Does "Girl Gamer" Prejudice Exist?

[SassySnivy]

So lately this has come to my attention. Everywhere on the internet you see rage comics, comics, pics, anecdotes, and the like of how girl gamers have been shunned throughout the years. Even my friend has an anecdote of her own: she tried to buy a game (I'm wanting to think CoD or something like that but I'm not sure) at a Gamestop but the cashier apparently joked with her and said that she was "too pretty" to be playing such a game. She was pretty disgruntled at this, so the story could very well be skewed and the cashier could have actually just been kidding and not actually serious...or not.

What I don't understand is that in all my years of playing video games, I have never come across any game store employee or guy I've talked to about video games to even acknowledge the gender difference / stereotype. So what I'm wondering is this: is the "Girl Gamer" stereotype that goes on about how girls are teased and harassed for their hobby (and I'm talking about legit gamers, not like those photos of *****s posing sexually with controllers that you tend to see here and there) actually true? Or is it just heavily exaggerated upon. Have I just not been questioned because I don't play what most people consider "manly" or "more masculine" games? Even taking this question into consideration though, I often have semi-lengthy conversations with game store (particularly GameStop) employees about this Nintendo game or that one, like Pokemon or Mario Kart or something. In other words, I like to discuss certain games with said employees and geek out about them...but it's not a one-sided conversation. They seem to be just as interested in the game that I'm discussing, or at least somehow knowledgeable on the topic.

Idk, maybe I just run into all the mature and genuine people that don't judge. I dunno.

Sorry about my wishy-washy wording. Let me know if I'm not clear on something. But for a tl;dr version: does this prejudice against girl gamers actually exist as prominently as its cracked up to be? Or is it heavily exaggerated upon? Because I cannot recall any time anything like this has happened to me. Minus, like, elementary school.

Obviously girls, guys, and inbetween are welcome to post their input. I just want to know what others think. Come to think of it, I know I'm gonna get answers from other girls for sure, but I'd also really like to see what other guys think too

I know that as the years pass this becomes less prominent and the prejudice becomes less, but even still....

[Winter]

Lol, I personally haven't seen any prejudice against girl gamers (though I have seen prejudice against gamers and "nerds" in general, which is a fairly hilarious story), but that might just be because I don't play more male associated games and live in California, where it seems like no one is who you'd expect... Like seriously, I started up a conversation with a customer at work today about prisms color pencil, and found out she was an anime-loving mother whose daughter wants to be a manga artist. XD I've noticed among people who are actually game/gaming fans (and I know a lot of them, same also tends to go for anime fans) it seems like most people don't care what your gender is as long as you really know what you're talking about, and you care about it.

I mean, I have no idea how many times now my mom has joked about me flirting with GameStop cashiers when I'm really just geeking out with guys who seem more excited by the fact I know what I'm talking about than anything else. It happens all the time at the college I go to (a commercial arts--animation, film, fashion, game design, etc), too, and no one bats an eye when the girls jump in on gaming conversations... Though come to think of it, those guys don't bat an eye at much... We have some weird conversations.

Sure, there are still likely to be some people who hold onto stereotypes (like the one nerd hater I mentioned before...who looked like I slapped him when I told him at the end of the transaction I was going to school for game design), but the fact is that the female gaming population just keeps growing, and for the most part it's making it harder and harder for that stereotype to hang around.

[ray_quazaa]

As a guy, I personally don't have a problem with women playing video games, and actually, I encourage everyone to play. I think the women that I know that play video games tend to play RPG's over first person shooters...

I believe Speed-X, the 'backlash' or anger or misogyny in video games tends to be first person shooters, and especially in online first person shooters. I think most people in real life don't actively make comments which sterotype women against certain games. Obviously, there will be some people who do believe that women shouldn't play 'manly ganes like CoD, but I think the majority of people, when presented with the 'why is that an issue' or 'why did you make that assumption,' will realize that they made an incorrect assumption. (or maybe they'll learn something)

I believe actions in first person shooters creates an unfriendly atmosphere for women (like teabagging, which is stupid), along the anonymity really does create a toxic situation for everyone. Similarly, there are horrible exchanges of comments in LoL/DoTA as well...

[Suicune's Fire]

This definitely, most certainly exists. The thing is, it's more common in certain areas than others.

