“Although almost half of those who play online games are women, many of them hide their identity. They do so to avoid harassment.”
According to the article “Online Gamers Pretending to be Men,” women are withholding information about their sex when playing online.
“We compared this with being in the closet as gay, for example, to control what information you provide to prevent harassment.”
Why is this, though?
Sexual Harassment.
According to the Report on Sexual Harassment in online computer games by Krstine Ask and Stine H. Bang Svendsen, Sexual harassment in online computer games is a topic that raises many questions: How common is it? What form does it take? What is the motivation behind the harassment and how does it feel?
When Women play online, they are reportedly told “You’re retarded”, “to be raped,” or “you’re a whore.”
We must ask the important question: What can be done with it?
I saw this truck on my way back to Westfield this weekend. It had no idea that it was broadcasting my name.
This has been a long time coming, but I figured it was the perfect opportunity to explain what this picture means to me. Some of you may know me as Phantomess, others as Alyssa.
Several years ago, I made a decision I would never turn back on: My WoW username. I chose Phantomess. At the time, I was a huge Phantom of the Opera fan. Needless to say, I gave “Phantom” the suffix -ess, which is usually attributed to feminism and decided to call myself Phantomess.
However, over the years, it has accumulated more meaning for me.
I like to think of my online username as an alter ego. I am a whole different person when I am playing online, and I like to embrace that side of me.
What are your preferred names? And what do they mean to you?
And what is it exactly? World of Warcraft’s fifth expansion: Warlords of Draenor. The pre-patch is here and it’s better than ever.
The pre-patch comes complete with all new character models, inventory improvements, requirements for boosted characters, a new raid structure and a whole new world event: The Iron Horde Incursion.
“The Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands has turned blood red. Hundreds of strange-looking orcs are violently pouring into Azeroth, killing everything that stands in their path. Nethergarde and Okril’lon have already fallen, and while the Horde and the Alliance moved as quickly as they could to get reinforcements to their people, they are too late. The Iron Horde invasion has begun.”
This sounds interesting, you’re sitting there saying “I haven’t played World of Warcraft since vanilla.” Well you’re in luck.
“Expansions are big events, people come back to the game for expansions because they want to play with their friends. And people who are still playing want their friends to come back.”
-Blizzard’s Steve Burke
World of Warcraft’s producer, Blizzard games is making it easy as ever to get back into WoW. Every previous expansion, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria, now comes free with your purchase of the newest expansion Warlords of Draenor. And to make matters sweeter, each purchase also comes with a free max-level character. So now, you can easily re-join your friends in Azeroth.
Don’t forget those of us who thrive off the RP aspect of MMORPG. Along with WoD, players will have the opportunity to manage and maintain their own homes in Draenor, called Garrisons. To me, this seems a bit like something out of the Sims, but it preserves its function by combining the real-life aspect with the fantastical.
So no matter what you enjoy in World of Warcraft there’s something for everyone.
To read the full set of patch notes and all the awesome features click here.
So, stop acting like the victim. Sure, we’ve got a long way to go, but is it finally “cool” to be a nerd?
Nerd culture has taken some drastic steps in recent years. Some of this is evident through evolution in the media with reality shows such as, King of the Nerds. King of the Nerds awards one contestant a shocking $100,000 prize for being the “King of the Nerds.” A title which tests intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop culture prowess through challenges that range from live gaming to a dance-off to life-sized chess.
In addition, shows like The Big Bang Theory, which feature nerd culture, has reached chart-topping audiences with numbers in the millions. The show stars brilliant physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, who can be seen frequently making trips to the comic book store and engaging in various role playing games with their friends Raj and Howard. Thus, exposing viewers to comic, gaming, and scientific ideals which may have otherwise been unreachable or unknown.
With the help of these media portrayals, sites like Geek and Sundry have been developed to create an online fan base. What is Geek and Sundry? “An internet community centered around web videos with shows about comics, games, books, hobbies and more.” Or, more specifically part of the tagline: “Your daily dose of Geekiness”
So, how has this all changed, and what were we before? Traditionally, a “nerd” was referred to as someone whose interests were not shared by the majority of the population. But what happens when multiple people share common interests?
“We’re still behaving like the rebel alliance, but now we’re the Empire. We got where we are by ignoring outsiders and believing in ourselves even when nobody else would.”
In preparation for today’s post, I began watching some YouTube videos focused around girls in the gaming industry. But, one line caught my eye.
“Contrary to what Google Images will have you believe, the majority of us [girl gamers] are not sex goddesses who only play in our underwear.”
Is this what we have been programmed to believe?
Why is she biting her DS?
However, the truth is, a lot of female celebrities play games. What if I told you that, Cameron Diaz plays an Alliance Gnome Rogue in World of Warcraft? Would you be surprised? Why?
Who is to blame for these stereotypes? It very well has nothing to do with our male counterparts.
The idea that the girl gaming community is a minority, is a popular misconception. ESA reported the 2010 online gaming breakdown to be 42% female gamers, 58% male gamers. Still, not 100% equal but i’ll take that over a 1998 report that there were only 31.1% female gamers to a shocking 68.9% male gamers. We can see that history is making remarkable strides.
But, that still doesn’t answer my question. When are we going to stop over-sexualizing women in the gaming industry?
If more games were marketed towards a general audience, rather than males, we could eliminate the idea that gaming is only for men.
So, the next time you are with your female friends, go ahead and ask them if they play any games. Chances are, you’ll be surprised by their answer.
And ladies, let’s stop associating our gaming habits with shame. The next time you hear “You play well for a girl,” remind them of these facts.
As always, if you enjoyed this, be sure to like or comment in the top, left corner.
Welcome to my blog Lyfe in Pixels! As I’m sure you have recently figured out, I will be focusing on the video gaming world, news, culture, and ultimately how it affects us in the real world. I am a dedicated gamer who thrives off informing the community and recruiting new members. For a culture that exists partly to connect people worldwide, it would be no fun to write privately about this. My hope is to reach a new collection of people who share similar interests and of course corrupt people who currently do not. I think of this blog not solely as a school project but about lifestyle dedicated to a Lyfe we spend in Pixels!
Lyfe in Pixels 