When I first looked at this assignment--I thought, oh no! I'm not going to have anything to post about that's relevant since I don't really play, other than the sporadic C.O.D. games at kickbacks....and I can't really compare C.O.D. to any other game...so I'll be stuck without a response...
And then I read the article and came across The Sims as a video game. Now, I was ADDICTED to Sims growing up. I had never thought of it as a 'video game' and apparently my parents didn't either--so they bought it for us. I guess in their view of things computer games=ok, video games=no bueno, so Sims were fine... (weird reasoning, I know).
Anyway, I found the quote on page 688 to be extremely relevant, "The moderate gamer uses games in order ot cope iwth her everyday life. For some women, games provide a way to think through andd solve various problems and situations..." Well, boy, did the Sims sure help with that!
Being an awkward freshman in high school I was the really nerdy, book-toting, kid in class that needless to say had friends, but wasn't in the most popular clique ever. Playing on Sims though, let me do two things: create my exact same "personality.character" on the web and have it interact with other Sims so I could see what I was doing 'right' or 'wrong' in life.... and secondly, it allowed me to create a glamourous me, the person I envisioned myself to be later in life (early 20s). It seems kind of trivial but it really is a good reasoning game, a great logic booster, and way to see 'cause' and effect.'
However, that being said, I also agree with other points brought up by people interviewed in the article--I am a firm believer that the stereotypical video game (Halo, C.O.D., etc) is a huge time waster. I'd rather be acheiving something that is tangible--ie writing, reading, cleaning, going out with friends, etc etc. rather than watch a screen for hours upon hours. I think that as girls, we are conditioned to have to work harder for what we want at all times--I think the real reason why girls aren't as big in gaming or it's not publicized that often about girls and gaming is because it makes us look idle and lazy--stereotypes that we have finally pushed off in the last century--we don't want to be turning to them again...
I like your post Christine. It speaks to a lot of the thoughts I have also had on gaming in the past. Like you, at various points in my life, I was either a moderate gamer (in Middle School) or a non-gamer (like I am now). The only video game I ever really played frequently was a Sonic the Hedgehog game for one of those little hand held sega genesis. Part of the reason for this was because my parents wouldn’t allow me to play video games, they were conservative and probably thought that video games were more for boys and I was already a bit of a tomboy so they didn’t want to encourage that further. I agree that part of the reason why girls aren't as into gaming as boys is because psychologically they feel like they have more to prove to be successful and compete in a still male dominated, patriarchal American culture that rewards traditionally masculine traits (i.e. competitiveness, aggressiveness, independence, and individualism). Thus, I think many girls think that they don’t have the same luxury as boys to spend many hours a day playing video games. Many girls tend to feel like they need to stay productive all the time with school, working, and household stuff. Therefore, when they get a bit of free time they might be more likely to channel that spare time into a productive activity like cleaning, reading, or cooking.
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI felt much like you did. I did play around very little with some MUDD type games in college, but I could never quite get into it. But I tried it, only to escape thinking about or doing something. I typically feel guilty if I am speding free time not doing something productive.
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteYes, one thing you said was that 'it makes us look lazy." That is something I would not have thought of because we (or I) seem to be busy or have a need to be busy and when there is a moment in time, we think, what is wrong here. Taking the time to play a game, as Yolanda says as well, also makes me feel guilty. The idea of different socialization in the way of spending idle time is something I did not think of. However, gaming is not idle time and very creative. It is the word game that might be the problem in that case. In my post I am going to talk about one woman who spends her time thinking about the creation of games from the Institute of the Future of which your post just made me think of. Thanks, Deborah
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI felt as if I had little to say about girls and gaming myself because I see gaming as a form of mindless entertainment that I do when I just want to relax or when I am bored. I just feel as though it can be such a waste of time and that I should be doing something more productive. Also, I tend to become addicted and I can spend hours playing a game just so that I can master it.
Thanks,
Donna
I never played The Sims but I did love the original game in the series. Sim City. This game was completely gender-neutral and ridiculously fun. Essentially you started with a plot of land from there you built a series of homes which became a neighborhood. With people and the neighborhood in place you needed a police station, hospital, fire station, sewage plant, the list was endless. Eventually you were rated on your performance. You had to keep the city up and running amid natural disasters and what have you. Did anyone else ever play this game growing up?
ReplyDelete