In the articles this week, I was fascinated by who and–more importantly–did not identify as a gamer. Shaw found that between racial, sexual, and gender identities that differed from the typical hetero-normative white male, gender was the biggest unspoken factor in choosing to not identify as a gamer. Though it was the social stereotype of the lone, teenage boy stuffing his face with Snickers at 2 AM while playing an XBox that participants claimed made them weary of the term, 8 out of the 10 male participants undeniably identified as a gamer. On the other hand, only 4 out of the 13 females identified the same.
The hesitance for females to declare themselves gamers was investigated further in “Women and Games: Technologies of the Gendered Self”. Three types of females in relation to games were identified: power, casual, and non-gamer. While power gamers seemed to have integrated games and technology smoothly into their gender identity and daily lives without issue, casual gamers more often struggled with the idea of their “feminine” reality and the “masculine” game world. Non-gamers who strongly rejected gaming and its culture held roles in their daily lives very much correlated with traditional feminine roles.
It would seem, then, the issue with identifying as a gamer for females is rooted in the fear of losing or erasing one’s femininity and replacing it with masculinity. Often, women who identify with traditional masculine roles (such as an athlete) are stripped of their feminine qualities. Only in recent times has the media made efforts to portray female athletes as being having both masculine (strength, determination, power) and feminine (beauty, empathy) qualities. Even the stereotype of the successful, working woman in the media usually pictures her in stylish yet androgynous suits with plain make-up and pulled-back hair. Working women shown wearing dresses or skirts or who are extremely beautiful are usually interpreted to have lower income or “less important” jobs (flight attendant, secretary etc.). She is not “wearing the pants in the family” so to speak.
In our society, there has not yet been a melding of the feminine and masculine. To be taken seriously, women must relinquish their femininity. Perhaps, this is why it is so hard for women to identify as gamers. Being a gamer means embodying masculine traits, which means the feminine qualities must either be replaced or suppressed. However, women who “act like men” are often ridiculed for not maintaining the status quo. “No man will ever want you if you dress/act like that,” is a common phrase in response to this kind of behavior. Thankfully, this rhetoric is subsiding as gender identity and roles become more fluid.
It’s unfortunate, as well, that technology as been gendered as a primarily male space. While aspects of it, such as social media, are seen as feminine, this gendering severely limits who is accepted in the different areas of the technology community. The gaming world is highly regarded as masculine–not only because of the sheer amount of males who play, but because gaming requires “masculine” skills such as problem-solving. Additionally, its seeming solitary nature goes against the traditional feminine activity of socialization. These misconceptions don’t allow all women to play games comfortably and without feeling at odds with their gender-identity. While girls such as the power gamers have resolved this conflict, it is not easy for all women to do so.
One day, I hope every female feels they are able to be the “power gamer”: confident in their femininity, aware that gaming does not define their gender, and enjoy games for the sake of playing games. Being able to do anything you enjoy without fearing judgment or negative implications is a right anyone has, in my opinion. For those who strongly oppose gaming as a way to reinforce their femininity, I hope someday they realize the same. Even if they don’t enjoy games and put priority on other aspects of their lives, I hope this will be done out of true want and desire, not as a way to appease society. I also hope they realize femininity is not in their actions, but in their feelings. Sexuality should not be defined by society, but by individuals and should not have to be suppressed or changed to fit in within social groups.
