You Didn't Earn the Right to Play Video Games And Neither Did Men

Women believe they have some sort of God Given right for playing video games, its explained why they don't, and if anything have destroyed their rights to do so.

[Godlovesgamers]

Who the heck do you think you are to say who does and doesn't deserve to play video games, let alone women? You don't like some of the women in the industry and there's your justification? Pathetic. This article was complete waste of your time and my time. Please go seek another profession to which you're more well suited, "nameless author".

[AlanaFearnall]

I see you have misunderstood the article. I am not saying who deserves to play video games, I'm saying people didn't earn the rights to.

I feel in the 'Microwave generation' (which is apparently the title of the current generation) people don't actually want to earn anything. its all about I want it now, now, now. (Hence the microwave thing.)

anyone can play video games, I was simply expressing an opinion on how we didn't earn the rights. :) Men didn't either, but being a woman i felt it would be wrong to talk about why men don't deserve it. I'll leave that up to a male author.
(And my name is both on N4G and Digibytes.me Alana Fearnall. might want to check the author area next time!)

Also, 'Godlovesgamers'? I'm going to assume you are a fellow christian! Always good to see some more christian gamers. God bless and have a good day :)

[Godlovesgamers]

Ok. So you're saying that people didn't earn the rights to play video games. And I can see what you're saying about the Microwave generation, but to what end? Yes, I would agree that this generation I mean I started with the Atari 2400, certainly I didn't earn the "right" back then just because I from a generation that doesn't expect everything 'yesterday'.

You're saying in regards to playing video games "people didn't earn the rights to", which begs the question, what rights are there to earn in order for one to play a video game? A video game isn't a car, there is no training one goes through, certification or licence for such an activity. The article might as be about the microwave generation) not earning the 'right' to buy consumer electronics as whole.

Your article comes off as either completely nonsensical or that you are unable to effectively communicate your thoughts and feelings into an article that drives home any cohesive point. You're saying 'microwave' generation and 'earn the right to play' when your article is playing with issues of people you don't like in gaming and triviality of sexism within said culture.

I think this article needs a serious re-write.

[MajorLazer]

I think what the author meant was; we don't have to make a song and dance about it, everytime a female plays videogames. I may be entirely wrong though in which case I am lost on what the authors point is exactly

[Everlastingfate]

I have never seen so many words used to say so little. There was literally no point to this poorly written article.

This sounds like an elementary school student's last minute attempt at throwing an essay together... Sure, you hit the length requirement... But you didn't actually say anything.

If you had, there wouldn't be several posts with people attempting to derive a point out of your article.

[Christopher]

***how we didn't earn the rights. :) Men didn't either,***

Technically, and historically, men have always had the right in these things and have never had to earn it. It is women and people of non-white races that have had to earn rights. Men, have had it given to them, especially white men.

From this perspective, I really don't understand the purpose of this writing. Can't even really debate it. It just doesn't really make much sense to me.

[GribbleGrunger]

"Men didn't either, but being a woman i felt it would be wrong to talk about why men don't deserve it."

Why does being a woman make it only fair you include men in your argument? You're creating the separation unnecessarily. If your question is simply 'do we deserve ...?' then what gender we are is of no relevance. The fact that you've instantly taken a feminist standpoint, shows the question isn't as simple as you make out.

[Donnieboi]

@Godlovesgamers: Read before you post. It's not hard.

[Godlovesgamers]

I actually did read it twice and your wrong, this article is hard to read, just ask anyone else who actually has.

[GribbleGrunger]

I'm in total agreement. And these articles do women a total injustice. All the women I know that play games, just play games. They don't put the industry under a microscope nor analyse tropes (perhaps they should a little), they pick up a controller, boot their console and PLAY. I'm sick and tired of the media trying to create divisions where there shouldn't be any.

[3-4-5]

uhhh what is this article ?

[KillrateOmega]

This article is...not well-written. I'm having trouble understanding the point that you are trying to make.

1) The majority of the article was spent talking about prominent women in the gaming industry and how you don't like them and because of that, women in general somehow don't deserve to play video games.

