I think it’s safe to say that an activity that helps me immensely in surviving these UMass winters is playing videogames. Whether it’s playing surprisingly addicting (and frustrating) iPhone games like Flappy Bird while waiting for class to start or devoting a Saturday afternoon to delving into the mystical world of some online RPG, they’re the perfect tool for procrastinating or just having fun with my friends without having to go outside.
However, what’s not fun about videogames are the absurd misconceptions that are associated with the girls who play them. Despite the fact that almost half of all people who play videogames are female, there are people out there who cling to a whole set of mostly negative stereotypes and myths about gamer girls. Here are a few that I find the silliest and most frustrating.
1. They’re Bad at Videogames
Alright, so I admit I’m probably not the best example of this, considering I’m pretty sure I’ve come in last in every game of Mario Kart Wii I’ve ever played, but can we all just agree that making blanketed statements about someone’s skills based solely on gender is like, so 1000 BCE? If you need some evidence, just spend some time on Google and you’ll find a ton of girls online who have YouTube channels dedicated to playing videogames (like TeamHypercube or PredictableNOVA) who show off their crazy awesome skills. You can also just walk around your dorm hallway; I guarantee you’ll find at least one girl on every floor who is amazing at video games and more than willing to prove it to you.
2. They Only Play Games for Guys’ Attention
This is probably the misconception I’ve seen most often, and it’s probably the most frustrating. We’ve all heard guys AND girls either online or even in person complain about how girls who say they like videogames (and even nerdy girls in general) are fake or are just doing it for male attention. My only response is… really? Not only is this misconception ridiculously heteronormative, it’s also just not logical. Does anyone actually believe that there are girls out there who will spend weeks leveling up ninety times in World of Warcraft so a boy might pay attention to them?
And if it does happen to be that a girl is just “faking it” to get someone’s attention, what’s the big deal? She’s showing an interest in their hobbies and wants to learn more about them… how is that a bad thing?
3. They’re all Tomboys
Alright, so I know a lot of people are more than willing to accept that there are girls out there who are good at videogames and genuinely enjoy them, but another misconception I see a lot is that those girls are super masculine. I suppose this association kind of makes sense, as videogames are often thought to be a male-dominated hobby, so one could believe that any girl who plays them probably has masculine interests and characteristics.
But that isn’t actually how people work. While it’s really easy to learn a trait about someone and put them with some kind of stereotype box, the truth is, all women (and all men!) are a wonderful mix of masculine and feminine traits. No one fits in a box. So don’t think just because I’m wearing a sparkly dress means I can’t beat you in Super Smash Brothers, because I can! (Sometimes.)
Whether you’re the type of person who doesn’t like video games, a self-identified gamer, or somewhere in between (like me!), I think we can all recognize that these misconceptions based on gender just don’t make sense. I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of the problems females face in the video game world, but I think that if we can at least encourage everyone who picks up a game controller to put down their gender stereotypes, it’s a great start.