The term 'girl gamer'

Yeah, I can understand not liking people highlighting/making a big deal out their gender or what-not. If we're ideally seeking a state of affairs where everyone is treated equally and fairly regardless of their gender/proclivities/race/whatever, then bringing attention to such a fact that, as I said, ideally shouldn't even illicit a blink seems a bit backwards.

I'm not even sure that last sentence made sense...

Also, what's wrong with the term "gamer"? Why does it leave such a bad taste in people's mouths?
 
Pirateking said:
The term 'Gamer' in general just annoys me. You don't see other medium users labeling themselves. What do we call someone who watches movies? Movier?
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A moviegoer or filmgoer(person that goes to watch movies alot).
A movie or film buff (knows alot about movies, may include more than just going to movies)

Yes the English language is that expressive we have words to describe people who do particular actions on a regular basis. Depending on society though some terms may have a more specific positive/negative connotation.

Edit: I see I was beaten

Haunted said:
movie buff?
bookworm?
car enthusiast?
audiophile?

The term "gamer" for someone whose #1 hobby is playing games is actually... not that weird.
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Screaming Meat said:
Yeah, I can understand not liking people highlighting/making a big deal out their gender or what-not. If we're ideally seeking a state of affairs where everyone is treated equally and fairly regardless of their gender/proclivities/race/whatever, then bringing attention to such a fact that, as I said, ideally shouldn't even illicit a blink seems a bit backwards.

I'm not even sure that last sentence made sense...

Also, what's wrong with the term "gamer"? Why does it leave such a bad taste in people's mouths?
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Because they're still embarrassed by the act of gaming. It carries a negative social connotation and so, must be kept on the dl.

As if it was a profession...
 
Having your stream become popular isn't exactly easy, and if you're female, you have a chance to differentiate yourself from a crowd that consists mostly of males (on streaming sites, not in gaming in general). This is absolutely attention seeking, but come the fuck on, what else would you expect from people who actively have cameras pointed at their face while they're playing games in front of a potentially international audience? All of these people are attention seeking in one way or another.

As for the actual term "girl gamer", I think there's a percentage of people using it that fit in the aforementioned category of attention seekers, but honestly I think it's also for identifying other female "gamers". I don't know if you've been on any online gaming service lately, but on average, women don't exactly get the best treatment from the vocal part of "gamers". With this in mind, it totally makes sense to me that some women would prefer to flock together rather than playing with randoms.

As a whole I don't really care what terms people use to indetify themselves with or what it might signify, but I try to at least understand the implication and think twice about it before screaming "ATTENTION WHORE!".
 
kinggroin said:
Because they're still embarrassed by the act of gaming. It carries a negative social connotation and so, must be kept on the dl.

As if it was a profession...
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I dislike it, because their's no need to differentiate people who do play games from people who don't. Playing games is a common enough hobby that the people who do it don't need a special name.
Same way you don't need a general term to describe people who watch television or walk to work.
 
Majine said:
earl-gamer.jpg
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I approve of this post.

Belly-Rub.gif
 
I'm a girl (dont hit on me silly boys!!!1) and I'm not a fan of seeing other females call themselves a "girl gamer" on twitch and the like. Especially now, when sexism and equality is such a hot topic. I'm happy to see that women who play games are being seen more and more as "normal", so when I see girls trying to seek attention because they think they are special because of their gender, I think of it as a step backwards.

I get that some of them might be fighting back against the "girls dont exist on the internet" and "girls suck at videogames" stigma but I don't think that what they are doing is helping.

I hate these stereotypes. I actually really enjoyed Battlefield 3 but I stopped playing because I couldn't use a mic. I'm quite horrible at the game and I don't want to reinforce the stereotype that girls can't play games. When people say stuff like that, it hurts and it sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Reminds me of when I was 8 and looking at the cool Medabots toys and a boy told me that "I couldn't play with those because Medabots is for boys."

Anyway I'm trailing off

edit: Looking back at my post, I realize I worded some things a bit too harsh so I've changed some words to better reflect my opinion on the matter.
 
