Daniela ‘GypsyFly’ Lao on the experience of being a professional ‘girl gamer’
October 12, 2011 8:51 AM Subscribe
A professional gamer who's a "girl"? Or a professional "girl gamer"? Looks like the former thank god, but apparently she is (or is now) more of a manager than an athlete.
posted by grobstein at 9:17 AM on October 12, 2011
posted by grobstein at 9:17 AM on October 12, 2011
(all this ""girl" "gamer"" stuff and fury weirds me out)
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:20 AM on October 12, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 9:20 AM on October 12, 2011
you know what else is awesome. Girl doctors and girl lawyers.
In the 1960s, yes. The gaming industry is still in the 50s, metaphorically speaking.
posted by Diablevert at 10:09 AM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
In the 1960s, yes. The gaming industry is still in the 50s, metaphorically speaking.
posted by Diablevert at 10:09 AM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
"e-sports" ?? Are they fucking serious? I'm a big gamer and even I find this term pathetic.
posted by ReeMonster at 10:50 AM on October 12, 2011
posted by ReeMonster at 10:50 AM on October 12, 2011
click here for a bad time (if you're a gamer, girl or boy).
posted by Nelson at 10:52 AM on October 12, 2011
posted by Nelson at 10:52 AM on October 12, 2011
I was almost certain this was going to be more than just a fleeting mention of GameCrush(NSFW), the service where you pay girls to play Xbox with you.
posted by modernserf at 11:20 AM on October 12, 2011
posted by modernserf at 11:20 AM on October 12, 2011
The sorry state of how women are represented and treated in gaming, is best represented by the lead picture of the article, which is willing to cut off the tops of their heads to ensure their breasts are fully in frame.
posted by Static Vagabond at 11:26 AM on October 12, 2011 [12 favorites]
posted by Static Vagabond at 11:26 AM on October 12, 2011 [12 favorites]
If the term "e-sports" is new or surprising to you, you're not a big gamer. It's been around for years, and some "e-sports" are pretty serious indeed (Monthly Starcraft tourneys routinely paying out tens of thousands of dollars to the winner, League of Legends with its $5,000,000+ Season 2 prize pool, etc.). The people who compete in these things at the high levels have dedication easily equal to any athlete in any other sport, and some of them have some physical prowess that is simply mindblowing (maintained 400+ APM in Starcraft 1, for instance).
I do think the term "e-sports" is unfortunate, but only because I feel linking one of my hobbies to professional sports kind of denigrates it.
In the 1960s, yes. The gaming industry is still in the 50s, metaphorically speaking.
This is truer in some places than in others. Female players aren't at all unusual among the top ranks of MMO players (even really hardcore raiders), for example, but there are no female players among the Starcraft elite and they're largely unheard of in FPS or fighting game tourneys as well. I don't know whether that's because of social stigma preventing girls from spending that much time on games or hostility from the game communities or some other factor, though. There is definitely an undercurrent in some places (particularly FPS games, in my experience) of sexism and a sort of "boy's club" mentality.
posted by IAmUnaware at 11:41 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
I do think the term "e-sports" is unfortunate, but only because I feel linking one of my hobbies to professional sports kind of denigrates it.
In the 1960s, yes. The gaming industry is still in the 50s, metaphorically speaking.
This is truer in some places than in others. Female players aren't at all unusual among the top ranks of MMO players (even really hardcore raiders), for example, but there are no female players among the Starcraft elite and they're largely unheard of in FPS or fighting game tourneys as well. I don't know whether that's because of social stigma preventing girls from spending that much time on games or hostility from the game communities or some other factor, though. There is definitely an undercurrent in some places (particularly FPS games, in my experience) of sexism and a sort of "boy's club" mentality.
posted by IAmUnaware at 11:41 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
"e-sports" ?? Are they fucking serious? I'm a big gamer and even I find this term pathetic.
sorry you don't like the label, but e-sports are pretty serious and lucrative. big starcraft and league of legends tournaments get hundreds of thousands of viewers, and top players (mostly koreans) can make six figures. it's not any more pathetic than people playing any other game they like for money. the pathetic part is how women tend to be received by these communities.
posted by p3on at 11:42 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
sorry you don't like the label, but e-sports are pretty serious and lucrative. big starcraft and league of legends tournaments get hundreds of thousands of viewers, and top players (mostly koreans) can make six figures. it's not any more pathetic than people playing any other game they like for money. the pathetic part is how women tend to be received by these communities.
posted by p3on at 11:42 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
It sure will be nice when computer games are played by men and women as well as boys and girls.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:48 PM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:48 PM on October 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
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posted by p3on at 9:10 AM on October 12, 2011