I was finally able to get the router working long enough to get on WoW for a few hours yesterday, and I made a group to go into Uldaman (a level 41-51 instance). With me was one of my regular playing partners, a guy we’ll call “Stan.” He surprised me by making a reference to the fact that I was a woman, which I hadn’t told him before; I guess one of our other playing friends had leaked it out. He was totally fine with it, made some little side comments that were amusing, but not rude or derogatory in any way. Unfortunately, this is not always the case…

I play a male character, and I play one for a reason: like it or not, girls are treated very differently in video games. I try not to make sweeping generalizations about boys playing WoW, but what I’ve witnessed in-game and on the Internet lately has made me rethink my stance a little bit.

Allow me to point you to a post from Joystiq. I realize that it’s rather old, but I came across it today while looking at another page that referenced it. The article talks about an entry from The Escapist, a rather excellent online publication. It was a not-too-surprising post about a girl who has faced some annoying backlash from coming out as a female to her WoW mates. Some of the reactions in her story seemed a little over the top, but what digusted me were the comments in the Joystiq article:

2. Hilarious, more like “shitty”. I saw that article a few days ago and cringed at the lines about her owning me. Yeah ok.
To offer a counterpoint, I find that most girls on the internet are stupid attention whores just like this one.
Protip to Miss BUTTS: Wax your top lip, you look like hulk hogan.

Oh, and don’t forget:

12. I believe that a lot of women play games online but almost all of the ones i’v encountered have been quite pathetic. Most have been in Halo 2, which, from experience, leads me to believe that women have horrible hand-eye coordination and no sense of tact. I once played a woman in NBA2k4 she had her ass handed a 60 point drubbing so apparently women have no idea how the game of basketball is played either. If any women want to prove themselves, which i’m sure some women’s rights, PC nutcake will want to, dude819 on xbox live would love to serve you.

There was some defense put up for her in the comments, but the overwheming feeling I got from the entire thing was hostile. What the hell is wrong with people? Is it because most of the players are probably 14? Or is it because hidden safely behind their mask of anonymity they can say whatever misogynist garbage spews from their brains?

Just because you get owned by a girl in a game doesn’t give you the right to say that she’s “on the rag.” lern2play, n00b. Oh, and grow a pair while you’re at it.

</rant>

UPDATE!

Issue 17 of The Escapist is all about gals and games. Good reads!