsible for their actions. women should expect to hide their identity or "cover up" if you will, lest they offend the good tastes of the gaming community with their obscene and whorish behavior.
i would also like to see this policy extend to real life.. "
Hard to tell if this is sarcasm or you being.. you, either way it's in poor taste. XP
@Tuffgong said:
" @melcene: It sounds like what you're getting at is a girl should never ever ever ever show any characteristic ever forever never that she's a girl ever to avoid any chance of getting harrassed online. Guess what no matter how smart, intelligent, vain, or honest a girl is about avoiding shit on the internet, they're still going to come through as the person they are every once in a while. Doesn't it seem fair that any instance of a girl saying she is on online is assumed to be met with hostility. Depending on the social context this may be a reality or a stereotype (on here it's the latter, on Live its the former) but it's still there. These confusing expectations are why there are women that take advantage of the stereotype to feel more important than they are and women who feel pressured to not be themselves online. Luckily there is a growing group of women who take the hate with humor and generally support the places that support their gender equally and not more or less.
I don't agree with the idea that everyone has gotten their due on the internet because frankly the young white male has not. You have to admit that there's no real bias against this group who curiously make up at least a slight majority of the gaming population. Granted it's not an overtly intentional thing but I don't buy the idea that everyone gets made fun of equally. I agree that they should but they don't. "
@Tuffgong:@Catolf: That wasn't what I was getting at at all. See my other posts. However, I do agree about the women who take the hate with humor. Which is why I, myself, often jump into the whole "girls don't play" thing. Because it IS kind of humorous, in that trainwreck sort of way. But seriously, as a female you need to be able to either take it or dish it back.. and dishing it back shouldn't include QQing, but finding a way to give guys a taste of their own medicine.
" @Tuffgong:@Catolf: That wasn't what I was getting at at all. See my other posts. However, I do agree about the women who take the hate with humor. Which is why I, myself, often jump into the whole "girls don't play" thing. Because it IS kind of humorous, in that trainwreck sort of way. But seriously, as a female you need to be able to either take it or dish it back.. and dishing it back shouldn't include QQing, but finding a way to give guys a taste of their own medicine. "
I can take a joke, I've been taking them a long time because of my likes, I never hid them, from what I drew to what I talked about you knew what I was into (as in the whole school) and I got a lot of cheap shots for it, but it get's old.. and it get's old fast. I can dish out the knowledge but I also can understand when someone can backup how i'm wrong, I'll gracefully back down, with an apology if I had gotten a bit rude.
But you gotta admit it does get old, like how you must get your shield ready the moment you voice you have a pair of ovaries and not balls. You shouldn't have to hide it, but you don't need to 'declare' it either. So I can see the issue with that. I admit I did it myself when i fist signed up just to see how many girls were out there and the thread blew up in my face O.O but to be fair I didn't know their was a garden rule on having 'girl' in your topic.
I will say over 99% of giant Bomb is awesome, it's just that 1% of immature bastards that kills it.
I read the whole peice and it was pretty entertaining albeit a well worn topic. There are two points I like to make in summation. All men are pigs motivated directly or subconsciously by a desire to spread their seed. And, in regards to the Boardwalk Empire suffragette point, most men aren't deserving of the vote either which is why everyone, regardless of ignorance, has the right. People are morons so don't forget to vote.
Im a girl and im proud to have worked for Microsoft, applied for Ubisoft and been around in the gaming community, but is pathetic to think that THERE ARE NO FEMALES in gaming.... Is just plain sad and stupid...
And i ain't reading a novel to tell me what i should be thinking. I have an amazing BF who loves games like i do. Pretty much when guys say stuff like this they are jealous that well, we exist we are mostly down to earth and what you call ZOMG a girl HOW COOL type of deal. This is my hobbie, once was my job. And im ok with it. I dont care what people think, is not gonna make stop doing what i love doing.
