Like I've said before, the majority of my interactions with other gamers have been positive. Unfortunately, I have experienced a negative side to online gaming. If you're going to talk shit do it right.
We all love top 10 lists right? How about top 5? Like it or not here it is:
The Top 5 Negative Things Said/Heard About Female Gamers:
5. Antisocial loner.
This is definitely something that can be said about both male and female gamers alike. However I'm not sure why a gamer would say this as it's insulting oneself. I don't live in my mother's basement and I do have real friends. It's OK if you don't though.4. Lazy and disheveled.
Another one where I think "Why?" In saying this you're not just putting me down you're also putting yourself down. Sure we're a bit lazy. We do sit on our couches for hours at a time but lets have other interests too?3. Fat not Phat.
Fat is in the realm of lazy. There are fat women and fat gamers. So yes there are fat female gamers. Must you assume I am obese?2. Ugly and not attractive in any way.
There are very attractive female gamers. If you haven't figured this out by now Google it. Enough said.1. Sexual/Sexuality remarks
This is number one for a reason. I've never been more turned off by online gaming then when I heard a fellow gamer discussing rape. Jokingly or not: NOT COOL. Sexual remarks as such should be off limits.For some reason because I'm a female gamer I am also a lesbian. Must we discuss our sexual identities? I'm not assuming you're a straight male.
Things like this make me question if I should turn my mic on or just play it safe and keep it off. Let's be adults and keep our trash talk on the humane side. And if you're not an adult and speaking so obscenely maybe you should ask your mom what she'd think.
Maybe I should suck it up. Maybe I'm too sensitive. Maybe I should perfect the skill of trash talking. However, I would like to enjoy some good old fashioned FPS, with my mic on, without worry of verbal attacks.
Why are these kind of things said and why does it happen? Well, simply put: ignorance. Having a large ego doesn't help either. Play fair, don't cross the line. If you're an ass hat shut your mouth. If not push mute.
Game On!
This blog post is featured on Future Retro Gamer.