ABIGAIL JACOBSON
News Editor
Warning: This article contains strong language.
Whether you play on an Xbox One or a PC, on every platform, you can find and play games.
Any game you want, you could have. Obviously, you would have to buy it, but you’d be able to play it. No one’s going to stop you.
Unless the game is geared towards one gender.
You might be asking, what do you mean? I’ll tell you what I mean.
In the video game community, people often associate a game with one gender.
For example, violent shooter games are geared more toward men, probably based on them being “strong” and masculine. You don’t often hear about a violent shooter game geared towards women.
Instead, many game developers and fellow gamers believe that women should play easy video games that are bright and colorful, where they can build relationships with non-sexual characters. No violent games here. No excessively hard modes and no sexual relationships with characters. Just boring, chill and colorful games that make every girl so happy.
This is what we call a “girl game”.
A “girl game” is a game that is considered to be for only women to play because it’s not manly enough for a guy to play it. A “girl game” is seen as one that is not violent and has a relaxing play style. A “girl game” allows you to explore all you want and make cute things all the time. A “girl game” is for only girls to play.
People define these games as “girl games”: Stardew Valley, Sims, Animal Crossing, etc. As you can see, there’s no game on this list that is violent.
Oh no, girls cannot play violent video games. Those are for guys because they are manly enough. Girls can’t play competitive games because they aren’t competitive and they “suck” at video games. Girls can’t play a majority of games because they are not men.
This term, “girl game,” is stupid.
No game should be designated to one gender. Guys can play cutesy, demure games and girls can play zombie-infested shooter games.
However, the marketing behind video games is more than often geared toward a specific audience.
Violent video games are geared towards men.
Why is that? Why are violent video games not geared towards women? Why are violent games not considered “girl games?”
Well, some men are competitive. I’ve seen it in video games. They get mad that you got a few more kills than them or that you are at a higher level. God, they even get mad at you for speaking in voice chat.
Men, from my experience, also tend to be a bit over-the-top. They see this as an expression of their masculinity.
This masculinity is also represented, men believe, through other things they do, such as throwing the game because they found out you’re a girl or reporting you because you’re a girl or yelling many kinds of phrases at you because, oh you guessed it, you’re a girl.
You got one more kill than your male teammate? You destroyed the other team? You’re wearing a girly skin? You’d best be ready to hear all the basic stereotypical things about women: “Go make me a sandwich,” “get off and go do your OnlyFans,” or my personal favorite, “you’re not a girl.”
Well the last time I checked, I actually am, but thank you. There are so many things I have been told in this community and I wish I could say it just started now but it hasn’t.
I first started getting into video games and playing them with other people when I was about 14, maybe 15 years old. Poor little old me did not know what she was getting into.
Around that age was the first time I had ever heard the term “girl game.” I remember it vividly, probably because it changed my whole perspective of video games.
I was playing a game called Call of Duty, I can’t remember which one. I was playing on a team and it was a capture-the-flag game mode.
I had gotten killed maybe within one minute or so of the game starting and I remember hearing someone say, “you suck bangtangirl2003.” Yes, embarrassing gamer tag, but I was like 15. I was like ‘eh whatever, I’m here to have fun.’
Throughout the time I played that round, it was just sentence after sentence of saying I sucked and I shouldn’t be playing this game. I remember them saying the usual things such as “you suck ‘cause you’re a girl” and “go make me a sandwich bitch.”
Then I heard it.
“This isn’t a girl game, go play Minecraft or something bitch.”
What a crazy thing to say.
I didn’t expect that sentence to influence who I am today but it kind of did. These sorts of experiences even happen to me in real life.
I walk into Gamestop and I’m immediately stared at. Yes, I’m very beautiful, but please leave me alone. There is not one time I have gone into any game store and felt like I belonged. One time, I was even shown a game that was some makeup dress-up thing and the employee said, “This is probably what you’re looking for.”
Actually, I’m not, I’m here for Halo 4.
Now, every time I download a new game or play a game, I think, ‘is this a “girl game”?’
Back then, I would’ve said yes. Now, it’s different.
No game should be only for one gender. Guys can play fun, bright-colored games and girls can play gorey, zombie shooter games. Why should my gender define what game I play?
Yes, I am a girl and yes, I do play “girl games”. But I also play “guy games” and regular video games in general, and I’m pretty damn good at it.