I thought for a brief moment in time that we had been accepted.  I believed that all of the stigma attached to gamers was on the wane.  I truly was under the impression that we could walk down the street without being sneered at!

I WAS WRONG!

Last Thursday, Video Games Live came to the wonderful city of Glasgow, a vibrant place that celebrates life of all cultures and tolerates even the most audacious of events, unless of course it is in relation to video games.  I must confess, had Dave not blogged about VGL I wouldn’t have known anything about it, I saw a poster of a Space Invader under a bridge somewhere but didn’t really take it in.  All last week I scoured through the local press looking for a small article about it, but it wasn’t to be, there wasn’t even a mention in the gig guides.  However about two thousand gamers managed to find out about it and all had a wonderful evening, including the woman sat next to me who was really into games, but was disappointed that they didn’t do the music from Bubble Bobble!  A brief illustration of the attitude towards the whole thing was summed up ever so eloquently by an old man I met in the foyer before the concert.  Picture this, me walking about with my newly acquired VGL t-shirt, but smart of appearance-old grey haired man, cardie, beige slacks, brown loafers.

“Good evening,” I said, “Nice night.”

“Aye,” replies old man, “Is this the kids thing in here tonight?”

The world went into bullet time, I could hear the death knoll sounding! KIDS THING!  I promptly told him it wasn’t just for kids it was for everyone that cared to listen, but he didn’t care, he just wanted to set us back a few decades.  And sadly that is an attitude that is still prevalent in society, as much as the Wii has brought gaming to the masses it is still seen by many as a kids thing.

But wait, there’s more.  Over the weekend I trawled through most of the popular local press ( local to Glasgow) and there was not one mention anywhere of the concert.  No reviews, interviews, nothing such a great shame.  Yes, I play games, but I also listen to music and I am not bigoted to see that you didn’t need to like games to like what was on offer at VGL.  I truly believe that your average follower of the RSNO would have enjoyed it as much as I did, but sadly attitudes need to change lots until that happens.  Still though, there is more.  Proudly wearing my VGL t-shirt I was out and about over the weekend in no less than six games shops, ranging from independents to the big corporations.  You know that only one person clocked my t-shirt and was at the gig, no one else knew about it, but all I asked would have went to it.  So, what is to blame?  Is it society and their attitudes towards us?  Is it the marketing department of VGL?  Who knows, but I had a blast and should they ever darken the doorstep of Glasgow again I’ll be there!  I might even consider Edinburgh but lets not jump the gun now!!

Spend any amount of time on Xbox LIVE and you’ll come across a friend or foe who’ll verbally comment or have the profile motto that Xbox Live should be free.

Should it?

I mean we pay enough don’t we, for our consoles, replacement consoles, games and accessories, plus the fact that we’re already paying our ISP’s for line rental and broadband every month. Don’t we as loyal customers deserve to have online gaming as part of the package? Granted it is the most convenient and efficient was we have of gaming online. With the social features such as friends lists the ease of partying up, game comparisons to spy on, easy to find organised Arcade Games and DLC I wonder if I could be content not being connected, and after all it is only a fiver a month which isn’t a lot in this day and age.

I wonder if LIVE was free would it be joined by even more annoying types who just don’t care what its all about. Team Killers, quitters and a hell of a lot more kids is my guess. People who aren’t interested in the actual game and are just out to wind others up. Maybe the charge puts them off, why pay extra for something that doesn’t totally engage you when after all there’s always the internet to troll at no extra cost.

So I’m not complaining, just pondering. Mr Gates does need to keep those numbers ticking upwards in his Mega Uber Platinum Diamond account cause he’s probably got a hell of a-lot of bills to pay what with all his mansions and super cars and there are still plenty of islands that need buying.

There are many things I love about being a female gamer - people tend to be more sociable with you online and I’ve met some great people…and I can’t deny there’s nothing better than schooling some cocky guys who let their guard down because you’re only a  gamer chick! But there is a downside, and it’s one I experience first hand continuously and I’m sure I’m not the only one. The downside of course is the men out there that seem to have made gamer girls the fashionable new fetish to have. Along with the friends requests I get more than my fair share of obsessives. First they beg for a picture (n.b. I do have an xbox cam I just refuse to tell anyone who isn’t a real life friend about it!) then come the lewd messages which lead not surprisingly to a swift complaint being file and removal from my list.

Once upon a time, and yes, younger readers will laugh, the Internet wasn’t full of smut and was actually a safe and informative environment. I just can’t believe we’ve got to the stage where consoles are now being used in such a way. Not to sound like a total naive prude but I use xbox chat for gaming purposes and gaming purposes only! I’ll give out tips, I’ll chat to friends, I’ll share the latest gaming goss, but I will not put up with what seems to me to be completely bizarre behaviour. You wouldn’t act this way to a woman you just walked past in the street so why do people do it online?! Yes there are many attractive women out there that play games but 99% of us are online only to enjoy the pleasures of gaming.

Fully aware this blog was just a much needed rant I’ll be wrapping it up about now but hopefully some of the people who read this blog will learn from it. Online communities are about just that - “community”, and just like real life a small number must try and spoil it for the rest of us.