Is gaming a man’s world or has the acceptance of girl gamers completed level one, asks Rachel Agius.
Video games are great. They offer an opportunity to let off steam after a rough day at work, are a way to meet new people, and can also be considered an artistic medium in themselves.
The brutish, hulking ogre you are battling in World of Warcraft may just as easily be a slight, female college graduate- Rachel Agius
Recent advancements in computer-generated imagery not only grace movie screens but the realm of gaming as well. Take, for instance, the classic Pong game, one of the very first titles to be published, and compare it to recent releases like the fourth instalment of Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty – it is like comparing the Stone Age with the industrial age.
The term ‘gamer’ has also become a category of self-identification – from its associations with social ineptitude and living in your parents’ basement, it has been dragged into the 21st century and acceptance. Gamers meet up, talk shop, challenge one another in the virtual world and have formed a community of their own.
Yet there is still one preconception that hasn’t quite been broken. Any mention of the word ‘gamer’ is sure to elicit an image of a gaggle of teenage boys, huddled around a console, controls in hand and support or derision flung about haphazardly.
A glance at the character list of many games is sure to reveal a predominantly male cast. And one of the few exceptions, Lara Croft is an undeniable act of pandering to the preferences and fantasies of the male gamer.
So are girls completely shut out of the gaming world, restricted to attending to the players’ snack needs?
Certainly, things have changed somewhat since Space Invaders or Pacman drew players to arcades in droves, attempting to beat one another’s high scores.
Audiences and technology have definitely moved on from when one of the most popular consoles, the Nintendo Game Boy – which had gender built right into its name – was released.
Consoles have become more sophisticated, offering better graphics, stunning audio and gameplay that is as much about critical thinking and strategy as it is about manual dexterity and skill. Players in different countries and time zones can play against one another thanks to an internet connection.
Games have also ventured into several genres, including battle and driving simulations, hand-to-hand combat, music, fitness and a multitude of others. With this vast variety, gamers of all genders have enormous choice when it comes to what they choose to play.
Still, many of the most popular video games currently on the market feature decidedly male pursuits, namely shooting a ball or a rifle. A traditionalist might say the battle (or football) field is no place for a woman. And many gamers share in this perception, revealing that a female player is met with either disbelief or the rather irritating assertion this that must be why the player’s technique (in their not-so-humble opinion) is utterly terrible.
However, many games, such as MPORGs (multi-player online role playing games) have allowed the relative anonymity of players behind a username of their choice.
So the brutish, hulking ogre you are battling in World of Warcraft may just as easily be a slight, female college graduate, taking a break from planning a presentation, as a teenage boy playing for the sixth consecutive hour, homework forgotten and sleep a distant memory.
Just because that player has two children and owns a business it doesn’t mean she can’t wipe the floor with you in Mortal Kombat.
Ms Agius is interested in all things technological, and blogs at www.eweandme.blogspot.com.