Being a nerd can be a rather unique experience. It can be anything from gaming, to loving science, to simply loving to learn. In this article, I will be focusing on the gaming aspect. Even though I haven't had much time to continue with my favorite pastime, it still holds a place in my life. There are also a few things non-gamers are not familiar with that are a reality for gamers, and more specifically, female gamers. Let's take a look, shall we?
1. We aren't the same as male gamers
I know, equality and junk, but let me tell you: female gamers are much more ruthless and cruel. We are much more prone to manipulating a scenario in order to win/move ahead in the game. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US.
2. Okay, in some aspects we are the same
Even though we seem to be pretty calm, trust me when I say women can rage just as hard as men. I have thrown controllers, yelled at the screen and, yes, even rage quit.
3. There is some satisfaction in revealing our identity
The best feeling in the world is when I win a round of Call of Duty 4 and use voice chat to tell everyone, "Good game." Just solidifying the fact that yes, y'all just got beat by a girl. Not as fun when they all think you're a 12 year old boy...
4. We're not all like the stereotypes
For some reason, most people seem to think that female gamers are all skinny and hot. Let's face it: I spend hours playing games on my PC. It is severely unrealistic to think that all female hardcore gamers are skinny and hot, although I have met some that are as such, it is rather rare. Don't believe this is a problem? Google female gamers, then male gamers. I could spend hours talking about this particular point, so I'll just move on.
5. There is no such thing as a "Fake gamer girl"
Whether it be hours on a PC playing World of Warcraft or Mario Kart Wii for an hour or two, we are still gamers. Some may be more into gaming, but it doesn't matter. We are all gamers. Would you ever question if a guy said he was a gamer? Would you ask him to name all the races in Skyrim the way we are asked? There are different kinds of gamers, regardless of gender. Again, don't believe this is an issue? Google "Fake Gamer Girl" and "Fake Gamer Guy."
6. We can spend hours upon hours just playing games
Now, I'm not the pee-in-a-bottle type, but I will eat dinner while doing some AFK task. Sometimes I can spend entire weekends just playing games. You know that feeling when you have a level 84 on World of Warcraft and you just HAVE to finish leveling to 85. The struggle is totally real.
7. Sometimes we get seriously competitive, and sometimes we don't really care
Don't get me wrong, I may be pretty chill in real life, but if I feel like I'm losing, and I am in a competitive spirit, the rage is real. But if I'm in a not-caring mood, I will play happily no matter how much I lose. It's just one of those things I guess.
8. We get really tired of all the sexualization of women in the gaming industry
Between female characters ALWAYS having small waists and large breasts and the previous point I made about the actual female gamers being overly-sexualized, it becomes almost impossible for females to go 5 minutes without being itemized. Men have their own problems in a similar regard, but it isn't hard to see that women are much worse off in this regard.
9. GameStop is literally the best and the worst thing ever
I love going into GameStop. It's like walking into a candy store. I love looking around at all the games I have and don't have just to remind myself how vast the gaming world has become. But between high prices and low buy-back prices, it may be the worst place to actually purchase games. I find it better to just browse to see what I want, then order it on Amazon later.
10. No matter how long we go without playing, it always holds a place in our lives
Gaming is a great way to relieve stress or just have fun. If I go a year or two without spending much time gaming, I know it is something I can always come back to if I want. It's just like riding a bike. Whether it be console or PC, it will always be relevant to me.