2) When did video games become something that you had to earn the right to play? They are products and ultimately, as their names implies, just games. It's like telling someone that they have to earn the right to play football.

Either I'm simply not seeing how the article effectively works toward supporting a cohesive point, or you have simple done a poor job of making your point.

[iceman06]

I kind of agree with what you are saying. I get her point. Women need to earn their respective way into the industry of gaming by being gamers first and being women second (at least that is what I was understanding). However, it also seems like she has used the stereotypical Frag Dolls and PMS to represent all of female gamers. I think that the article started out as a cohesive thought and kind of became a rant of sorts.

[knifefight]

Yeah. I couldn't get past all of the basic English errors.

I think the author should focus on "write" instead of "right" next time. We'd all be better off.

[Pozzle]

Speak for yourself. I don't think I have some "god given right" to play video games. :/

All this article has done is listed a very small minority of female devs/gamers (all of whom are either a part of the gaming industry or promotional groups), explained why you dislike them, then applied that to EVERY female gamer out there. The frag dolls or PMS clan don't represent most female gamers, just like Phil Fish or Fatal1ty don't represent most male gamers.

Of course you "have not found one shining example or brilliance, a woman who has stood up for personality, who has realized that you don’t have to look beautiful to be beautiful" if you're only looking at a very small, limited group of people. What about Amy Hennig? Or Robin Hunicke? Or Kim Swift? Or all the other female developers, game teams, and gamers who just want to make/play good games and don't care about looking sexy, or making music videos or promoting themselves? It's not their fault the gaming media would rather write articles about which Suicide Girl has done a sexy photoshoot instead of which new game an up-and-coming female dev might be creating.

[Heisenburger]

I did SO earn it!!!

http://25.media.tumblr.com/...

J/k

I actually appreciate the, if you'll excuse the term, ballsy take on this topic.

Very interesting, to say the least.

[dark-hollow]

I really don't understand how that the fact that you are a female makes your point more valid regarding criticism of feminism in gaming culture.

[NegativeCreep427]

It is just textbook chauvinism. The media tries to fool u into thinking that such a term is only reserved for men. In reality, women are some of the biggest offenders. American women, in particular, are the greatest examples of chauvanism.

[Root]

At the end of the day I think we need to put things into perspective. I come across alot of people in real life and even read articles on here where females keep bringing up the argument that gaming was for everyone right from the start and how equality should be more of a focus into he industry when thats simply not true

Video games were targeted towards males, they were made by males targeted towards males. Yeah some females bought them I'm not saying they never did the point is at the end of the day males will always been the main target audience.

Remember that stereotype back in the day about "guys and their video games" or how "geeky guys who play on their computer games". I remember hearing that lot and only when the Wii made gaming more mainstream and casual in 2006 is when things started to change.

As I've said I'm not saying there isn't girl gamers, I'm not saying there wasn't...what I'm trying to say is the target audience will always be men because gaming was always and will always be most targeted towards guys. I mean thats like a guy who wears make up complaining that MAC Cosmetics isn't targeting him.

[Hicken]

Not so much that it'll ONLY target men, but that, because of its very nature, it'll always target men MORE. Contrary to popular belief, things being unequal between the sexes does not mean that things are sexist.

Men and women ARE different, after all.

[iceman06]

I agree...as long as women are afforded the same opportunities in the industry there shouldn't be a problem. As more females become gamers, all of the "sensationalism" will subside. It will become, more or less, a norm. Then, the media will move on to the next issue.

[ifritAlkhemyst]

I don't even...

anymore.

[Len]

Wha? O.o

[annus]

Wow, I'm not even going to read anymore past the first point. People who write, develop, create, or program games don't need to be gamers. They do the job they are good at. Just because you can 360 no-scope in CoD doesn't make you a good writer or programmer.

[Dunpeal]

If anything, I wish more girls WERE gamers. As it stands gaming is mostly a sausage fest. I would prefer to see 2 things I love come together: women and video games. :)

[Dunpeal]

disagrees are either oppressive muslim he-men or raging homos

[MajorLazer]

Way to keep it civilised and mature /s

[Dunpeal]

@ Koyes

I keep it real. :)

seriously, why would any "civilized and mature" hetero male NOT want more women in gaming? I mean SERIOUSLY

[iceman06]

Boy...u scared me for a second with the 2 things coming together comment. I too would welcome more women to gaming, just leave all of the hype of being a female gamer at the door.

