Reflections on D3 day: Girl gamers

Am I crazy or did being a girl gamer become hip and cool over the last few years? It's a strange phenomenon. One of my theories is that its because boys are becoming more vocal about how much they appreciate girl gamers... they wish they had a gamer girlfriend this, they wish that girl would let them play their games that. Perhaps it gives boys excuses to continue their escapism without feeling the guilt of recklessly abandoning real-life obligations.

In days of old, girl gamers were usually closet gamers. And on that note, it may be a valid point to conclude that the negative stereotypes of an extreme boy gamer (a bit overweight, acne-prone, lack of social skills) probably had an analogous extreme girl gamer image, only that they were so rare, nobody really paid any mind.

On the other hand, you would find the casual gamers who varied in appearance, social prowess, and general life achievements. This is because although other forms of gaming were around for a while, "gaming" became a means of social growth and interaction with the rapid development of the internet. And this new medium of social interaction is where being "hip" and "cool" comes in.

While there's nothing wrong with the new and diverse images of casual gamers, there are definitely many things wrong with the current direction of the girl gamer image--mostly because it has only one image so far: she's sexy. It seems to me that there's this crude idea that girl gamers should be hot and sexy as well as down to earth, be able to hold their own in a raid, and be willing to make their guy a sandwich while they're at it. Well, sorry to tell you: that quadruple standard isn't realistic. How is it possible to maintain a perfect body figure, bring home the bread, be a homemaker, AND develop an impressive gamer's skills set? Even if you don't feel like you're setting up these standards, trust me, that's the message you're sending... Imagine if that quadruple standard was applied to guys.

MMORPGs were once a world where nobody would have to know what you looked like. It was a place where you could escape and forget about who you were for an hour or two (maybe more). Like all things, such a break from the real world could be healthy in moderation. But the new girl gamer image sends the wrong kind of message to girls who get into gaming and nullifies any sense of healthy "escape" they'd gain from the game. In a realistic situation, a girl could game initially for social purposes, come back to the real world and realize they aren't this hot, sexy girl that the girl gamer image proposes, get depressed, then throw themselves back into the game.

Also, by being a girl, your identity isn't "one of the guild"; instead it's the girl in the guild. Sure, girl gamers have an advantage of getting free stuff from guys... but doesn't that just reinforce the social context girls experience in real life? Sure you can use your gender/sexuality to exploit others or get what you want, etc, but that doesn't do a lot for self-esteem. It reinforces that your gender and/or sexuality are/is the only thing you can use to be successful in this new day and age. It says nothing of your skills. It says nothing of your virtues. Take this as cynicism towards the sexification of the "women and video games" industry.

This can take a different direction soon enough. While gaming is becoming more and more accepted (thanks to social media), more girls will join in. Existing girl gamers will become more vocal as it has become a world appreciative of their pioneer into the gamer demographic. As it gains more momentum, I suppose we'll be able to put to rest the image of an oversexualized girl gamer. But in this mysoginistic world, I don't think we will ever be rid of it completely. Not any time soon.