GameGirl

Editorials are articles written because the author has a personal emotional investment in the topic—because they have an opinion they wish to share with others. The progress of women in video gaming is definitely a subject I am interested in; to me, women’s recognition as gamers is symbolic of the progress women has made in terms of their social and political rights. I drew upon both personal knowledge and formal research to complete this editorial, a process that allowed me to better express my emotional ties to the topic. Although not satirical in nature, I do hope that by reading my editorial, others will gain the knowledge and motivation to more seriously consider and potentially act on this issue.

** GameGirl ** On a weekly basis, I assist dozens of customers in their search for the perfect video game. "Is there a release date yet?", "I'm trying to buy a present for...", and my personal favorite, "What would you recommend?" are all questions I am more than familiar with. I was hired based off of my manager's belief that I possessed the knowledge and skill necessary to succeed at my job. Because of this, I tend to assume that my customers have the same confidence in my abilities. This, unfortunately, is not the case. It is not uncommon to see a customer in line wait until the next male employee is available, completely bypassing any open female workers. I personally find this total contempt for a female opinion rather insulting. Instead of disregarding the worth of a female gamer, steps should be taken to further the involvement of women as gamers as well as in the video game workforce.

According to a recent study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), thirty-eight percent of all gamers are female. Despite this fact, female gamers are still looked upon with contempt and disregard. Besides creating a long lasting social stigma, such derision also has more widespread, detrimental effects. Despite the large number of qualified female programmers available, women comprise only twelve percent of the video game industry workforce (Jenkins, 2008). When questioned why, many female workers replied that they felt pre-existing male dominance acted as a powerful deterrent towards potential female applicants (Jenkins, 2008).

A stereotype exists regarding the personal interests of women, leading to botched efforts at increasing female participation in gaming. Females are seen as interested in a limited number of genres—puzzle, action, and RPGs (role-playing games). However, this is merely a trend, not a rule. By making this generalization, developers are completely disregarding those females who thrive on the competitive gameplay offered by such games as //Halo// and //Call of Duty.// In completely eliminating females from a genre’s target audience, companies are inadvertently destroying the means to their own success. As of yet, female gamers are an untapped resource. According to David Gardner, chief operating officer of EA (Electronic Arts) Corporation, if his company could somehow discover a way to involve more females in gaming, they could “add a billion dollars to sales” (Waters, 2006).

In the past, companies attempted to make “pink” games for females. Although not an actual genre, pink games are software geared toward a more feminine audience. The first example of such a game was //Barbie Fashion Designer,// a PC game developed and released by Mattel. Released in 1996, such an endeavor was a risk and a prosperous one—ultimately, the game sold over a million units. Although such success was promising, the subsequent rush of pink game releases was disappointing. Instead of matching the success of Mattel’s hit program, sales fell dismally. Discouraged, many corporations stopped development of such pink games. It became the general belief that women simply were not interested in video games (Willis, 2010).

This conclusion, however, could not have been more incorrect. Says Gardner, “ They don't want 'pink games'. They are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on” (Waters, 2006). While it is true that women do look for different things in games than men, genuine substance is still an obvious prerequisite. As opposed to games designed for men, games for females “emphasize justice over victory, collaboration over competition, flexibility over speed, empathy over transcendence, communication over control, and facilitation over force” (Willis, 2010). Essentially, games for women are being watered-down, causing such games to lose the competitive edge that originally compelled females to join the video game community. If games were produced both by and for women, the likelihood of each program’s success would most likely increase. Companies must look toward catering toward a wider range of female gamers’ interests if they intend to work past this self-imposed barrier.

Steps are currently being taken to promote the image of the female gamer. For example, Ubisoft sponsors the Frag Dolls, a small group of selectively chosen women, to participate in video game tournaments nationwide. These Frag Dolls are the apex of female gaming skill. Beautiful, personable, and market savvy, the Frag Dolls are chosen based not only off of personal gaming ability but also on their ability to cater to a wider audience. As the mission of the Frag Dolls is to promote female participation in video games, each member must be able to blend effortlessly into the video game community (Ruberg, 2009). They must be able to show the world that females can and should be included in this aspect of society.

Although steps are being taken to increase female participation in gaming, complete integration of the sexes is a long and arduous process. Until then, it appears I will simply have to bear the derision of my more skeptical customers.

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__ Works Cited __

Hermida, Alfred. "Girl Gamers Strike at the Boys." //BBC News//. 23 Feb. 2004. Web. 12 Apr. 2011 from [].

Jenkins, David. "ESA: 38% of Gamers Are Female." //Gamasutra//. 3 Mar. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2011 from [].

Ruberg, Bonnie. “Frag Doll Wannabe: One Woman’s Quest to Become a Girl-Gamer Idol.” //PC// //World.// 2 July 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2011 from [|http://www.pcworld.com/article/167731/frag_doll_wannabe_one_womans_quest_to_be] [|ome_a_girlgamer_idol.html]

Wakefield, Jane. "All Women Gamers, Please Stand up." //BBC News//. 5 Oct. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2011 from [].

Waters, Darren. “Games industry is ‘failing women.’” //BBC News.// 21 August 2006. Web. 12 Apr 2011 from [].

Willis, Laurie. // Video Games //. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2010. Print.