[Wni0]

Saying Mass Effect is just as good as films like Star Trek is laughable. Let alone the art house films like Solaris or 2001. That said, I actually would like an option for a game that plays itslelf if there is a section too hard. There are a lot of great games that people just skip because they know they cant beat it.

The article is well written and the main point is interesting, but the title is misleading.

[TechOne]

Video games are some serious business.

[2pacalypsenow]

back to the kitchen !

[Megaton]

You know what gives a person the "right" to play video games? Being in close proximity to some.

[CalvinKlein]

women who paly videogames are sexy. I know im better than them at it so its ok to my ego if they want to be "gamers" too.

seriously tho, anyone can be a gamer. Even a hard to the core gamer. Im sure when I walk into gamestop they think im some dudebro, but the reality is I probably know more about games then their whole staff and every dorkis in there combined. Its kind of like not being the best at anything but being good at anything. Choose a game neither of us have ever played and I will probably be better than you even though I dont have a hunchback. same thing with girls, just because tehy have a vage doesnt mean every guy is more of a gamer than them.

I didnt read this article but Im guessing its about how girls want attention for playing games and having a vage. there is nothing wrong with that. Why do you think men dont mind the whole woman is a cook thing. Because when we make a good meal for our lady we want extra credit and a blowjob even though we know we are good cooks anyways.

[palaeomerus]

I think the point the author is trying to make is that it is weird, fatuous, inappropriate, embarrassing, grandiose, and silly to try and tie gaming to achievement, self worth, self actualization, accomplishment, character, struggles for liberation or equality, or any of that crap.

It's just a damned recreational activity and whining about the social troubles you face in your voluntarily pursued and highly optional expensive hobby is dumb. A stoner and a bum can game just like an aristocrat or CEO. Nobody tries to stop them. (In fact a hell of lot of marketing money and effort goes into trying to CONVINCE you to play games barring some public controversy about what is, and is not, acceptable content.)

There is no struggle, no oppression, no injustice involved and pretending that gaming is overcoming adversity is just hilarious bunk for most people (unless you have serious physical disabilities). Gaming is for fun and that's about all it will ever be good for. (Despite a great deal of hype its record as an educational tool is quite poor.)

Trying to get karma, fame, historical impact, or anything seriously important from it is futile and a lot of indolent spoiled people who think they have rough lives, but don't, gin up a lot of empty drama about it that they try to use for purposes of self promotion or to cash in on. That kind of nonsense cheapens gaming from being a simple and widely available hobby to being an over-promoted poser fad or an excuse to get unnecessarily political about trivialities for the sake of the politics.

In short cheesy, fake ass people use gaming to puff themselves up instead of some real accomplishment or talent, and it's stupid to try and do that. People should shake their heads at it instead of being suckers for such a transparent act/scam. The pseudo intellectual posing, the false emotion, the fake seriousness, and the inflated expectations hurt gaming as a business and as a casual bit of pop culture. Games make a lousy stepping stone. People absurdly trying to seem important just because they play games (like most people do -> Big whoop. ) should be ignored and induce momentary eye rolling until they manage to find some legitimately interesting way to distinguish themselves from the millions of regular boring folks who happen to play games every now and then.

[shadowmist13]

A right to play videogames?,its entertainment,not some religious ritual...,if a girl likes to play games,let her be,the world is corrupt.

[mochachino]

What? Right to play video games?? WTF is the author talking about, really, what is this drivel.

A so-called right to play videogames doesn't exist so there's nothing to be earned or not earned.

Any person with the money, time, equipment, accommodations, physical capability, and electricity can play videogames unless you're a child and your parent's control what you're allowed to do.

Really how did this utter nonsense get approved. I've seen some borderline stupid articles on N4G but this on a whole new level. Wow.

[mixelon]

Agreed.. It didn't make a lot of sense. Ramble ramble.

[CNCOMICS]

Get this author a proofreader!