The future is here, and with it come constant new advances in technology. These advances include video games as well, as every year there are better graphics, better developed stories, and tons of new games in every genre to choose from. More and more modern women are grabbing a controller or mouse and taking up gaming, but a lot of negative stereotypes about girl gamers still exist. Well, I’m to bust some of those prevalent myths plaguing the gaming industry!
Myth#1: Girl gamers are rarer than unicorns.
UrbanDictionary.com claims that “Girl Gamers are a rare species, and those that do exist are hunted to extinction by the Guy Gamers.” I don’t know why it is still such a common misconception that girl gamers are far and few between, but it is! Girl gamers are not a myth. I am a part of many gaming-related groups on Facebook, and I can assure you that there are plenty of women of all ages in every one of them. I will say that the amount of men still seems to outnumber us women, but there are still a lot of them out there! In fact, the Entertainment Software Association has conducted surveys to determine the percentage of female video gamers that make up their market. The results? Forty-five percent of their market were women! That means nearly half of gamers are female, so maybe now people can stop trying to claim girl gamers do not exist.
Myth#2: If they do exist, women who play video games must be overweight and ugly.
Well, last time I stepped on a scale, I was right in the healthy/average weight range for women of my age and height. As for beauty, that’s a matter of personal taste and preference, but my husband seems to like my face well enough. As a girl gamer myself, I have many friends, both male and female, who also love playing video games, and most of them are quite easy on the eyes. Here we have another girl gamer stereotype: busted!
Myth#3: Girls who do game only like certain video games, like Barbie games, Horse games, and family-raising simulators.
While I will admit to playing some of those kinds of games when I was a lot younger, as I have grown up and changed, so has my taste in entertainment. Yes, I did play horse care simulators such as Time to Ride when I was a preteen girl. But now, I much prefer fantasy themed role playing games such as The Elder Scrolls series games and Dragon Age 1 & 2. In fact, even though they tend to be marketed towards male gamers (as most games are), a lot of women love games such as these, because of the great story lines, the freedom to create a character that either does or doesn’t share your real-life personality and views, and the gorgeous graphics and scenery.
Myth#4: Guys don’t like girl gamers because they aren’t feminine.
False. Very false. While one guy’s taste in women will differ from the next, there is a large number of men out there who would love to date a girl gamer, particularly they are gamers themselves. Just as any shared interest will bring people together, guys love to be able to share their passion for gaming with their girlfriend. In fact, I have to thank my husband for turning me into a hardcore gamer. Sure, I’ve always loved playing video games; Tomb Raider: Legend was the best thing ever when I was 11 years old, but it wasn’t until I met my fiance that I really grew a passion for gaming. He introduced me to Skyrim, which I loved so much that I went and started playing Oblivion too, and when I ran out of interesting quest lines from those, I turned to the Dragon Age series, and so forth. Having someone to share that passion with has only made it grow for both of us—we enjoy gaming together at our respective PCs far more than we ever did alone. Plus, a guy loves a girl who can finally understand that no, he cannot pause an MMORPG.
And you know what? I still consider myself a feminine woman, I love to bake some brownies or dress up and put on high heels after I put down my mouse and keyboard!
Having proved each of these stereotypes wrong, I hope to see lots more girl gamers embracing their nerdy side in the future! Stop being scared off by these common stereotypes, because they are definitely not true! Go grab the nearest mouse or controller and let yourself be immersed.
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