Girl Gamer R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
What on earth is this? At first I thought ‘fabulous!’, since being a girl gamer myself I love to see other of my ilk get some exposure. The type of exposure this particular bunch is liable to get (and seems to be after) is not exactly the type that I would encourage going after. I won’t be overly licentious, seeing that most of the members seem to be around the age of 15 and I don’t think it’s necessary to belittle them more than the horrors of the late teen years will accomplish on their own.
In clicking on the gamer profiles, you’ll note a range of photos from the official high school (complete with blue mottled background) headshot, to professionally taken mock-ups. Their sexy poses and display of young adult skin confused me for a moment, and I feared I was drowning in some tiny corner of MySpace. You’ll also see such stunning quotes as “Favourite Book: I hate reading…” and “Game Tag(s): giveit2mehard, xXPROVOCATIVEXx”. Funny too, that all the AdSense links that line the top of the pages in the forums are along the lines of “Canadian Gentleman Wanted: Pretty Russian Girl Seeks Serious Relationships”.
These gaming girls even have a fan art section, where mixed in with drawings of game characters are testaments to their attractiveness from middle aged me–…I mean teenage boys their own age. I particularly like fan art picture number seventeen, which proudly declares the gamers (or perhaps just the one in the picture) as having: talent, skill, and beauty, as though one’s ability to emo-pose for the camera is directly related to one’s ability to throw a virtual grenade. The only thing that’s missing is a “Rate This Gamer” option, where visitors can rate the hotness of the members.
With game skills considered on the side of course.
I get frustrated sometimes with the attitude of males towards females in game forums, in chat rooms, and on in-game interfaces. The lack of respect accorded to women, beyond their ability to look pretty and flirt, is appalling. But then I see things like this site, where the girls probably believe that they’re doing good, and I see how this attitude gets perpetuated by both males and females alike. As much as it pains me to say it ladies, you reap what you sow. Until you have respect for yourself and your abilities, don’t expect or demand it from others.
(t-shirt available at ThinkGeek.com)
Amen, Sistah!
The worst part is when men play women and then the men think that all the women in game are actually men and then call you a liar when you tell them otherwise. Jerks.
“Rate the Gamer” hahaha. OMG, don’t give them ideas, Erin!!
Next we’ll have Miss Gamer pageants….
Love the shirt. Love it.
Sometimes, I’m actually almost ashamed to be a girl…
Ambine: Or when men play women whose main goal seems to be getting with all the male characters on the server.
Ingrid: I vote we hold the very first one!
Karine: I was going to say that I’m not sure they know what exactly they’re doing, but then I thought: oh yes they do. But they’re also teenagers, where any attention is good attention.
I’d just like to say AMEN!
Interesting blog.
Like it or hate it, gaming is “mainstreaming”
2 things in regards of the site.
1. The forums are actually created and managed through forumUp.org so the watchusgame has no control over what ads display.
2. The forum community is actually very lively with females who are between the ages of 18-26.
watchusgame,
I really appreciate you stopping by and clarifying things. The forums are exactly what I would expect in forums and as such they are quite the frequently-used medium for information exchange. It’s nice to see that many female gamers getting together to share their experiences. Bravo on that.
It was the other sections of the site that compelled me to comment.
As far as the ads go, they appear to be simple Google AdSense ads, which are on topics that are considered relevant to the site’s material. Meaning that there were certain key words within the site text that triggered AdSense to post personal ads, etc. You don’t have any control over it, and I didn’t mean to insinuate that you did. It’s just unfortunate that the site content results in that kind of thing popped up. I don’t consider it helpful in creating a supportive, relaxing atmosphere for women gamers.
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to comment, your perspective is more than welcome here.
I would just like to say It was funny when I started playing MOHAA and I played against a woman. I tell ya She was holding her own in the game and kicking my butt on occasion. Now I know lots of Women gaming and heck they are better players then most of the Guys I know. My Hats off to you Ladies but only if you still let me hold the door or open the Car door for you. Shivery is not Dead!!! Later Shrub PS Did I say shivery right? lol
Chivalry. Hehe. But you were close. Thanks for stopping by Shrub, you’re welcome to hold the door open for me any time.
Glad to see there are guys out there that recognize that gender ain’t everything. :)
No problem!
The site itself has only existed for 3 months….
So needless to say there are things about it that have changed, are changing, or will change in the future.