Gamer girls are like unicorns and bisexuals, they don't exist and they're dangerous.
Arrrrrrgh I've been reading blog posts and news articles about gender and gaming for like an hour now and I am frustrated.
"...Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures and president of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, said: 'We are clearly moving beyond men in tights with broadswords. Women in cocktail dresses and stilettos and men in tuxedos with silencers is a very natural place for Sony Online to be expanding.'"
Emphasis mine. Because cocktail dresses and stilettos are the most natural things in the world.
I realize that's not what he meant, but I found his word choice interesting. In general it seems that most mainstream publications think women's only contribution to gaming and gaming culture is sexiness. This phenomena is eloquently titled "Tits or GTFO" in the afore-linked Jezebel post about GameCrush, which seems like basically internet phone flirting/sex specifically catering to gamers. To be fair, a lot of the quotes in the post I think are whining a little too much: the majority of hardcore gamers are dudes. It is legitimately hard to find female gamers - something I was just discussing with another nerdy female friend last night. Stereotypes exist for a reason; generally, they are somewhat based in truth. That doesn't mean that product development and marketing strategies should be based solely on said stereotypes and reduce women gamers to commodities, obviously. Or, well, I thought it was obvious.
Other things that are making me upset and frustrated: the comments on this Perez Hilton post. My cat's eye is messed up and my vet is only open until noon on Saturdays and I don't get off work until 2. I need to go clothes shopping but I don't have any money because I still don't have another part-time job. Holy god school debt.
Things that make me happy: Autostraddle. My current awesome part-time job. Healthcare reform. Buffalo chicken dip. Bananas foster - in particular, the part where you get to light them on fire. The song "You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson.
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance.
"...Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures and president of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, said: 'We are clearly moving beyond men in tights with broadswords. Women in cocktail dresses and stilettos and men in tuxedos with silencers is a very natural place for Sony Online to be expanding.'"
Emphasis mine. Because cocktail dresses and stilettos are the most natural things in the world.
I realize that's not what he meant, but I found his word choice interesting. In general it seems that most mainstream publications think women's only contribution to gaming and gaming culture is sexiness. This phenomena is eloquently titled "Tits or GTFO" in the afore-linked Jezebel post about GameCrush, which seems like basically internet phone flirting/sex specifically catering to gamers. To be fair, a lot of the quotes in the post I think are whining a little too much: the majority of hardcore gamers are dudes. It is legitimately hard to find female gamers - something I was just discussing with another nerdy female friend last night. Stereotypes exist for a reason; generally, they are somewhat based in truth. That doesn't mean that product development and marketing strategies should be based solely on said stereotypes and reduce women gamers to commodities, obviously. Or, well, I thought it was obvious.
Other things that are making me upset and frustrated: the comments on this Perez Hilton post. My cat's eye is messed up and my vet is only open until noon on Saturdays and I don't get off work until 2. I need to go clothes shopping but I don't have any money because I still don't have another part-time job. Holy god school debt.
Things that make me happy: Autostraddle. My current awesome part-time job. Healthcare reform. Buffalo chicken dip. Bananas foster - in particular, the part where you get to light them on fire. The song "You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson.
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters and teach them how to dance.