by Donna Fallesen

Created on: November 18, 2008

Gaming has been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember. Picking up a controller, clicking on a mouse, clacking away on a keyboard. I never realized how bad gender bias in the gaming community until I was older and started a character in an MMORPG. From the moment I created a toon I had high hopes for her. Gaining reputation server wide for my PVP skills, hopping into raids now and then to advance in the PVE world, and numerous other goals. I had actually succeeded on most of the challenges I had set out for myself, one including joining a guild which I had figured would help me to meet more members of the community, making it easier on myself for group invites and random player versus player battles in the gaming world. I was looking to make connections basically.

No, by connections I do not mean relationships. I was and still am highly opposed to any advances that were put on my character and by doing that I did get shunned from groups, raids, etc. It was shocking at times how bad the treatment I received was. Was it given from everyone? No. Could I just ignore it and move on? Yes, but then I constantly got accused of being a man. I chose to ignore it and kept chugging along in the guild association I had joined anyhow.

Several months passed and I was still getting annoying messages of how I was faking being a girl. I had joined teamspeak to prove I was indeed a female after having had enough of being pointed at for lying, and everything settled down, but only for a few days. I ended up regretting that move.

When I gave advice it would be looked over, and if a guy gamer (just a guy toon, he did not have to prove he was male) gave his opinion on a gaming situation, even if it was a mirror of what I had just said, they would listen to him. The first time I thought I might have been spammed out of a chat, but it was not the case and the whole deal of it was too much drama and too much of my time wasted. So I slowly dwindled away in the guild until I could easily leave, without bashing anyone or bringing the guild down in any way. It was hard, because there were a few good people amongst the mass of haters, but from there on out I mostly play male characters and I never get asked anymore or poked at.

I can just disappear and surprise them on the rankings, because yes, I can play with the big dogs and it doesn't matter if my gender happens to be female.

Learn more about this author, Donna Fallesen.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.