No More "Woman in Games", Please.

Before you continue reading this post, close your eyes and imagine a "Gamer Girl".


Done? Good, now open your eyes. I'm sure everyone has many different images in mind, and some of you should stop before it gets too creepy.
The reality is that females who play video games come in all shapes and colors, but unfortunately we're still too many miles away from misconceptions like Girls of Geek. Here's some proof:

These are all pictures from the Girls of Geek home page. Are they really 'gamer girls'? Probably yes. Are most 'gamer girls' like that? I don't think so, and it's very unfortunate that there is no place in this world where you can hide from sexism. And I hope you noticed how I said sexism in the broadest way possible; everything and everyone has to be sexuallized to be marketable, which pretty much sucks for all of us: males and females alike.

Last year a famous female journalist who occasionally writes for Kotaku, Leigh Alexander, said in one perfect post what most women who enjoy video games feel all the time, that we don't want to be 'female players', 'girl gamers', 'feminist gamers', we want to be PEOPLE who play video games:

"Sometimes people invite me to "women in games" groups, and I understand that it's important for me to represent. But often I hesitate, because I'm tired of being a "woman in games." I'm a person. There are a lot of other adjectives you can use that are equally germane to my work. It's a lot to assume, that I represent all women, or that it'd be possible for me to represent all women even if I wanted to. I feel entitled to be the kind of woman I want to be, and not have that be legislated based on what example my peers want me to set. I wish people wouldn't make a big deal about my gender at all."

One thing I love about that post, even if it's almost a year old, it's the honesty in how she explains that she's stuck between a rock and a hard place and how much I can relate to that; most of the games I'm absolutely crazy about, represent everything the hard working feminists are fighting against. There is no middle ground, it's the classic "you're with us or against us" type of situation. And it goes the same way for guys, too. Some raise the case that men are also being portrayed inaccurately, and they have a point, but it can become a nightmare to stand for something or pick a side when the people behind an initiative get too emotional or have no idea what they're doing.

My suggestion: stop making content like 'Top Ten Women in Games', 'Gamer Girls' and that atrocious Maxim Gamer Girl contest. Of course, none of these would happen if females weren't interested in taking advantage of their sex appeal, but then society has taught us that we have to look this way or that way, and it's an infinite blaming cycle. This is in no way an attack on males, females, dogs, cats or Pikachus; I just woke up today in the mood for some gender equality and I think it's time more people did too, don't you think?