To this day I still don't understand why so much of GAF is offended by the term "gamer." I don't get it. Who cares? As for someone calling themselves a "girl gamer," I don't see anything wrong or cringe worthy with that at all. Clearly someone seeking attention, but why do you feel the need to stop them? Do you also want attention?
 
kubus said:
I'm a girl (dont hit on me silly boys!!!1) and I hate it when I see other females call themselves a "girl gamer" on twitch and the like. Especially now, when sexism and equality is such a hot topic. I'm happy to see that women who play games are being seen more and more as "normal", so when I see girls trying to seek attention because they think they are special because of their gender, I think of it as a step backwards. Unfortunately, their tactic still seems to work.

I get that some of them might be fighting back against the "girls dont exist on the internet" and "girls suck at videogames" stigma but I don't think that what they are doing is helping.

I hate these stereotypes. I actually really enjoyed Battlefield 3 but I stopped playing because I couldn't use a mic. I'm quite horrible at the game and I don't want to reinforce the stereotype that girls can't play games. When people say stuff like that, it hurts and it sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Reminds me of when I was 8 and looking at the cool Medabots toys and a boy told me that "I couldn't play with those because Medabots is for boys."

Anyway I'm trailing off
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When I see some of these gamers have their own websites, and sell posters/calenders and get booked for modeling shoots. I must admit, I understand why doing something like that would be appealing.

If you are really into games and have a way of making money simply by being yourself and being photographed or recorded playing video games.... who wouldn't take that opportunity and run with it?
 
Its cool when girls play games but not when they broadcast it out like its something super special or unique. Like posting selfies with some games or holding a controller or something like that. Thats weird.
 
Dahaka said:
+ getting an army of horny horribly underfucked males (who will never get a bite) who do everything for her ingame.
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I mean because this generalisation is clearly the ONLY motivation a female could ever have to play videogames right!?

Those silly creatures.
 
Etnos said:
I mean because this generalisation is clearly the ONLY motivation a female could ever have to play videogames right!?

Those silly creatures.
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I think he's referring specifically to the label "girl gamer" when a girl applies it to herself. He's definitely stretching a bit, but he's not just referring to girls playing games in general.
 
kubus said:
I'm a girl (dont hit on me silly boys!!!1) and I hate it when I see other females call themselves a "girl gamer" on twitch and the like. Especially now, when sexism and equality is such a hot topic. I'm happy to see that women who play games are being seen more and more as "normal", so when I see girls trying to seek attention because they think they are special because of their gender, I think of it as a step backwards. Unfortunately, their tactic still seems to work.

I get that some of them might be fighting back against the "girls dont exist on the internet" and "girls suck at videogames" stigma but I don't think that what they are doing is helping.

I hate these stereotypes. I actually really enjoyed Battlefield 3 but I stopped playing because I couldn't use a mic. I'm quite horrible at the game and I don't want to reinforce the stereotype that girls can't play games. When people say stuff like that, it hurts and it sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Reminds me of when I was 8 and looking at the cool Medabots toys and a boy told me that "I couldn't play with those because Medabots is for boys."

Anyway I'm trailing off
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I half agree. I find the Streams more harm than helping, but I don't blame the term girl gamers. Some people do use the term innocently, just to say they're female and happen to play games. The fact that there has to be a differentiation in the first place is the real issue personally. There shouldn't be any need to differentiate male gamers and female gamers, but unfortunately there is, just with how much of a 'boys' club gaming still is. Stuck between a rock and a hard place really, we either hide ourselves, and people still think we don't exist, or alternatively we make it known and then get called attention seekers.
 
Zafir said:
I half agree. I find the Streams more harm than helping, but I don't blame the term girl gamers. Some people do use the term innocently, just to say they're female and happen to play games. The fact that there hasn't to be a differentiation in the first place is the real issue personally. There shouldn't be any need to differentiate male gamers and female gamers, but unfortunately there is, just with how much of a 'boys' club gaming still is. Stuck between a rock and a hard place really, we either hide ourselves, and people still think we don't exist, or alternatively we make it known and then get called attention seekers.
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Yup, that's how it looks to me as a boy gamer. It seems like a shitty situation to be in.
 
