{"id":6344,"date":"2011-07-05T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-05T08:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/?p=6344"},"modified":"2011-07-05T09:00:34","modified_gmt":"2011-07-05T08:00:34","slug":"gamer-diary-pretty-good-for-a-girl-how-about-just-pretty-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2011\/07\/05\/gamer-diary-pretty-good-for-a-girl-how-about-just-pretty-good\/","title":{"rendered":"[Gamer Diary] “Pretty good for a girl”? How about just “pretty good”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to Rai, who kicked off our Gamer Diary back in May<\/a>, and will very likely soon join Team BadRep’s About page properly as soon as we’ve got our backsides in gear…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a new addition to BadRep I thought it\u2019d be a good idea to introduce myself a bit more thoroughly, seeing as I intend to keep popping up. I don\u2019t mean in the typical sense of “Hi, my name\u2019s Rai, I\u2019m 23 and I like…” because most of that isn\u2019t entirely pertinent. Instead I thought I\u2019d talk about gaming and me.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>I\u2019ve been playing computer games for well over 15 years already; I started with Wolfenstein<\/strong> and DOOM<\/strong> when I was eight years old and before that played puzzle games and other now-\u2018retro\u2019 games like Space Invaders<\/strong>or PacMan<\/strong>. Over the years my tastes haven\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2018sandbox\u2019 style games like Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/strong> or Prototype<\/strong>. For your delectation and amusement I’ve included a quick snap of a few<\/em> of my boxed games (I have many, many more on Steam<\/a> and a few Xbox 360 games elsewhere).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Normally, this fact is utterly irrelevant<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019d had a good few headshots and diligently eradicated the enemy, he declared, \u201cYou\u2019re pretty good… for a girl.\u201d Upon seeing my best \u2018I am not impressed\u2019 look (a mix of anger and despair) he back-pedalled and said, \u201cNo, not like that… just that girls aren\u2019t usually<\/em> good at shooting things.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/em> type of game. Never the twain shall meet!<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong>, Crysis<\/strong>, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.<\/strong> and DOOM<\/strong>, etc, but there are plenty of female gamers who play other shooters, like the RPG shooter Mass Effect<\/strong> for example. Equally, there are male gamers who play things other than C.O.D.<\/strong> or Battlefield<\/strong> and instead play games that don\u2019t involve killing anything at all.<\/p>\n

Other than the assumption of what female gamers \u201cdon\u2019t\u201d play, there are also the games we \u201ccan\u2019t\u201d play (because, apparently, our poor female brains aren\u2019t smart enough). Puzzle games that rely heavily on a good sense of visual-spatial awareness and understanding of basic physics, like Portal<\/strong>, are supposedly too \u2018difficult\u2019 for us to figure out on our own. Not so.<\/strong> Strategy games that involve planning and forethought and tactical awareness, like Age of Empire<\/strong>, Command & Conquer<\/strong> or Red Alert<\/strong>, are also apparently too complicated. Not so.<\/strong> 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\u2019m used to a whole keyboard full of buttons as opposed to just two.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t 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\u2019s still plenty of \u2018epic fail\u2019 when it comes to gender and gaming.<\/p>\n

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<\/em> can play any type<\/em> of game that they want<\/em> to or enjoy<\/em>. That\u2019s what gaming is for: enjoyment. Nobody should be hampered by other people\u2019s opinions of what they should\/shouldn\u2019t 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!).<\/p>\n