Strange Horizons are offering an intelligent and well written piece on being a girl who plays games. It's an article which rings as true as is possible considering I don't have breasts. It deals not just with the videogaming world but also with joining male-dominate roleplaying clubs. Definitely a must read, particularly for my female readers - both of you!
Sometimes girls are told that they can't or shouldn't play RPGs or video games. But more often, I think, they are told that they don't. The cultural message is sometimes wrapped in hand-wringing and good intentions, but the underlying assumption beneath "Why don't girls play video games?" is still "Girls don't play video games." Technology in general, but game technology in particular, is viewed as a masculine domain. Girls use computers to word process, send instant messages, make a MySpace profile—but they don't use them to slay dragons. They just don't. And it's a lot harder to see what's wrong with that argument than a straightforward claim that slaying dragons is not ladylike.Real Girls Don't: The Invisible Minority of Female Video Game Players
One of these days I'll stop re-processing the best of other people's content, I swear.
4 comments:
I am female... and I play games!
I spend $100-$200 a month on games. (add$100 a month to that if you are counting internet connections too).
I kill dragons.
On Monday I beat zombies up with my bare hands. (but only because I forgot to equip my morningstar upon leaving town...)
I also like Sim games.
And I play every Adventure Game I can get my hands on.
I used to play strategy alot, but everything that has been released since Command and Conquor has been... well... Command and Conquor, except the tiberium is called something else...
There's actually at least four female gamers who stop by here, plus another three or so women who game but don't call themselves gamers. Plus all the people who I don't know and who never comment, who for all I know could be the entire membership of the Frag Dolls plus their fanclub.
UPDATE 3/11/06:
Wow, way to make me feel guilty for passing on Lake Desire's reporting of the article on Strange Horizons. This post has been linked on Jade Reporting and I've been getting a few hits. Those hits should rightfully be going to New Game Plus or Strange Horizons, so I hope people are clicking through.
If it isn't Ms E. Cabell herself! Yes, it was a totally awesome article; congratulations. And thanks for stopping by!
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