Gamer girl: Gamer who just happens to be a girl.

Girl gamer: A girl who maybe played CoD once at a friends and calls themselves a gamer.

Gamer girls are alright in my book. The streams of a hot girl who has no idea what she's doing just dying for attention are the worst though.
 
Well when the community you deal with is full of guys trying to debunk that you're a "true gamer" sometimes it's hard not to be like "hey I'm a girl and I play videogames".
 
Zafir said:
I half agree. I find the Streams more harm than helping, but I don't blame the term girl gamers. Some people do use the term innocently, just to say they're female and happen to play games. The fact that there hast to be a differentiation in the first place is the real issue personally. There shouldn't be any need to differentiate male gamers and female gamers, but unfortunately there is, just with how much of a 'boys' club gaming still is. Stuck between a rock and a hard place really, we either hide ourselves, and people still think we don't exist, or alternatively we make it known and then get called attention seekers.
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Basically, this. People often assume you're a guy, unless you point out that you're a girl. I have a genderless username and use a boy in my avatar so once people get to know me they are usually surprised to find out that I'm a woman. Which I don't blame them for, because I don't make a big deal out of my gender.

Unfortunately, that makes the girls who do make a deal out of their gender stand out more, and as a result they become examples of girls that game. And that created new stereotypes such as "girl gamers are sluts".
 
kubus said:
Basically, this. People often assume you're a guy, unless you point out that you're a girl. I have a genderless username and use a boy in my avatar so once people get to know me they are usually surprised to find out that I'm a woman. Which I don't blame them for, because I don't make a big deal out of my gender.

Unfortunately, that makes the girls who do make a deal out of their gender stand out more, and as a result they become examples of girls that game. And that created new stereotypes such as "girl gamers are sluts".
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I also think that there's more positivity in just claiming that term 'gamer' (it's not the best, but it's what we've got) for men and women alike.
 
OldKingDoran said:
Its cool when girls play games but not when they broadcast it out like its something super special or unique. Like posting selfies with some games or holding a controller or something like that. Thats weird.
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Eh, there are probably a lot of girls who do play games but don't really talk about it, it's fine if they do it with the intention of showing other females that it's okay to express interest in gaming. If it's just for attention it might get annoying, but it's not like anyone is forcing you to watch.
 
I've been wondering lately. Will people who pose for pictures with 360 joypads even give a shit about 360 joypads once the 360 joypad is long forgotten?
 
kubus said:
I hate these stereotypes. I actually really enjoyed Battlefield 3 but I stopped playing because I couldn't use a mic. I'm quite horrible at the game and I don't want to reinforce the stereotype that girls can't play games. When people say stuff like that, it hurts and it sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Reminds me of when I was 8 and looking at the cool Medabots toys and a boy told me that "I couldn't play with those because Medabots is for boys."
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It's nice to see some one else who can sympathize with this. It does suck the fun out of it cause then all the sudden it's like you have to prove yourself worthy and you know you can't and people will then go back to saying, "See, girls can't game!". Even if I was good at gaming it would suck cause all the sudden every time I game I would feel pressure that I needed to prove myself when I just want to have fun (and honestly, for me, soon as i feel pressure I get worse).

I don't want to feel like I need to prove myself when gaming, I want to have fun.
NewGame said:
y8ry.jpg
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Oh god, that would make me want to rage.... (mostly the Bratz image... those toys/IP shouldn't be for any kid, girl or boy. But it's especially rage inducing that that is what they want to market to girls and say that is what girls should be focusing on <- and don't get me started cause it will turn into a rant. My little Pony on the other hand I actually think is not bad for girls or boys).

Oh, and that other pic above this post... that magazine is obviously not aimed at woman/girl gamers...
 
If a woman wants to describe herself as a "girl gamer" it's none of your fucking business. You don't get to pass judgement on it. End of story.
 
