Tag Archives: gaming

In Which I Am Pretty Darn Sure That Most Gamers Are Fine With Female Protagonists

The Mary SueMarch 29, 2013 //

Last week, the Penny Arcade Report interviewed Jean-Max Morris, creative director of the upcoming female-led game Remember Me. After going into the game’s cyberpunk roots, Morris discussed the publishers who wanted nothing to do with a female protagonist. “We don’t want to publish it because that’s not going to succeed,” he paraphrased. “You can’t have a female character in games. It has to be a male character, simple as that.”

As the article made the rounds, I couldn’t help but notice what gamers were getting excited about elsewhere. Tomb Raider had just slipped to number two in the UK sales charts, after two weeks at number one. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm had already sold 1.1 million copies in its first two days. Indie developer Supergiant Games, the folks behind Bastion, announced their new action RPG, Transistor, which features a leading lady. Their booth enjoyed two hour lines at PAX all weekend. I’m told that the lines for Remember Me were comparable.

I don’t think it’s gamers who have a problem with female protagonists. Read more…

Video Game Announces Same Gender Romance Option

Winona Dimeo-EdigerJanuary 17, 2013 //
Girl Gamer
girl gamer
Don't patronize me with your video game's "girlfriend mode." Read More »
Same Sex Disney Couples
Will Jasmine and Belle live happily ever after? 4 Photos »
Women Are Gamers
woman playing video games photo
Contrary to stereotype, the majority of online gamers are ladies. Read More »

The video game world, for all its mind-blowing technical innovation, can be a surprisingly traditional place. Earlier this month, Jeff Hickman, the executive producer of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, announced a major sign of progress: his team is working hard to create a same-gender romance option for game characters.

“I want to apologize that this is taking so long to get in the game. I realize that we promised SGR [same gender romance] to you guys and that many of you believed that this would be with a companion character… As we have said in the past, allowing same gender romance is something we are very supportive of.” Keep reading »

Girl Gamer: Don’t Patronize Me With Your Video Game’s “Girlfriend Mode”

Lauren HunterAugust 15, 2012 //
I'm A Gamer
I'm a video game fanatic -- and I also happen to be a woman. Read More »
Women Are Gamers
woman playing video games photo
Contrary to stereotype, the majority of online gamers are ladies. Read More »
Challenge The Trolls
Jay Smooth calls on men to challenge anti-feminist Internet trolls. Read More »
Girl Gamer
girl gamer

You’d think that by 2012 game designers would have stopped insulting our intelligence by giving us female characters with gigantic conical boobs and tiny there’s-no-way-she-has-any-internal-organs waists. You’d think they would have created some virtual woman we can get behind. You’d especially think that since it’s been shown female gamers outnumber male gamers, designers would respect their audience and do everything in their power not to alienate us.

Well, of course you’d be wrong.

In a recent interview with website Eurogamer, John Hemingway, lead game designer of popular first-person shooter Borderlands 2, revealed his studio Gearbox was developing a new female character for B2 with a very … unusual skill tree. What’s a skill tree, the less-nerdy of you ask? At the beginning of role playing video games, players choose from a list of different skills you can develop as your character earns experience points. To give you an example, if you choose the “Sharp Shooter” skill tree, as you earn points you can, in essence, buy skills related to shooting, like expert aim or extra ammo. This new character in Borderlands 2, a yet unnamed “Mechromancer,” will have a skill tree called “Best Friends Forever” that Hemingway referred to in the interview as — wait for it!— “girlfriend mode.” Keep reading »

Girly Games, Games For Girls, And Girls Who Game: A Conversation With Femicom’s Rachel Weil

The Mary SueMay 12, 2012 //

When I stumbled across a site called FEMICOM — “the feminine computer museum” — I knew I’d found something unique. At first glance, all I saw was a collection of twentieth century “games for girls,” an area that is virtually never talked about. It is also, admittedly, a subset of gaming that has always driven me right up the wall. Fashion and cooking games festooned in pink have never been part of my repertoire, and my cursory opinion of them was one of persistent stereotypes and lackluster design. But instead of passing the site by, my eyes lingered over that tagline: The feminine computer museum. “All right, FEMICOM,” I thought, clicking through the links. “Just how are you defining ‘feminine’? Feminine according to who?” Read more …

Contrary To Stereotype, Online Gamers Are Actually Women

Stefanie BlejecDecember 2, 2011 //
I'm A Gamer
I'm a video game fanatic %u2014 and I also happen to be a woman. Read More »
Gaming For Love
Here are 7 ways video games may be good for your relationship. Read More »
Rape In Duke Nukem
You almost get raped in the Duke Nukem game and then slapped silly. Read More »
woman playing video games photo

Gamers get a bad rep: They’re typecast as plump, basement-dwelling man-children who lead reclusive lives and collect actions figures. Apparently, that’s way off base. A study by GameHouse says that 55 percent of online gamers are actually female. Not only that, but in comparison to female non-gamers, they are happier, more social, and get it on more often! Say what?! Is Farmville really the solution to all of life’s problems? Keep reading »

Girl Talk: I’m A Gamer

Tamara LynchNovember 30, 2011 //
Gaming For Love
Here are 7 ways video games may be good for your relationship. Read More »
Dungeons Date
A writer is sure she will find love at Dungeons & Dragons. Read More »
Soapbox
Thoughts on the OK Cupid/Magic the Gathering controversy. Read More »

Last Sunday morning, I zip-lined through a South American jungle, shot and killed several enemies, grabbed a fully loaded rocket launcher, and blew up a jeep filled with incoming hostiles. Once clear, I crept to an enemy occupied mansion that held the lost treasure I planned to steal. I climbed undetected up the side of the structure, pulled out my silencer, dispatched more enemies, grabbed the treasure, and bounced!

Thirty minutes later, I had a champagne brunch with my girlfriends.

Hi. My name is Tamara. I’m 36 years old … and I’m a gamer. Keep reading »

7 Reasons Why Gaming Is Great For Your Relationship

Sophie LeonOctober 17, 2011 //
Dungeons Date
A writer is sure she will find love at Dungeons & Dragons. Read More »
Mind Of Man
Who's going to protect you when the zombies come? Read More »
Soapbox
Thoughts on the OK Cupid/Magic the Gathering controversy. Read More »

At some point in time, “gamers” got a bad rap. Let’s stop stereotyping the “gamer” world as a place exclusively for basement dwelling social pariahs in dingy underwear who subsist on Hot Pockets microwaves with love by mom. Those of us — yes, women game too! — who play video games also enjoy socializing with friends (outdoors even!) during the daylight hours and have other hobbies besides completing the “Braaaaaaaaaaaaains!” mission in Borderlands. In fact, we even date! Keep reading »