Because Women Do Play
What's in a name? Specifically, what's in WomenGamers' name? A recent conversation got me to thinking about that very issue.
I was in IRC the other night and got caught up in a discussion about what constitutes an RPG with one of the people in the channel, we'll call him TormentGuy for his liking of Planescape: Torment. This topic repeatedly resurrects itself on the 'net, but rather than encouraging Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by typing my perspective on it over and over again, I generally just cut and paste the link to my article on the subject, and am done with it. However, this time, a far different debate ensued.
After a minute, TormentGuy responded, "Well, WomenGamers sucks, anyway." Rather than be offended by his petulant response, I asked him what he disliked about the site. Was it the layout, or the content?
And then things got interesting.
As it turned out, TormentGuy felt that the name of the site alienated male gamers. I informed him that WomenGamers is actually very male-friendly: Not only are many of our columnists male, but one of the site's founders is as well. "But you don't see a malegamers.com," he responded. "There's certainly nothing stopping you from starting one," I stated. (Since I don't have the actual log, I am paraphrasing the conversation.)
As I explained to him, I didn't choose the site's name, but I understand the reasons behind it. There had to be several factors in the decision, and certain aspects necessarily got prioritized. Do we make a name that's openly welcoming to female gamers and separates us from the crowded gaming site scene, or do we go with something that is more visibly inclusive of male gamers, but doesn't communicate to women that there's a place in the gaming scene for them? The considerations below are merely speculation on my part about the process that the site founders went through. I submit them as possible clarifications for why the site name exists in its current form, and why some outreach may be needed to compensate for casual preconceptions about the site.
Walking In Our Shoes
The perception that there aren't many women who game is enhanced by some of the measures many females take to protect their privacy and avoid harassment online. Another time in a chat with different people, I was clarifying this very point when a new participant joined in - we'll call him CyberDragon. Right in the middle of the exchange, CyberDragon asked if I was female. I responded in the affirmative. Without knowing anything about me other than that, he then asked, "Would you go out with me?" I politely explained that I was married, and he left shortly thereafter. Nothing could have illustrated my point better - a live, textbook example of what female gamers have to put up with. Furthermore, many female gamers dislike the "special treatment" they get if they do "decloak" - often male gamers will give them equipment or not fight them as vigorously. Conversely, there are some misogynists out there who will deliberately target a known female to show that he's better than she is, that she doesn't deserve to be playing the game, that she's in "male-only" territory and should leave, or some other message from some personal issue that hasn't been dealt with.
Additionally, many of the gaming sites out there might as well be malegamers.com - their editorial content and advertising definitely sends the message that females are not welcome or wanted unless they happen to look like Lara Croft or the notorious "booth babes" of E3. I don't enjoy pointing out negative truths about gaming sites, as I believe in professional courtesy, but IGN has a "Babes" link right on their home page under their "For Men" section. Contrast that to WomenGamers - even if you say that the entire site is a "For Women" section, there has never been that kind of content on our site, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we don't play into the stereotype of talking about tampons and makeup, either! Both major gaming web sites and magazines continue to disaffect many potential female readers by running irrelevant and gratuitous content like scantily clad "cheesecake" models with no equivalent female marketing.
Many female gamers are further alienated by the situation they face every time they go in a gaming store: getting leered at by poorly-socialized men as well as teenaged boys, getting spoken to condescendingly by store staff as if the only possible reason they could be in there would be to buy a game for a spouse or a brother. Or, sometimes, being looked at with wonder and amazement like some sort of space alien, then getting hit on by said game store clerk. Even if the store is empty, female gamers are insulted by how women are depicted on the boxes on the shelves -- it's either Barbie Digital Makeover or Tomb Raider 14, if women are present at all. A digital female body of normal proportions wearing practical clothing is a rare commodity indeed, much less a minority digital woman. Many female gamers have turned to the convenience of online shopping for their gaming needs. While this avoids the many horny cheeseballs hanging out at the brick-and-mortar game shop, it doesn't solve the problem of a dearth of alternatives to unrealistically-proportioned female characters, or eliminate the messages that are being sent by some of the staff at companies like the ones cited below. The presence of such attitudes on the corporate side only perpetuates the situation that has created the need for sites that appeal to female gamers at least as much as males.
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