The Truth About Girl Gamers (and how women are portrayed in games)

and Part 2:


I found this interesting because it addresses a lot of things ive been pondering for most of the years as a gamer. In the first video, the girl goes on to explain that a lot of Nintendo owners are actually ladies and why that is. Because a lot of Nintendo titles are based on the concept of "Everyone should play" more than "hey look at this awesome hardcore game!" She also makes a point about collecting all the Chaos Gems in Sonic and calling it casual. lololol

When i was kid, i played games at arcades. If i was pretty good at the game, small crowds would gather. It was due to two things: I was pretty damn young at the time, but also a girl. A ten year old girl whooping the ass of a 15 year old boy at Street Fighter II was kinda....unusual in those days. Also a girl who could get to stage 22 on Afterburner on a single quarter was quite odd. The boys' minds would boggle. (This was the 80s and very early 90s, people)

Another thing is that females in games in general were a bit scarce. Its why Samus was such a thing back in the day. Not only was she a lady but she was an asskicking lady. For years, Samus kicked intergalactic ass. Then Other M came out and make her all....well...not like she was. It pissed off so many people. Men and women alike. I think this actually shows a bit of progress in terms of how ladies are portrayed in games. These days, guys dig stronger female roles and not just sexualized or overly feminine characters. Sadly, that doesnt stop games like DoA being made. Games that are nothing but eye candy. D:

The vids dont showcase RPGs much because things get more complicated there. The ladies in RPGs (JRPGs especially) are portrayed in a myriad of ways. While we do have the overly feminine childhood friend of the main hero, we also have a sex symbol character, a badass female character, and an energetic peppy girl. Some RPGs totally invert that. Like Valkyrie Profile. I actually thought VP was designed especially with women in mind because of how deep the main character is. (in the first one at least.) Shes extremely strong and almost cold but she goes through a lot of emotional stuff, while still remaining a very strong character. Thats hella rare, man. So when i first played that game, my mind. It boggled.

Anyway, discuss!

Girl gamers don't exist. It's just a myth that guys use to get free gear in MMOs.

I like what that girl in the vids is saying. Simply put, it's a world dominated by mostly men. This stretches beyond videogames - this is simply another example of it.

I wonder if some girlgamers would like to play a game with half-naked fit guys? no really, i wonder if that would actually work on some girlgamers. lol

Man, I don't know if Catherine is the best example when people start talking about over sexualization. I didn't care much for it, but from what I played I could discern that its message was that treating women like sex objects was a BAD thing. Katherine was a respectable woman, who dressed modestly and was interested in marriage. The main character was a dirt bag who chased after the sexed out Catherine.

Overall, these videos are okay. She's got a few good points here and there, but she's just repeating things we've all heard before.

I don't treat female gamers any different than I treat male ones. My only issue is when girls act out online with the whole "YES I'M A GIRL GAMER DEAL WITH IT SILLY BOYS" because that ♥♥♥♥'s just dumb.

edit: florina you should play Half Life 2 and experience how great of a female character Alyx Vance is. <3

Originally Posted by Berry Punch

Man, I don't know if Catherine is the best example when people start talking about over sexualization. I didn't care much for it, but from what I played I could discern that its message was that treating women like sex objects was a BAD thing. Katherine was a respectable woman, who dressed modestly and was interested in marriage. The main character was a dirt bag who chased after the sexed out Catherine.

Vincent is only a bad guy if you make him out to be one. The game was about choice. Has about 9 endings to it as well, so you really can't narrow it down to just one message.

I was actually confused by that girl using Catherine as an example because of what i heard about the game. Either she didnt play that game and going off the cover or she did play it and was using it as an example of misaimed marketing. (to guys) *shrug* Cuz lets face it, some people did play that expecting something....else.

My only issue is when girls act out online with the whole "YES I'M A GIRL GAMER DEAL WITH IT SILLY BOYS" because that ♥♥♥♥'s just dumb.

Strange cuz like, i dont even see that happen anymore. Does it still happen and where? I agree, that is just stupid. THOSE are the girls seeking attention.

edit: florina you should play Half Life 2 and experience how great of a female character Alyx Vance is. <3

Sadface. I havent the means to play it.

Originally Posted by Scentless Apprentice

Vincent is only a bad guy if you make him out to be one. The game was about choice. Has about 9 endings to it as well, so you really can't narrow it down to just one message.

Eh, he ends up in bed with Catherina (literally) at the beginning regardless of the choices you make. My friend and I were appalled at how blatantly ♥♥♥♥ty of a human being Vincent was.

Originally Posted by Berry Punch

Eh, he ends up in bed with Catherina (literally) at the beginning regardless of the choices you make. My friend and I were appalled at how blatantly ♥♥♥♥ty of a human being Vincent was.

She's a Succubus from hell, it wasn't exactly his fault, in fact you can tell her off over the cell phone if you want, you don't have to like it. If you keep playing you can either redeem him or just roll with it.

Originally Posted by Scentless Apprentice

She's a Succubus from hell, it wasn't exactly his fault, in fact you can tell her off over the cell phone if you want, you don't have to like it. If you keep playing you can either redeem him or just roll with it.

Ah. Well, either way the game certainly doesn't seem to celebrate it at any rate.

I didn't get too far because the actual game wasn't fun.

Originally Posted by ɹɐǝqıɹǝ

Girl gamers don't exist. It's just a myth that guys use to get free gear in MMOs.

I laugh because Daz actually does this. Nothing wrong with manipulating horny boys with boobs.

