Are “Girl Gamers” hurting female gamers?
Matt posted in The Industry on July 14th, 2006
[Update 11/15/06 - After some dialog with Vixen herself, which you can see in the comment section, I have changed my opinion. I don’t think Versus is trying to play the “girl gamer” card. I’m leaving my original post since I still feel that I had some good points although Vixen and Versus were probably a bad choice to single (double?) out.]
There’s been a few noteworthy articles this past week about the subject of women gamers. GameSetWatch describes a Frag Doll who is sick of “selling out”, so she joined with another girl gamer to start a… Well, I don’t know what it is. Website I guess? Are they competing together in tournaments? Are they going to start marketing a new line of crazy red wristband/glove thingies?
Well, whatever it is they are trying to start, they definitely put a lot of time into coming up with names, symbols, and costumes. As GameSetWatch pointed out, they awkwardly explained why they hired a photographer from Glamor Shots to take pictures of them in tight clothing and goofy wristband/glove thingies. Also, in the comments section for the GameSetWatch post, it sounds like Vixen admits that the pictures are to get them attention.
This leads me to my point. It seems like this “girl gamer” image (which VersuS in my opinion is guilty of even though they claim not to be) is very similar to the idea of booth babes. Attractive women get most men’s attention. That seems like the premise of the “Frag Dolls“, which is why Ubisoft invests money in it. Why the name “Frag Dolls” anyway? To me, “doll” isn’t a good term to apply to a woman. It’s a bit condescending in my opinion. If I went up to a woman, and said, “Hey doll!” I think I might get slapped in the face. Doll to me is like a figurine that is attractive, but there’s no mind or person behind it. Doll seems to only recognize women as objects because “dolls” are objects. Now, other people disagree. Yasmin Kafai organized the Girls ‘N Games conference, and she wrote in a soapbox about how great the FragDolls are in vanquishing stereotypes. Maybe they do that, but when she criticizes booth babes for dressing provocatively and then includes a picture of the Frag Dolls showing off some midriff and wearing the world’s shortiest skirt, it’s hard to reconcile her mixed message.
So, is the only difference between the booth babes and the booth babesque Frag Dolls the fact that Frag Dolls like video games? They are both paid to be there, and it would seem ridiculous to argue that the Frag Dolls aren’t paid to be attractive, especially when they give out shots like that. I’ve yet to see an unattractive Frag Doll. Plenty of successful male gamers are unattractive, so where are all of the unattractive yet talented female ones? I have a feeling that they aren’t invited to join VersuS or the Frag Dolls.
Why give out pictures of female gamers at all? Why choose provocative handles like “Vixen” and “Siren”? What’s wrong with “BigVideoGameFan” or “SuperAssassin”? Why not just enjoy games rather than put scantily clad pictures of yourself up on the web? UK Resistance got a press pack from the VersuS girls and commented on their pictures just as sex symbols. Regardless of whether or whether not they want that type of reaction, certainly sending out shots that are deliberately trying to be sexy is going to get reactions like that. The title of the UK Resistance article is “It’s like they’re actually asking for it”, so it’s clear that they felt like there reaction was to be expected.
I think this mentality that female gamers are sex symbols is what causes real female gamers to be alienated and turns them off. Recently, GameSetWatch mentioned how VH1 missed the sarcasm in a recent Kotaku post. The Kotaku post itself is interesting because I think it parodies how most gamers treat “girl gamers”. They are “special” and “different” and possibly sexy, so if you happen to catch one online, then it’s your chance for a virtual date with one of the few females that have something in common with you. I’m not trying to say that male gamers misconceptions are the fault of the “girl gamers”, but I’m merely pointing out that these “girl gamers” (who are models/booth babes in disguise) are hurting women’s acceptance in video games rather than helping them.
Most female gamers are just that: gamers who are female. They just want to be treated like everyone else. They play games not because they want to be a “doll” or to pick up guys, but because they genuinely enjoy them. It’s really too bad that all these booth babes/girl gamers are contributing to these stereotypes.
July 16th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
Being friends with VersuS, You may like to know that your assumption they hired a photographer is actually unfounded. The site was built and designed all for free by a friend (myself.)
I believe in thier good intentions 100% and think it is refreshing to see people actually stand up for what they believe rather than just accept the easy path where everything you say, wear, do etc. is all thought out for you. VersuS have done all this out of thier own pocket (they work pretty normal day jobs) - are not wearing anything revealing (no more than any girl you see in the street.) And are working hard to drop the girl gamer title.. It seems other are unwilling to let it drop though.
Maybe if you read thier about us page your blog wouldn’t come across quite so uninformed. The truth is that yes they will be taking part in tournaments, trying to help start a few independent gamer get togethers (lans etc.) and generally do things away from the puppet strings of big buisness.
Yes they are girls, but unless you want women to start covering themselves head to toe to hide gender it’s pretty much up to you if you want to draw attention to it. Unlike the Fragdolls and other female clans that activly promote thier female status… this makes a refreshing change.