Tigress said:
It's nice to see some one else who can sympathize with this. It does suck the fun out of it cause then all the sudden it's like you have to prove yourself worthy and you know you can't and people will then go back to saying, "See, girls can't game!". Even if I was good at gaming it would suck cause all the sudden every time I game I would feel pressure that I needed to prove myself when I just want to have fun (and honestly, for me, soon as i feel pressure I get worse).

I don't want to feel like I need to prove myself when gaming, I want to have fun.
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Yep, exactly the same happens to me. Makes me feel so crappy I have to Alt+A4 everytime.

Also I'm glad you replied to this, now I also know I'm not the only one, haha :)
 
Some of those twitch girls who make sure they are described as "girls" do it so they get more views.

But yeah, I have heard some really sad conversations online when playing games like BF4 where people say some really disturbing things when they find out another player happens to be a girl. Kinda unfortunate because that's one of the things I wouldn't want to see happen cause I have a little sister who loves playing games :(
 
To be fair you have people who earnestly believe they can talk on a constructive, even level with more seasoned hobbyist after they played all Bioshock games and The Last of Us. It would be like Average Joe going to Aeana after he played DQM:J as the only entry of the series and starts sh**posting about Dragon Quest and/or Jrpg in general. It does happen, and if you try to do the same with any other hobby, you get your teeth digitally knocked in. With gaming? You have "gamer" shaming.

It doesn't surprise me though, because even gaming journalism has got people not really in the hobby, they are just in to sell hype and make whatever money they can as journalists.
 
kubus said:
I hate these stereotypes. I actually really enjoyed Battlefield 3 but I stopped playing because I couldn't use a mic. I'm quite horrible at the game and I don't want to reinforce the stereotype that girls can't play games. When people say stuff like that, it hurts and it sucks all the fun out of a game for me. Reminds me of when I was 8 and looking at the cool Medabots toys and a boy told me that "I couldn't play with those because Medabots is for boys."

Anyway I'm trailing off
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I know what you mean. I love fighting games but I suck at them, and ever since I changed my profile to female, I've gotten my fair share of girls suck at games messages.
 
kittens said:
If a woman wants to describe herself as a "girl gamer" it's none of your fucking business. You don't get to pass judgement on it. End of story.
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Is your point that people can describe themselves as what they want?

I agree.

Does that mean it's not open to respectful discussion?

No.

I raised the discussion as a woman concerned about the term itself and its implicit acceptance of sexism. I wanted to be able to hear others' views. Not here to start an argument.
 
Tain said:
Acting like there are streamers for which it isn't a factor and acting like it's somehow less noble to care about attention is some bafoonish shit though.
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For real. "Oh, she's just doing it for attention." So what? It's none of your business. If you don't like it, then move along.

sploatee said:
Is your point that people can describe themselves as what they want?

I agree.

Does that mean it's not open to respectful discussion?

No.

I raised the discussion as a woman concerned about the term itself and its implicit acceptance of sexism. I wanted to be able to hear others' views. Not here to start an argument.
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Just to be clear, I wasn't replying directly to you. Also, there's nothing inherently sexist about the term, though like many other things, context is important. People (especially men) telling women how they can't / shouldn't self-identify as a girl gamer strikes me as pretty thoroughly sexist, though.
 
Tain said:
I never said attention wasn't a factor.

Acting like there are streamers for which it isn't a factor and acting like it's somehow less noble to care about attention is some bafoonish shit though.
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Attention is the whole game in streaming so yes it makes perfect sense to look for the profit motive. It also makes sense that some people find such behavior repulsive and seek to avoid the most egregious examples of it whenever possible.
 
Don't like it. I don't feel the need to let everyone know I'm a dude, and I see no reason why a "girl gamer" would have any reason to say she's a girl outside of looking for attention (or if the topic at hand directly refers to it)
 
our Warhawk clan had a girl, or should I say mom, since I got to know her later on, very nice lady, the term gamer gurlz gets on my nerves so bad, my daughter plays online all the time, but doesnt like using a mic either, just because of the same thing you guys have described. I wish people would do the golden rule online treat others how you would like to be treated
 
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