Originally Posted by WillZ4E

I wonder if some girlgamers would like to play a game with half-naked fit guys? no really, i wonder if that would actually work on some girlgamers. lol

Well not so much the half-naked part but there is a few guys in games I'd melt for: Dante, Nathan Drake and Balthier.

In my younger days it was definitely the phenom that I kicked ass at video games. It'd annoy the crap out of my cousins (one of them had a SERIOUS temper tantrum once) that a girl would beat them at something "boys should be better at". Nowadays the female gaming force has grown so its far less of a "OMG, IT'S A GURL!!" experience anymore. When it comes to the ladies in games, it's hard to still find the strong badass types because it's still a heavily male dominated hobby.. that wants to look at boobs. It won't really change but I'm at least happy I still get to see the strong types in my lovely RPGs and MMOs.

Originally Posted by Florinasaur

Sadly, that doesnt stop games like DoA being made. Games that are nothing but eye candy. D:

Dead or Alive is a great fighter. Just because it has awesome boob psychics and revealing outfits it doesn't mean the game is awesome. Again it has awesome boob psychics.

Originally Posted by cloneofshadow

Dead or Alive is a great fighter. Just because it has awesome boob psychics and revealing outfits it doesn't mean the game is awesome. Again it has awesome boob psychics.

That is not how boobs move...at all >_< it's laughable as all hell.

Originally Posted by cloneofshadow

Dead or Alive is a great fighter. Just because it has awesome boob psychics and revealing outfits it doesn't mean the game is awesome. Again it has awesome boob psychics.

I have to say that there's a lot of good stuff in DOA. The combat system, for example, is excellent. And the boobs have been toned down recently. However, the games' association with the godawful pile of porn that was DOAX makes it kinda embarrassing to play.

OT, girl gamers have never been a shock for me. When I arrived at the gaming scene (recently), one of the first games I ever got was SSBB. The best person I knew at that was, and still is, a girl. Infact, when I got into online gaming, I was really surprised that there weren't any girls.

@cloneofshadow
Boob psychics? Are those, like... people who can tell you what a person's boobs are thinking, or what they've been through? Or maybe boob psychics are psychics who happen to be foolish or stupid.

I wish more games had good, non-sexualized female main characters. Alyx Vance is definitely one of those (I believe HL2 came out on the PS2 and/or Xbox in addition to the PC, btw).

Originally Posted by Mister Blak

And the boobs have been toned down recently.

Yes it has but it was awful in the first game



and compare it to DoA5



I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Zelda being Shiek mumbo-jumbo.It is a Zelda forum.

I never had anything with "GIRLS CANNOT PLAY VIDEO GAMES". I was a very smart kid. A girl got me into video games. So, really, I think that kind of stuff is a bit childish, and to think this is still going on is kind of silly. As for strong female characters, I really do like viewing people as people. I don't look for a male protagonist or a female protagonist in a game. I just look for something that I think I'll enjoy.

Here's another question: What do ladies actually want from games?
I know some do like to shoot ♥♥♥♥ dead so they play shooters. Or some want to play little sim games so they play the Sims or Animal Crossing, etc.

But from a marketing and development perspective, what would the general female gaming base (hardcore to casual) really want to see in their games? What kind of imagery? What kind of gameplay? etc. Do they want to see more leading ladies? Or really hot/bishonen type dudes?

Aw hell. Had to drop her a like

EDIT: Florina threatened to never grant me another name change ever again if I didn't expand on this thought.

I think she is a very intelligent young lady. She has obviously done a lot of research. Females are not usually portrayed in a positive light in video games. LOL I'VE GOT BOOBS OF COURSE YOU WANT THIS GAME. It's pretty dang retarded.

I'm all about equality and such. I've always been a fan of the more cutesy games like Yoshi's story and I really dig playing as a female character on games like pokemon and portal. Tenchu was another good one because the best character in the game is female (though, let's be honest, it's a rather gory game). She wasn't slutty in the slightest.

What I want is gender equality. Unisex games and more female game developers could very well resolve that. ^_^

I think that the problem is less of a "developers aren't making games for women" one, but more of a "developer are making games for dude bro fratboys" problem. Developers aren't appealing to me anymore than they are to women. The problem isn't one of man vs. woman, but one of an industry focusing an inordinate amount of effort on a niche genre. As for the lack of realistic depictions of women in gaming, yes that is true, but its just as true as the lack of realistic depictions of men.



-men, being realistically portrayed.

Typically men are portrayed as either super soldiers or at the very least more macho than the average man, rarely do you see an ordinary guy in a game. So yes, women are portrayed inaccurately, as are men.

Much like the depiction of men in general commercials, men in gaming commercials are depicted as at best boorish oafs and at worst a drooling moron that can't even feed himself. Just look at the average commercial, the man is always the idiot and the women is either the voice of reason (if the ad is targeted towards women), or a sex object (if the ad is targeted towards men.) This is equally the case in video game commercials, but because the vast majority of gaming is targeted towards dude bro males, you're not likely to see the "voice of reason" archetype and are left with "the sex object" or simple no depiction at all.

I don't believe games should be made specifically for women, nor do I believe they should be made specifically for men. Just make games. Hell the concept of a women's game is demeaning in itself because it imposes norms regarding what is meant for men and what is meant for women. What is a woman's game are Fallout, Elder Scrolls or Saints Row, Mass Effect games for women? Why not? Your characters can be men or women and as "realistic" as you choose. Does a woman's game necessarily have to have a female protagonist? In that case Metroid is not a man's game and solely for women.

The whole distinction between man's and woman's game is just ridiculous to me.

I completely agree. With something like "this is a woman's game" "this is a man's game", it all just puts limits on what people can and cannot play. Which I don't like.