There has always been a lot of smack around the topic of female gamers.
There are many definitions for the term "gamer." Most of which are along the lines of someone who plays games for a hobby and someone who obsesses over games and loves to cosplay. Both of these definitions are at two very extremes of a small spectrum. The term "gamer" by itself can apply to nearly anyone who plays video games on a regular basis or even once in a long while. However, there is a large amount of debate about who and what gamers exactly are. I believe the best way to define the term "gamer" is not to define it at all but, instead, accept that there are many types of gamers out there and there is no blanket term that can cover them all. Aside from this debate, there is another more touchy topic that involves females and gaming.
I had a good laugh before writing this as I was browsing through Urban Dictionary. I stumbled upon the term "female gamer." Already I was taken aback at the mere fact that this term had its own page instead of being linked to the term: ‘gamer.’ On the actual page, there are three definitions provided. I’ll save you the time of opening a new tab and searching for yourself if you’re curious or don’t believe me by pasting the definitions here:
Female Gamer
1. "A very rare phenomenon in which the woman begins puberty in a manner where she thinks for herself and realizes that video games are, in fact, very entertaining. Female gamers generally do not follow the social norm of how to dress, what make-up to wear, how to style their hair, so on and so forth.
"My girlfriend is a Female Gamer, as is my mother (oddly enough) and a handful of chick-chicks (not guys playing as chicks) that I know.
"#gamer #female #nerd #geek #unique"
2. "A girl who enjoys playing video or computer games more than she does worrying about getting a boyfriend or applying makeup. So for those of you who think they don't exist, eat it, because I am one.
"I am a female gamer
"#gamer #girl #female #not ugly #stereotype"
3. "Will never exist, seriously.
"'Hi I am a male gamer' <--- could happen
"'Hi I am a female gamer' <--- could never happen
"#female #gamer #ownage #doesnt #exist"
Did you have a good laugh? I did a first too. Now I’m just confused. Why is being a female and being a gamer such a radical thing? Why does it warrant its own distinction?
I’ve been playing video games before I could walk without stumbling. Growing up with strict parents, I was kept in the house a lot. Naturally, the most popular way to keep entertained was to play video games. I collected all the evolutions to the Gameboy handheld console and was a regular player of "Pokémon," "Metroid," "Harvest Moon," etc. I was gifted a GameCube in 2001 by my oldest sister who also introduced me and my other sister to the world of "Super Mario," "Rayman," and other popular gaming moneymakers. After that I began collecting the Sony Playstation consoles and to this day still have my Playstation 1 console in pristine condition. I have a Steam account but rarely play PC games because in the past they would constantly fry my computer hardware and I could never afford specialty gaming computers like Alienware products.
So, because of the my circumstances as outlined above, this makes me a “rare phenomenon”? Yes, I play video games on a regular basis and I’ll admit that I’m pretty good at them, but I’m still just a person. Being a gamer should not dictate anyone’s worth. I cannot stand when I hear people describe gamers as ‘nerds’ or ‘geeks’ or people who presumably have no social lives because they’re locked away in their basements and therefore are out of shape, unemployed, and uneducated. Anyone can be a gamer; there are no appearance, knowledge, or skill requirements.
Another thing that irks the living daylights out of me is the sexualization of females who play video games. If you typed into a search engine: ‘female gamer’ and looked up images, a majority of them would depict a girl performing some sexual act with the chord of a gaming controller or a half naked girl posing with some type of gaming product. Don’t believe me again? Here:
This issue can lead into a whole other topic involving the depiction of women in video games which is primarily one with a heavy background of sexualized nature and also the serious lack of female playable characters. Maybe I’ll save that path for another time.
So in conclusion, if a majority of people agree with the third definition of “female gamer” aforementioned above, that we “don’t exist,” I have a solution:
Add me on PSN and I’ll gladly demonstrate my skills for you in PVP.
