I AM a Girl (In Some Ways)

I am a gamer. I hate the labels "casual" and "hardcore" because I think they are nebulous and divide people who love games, and the world is always better when people aren't so split up. To me, real gamers are any people who love to play any games as much as they can fit such pursuits into their day.



Give me five minutes or five hours of free time and I will find the perfect game to amuse me for that time. That requires an open mind and willingness to try games that may not fit into your usual favorite category, as there are plenty of games where five minutes of play is just not possible.



I'm not a big fan of shooters. As in guns. A lot of people may think that's because I'm female, but it's really got a lot more to do with being a bonafide peace-loving hippie. I've avoided guns in real life because they just seem like bad things in every way, they give far too much power to the human who is holding one. I honestly think I would feel that way even if I was male, it's got more to do with my parents than anything and they were quite gender-neutral in raising me as a pacifist.



It's got nothing to do with the violence factor. At one point I thought it did, but I love sword-fighting, archery, casting magic, etc. (and my favorite acting class was stage fighting, no less). I'm longing to try my hand at Infamous because the methods of fighting seem really imaginative and fresh. Actually, I don't even mind shooting that much if the guns are old-school or silly (like foam dart guns), it's the machine gun thing that gets to me more than anything.



I also like The Sims. I've had every single disc they've put out since the original game. I even tried the online one, although I lost interest very quickly in that. I'm obsessing over The Sims 3 right now, to the point where my consoles are probably feeling a little neglected. Of course, that happens with pretty much any new game I get, my Sims have been abandoned many times over the years (particularly from playing Oblivion). Since The Sims has been credited with being the first game that generally appeals to women this is the other girly stereotype I fit into.



I felt like I had to make this admission right off the bat as I don't want to be one of those female gamers who is snotty about what other gaming women play. My choices are no better or worse than anyone else's, they just make me alone happy. Actually, my boyfriend's tastes are extremely similar, which shows it's not all about gender. Everyone has their own taste and it has a whole lot less to do with stereotyping than an individual's philosophy. It makes me sad to see players bashing each other over personal preferences.



When games are going for up to $60-$80 (for those without special controllers and accessories, at that) and loads of people are counting pennies, our personal choices become even more personal and significant. So, I won't make fun of what you play if you treat me the same way.



The Golden Rule of Gaming. I like it!