A Girl In Gameland

Today's post in Gamer Girl Week comes from fellow gamer, writer, and Twitter buddy, Melinda VanLone. Thanks for stopping by Melinda!

A Girl In Gameland
By Melinda VanLone

I am a gamer. I say it proudly these days, although there once was a time I hid it away from prying eyes. I didn’t like the odd stares and the raised eyebrows when I mentioned it. As if my hobby were somehow less worthy than the next person’s because it took place on a computer. They’d often ask me why I played online games instead of doing something more constructive.

Why? Because it’s a giant game of make-believe. Remember doing that as a kid? Dressing up as a knight, or a ninja, or a princess, or whatever your favorite thing was that day, and acting out the part was a fun way of using the imagination, spurring creativity, and living a life outside your own.

A fun story line to follow and act out, combined with the company of friends, is what keeps me playing these games. But for any game to capture me, it needs to have some amazing graphics, and great outfits.

For some, the way they draw the avatars for females in these games is eye-rolling ridiculously oversexed and condescending to women. Some point to the big-boobed, arched back caricatures as evidence of everything wrong in society. It’s never bothered me, partly because it’s art, and partly because I secretly wish I could be those girls.

My avatars have always been strong, powerful women with the ability to take down a monster while looking fantastic in a bra and spiked panties, which I did for an entire ten levels in World of Warcraft. Realistic? No. I mean really, who would fight like that? Someone not concerned with bullets or broken nails. But is it sexy? Oh yeah.

If I can’t be a fire-wielding mage in real life, I appreciate the ability to explore that side of me in digital form. I like living vicariously through my character, wearing outrageous clothes I’d never wear in public, and pretending that yes, I really am that gorgeous and can kill a giant dragon at a 100 paces with my eyes shut. Really.

I recently dabbled with Star Wars The Old Republic, but left after a couple of months. Looking back, I realized a big factor, apart from the lack of content at higher levels, was that I didn’t like how my character looked (the leveling grind got to be a bit much as well, but that’s a topic for another day). She was a bounty hunter, and wore armor, gadgets and guns. She could fight, sure, but those clothes! Would it have killed them to give her something cool to wear? All the armor looked the same to me. I wasn’t the only one complaining. I heard plenty of guys griping about the lack of variety in armor.

Is gaming sexist?

The idea that gaming, and even super heroes, as a whole are sexist stereotypes has been brought up repeatedly over the years. Girl avatars with big boobs and pony tails, male avatars with overly broad shoulders, huge biceps, thunder thighs and big…guns…are rampant in most games. I’m not sure that’s entirely a bad thing. If I’m playing make-believe, why would I want an avatar that looks exactly like me? I want to be something more, something different, something beyond what I normally am. To me, it’s not sexist to give me exactly what I’m looking for in entertainment. It’s just good business.

Looking like that, even in a game, does tend to lead to some interesting behavior from others. From what I understand, more than half of the people playing online video games these days are women, and most are over the age of 35. I’m not sure anyone has told the 15 year old boys who play after school. They’re the ones with rampaging hormones, talking trash in trade chat and pretending they have a sex life, while the girls quietly go about their day of saving Azeroth from rampaging beasts.

When they find out I’m a girl, the reaction ranges anywhere from “there are no girls on the interwebs” to “what are you wearing?” The sexy avatar encourages that sort of behavior, particularly the “flirt” macro. Good thing they put the “slap” and “frown” and “brushes up against you and farts loudly” macros in there as well.

It’s a make-believe world populated by people who, for the most part, are trying to de-stress and kill a few hundred harmless creatures instead of losing their temper with their co-workers, and look great doing it. It’s artistic expression, in raw form, and a way to release pent up hostilities from the day. It’s my kind of fun. And really, isn’t that what a hobby is for?

I’m looking forward to trying out Guild Wars 2 later this month. I plan on making a sexy human girl who throws fire and hopefully wears something stylish and fun. Judging from the screenshots, I won’t be disappointed.

