As a new addition to BadRep I thought it’d be a good idea to introduce myself a bit more thoroughly, seeing as I intend to keep popping up. I don’t mean in the typical sense of “Hi, my name’s Rai, I’m 23 and I like…” because most of that isn’t entirely pertinent. Instead I thought I’d talk about gaming and me.

I’ve been playing computer games for well over 15 years already; I started with Wolfenstein and DOOM when I was eight years old and before that played puzzle games and other now-‘retro’ games like Space Invadersor PacMan. Over the years my tastes haven’t varied too much, merely widened to encompass other styles, such as RPG and strategy games. Admittedly, I’m still a die-hard PC gamer, but I also own an Xbox 360 for some console action and an old PSP that rarely gets used.

The games that I invariably come back to time after time almost always have some element of the supernatural, sci-fi or fantasy in them and more often than not are shooters, though I have developed a healthy interest in ‘sandbox’ style games like Assassin’s Creed or Prototype. For your delectation and amusement I’ve included a quick snap of a few of my boxed games (I have many, many more on Steam and a few Xbox 360 games elsewhere).

Why am I telling you all this? So that I can ease slowly into a conversation about gender perceptions and stereotypes in gaming from my own experiences. Now that you know I like shooting aliens and occasionally wielding swords and casting magic spells, there is one more thing you need to know about me before we continue: I could be perceived by others to be, at least ostensibly, female.

Normally, this fact is utterly irrelevant but unfortunately it becomes relevant in the context of gaming and being known as a gamer. Why is it relevant in these circumstances? Because stereotypes are rampant, and I have had more than my fair share of encounters with them.

An excellent example of this is when a very close friend of mine, who had known me for years, was watching me play an FPS game on the computer. After I’d had a good few headshots and diligently eradicated the enemy, he declared, “You’re pretty good… for a girl.” Upon seeing my best ‘I am not impressed’ look (a mix of anger and despair) he back-pedalled and said, “No, not like that… just that girls aren’t usually good at shooting things.”

Needless to say, I remained rather irked, but in the interest of peace, love and friendship we decided to move on swiftly. So the problem I am trying to illustrate here is the assumption, which is ridiculously widespread, that if one is ostensibly female then one must play a certain type of game. Similarly, if one is ostensibly male then one must play a certain other type of game. Never the twain shall meet!

In practice (and in the most polite phrasing possible) this is naught but a rather large, steamy pile of manure. However, the stereotypes remain. I admit I may be at the extreme end of the spectrum when I play games like F.E.A.R., Crysis, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and DOOM, etc, but there are plenty of female gamers who play other shooters, like the RPG shooter Mass Effect for example. Equally, there are male gamers who play things other than C.O.D. or Battlefield and instead play games that don’t involve killing anything at all.

Other than the assumption of what female gamers “don’t” play, there are also the games we “can’t” play (because, apparently, our poor female brains aren’t smart enough). Puzzle games that rely heavily on a good sense of visual-spatial awareness and understanding of basic physics, like Portal, are supposedly too ‘difficult’ for us to figure out on our own. Not so. Strategy games that involve planning and forethought and tactical awareness, like Age of Empire, Command & Conquer or Red Alert, are also apparently too complicated. Not so. Even at the level of consoles, female gamers are presumed to only play on the Wii or the DS because they are much simpler to use. Personally, I found the Wii infuriatingly simplistic and therefore quite difficult to use, as I’m used to a whole keyboard full of buttons as opposed to just two.

It isn’t necessarily the gaming communities that build and perpetuate these stereotypes either; they seem to be bleeding through from mainstream society. Although gamers are perceived to be more tolerant of difference (simply because mainstream society treats us all as different) there’s still plenty of ‘epic fail’ when it comes to gender and gaming.

So, why have I told you all this? Well, because I wanted to give some groundwork that we can build on with the Gamer Diary and see where we go. I hope to prove these stereotypes wrong and spread the word that anyone can play any type of game that they want to or enjoy. That’s what gaming is for: enjoyment. Nobody should be hampered by other people’s opinions of what they should/shouldn’t do. So I would like to build up from here and look at the changes in games and gaming culture that happen constantly as we inch closer to gender equality (and hopefully all other types of equality too!).

• Rai, at the tender age of 23, has been gaming for 15 years and writing for 10 – perfect combination! Watch this space for more Gamer Diary.