For instance, male-dominated series such as CoD and Battlefield, and even GTA, are breeding grounds for sexism and bullying. But, in saying that, it's not only against women. For an example that does target women, my brother was playing Battlefield a week or two ago and was playing with a girl who was dominating (more so than him at one point) and she was getting some hate for it, although I don't think it was much. An example of other bullying is that the same brother of mine plays GTA:V online and uses his headset microphone to put on voices as a social experiment to see how people react (and possibly to mask himself so he doesn't feel like he's being personally attacked). He made a new profile and chose an African American avatar, then put on a deeper voice when he talked and he had many negative comments thrown at him about being an "n" word. Sadly, the player demographic seems to remain consistent through CoD and GTA online, simply because of how accessible it is to every age group. (The age rating would imply that it is not MEANT to be, but realistically, that's how it's designed.) And from personal experience, it's the "12 year olds" who seem to be the least educated on matters of social decency and basic manners.

As a female studying games design at the moment, yeah, I can definitely say that there's a huge stigma on "girl gamer." In fact, the whole Zoe Quinn mess is partly a product of this, although that's probably more to do with the development side of games, rather than the consumer side, and other factors which perhaps inflated the situation. But even then, personally, I think a lot of the reason she was attacked so heavily was due to gender. Another major media spotlight figure I can think of is Anita Sarkeesian, who received serious death threats for challenging the unfair treatment that female characters have in many games, compared with their male counterparts. Yes, she got some facts wrong, but all she's trying to do is raise awareness and point out what other people are too afraid to, and given that I agree with some of what she says anyway (the things she actually researches), I certainly don't think she deserves the sort of backlash she's getting. And you know what? It's males who are attacking her. (I'm sure there are angry females too.)

So, yes, there's definite sexism is the games industry, both from a consumer side and a developer side. It's a real shame, too. I mean, I don't see it personally often, if at all, but I certainly know it exists.

[Dratini]

It sounds to me like the cashier was trying to flirt with your friend and stuck a gangrenous foot in his mouth.

On my main game (Diablo 3), everybody assumes I'm a male. Equally, I assume everybody else is a male, so it's all good. Other than that, there's not much prejudiced behavior. We even were gifted with a female class that is fully clothed (the Crusader).

As touched on by another poster, I'm under the impression that FPS is the main breeding-ground for sexism, racism, and just about every other type of anger-based unsavory language. However, my experience in this genre is limited to listening to my male friends go on chat with their team and instantly turn into filthy pigs.

Offline, I don't experience much prejudice. However, I don't particularly flaunt that I play games. I've never gotten any inappropriate comments from cashiers.

[Suicune's Fire]

On my main game (Diablo 3), everybody assumes I'm a male. Equally, I assume everybody else is a male, so it's all good.

It's interesting, because this is how I think too. xD I don't mean to, but it just happens. Although practically the only online game I play is Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and you can choose from a range of female as well as male characters on that, and I automatically assume all the females I see are, in fact, female. I think this is partly due to the fact that there are a significant amount of females who I have met through ME3 multiplayer, so I assume that it's likely that other players will be female too.

But yeah, I've never gotten any negative feedback from being a female gamer. Usually guys are like "omg you play games? That's aaaaaawesome." xD

[Braixen]

I have heard of the stereotype but as it's defined I have literately never witnessed a girl simply playing a game for attention or to be lavished with compliments. I do think that some people appreciate that more than others but I am unsure if it's a gender thing or more or less a "human thing". Men and women a like usually play a game because they have interest in it, not solely on the fact that they can receive attention. As a female on the internet I have noticed that in mostly male dominated communities I am treated slightly differently on occasion though. I once worked for an MMO and I was very good at my job, occasionally people would comment I only got into the position I was in because I was female. Although I know there isn't grounds for this it still isn't the best thing to hear! Especially when you know you work hard and you're perfectly capable.

Sexism, in varying degrees, occurs in all environments. Whether it's towards men or women. The internet and online gaming communities are no exception but I don't believe this stereotype is largely deserved and I think it can only account for a small percent of the women who game online. Most of us aren't looking for attention haha. We just want to play and enjoy our hobby. ^_^

[Steel Lunpara]

I'm gonna talk about that thing. Is there a reason nobody mentions that thing by name? Whatever it is, I'm about to ignore it. The problem with the whole idea of "girl gamer" prejudice is that both sides of the debate are right, or, maybe more accurately, neither is correct. The internet has felt so polarized lately, especially with the Zoe Quinn Literally Who scandal, and later on this GamerGate mess. And mess is definitely the right term to use; everything is so confused and jumbled up, as well as with so many trolls there to screw things up more, that it's impossible to completely figure out exactly what's happening. And really, as much as I'd like to be a part of a side, I can't when so much garbage comes from or is thrown at either of them. It's the culmination of the "Social Justice Warriors" of Tumblr, and the pent up rage of "misogynists" gamers, and really, I don't think either of those labels are right for them. Yeah, Zoe Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian did receive death threats. You can find any picture of a 4chan post proposing doxxing them or DDOSing their sites, but that conveniently ignores the fact that the next 20 responses are invariably "Shut up," with as many expletives thrown in there for humorous effect. Yeah, the SJW ideology tends to be insane or extremist, but does that change them having a pretty undeniable base message to it? "Actually it's about ethics" isn't just something to make fun of GamerGaterers, it's a legitimate statement about the goals and motives behind the hashtag. But that's not to say that the death threats and harassment didn't happen, or weren't wrong.

