Woman get a bad rap in the gaming world. They start out as “that one guy’s girlfriend” or perhaps the “tag along female who doesn’t know what she’s doing” or maybe if you’re really good at slaughtering people you become a legendary unicorn of the gaming world.
Fear no longer, for I have put together five steadfast rules to live by when navigating the untamed jungles of the gaming utopia. Don’t let the world of gaming intimidate you again!
Rule #1: It’s OK to be a bitch.
This is probably the one rule I live by in the gaming community, but honestly, most people would not call me this. Well, at least not to my face, but the bottom line is that it’s OK to stand up for what you believe in. If you think there’s a better strategy or someone’s not doing something right, speak your mind. Even if it makes you seem like a complete bitch. It’s worth it in the long run and there’s no reason to back down just because your opinion isn’t popular. Usually , you can bring a unique and different perspective to the testosterone filled gaming world and let me tell you, that’s gold for co-op games.
Rule #2: Don’t get roped into the healing role.
This happens all the time! Guys immediately cast women in the role of “supporting character”. Wow, big surprise right? What’s not a big surprise is that women like busting skulls and blowing up stuff too. If you immediately take the suggested priestly role you might run in the opposite direction and instead of helpfully topping off people’s health and you’ll continually juggle their lives between your shadowy DPS and fear spells. For some reason this makes your entire group really nervous. Take a moment to look inward and if you like bashing in people’s skulls with a giant hammer then go for it and don’t let anyone persuade you otherwise! Overall you’ll be happier with your gaming experience than if you’d taken the suggested role.
Rule #3: Find the Right Group
Believe it or not there is an entire community of gamers out there who aren’t total douchebags. I know this for a fact because I’ve personally met some of them in my adventures. If you don’t like the type of people your gaming with, just leave. You don’t have to be nervous, it’s as simple as that. With the online community at your finger tips you should have no problems finding a new group of gamers to play with or possibly starting your own group. After all, you’ll be spending countless hours with these people so you better like them, at least a little.
Rule #4: Don’t hate the other girl gamers out there.
What society can’t comprehend is that there are a lot of reasons why people game. That means you might get people involved in a game when they’re actually looking for some social interaction with someone other than their cat and that’s not bad thing. People (guys and girls) like to play games for different reasons. Don’t get sucked into the Grrl vs Girl Gamer debate. Just because you play games to crush the souls of your enemies doesn’t mean you’re better than the girl who plays to hang out with her boyfriend or meet new people. You’re both doing something fun and social for different reasons.
Rule #5: Remember you’re here to have fun!
If you’re not enjoying the game you’re playing why are you wasting your time playing it? Really, there are tons of different games out there and if the one you’re playing doesn’t fit then keep trying. Over the years I’ve been able to get young, old, boys and girls into games when they swear games are the bane of their existence. It’s just a matter of picking the right type of game for the right type of person and you really don’t know what that is until you try some different ones. Go to your local game stores and get involved in the community. You don’t always have to buy a game to try it.
GloryHoundd Presents 