Being a Kickass Lady Writer and Not Making a Big Deal About It

Being a lady in video games isn't always hard

I’ve never really taken being a girl that seriously. I happen to be female, that is true, but the stereotypes of femininity never really applied to me. I played with Hot Wheels as a kid, I still can’t put on my own make-up, and I liked rough and tumble sports and action films. I love video games, so it made sense for me to write about them.

Recommended Videos

This has been an internship program that has proven time and again that I don’t need to be self-conscious about being a lady. People make a big deal about women in the games industry, about whether they’re legit gamers or if they’re just being hired to be a pretty face or what not. It all seems rather silly to me. I feel, for the most part, about sexism the way that Morgan Freeman is often quoted as thinking about racism – if we stop talking about it, that takes away a lot of its power.

What I meant about this internship not making it a big deal is that most of the people I’ve worked with on this for the last two phases have been ladies (sorry Kevin, but you’re the hold out dude). I’ve had the pleasure to work with Miranda, Stephanie, and Jamie. My internship boss is a lady (shout out to Katy) and there’s also Amy, and we’ve interacted a few times with Ashley – almost all our correspondence has been with women.

But I suppose what’s great about it, is that it hasn’t been a huge deal. We’re not writing about being ladies in the gaming industry, about how tough it is to do your nails and then handle a controller, or about how hard it is to find geek t-shirts that are awesome and fit our giant breasts (that’s a lady concern, right?). There are some exceptions. Jamie has written a great piece about GTFO, for example, and I’ve written about how inaccurately women are presented in a lot of fighting games (can we please get some clothing? Just a little?). But for the most part, we just write about what we’re passionate about: video games.

I think there needs to be a dialogue about the problems facing women in games. Sexism is rampant. But I think it’s important that we don’t just write about those problems, that we don’t just talk about how ridiculous it is that the games are named after Zelda but she’s not a playable character or about how Peach’s powers are derived from her emotions or that people missed out on the seriously kickass voice acting on Fem Shep in Mass Effect. It’s important, for the future of women in gaming, that we talk about the same things the dudes talk about.

It’s been great working with these ladies (and Kevin, maybe we’ll make him an honorary chick) and we’re going on to do great, awesome things. Farewell Bastion phase.

 

Goodnight and good luck. Peace out homies. 


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Daggerheart Open Beta First Impressions: For the Love of Improv
Daggerheart media image of floating bookshelves.
Read Article 10 Princess Peach: Showtime! Fanart to Wow Nintendo Lovers
Art of Princess Peach in a title screen with banners and star under her and title of the game above
Read Article All Maps in Midnight Ghost Hunt, Ranked
Team of Hunters armed and ready to fight
Read Article The Best Skyrim Zombie Apocalypse Mods
Zombies rising from graves in foggy setting
Read Article Every Soulsborne Game, Ranked from Worst to Best
Sekiro holding up his sword to fight in Sekiro
Related Content
Read Article Daggerheart Open Beta First Impressions: For the Love of Improv
Daggerheart media image of floating bookshelves.
Read Article 10 Princess Peach: Showtime! Fanart to Wow Nintendo Lovers
Art of Princess Peach in a title screen with banners and star under her and title of the game above
Read Article All Maps in Midnight Ghost Hunt, Ranked
Team of Hunters armed and ready to fight
Read Article The Best Skyrim Zombie Apocalypse Mods
Zombies rising from graves in foggy setting
Read Article Every Soulsborne Game, Ranked from Worst to Best
Sekiro holding up his sword to fight in Sekiro
Author
Amanda Wallace
Former rugby player, social media person, and occasional writer.