Technology Diary 1

I find that the online gaming community has been primarily unwelcoming to the female population. Besides just playing games where women’s armor is more useless than wearing plain clothes, as shown by this satirical video, the advertising for all these games is specifically geared towards men. By showing new cars, powerful guns and scantily clad women, commercials appeal to the limbic part of the male brain. The companies do not care that there is a large portion of women who are interested in video and computer games. They would rather keep appealing to the audience they already have than step out into the untapped potential of making games for the female gender by simply fixing the ones that already exist by making them more realistic.

The online gaming community and forums are really helpful for those who seek others who have similar interests to their own. Users can discuss cheat codes and strategies and speculate on the successful of a new game that will be released soon. The technology allows for people to connect no matter where they are. Not surprisingly, the anonymity that comes with being behind a computer screen allows for a false sense of bravery and causes people to say things they would not be able to say to someone’s face.

Girls who are into games and online technology and have expert knowledge on any “male dominated” matters are often labeled as “unattractive” or “fake” and less often, “hot.” I have different issues with all these characterizations. For the first, why does the fact that a woman decides to fearlessly follow her passion have to mean that she is unattractive or that she is merely into video games because she is trying to get male attention? With the second, I feel that men feel that anyone encroaching on “their” activities is being someone else or again, just in it for the attention and I do not understand why that it. With the last label, the strategy, thought and skill that goes into playing video games is diminished when a woman is being objectified by merely her looks. On Reddit, several comments calling girls who actively participate in different forums are called “gold-diggers” and other derogatory terms, and these are the comments that get the most “upvotes”.

I am not a “gamer girl” and in all honesty, this analysis is getting me nowhere near spending hundreds of dollars supporting an industry where I am clearly not a valued customer, or be extended the same courtesy online that my brother would.