" Why shouldn't a girl be able to be known as a girl without getting shit constantly? "
same things with homosexuals or black people or pretty much anyone. everyone gets shit for everything, what makes girls any different? if they dont want as much shit, they shouldnt have xX-Girl_GaMeR-Xx as their username or post suggestive pics on forums of themselves. they're asking for it. "
You hit the nail on the head. But, Girls do get a different shit that guys do. Girl gamers are getting the same type of shit to a girl watching sports or working in a a male dominate field.
Also most people are not uber fan boys/girls about video games. Just because some one plays a game does not mean they have to know everything about it. Most people who play don't have the knowledge to " hold intelligent discourse" anyway. There is just far fewer women who play so they all unfairly get the spot light shined on them.
It must suck being a girl online, really it must - but the lads here can be pretty unpleasant to each other as well, so don't think you are being treated any different just because you have a vagina.
I have a vagina too. I keep it in a jar, on my shelf.
" It must suck being a girl online, really it must - but the lads here can be pretty unpleasant to each other as well, so don't think you are being treated any different just because you have a vagina. I have a vagina too. I keep it in a jar, on my shelf. "
Sweep you just bring up that vaginajar whenever you get the slightest chance.
" Im a girl and im proud to have worked for Microsoft, applied for Ubisoft and been around in the gaming community, but is pathetic to think that THERE ARE NO FEMALES in gaming.... Is just plain sad and stupid... And i ain't reading a novel to tell me what i should be thinking. I have an amazing BF who loves games like i do. Pretty much when guys say stuff like this they are jealous that well, we exist we are mostly down to earth and what you call ZOMG a girl HOW COOL type of deal. This is my hobbie, once was my job. And im ok with it. I dont care what people think, is not gonna make stop doing what i love doing. "
Sigh. Thank you for proving my point.
@pnut815 said:
There is just far fewer women who play so they all unfairly get the spot light shined on them. "
According to statistics, there aren't "far fewer women." And I sorta get your point about gamers in general holding intelligent discourse on given game topics, but there's a difference between at least trying to hold a decent conversation, and only being interested in pointing out that one is female and plays games.
I'm starting to wonder if this is more game-centric/community based. Nearly every time I've come back to EVE: Online the corporation I end up joining has at least a girl or two and, well, there's no special treatment or reactions from it.
" I'm starting to wonder if this is more game-centric/community based. Nearly every time I've come back to EVE: Online the corporation I end up joining has at least a girl or two and, well, there's no special treatment or reactions from it. "
It seems to be based on various factors. I've seen lots of girls complain about how they're treated in World of Warcraft, but I have never seen any of that on the servers/guilds I've played on/in. My last WoW guild actually had a fairly equal population distribution between guys and girls, it was an anomaly.
I see your point and true some girls may give a girl gamer a bad name or build on stereotypes. It's just the gaming community having to grow up really, which may be a never ending task because kids who have the freedom to talk all kind of garbage will always be online until we get some adults only servers or something. But i don't agree with just because some women want to be known as a women means they are asking for it. Few maybe new into gaming and just not know, while others just want to be taken serious as a girl gamer, granted that there may be better ways to prove that point but i can see it being tiresome when you getting that crap left and right. Everyone handles these things differently and the only true fix is not playing with jerks and just play with your friends who can back you up.
Outside of FPSes and console kiddies, online worlds (MMOs) are actually strongly populated by and marketed to women. It's no mistake that THE GUILD is the product of a female mind with a majority female cast. Honestly. I don't even know why we're having this discussion here. It's silly and completely out of date. There are girl gamers, gay gamers, jocks, intellectuals, disabled gamers and many more types of people who play games avidly and they are each represented by strong demographics to back them up. The US marketers of consoles would have you believe that female gamers don't exist because, frankly, male audiences are dumb and will buy the same shit over and over (NBA and Madden say hi) and because it's much simpler to market to them and so there's this misguided view online in console land (and about a decade ago on PCs too) that women don't play online (TITSORITDIDNTHAPPEN etc) but actually that stats have long proven otherwise and markets outside the US, particularly those of Asia, have been marketing games to women for an extremely long time.
We need to move on from this conversation because the less we talk about it the less of a reality it will be.
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