Now for the fun stuff! First, send me your pictures! At the end of this month, I will be doing a compilation of all the awesome photos I receive from fellow female gamers. If you're a girl and you're a gamer, take your picture with a sign that says you're a gamer and/or your favorite video game and send it to me at samantha@samantha-warren.com. Be as creative as you like, just keep it PG-13. 

Don't forget the prizes! For every post you comment on this month, you will be entered into a drawing to win either Call of Duty: Black Ops II* or Guild Wars 2* (or another game of your choice of similar value). All you have to do is comment!

*Standard edition only, valued at approximately $60 USD. If game is not available in the winner's country, an item of similar value may be substituted. 

Melinda VanLone is a writer of urban fantasy and science fiction. She also dabbles in photography and is an avid gamer.

To learn more about Melinda and her books, check out her website or Twitter.

The Curious Comfort of the Interweb

I am an introvert. *gasp* I know, right?? You're totally shocked, aren't you. You're not? Ah, well, I don't hide it very well. It's something I've struggled with since high school. Actually, I think my troubles with it might have started in sixth grade, when classes were first split. Before that, I didn't think anything of it. I was quite content staying home and reading all day until I noticed that everyone around me was hanging out at the mall, partying, etc. I didn't enjoy that stuff, so I figured something must be wrong with me.

It got worse in college. I picked one of the biggest schools in the nation to attend. Talk about a smart choice (/sarcasm). Still, I loved the school. It was a gorgeous campus, I could go to the football games, and I did meet some really cool people. I even went out to the occasional club or party, though most of my time was spent in my room, the library, or my friends' room playing 007 (I sucked, but it was fun). Then after a couple years and lots of testing of my social tolerance, something happened. I discovered MMOs.

Yes, scoff if you must, but that one discovery helped me tremendously. Before that, I hadn't really spent a lot of time on the internet. I used it for searching and stuff, but I never used it as a social tool. But when I started playing Star Wars: Galaxies, my world changed. I met new people, people I never would have encountered without the game. I became part of a community of individuals, a lot of who (whom?) were much like me. Since then, my social footprint has grown and I have expanded the ways I meet new people, but I still find it easier to interact with folks online that in person.

That's all good and great, but what's my point and why am I rambling? Well, while reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Won't Stop Talking last night, Susan Cain brought up a very interesting point:

Studies have shown that performance gets worse as group size increases. .... The one exception to this is online brainstorming. Groups brainstorming electronically, when properly managed, not only do better than individuals, research shows; the larger the group, the better it performs.

Weird, right? Earlier in the book, she mentions how introverts seem to feel more comfortable online and are able to express themselves and build friendships that then transfer to the "real world" much easier than they can in the physical world. As I was reading that, I was like "Yes! Absolutely 100% yes!" But why? What is it about the internet that makes it so much easier for introverts to be themselves and share their inner thoughts?

1. We don't get interrupted.  This is a big issue for me in face-to-face communication. I always like to let people finish talking before sharing my thought, but often that means they've moved onto another topic and sharing my thought would be out of place. Or I get interrupted in the middle of a thought and find it very difficult to bring the conversation back around to where I was before. In online communication (specifically typed chat) no one can get interrupted. Everyone gets their say and can even discuss multiple topics simultaneously.

2. We have time to think.  It's rare that we're required to answer RIGHT NOW when someone asks a question or makes a comment online. We often have time to ponder it over, even if it's only a couple of minutes. And if we are required to answer right away, we don't have someone staring at us while we think.

3. We can double check what we've said. Before we even send the message, we can read it over to make sure that what we're saying is what we really wanted to say. This greatly reduces the chances of our figurative foot ending up in our mouths.

4. People are typically more supportive than judgmental. Sure, there are some jerks out there, but I've found an enormous community of extremely friendly, helpful people. And everyone is so different. They come from all walks of life and share so many different experiences (and many of the same). If I have a problem, someone else has been there, too, and they understand.

Are you an introvert in a world of extroverts? Do you find online communication easier than face-to-face? What are some other benefits of online media?