RJ Layton

Every time there's a convention with a panel and speakers, we get at least one that focuses on girls in gaming. Like clockwork, Penny Arcade has seen fit to have one at their convention this year, and Kotaku's AJ Glasser (a girl) has made a post summarizing a lot of the points made at the panel.

Now, every time I hear about these panels or discussions, my eyes start to roll involuntarily in the same way they do when I hear about the next World War 2 shooter. We've heard the story so many times before: "How do we get girls into gaming? What about the girls who already play games? Who will tell their story?"

Lots more girls are playing games right now, and from everything I've seen the number is increasing, especially on the PC, mobile phones, Nintendo DS and Wii. Is the conversation supposed to continue in the same fashion every year until the topic becomes ridiculous? As time passes, more girls are playing games just as they become more socially acceptable. As such, I'm tired of the discussion because it's at the point where it's exacerbating the problem rather than solving it.

Though more girls are gaming, by repeatedly asking the question we imply that no progress is being made. Guys still act stunned when a girl shows up in a Halo match with them, or they're shocked when they find out a person they've been raiding with in World of Warcraft has been a girl the entire time. Of course, male players are going to be shocked when the media around them insists that girls don't play games and they find real evidence to the contrary. But hey, their stories are just anecdotal, girls don't really play games like Halo, right?

What's worse is that girls invite this reaction. Some, like the PMS Clan, even make a living off of it. Maybe this conversation has been happening at every panel lately (I've been tuning them out), but what was refreshing about the PAX panel was the recognition that girls are doing this for attention. That girls are reveling in being the only girl in the "Boys' Club." And why shouldn't they? The industry and related media would have you think that a girl playing a game is like finding a goddamn unicorn. As such, guys throw themselves at the girl, giving her what lots of humans crave -- attention (and also lots of free money/loot, right female WoW players?)

The saddest part of this behavior is that girls are actively keeping other girls from playing games. Having other females around means competition for male attention, and being taken down from the pedestal. I've seen girls argue about who is more of a "true" gamer, accusing other girls of only playing "stupid casual crap" as though those games weren't legitimate, and in doing so turning off other players from trying other games let alone continuing to play the ones they already enjoy.

Finally, we come to the last consequence of this repeated implication that its rare for a girl to enjoy games or that they're hard to come by -- the industry ends up settling for less. As AJ (not me) points out in the Kotaku article linked above, "I know I’m still getting paid less than my male counterparts, most of the time. I know I got my QA testing jobs not because I was qualified but because I had a rack." Both of these things are linked to the same problem. By treating women as a rare occurrence in gaming and continuing to insist its the case (despite evidence that the tides are shifting), we objectify women as a "resource" (like precious stones) in the industry. Women can be hired into the industry simply for being women, and the industry will expect less of them because they are eternally the new hire at the office who is allowed a pass because it's their first day. Some smart women will get into the industry based on their gender and they'll know it -- and while some will use that to their advantage to get ahead, others will question their own worth and value, and their colleagues will question it too. Why try to excel when others think you're there due to your gender and not your skills? Why try when you're worried they're right?

Hopefully, instead of revisiting this topic in five months we can come back to it in five years and see where we stand. Until then, let's stop acting like a girl playing a videogame is a novelty. I really think we'll make more progress that way.