VersuS make it perfectly clear on thier site what they are about and have done nothing to make me think otherwise. Most of the negative comments about them tend to stink of poor research,
I would suggest checking the facts a little more.
July 16th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Oh also, it’s funny that your closing statement actually is an almost direct quote from the VersuS about us page…You said:
“Most female gamers are just that: gamers who are female. They just want to be treated like everyone else. ”
they say “Just Gamers, Not “Girl Gamers”
On a similar note, we may both be girls who game but we are not here to wave the “girl gamer” flag. We believe that by drawing attention to gender you create a barrier that is otherwise irrelevant. In our experience “promoting girl gamers” can often be used as the cover story of big business trying to widen its market whilst still getting some pretty faces in the Magazines, in other words: Free advertising.
It’s a natural progression that more and more women are getting into gaming and of course we fully support that.
However, we don’t see any need to define ourselves by gender. We’re just two people who love games. That said, we’re not going to cover our bodies from head to toe to hide our gender… we are what we are, if you want to focus on our gender that’s your choice but this is the last time we’ll mention it…”
July 16th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
I appreciate your feedback, but my point is that actions speak louder than words. As GameSetWatch pointed out:
“[On the other hand, VersuS themselves do have a distinctly ‘girl gamer’-esque gallery (”because we are proud of ourselves, what we do, and what we stand for”), but it’s free self-advertising, not free corporate advertising, I guess? They try to explain it, a tad awkwardly, in any case.]”
That is the crux of what I getting at by mentioning VersuS. They say that aren’t playing the “girl gamer” card, but they have a “girl gamer” style gallery.
On GameSetWatch, it sounded like Vixen recognized that they were deliberately “girl gamer” photos when she said: “We are hoping to invite all types of people to our site, the initial photos are there to raise some level of attention sure” I may be misinterpreting her, but as I mentioned in my post, why choose the names “Vixen” and “Siren” if you aren’t trying to wave the girl gamer flag? Why do they have to put pictures up of themselves at all? My blog is deliberately devoid of pictures or information. That’s not because of privacy. It’s because I want my blog to be about my thoughts, not me as a person. They could have created their site with that in mind.
Remember, I’m just giving my opinion. I’ll admit that it’s very difficult to determine on a global scale what is “good” or “bad” for women in games, and sometimes actions unintentionally have bad consequences. I don’t know the women in VersuS (as it sounds like you do), but I imagine that they are very nice people. I just don’t think that their actions match their mission statements, so I don’t think they are furthering the cause of female gamers. I could be wrong though since it’s a difficult thing to measure.
I hope that clears some things up, and thanks for posting.
November 14th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Hi there.
I picked the name Vixen as it’s been my online handle since I first started on forums many years ago. It was mainly based on the character Lara Croft who is often described as a ‘Video game Vixen’ also most gamers chose names that they like or that are based on a character they like so why shouldn’t I? Siren chose hers as it’s similar in style and length to mine and also completes the ‘S’ of ‘VS’.
We have a gallery so that we could be recognized as the hosts of our site, the site itself isn’t about us, it’s just that we put it together and keep it running (with PSiBRiD’S help of course). If you look at the site, we are using it as a joint Blog to show and review games we like/dislike and events that we are attending as well as arranging gaming tourneys and allowing others to express their own reviews and stories.
I don’t understand what is wrong with that. I appriciate your opinions but I have to agree with PSiBRiD that you ought to research something more before you spend time making it look bad for the sake of it.
Many of the people that we have been lucky to meet at gaming events have enjoyed the site for the chance to use it how they like and because we have a very friendly and varied community.
November 15th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Firstly, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. It’s admirable that you are taking the time to set the record straight on my blog. Let me respond to what you are saying in the hope of clarifying my opinion.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with your website. My comments weren’t about your website specifically, but rather the way I felt you were bringing attention to your website with your “’girl gamer’-esque” gallery (to quote gamesetwatch). So, I felt that I had enough research to state my opinions. I don’t think there is anything wrong with your website. Building a friendly and fun community is a great thing to do. My concern is that it seems like initially you were trying to draw attention to your website with sexy pictures. Is that incorrect? That’s the impression I got from your comment on gamesetwatch: “the initial photos are there to raise some level of attention sure”. Even if that is the case, I’m not saying you can’t do that. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that. I’m merely wondering if that hurts gamers perceptions of “girl gamers”. Now, certainly this may not be your concern or your responsibility. Everyone is responsible for their own opinions, so if people are ignorant, it’s their own fault and certainly not yours. But, I like to try to think about the bigger picture in order to see how actions may affect things on the larger scale. It’s impossible to determine this, so I’m willing to admit I could be way wrong. It’s just my opinion, which hopefully you understand better now.
