Gamer-at-Arms – The Lamentations of Devimmin

You know, I don’t think there’s a day that goes by in which I don’t think about women, or to be more precise just how fucking awesome they are. I don’t mean physically either ‒ as magnificent a spectacle as breasts are to behold, there’s far more to women than that. It’s not like anyone goes around thinking men are just cocks, after all.

I shouldn’t need to remind people of the potential women have to do fantastic things; potential the games industry is throwing away because of a lack of prominence of existing female game developers. There just aren’t enough women in the games industry and this has the effect of making other women more reluctant to join because it’s so flooded with men.

Another reason for this potential being thrown away is just plain old misogyny. Women and girls are lambasted purely because they’re gamers ‒ throw a mixed bag of strangers into a lobby and it’ll almost invariably devolve into a hurricane of either homophobic or misogynistic behaviour depending on the genders of those present. Unfortunately, this isn’t a problem that exists solely on Xbox Live either: it’s internet-wide.

I’ve read of women bullied because they felt games could do with an option to skip the combat and focus on the story, and other women bullied because they just so happened to be women. I’ve even seen the validity of articles on the subject of women in games called into question because some thought the writer was secretly a woman. This utter madness has got to stop.

That entire culture is nothing short of disgusting, and I applaud those who open their minds and accept the fact that women play and make games too. The simple act of not being a complete dick can mean more girls taking an interest in gaming as a regular activity and thus make being part of the games industry a more appealing future, even in the face of the current gender disparity.  This will be a very good thing in the long run.

You see, women and the games industry need each other. As more women become part of the games industry, the more their ideas and enthusiasm will help it grow and become a better place for everyone involved. The more the games industry grows as a result, the more women will gain the respect and acknowledgement they deserve. Because it’s so vast, a strong, positive portrayal of women in the games industry could even lead to similar things happening in other industries as well.

I’m not saying male game developers should all be turfed out onto the street in favour of their female equivalents; far from it in fact. It is only once men and women begin working together in a more balanced gender environment that the games industry will emerge from its male-dominated cocoon and spread its wings. Perhaps we’d see an end to the endless macho men smashing the world’s problems into pale grey dust and surgically curvaceous women who have more unlockable swimsuits than lines of dialogue. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait.