by M W

Created on: November 18, 2008   Last Updated: March 11, 2011

There is absolutely no apparent difference between boys and girls in the faceless multiplayer gaming community. Both genders can easily smack talk their opponents and harass their counterparts with equal vigor while maintaining a high standing in either score or material possession. Of course there are misconceptions around every corner and girls end up fighting a vast majority of players either trying their darnedest to cement the fact that yes they really are a girl, or to fight for their right among high end gaming associations to be able to access content.

Not all boys bash girls. Not all girl gamers have a hard time either. It really is a matter of who you play with, what sort of person they are behind their computer keyboard, or console, and if they are willing to listen and believe. You can't force a point, and you certainly can't expect somebody with a stubborn biased mindset to actually change their ways one hundred percent of the time, but for the girls out their fighting their way to the top, you hope against hope you can find a nice community that accepts the fact that you are who you are. No boundaries attached.

Personally I have had several instances where I, as a girl gamer, have felt the sadly inevitable backlash of biased boy gamers. I was part of a raiding guild on an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game), and the general population in this association existed of purely male players who were more than a little stubborn, and definitely had a few bad seeds who were woman bashing left and right. I did end up leaving, on amicable terms to avoid the drama that would have ensued. But the point is, my role in this association was forever tarnished anyhow after I did reveal my gender. It was unexpected and unwarranted, but it still happened. And sadly it isn't a once in a lifetime problem. I have dealt with the same issues since.

A few girls I know have even taken to playing male game characters to avoid the initial confrontation being a female seems to render. The unwanted "attention" girl characters get from guy characters is disgustingly sick and uncalled for. I mean, these are pixels on a computer game, right? I really do not see the appeal. It's nearly perverted in my opinion. But somehow this always happens somewhere along the line. You either deal with it as a girl gamer and smack talk them away or move on to the next game and hope the community is more mature. It's not about sensitivity and thick skin either. It's about treating your equals with respect and disregarding the male female division. The gaming communities in every console and online game would benefit immensely.

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