Anyway, Vixen, I wish you all the luck with your website! Hopefully, you’ll be able to build a great community there. It sounds like you are well on your way. I hope you don’t think I was attacking you or Siren personally. It was more a general observation about “girl gamers” that came to me when reading other blogs about your website. Plenty of my points were regarding the Frag Dolls and similar clans. I apologize if you feel unfairly singled out or lumped in with those groups. Yes, your goals are different than those clans, and probably more respectable, but your promotion methods seemed similar ie. attractive women getting the attention of geeky gamers.
November 15th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Thanks for replying so soon Matt.
I will try and clear up what I can without being defensive (as I don’t have any regrets as far as the creation of VersuS goes to date.)
The pictures aren’t really meant to be ’sexy’ I am of course flattered yet amused that people perceived it that way, we were literally just hanging out the weekend before we launched the site and believe it or not do actually wear those gloves on a daily basis, I have a whole selection but Siren had kindly bought them for me as a present from Germany. We got PSiBRiD to take some pictures because we wanted a way of establishing ourselves as the hosts of the website, faces for people to remember to headline the site before the Community kicked off. This may not have been to everyone’s tastes but we are still pleased to have them there.
I am pleased with the site and very pleased with the way we have already enjoyed meeting some of the community at Lans which have been modest and relaxed social affairs. We aim to keep thinking of more fun things to plan for everyone and will continue to make our own videos playing and reviewing anything that we feel that people ought to spend their hard earned cash on.
We have never once wished to make it all about being girls, the forumer photo threads allow for everyone to send in snap shots of their faces, man, woman or monster.
Things will keep changing but it’s nice as we don’t work for anyone we can enjoy and learn as we go along.
I repsect you for keeping your Blog and please don’t feel that you need to change your opinions about the site we made, part of the thing we are happy about is that everyone has a right to say what they please without worrying about being employed (which was Siren’s issue with being a Frag Doll).
Any way, keep up the good work! enjoy your gaming, and if you ever just fancy hooking up for a game or 2, (especially Gears Of War) please add my Tag ‘Vixen VS’.
November 15th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Vixen, it honestly seems to me like your intentions are noble. Whether us simple-minded male gamers can look past the pretty faces to see video game enthusiasts is a horse of a different color, and certainly no fault of yours. I’m not proposing you can’t have pictures on your websites or have to wear nun’s habits in all photographs. I still don’t know what’s best for the perception of women gamers, but I’m pretty sure that the Frag Dolls are not it. (Hopefully, you’ll agree to that)
I love Gears of War, and I’d be glad to play. Unfortunately, I’m working on putting the finishing touches on Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, so I don’t have time for gaming until that is done. I’m not that great at games, and I’m woefully out of practice since I’ve been working constantly, so I look forward to getting my butt kicked by you (or face curb stomped) in the future!
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:30 am
hahaha - this is so funny. A girl goes away from the fragdolls because they use sex to sell games. She may as well have stayed with them because now she’s just selling sex for nothing.
If it was about the games, and the community - you really wouldn’t need so many photos of yourselves. All you’d need is to be a good writer, get gaming ideas across and attract people to your forum because there’s interesting ideas to read.
he pictures aren’t really meant to be ’sexy’ I am of course flattered yet amused that people perceived it that way - get over yourself!
Please stop - you’re damaging girls in gaming as much as the fragdolls are. And well done for sticking up for your decision to call yourself Vixen - based on Lara Croft being a video game vixen….thats not connecting you with sex or gorgeous, kick ass women in anyway now is it?
August 7th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
“hahaha - this is so funny. A girl goes away from the fragdolls because they use sex to sell games. She may as well have stayed with them because now she’s just selling sex for nothing”
How was Jade selling sex on our community site? by posing in a black vest, wow, I’m sure that’s more than most women wear in the summer,stop being a prude darling.
“If it was about the games, and the community - you really wouldn’t need so many photos of yourselves. All you’d need is to be a good writer, get gaming ideas across and attract people to your forum because there’s interesting ideas to read.”
We had a photo thread for all our members, just a bit of fun, lighten up perhaps?
“he pictures aren’t really meant to be ’sexy’ I am of course flattered yet amused that people perceived it that way - get over yourself!”
Um, no, I was responding to a previous comment, if someone suggested you were sexy wouldn’t you be flattered? maybe not in prude land..
“Please stop - you’re damaging girls in gaming as much as the fragdolls are. And well done for sticking up for your decision to call yourself Vixen - based on Lara Croft being a video game vixen….thats not connecting you with sex or gorgeous, kick ass women in anyway now is it?”
‘Girls in gaming’ this whole subject is stupid, gaming is gaming and people should chill out and stop being so bloody anal about it. It’s gamers that put me off games most of the time.
What’s wrong with idolising Lara Croft? she represents a strong, sexy, confident and athletic woman? Please explain how this is an issue, Lara was designed to appeal to both men and women…
Oh…and I AM a kick ass woman, care to go some?