Get in the Game, Girl!

I’m going to let you in a little secret that some of you already know: video games aren’t just for boys. I play video games, and I’m not a boy. In fact, I’m proud to be a girl who plays video games! My memories go back to playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with my brother. We fought over who got to play until I went away to college, where I beat my male friends in Super Smash Brothers.

I’m not the only girl who loves to game. About 40% of gamers in the United States are girls, and that number is growing! Even though we make up nearly half of those who play, the video game world is still limited in what it offers to girls. There are more flimsy female characters than there are strong ones, and a lot of the games’ main characters are still male. But, as girls stake our claim in the gaming world, we are forcing the companies to meet our needs as well.

One: Powerful Female Characters
More and more games allow you to decide to play as a male or female character, but you have to choose carefully which games you play to be sure they have features you enjoy—whether it’s a killer story or a good tennis match—and also good female characters. I’ve stopped playing games when I couldn’t understand why my character was scantily clad when she was supposed to be commanding armies. If you pick the good games, you can play as a tough, intelligent, fully clothed female who can kick butt just as well as any guy.

Two: More is Merrier
Gone are the days where video games were a solo experience. The Nintendo Wii has a great selection of games you can play with your friends. Some of them are sporty and some are just silly. When it’s raining, grab a few girlfriends and have a good time indoors. There are a lot of girl gamer communities popping up too! Some are for professional gamers, like the annual Women in Games conference, while others are just for fun, like the group of competitive girl gamers who call themselves the PMS Clan.

Three: Something for Everyone
Video games come in all shapes and sizes. For example, you can get games filled with action, games based on solving puzzles, games that sharpen your observation skills, games that focus on sports, or games that use storylines from movies and books. That means there’s a game to suit anyone’s interests.

Aside from being fun, the biggest benefit of girls playing video games is that it encourages video game makers to hire more women to work in the industry. This gives women and girls more of a say in who games are made for, what the storylines are, and even how the games are sold, and all of that comes back around to benefit girl gamers because we get a wider variety of games to choose from! You have more power than ever to say what you want and what you don’t want in your games.

So what would you like to see change?

Natalia Yaacob

About the Author

Natalia Yaacob

Get in the Game, Girl! Natalia Yaacob I’m going to let you in a little secret that some of you already know: video games aren’t just for boys. I play video games, and I’m not a boy. In fact, I’m proud to be a girl who plays video games! My memories go back to playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with my brother. We fought over who got to play until I went away to college, where I beat my male friends in Super Smash Brothers. I’m not the only girl who loves to game. About 40% of gamers in the United States are girls, and that number is growing! Even though we make up nearly half of those who play, the video game world is still limited in what it offers to girls. There are more flimsy female characters than there are strong ones, and a lot of the games’ main characters are still male. But, as girls stake our claim in the gaming world, we are forcing the companies to meet our needs as well. One: Powerful Female Characters More and more games allow you to decide to play as a male or female character, but you have to choose carefully which games you play to be sure they have features you enjoy—whether it’s a killer story or a good tennis match—and also good female characters. I’ve stopped playing games when I couldn’t understand why my character was scantily clad when she was supposed to be commanding armies. If you pick the good games, you can play as a tough, intelligent, fully clothed female who can kick butt just as well as any guy. Two: More is Merrier Gone are the days where video games were a solo experience. The Nintendo Wii has a great selection of games you can play with your friends. Some of them are sporty and some are just silly. When it’s raining, grab a few girlfriends and have a good time indoors. There are a lot of girl gamer communities popping up too! Some are for professional gamers, like the annual Women in Games conference, while others are just for fun, like the group of competitive girl gamers who call themselves the PMS Clan. Three: Something for Everyone Video games come in all shapes and sizes. For example, you can get games filled with action, games based on solving puzzles, games that sharpen your observation skills, games that focus on sports, or games that use storylines from movies and books. That means there’s a game to suit anyone’s interests. Aside from being fun, the biggest benefit of girls playing video games is that it encourages video game makers to hire more women to work in the industry. This gives women and girls more of a say in who games are made for, what the storylines are, and even how the games are sold, and all of that comes back around to benefit girl gamers because we get a wider variety of games to choose from! You have more power than ever to say what you want and what you don’t want in your games. So what would you like to see change? Image © Scott Griessel \| Dreamstime.com <strong> © <a href='http://www.dreamstime.com/Creatista_info'>Scott Griessel</a> \| <a href='http://www.dreamstime.com/'>Dreamstime.com</a></strong>
About the Author Natalia Yaacob Natalia graduated with a Professional Writing degree from Champlain College, and is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She enjoys discussing female characters and roles in video games, and, on occasion, being ridiculously lazy with her two cats and her boyfriend.