Girl Gamer: What She Thinks

Let me start off by saying that my sister is my best friend. We have grown up together and I cherish the days we spend having fun and goofing off. Naturally, since she was a little girl, I have been slowly but surely turning her into the gamer she is today. However, she is a female gamer and she may have some differing opinions about her male gaming counterparts. So, I wanted to ask her a couple of questions about her gaming experiences over the years and what she thinks about the gaming culture as it stands.

So what was the first video game you remember playing?

“I remember playing games like Super Mario, Duck Hunt, and I was a really big fan of ExciteBike when I was little.”

Growing up, did you ever tell your friends that you were a gamer? If so, what was their reaction?

“No, I was not really into video games until recently. I used to play card games like Pokemon and Magic the Gathering. Really, I just kind of gravitated to friends that like those games growing up. If I did tell someone I was a gamer I got the usual ‘but you’re a girl’ speech.”

How do guys typically treat you when they find out you’re a girl online?

“I never NEVER talk online. I have a gender neutral gamertag because if I say I’m a girl or talk into the mic, I get messages that I don’t need, if you know what I mean, or they just all gang up on me. I just let them talk it out while I’m crushing them haha.”

Do you think video gaming has had positive changes over the years for girls?

“I think that gaming is getting there. I mean if I tell someone that I like games now, I don’t think they have some sort of steryotype on what I’m like. I think a lot of it has to do with women in the industry of making the games. Also being able to play female characters in the game makes gaming more of a gender neutral activity.”

What do you think needs improved in the gaming culture?

“I think the gaming culture is improving just because of things happening within social culture. I think people are not too worried about gender in leisure activity because it just doesn’t matter. If gaming culture continues to grow like it is, I think girl gamers won’t be such a topic.”

What game are you currently playing now?

“I’m playing Metro: Last Light, Dragon’s Prophet, PlanetSide 2, and of course I keep up with CS:GO.  :)”

Thank you for taking the time out to answer these questions, sis!