I don't know, it's just so frustrating to see something so aggressively polarizing take up... How long has it been, three months now? It's pretty rare that I'm optimistic compared to others, but I believe in people enough to trust that they aren't raging misogynists and rabid extremists. I don't think any movement could last this long if either of them were in whole. But that doesn't change what's going on and how wrong both sides tend to be. I'm sure that no sane person wants women to stay out of game development. We aren't kindergarteners. And going off of that, nobody wants all men to die, because we aren't cartoon villains either. Both sides have valid points and issues that need adressing, and until both of them are willing to listen and discuss these differences reasonably, without any harassment, or death threats, or doxxing, the debate is never going to go anywhere.

Or maybe I'm just talking about stuff only smallish side of tumblr is paying attention to and nobody has a clue what the heck I'm saying. That's always a distinct possibility. Mainstream media has been pretty quiet on it, after all.

[Ash K.]

Okay, here's a topic which I have very little personal experience with but still agree with. I'm a male gamer who avoids FPS (I just don't like that genre), so I haven't witnessed much myself. However, I do know of a great song about this (Nothing to Prove by The Doubleclicks) and the related tumblr where people share similar experiences or other relevant material (http://geekgirlvideo.tumblr.com/).
Video:
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I haven't really been following the unnamed events mentioned, but I did glance at her Wikipedia article yesterday (followed by being distracted by the rest of Wikipedia... Oops). As I don't really know enough about either side to fully comment on it, I will refrain from attempting to do so.

[Homura]

Psh, everybody knows that grills can't be gamers. :P

Exhibit A (http://mememage.com/2014/04/13/grill-gamer/)

[wizardpendragon]

It exists, but more than often is it over exaggerated. Of the friends I have (which all play video games and are mostly male), none have reacted in a negative or distasteful way upon discovering my shared hobby with them. In fact, they became interested in which types of games I preferred and made suggestions, that sort of thing. There is only one incident in which I was harassed for being a female gamer.

Last year, I'd entered a Gamestop to purchase Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. My cashier was male, and upon ringing up the game, he sold it to me as a pre-owned copy (when I bought it new). I pointed out his mistake, to which he replied, "Oh, it's no mistake sweetie; It's just a tough game that may be a little too much for a pretty thing like you to handle. I wouldn't want you to get upset over it being tough and you feeling as though you paid too much for a game that wasn't fun."

I think this is an example of our subject at hand. I was definitely aggravated by his statement, but I took the discount. Of course, later on, I filed a complaint against him. I don't know what became of him and the state of his occupation.

[SassySnivy]

It exists, but more than often is it over exaggerated. Of the friends I have (which all play video games and are mostly male), none have reacted in a negative or distasteful way upon discovering my shared hobby with them. In fact, they became interested in which types of games I preferred and made suggestions, that sort of thing. There is only one incident in which I was harassed for being a female gamer.

Last year, I'd entered a Gamestop to purchase Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. My cashier was male, and upon ringing up the game, he sold it to me as a pre-owned copy (when I bought it new). I pointed out his mistake, to which he replied, "Oh, it's no mistake sweetie; It's just a tough game that may be a little too much for a pretty thing like you to handle. I wouldn't want you to get upset over it being tough and you feeling as though you paid too much for a game that wasn't fun."

I think this is an example of our subject at hand. I was definitely aggravated by his statement, but I took the discount. Of course, later on, I filed a complaint against him. I don't know what became of him and the state of his occupation.

This is kinda the kind of thing that I go through. No one really cares that I happen to be female. In reality none of it is a big deal...at all. Like...I dunno, man. I mean, I'm just a gamer. It's what I identify as...which is one thing that brought me to make this topic in the first place! x] Because of the million dollar question: does it really, actually make a difference? Is it all it's cracked up to be, gamer sexism?

I honestly feel like the whole GamerGate thing has just been HIGHLY exaggerated by the Social Justice Warriors of tumblr. Then again, this view could be caused by my lack of knowledge of the subject and what actually happened.

Wow, what a douchebag. I think it's just that some of these Gamestop employees that people run into are just...arrogant, single men (and teenagers) who are doing that kind of thing to actually flirt with you, but due to their lack of knowledge on courting the opposite gender, it does the opposite. Anyway, thank you for your input!