02
Feb
Life as a Female Gamer Part I: Make Your Own Damn Sandwich
Posted by Rachel Burger
“Just for a second,” I pleaded with Becky to come into GameStop with me. The brightly animated boxes with green borders beckoned while my best friend stood stiff on the adjacent side of the mall. “You’ll be okay,” she responded, scrunching her nose towards the game store, “I think I’m going to go get some ice cream. I’ll meet you in the food court.” She darted out of sight.
I don’t blame Becky for leaving. Entering any video game store as an unaccompanied woman can lead to a barrage of sexist reactions (“Excuse me miss, who are you buying for today?”) and unwanted attention. But, as a female gamer, entering game stores has been a necessity since I saved up for my first console (an N64) when I was nine. Twelve years later, I have my PS3, my Xbox 360, and my Mac all stowed away in my college apartment room to satisfy my gaming needs. I am a female gamer.
If I identify myself as a woman while co-oping, there seems to be only three ways male gamers respond:
I have no tattoos.
And I have never fondled a gaming device.
I, like most other female gamers, am average in appearance and physique. I am not online to look for a boyfriend, nor playing a game so that I can solicit male attention (can you imagine playing Borderlands just to find a girlfriend?). Do not be fooled by the sexy gamer girls that you find on the internet. What they do is for show; real gamer chicks are interested in the game, not in what they can do in a bikini.
In sum, when you hear a new female party member over your headset, the proper response isn’t “Got a boyfriend?” “Do you know how to use your mouse?” or “If I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.” Instead, greet your new companion with respect and a line like, “Welcome to the team.”
Have you ever heard these comments? Made these comments? How did you respond? How does gender play a role in gaming and gaming culture? Let us know!
I don’t blame Becky for leaving. Entering any video game store as an unaccompanied woman can lead to a barrage of sexist reactions (“Excuse me miss, who are you buying for today?”) and unwanted attention. But, as a female gamer, entering game stores has been a necessity since I saved up for my first console (an N64) when I was nine. Twelve years later, I have my PS3, my Xbox 360, and my Mac all stowed away in my college apartment room to satisfy my gaming needs. I am a female gamer.
If I identify myself as a woman while co-oping, there seems to be only three ways male gamers respond:
- “Are you hot?”
- “Let me show you how it’s done, sweetheart.”
- “Shouldn’t you be making me a sandwich?”
“Are you hot?”
Let me be clear. I do not look like this:
I have no tattoos.
And I have never fondled a gaming device.
I, like most other female gamers, am average in appearance and physique. I am not online to look for a boyfriend, nor playing a game so that I can solicit male attention (can you imagine playing Borderlands just to find a girlfriend?). Do not be fooled by the sexy gamer girls that you find on the internet. What they do is for show; real gamer chicks are interested in the game, not in what they can do in a bikini.
“Let me show you how it’s done, sweetheart.”
Believe it or not, women who are practiced are just as good as men who are practiced. Okay let’s be fair, there aren’t that many well known female gamers (like Kat Gunn and Seo Ji Soo) and women tend to make up the majority of the demographic for Sims games and Brain Age, but that does not mean we can’t kick ass at Halo, Call of Duty 4, and (one of my favorites) Demon’s Souls. If you’re really interested in impressing a girl online, game well and be courteous, just like in real life. This condescending tone is also what scares off a lot of female players. When playing a new game, I tend to learn the game well before getting online to avoid harassment; women don’t take negative judgement from strangers well. On the other end of the spectrum, there is no reason to give me preference in loot sharing or any other special treatment. I prefer to have earned my winnings.“Shouldn’t you be making me a sandwich?”
The first time I heard this, I was 15, just getting into World of Warcraft. I called over to my mom, who was playing WoW herself, and asked her how to respond. My mother shrugged, having heard the quip many a time before, and told me to ignore it. This tactic has worked up until now, and the joke is still not funny. Cyber-bullying is the same thing as bullying in real life; it just doesn’t fly any more. Games are meant to be enjoyed by everyone!
In sum, when you hear a new female party member over your headset, the proper response isn’t “Got a boyfriend?” “Do you know how to use your mouse?” or “If I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.” Instead, greet your new companion with respect and a line like, “Welcome to the team.”
Have you ever heard these comments? Made these comments? How did you respond? How does gender play a role in gaming and gaming culture? Let us know! 
In 2007, Apple released Boot Camp to support dual booting with a copy of Windows (Windows Vista and XP were available at the time). The latest version of Boot Camp allows the installation and use of Windows 7 as well as the previous two versions of Microsoft’s operating system. While Boot Camp has its advantages, like tapping into the vast games available for PCs, it is only a patch for the greater problems that occur when playing PC games via Boot Camp. Gaming via Boot Camp utilizes limited graphics (dependent on PC compatible graphics drivers) and drains the battery quickly, not to mention that users still need to purchase a copy of the Windows operating system. For example, while running Civilization V on Boot Camp, graphics settings are barely tolerable and the game process is slow. However, running Civ V on the Mac is smoother than Pierce Brosnan in a suit. Playing games made for the Mac and on a Mac is going to remain the superior alternative to playing PC games via Boot Camp.
