I have a small problem; I sometimes feel embarrassed to admit that I am a gamer. I'm not ashamed of being a gamer. The embarrassment I initial feel is just the automatic/default response I have when I let it be known in conversations with non-gamers that I have firsthand knowledge about MMO's, tabletop, or video games. Non-gamers always seem to look at me as though I have just loudly announced: "I am the Queen of Fairyland and I ride a plaid pony! Whee!"
(Not that I would ride a pony if I were the Queen of Fairyland, especially a plaid one. Everyone knows I prefer traveling by hippogriff.)
Anyways, after I get over the looks ranging from quizzical, pitting, confused, and sometimes more than a little bit disgusted, I feel a sense of indignation wash over me. What gives them the right to make me feel 'less than' because of the way I choose to have fun? Is it because I'm a girl? Would they be less surprised if I announced my love of gaming if I were a man? More and more these days I am beginning to think the extreme reactions I often get are more because I am a female gamer and less because I am gamer.
For example, I was at a meeting this morning and gaming came up in conversation during a break. One of the women I was talking with was surprised by my depth of knowledge about gaming and said that I would get along well with her husband. She then followed up by saying something along the lines of how it must be hard for me being a female gamer when there are so few women into gaming. This surprised me a bit, because I realized just how often I hear that in conversations with non-gamers. And while many of the people I game with are women, we are not perceived as the norm. Is it just that I have been been fortunate enough to be surrounded by female gamers, or are there really so few women gamers?
What is it about being a female gamer that is so taboo? Is it some weird 'nice women don't...' throw back to the past? Are only men allowed to have all the fun? And when you really think about it, gaming is not that much different than any other social gathering. People (women) often meet socially under the guise of accomplishing something; whether it is a knitting group, a book club etc. (To which, incidentally, I both belong.) These are social gatherings around a common interest. Gaming is no different. Why is it seen as different?
Lot of questions. Maybe I need to do some research.
On a happier note, even though I still have run ins with gaming Luddites, my 'circle of gamers' is increasing. In the passed month I spent a lovely evening gaming with MzMolly, and I am going to a gaming evening with a new friend from my knitting circle in couple of weeks. Zombies beware! AND there is a new gamer friendly You Tube channel: Geek and Sundry, that has a very strong female voice, and a great tabletop gaming, lifestyle program. Life is good and it is only going to get better.
Hippogriffs for everybody!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thank you Eye of the Beholder
There is a level in the video game Eye of the Beholder near the end (just before the one where the giant creepy eyeball (Beholder) would wander down hallways to destroy your party) I hated with heat of a thousand suns. I could never find my way around all the corridors. I always got turned around and ended up in the same place I started. The first time I got though I was so happy and relieved; I couldn't believe my luck. Then my party wiped -stupid creepy eyeball- and I had to start at the last place that I had saved. The beginning of the tower. Stupid game. A weaker person would have given up; not me though. Sure I walked away from the computer calling out string of not so nice words about the game, but I came back. Eventually.
Anyways, to make a long story short, it was that game that really made me question my sense of direction- or lack thereof. If I couldn't navigate my way through a virtual world how could I find my way in the real world? I used the frustration I felt playing that stupid level to learn how to be a better navigator. To be able to mentally keep track of my path and to use map effectively became (and still is) very important to me. 'Cause let's face it, not every game has good maps, and not everyone has GPS. I still have moments of difficulty with reading the maps in SWTOR but other than that I am pretty good.
So if you don't have GPS, my 'mad map reading skillz' make me a pretty good person to have in your car.
Thank you Eye of the Beholder!
Anyways, to make a long story short, it was that game that really made me question my sense of direction- or lack thereof. If I couldn't navigate my way through a virtual world how could I find my way in the real world? I used the frustration I felt playing that stupid level to learn how to be a better navigator. To be able to mentally keep track of my path and to use map effectively became (and still is) very important to me. 'Cause let's face it, not every game has good maps, and not everyone has GPS. I still have moments of difficulty with reading the maps in SWTOR but other than that I am pretty good.
So if you don't have GPS, my 'mad map reading skillz' make me a pretty good person to have in your car.
Thank you Eye of the Beholder!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
My Brother-in-law posted this pic on his Facebook...
Just wanted to share. I have no idea where he got it from. Probably could have just tweeted it, but what the hay here it is:
Monday, February 6, 2012
D&D in a dark basement. Live the cliche!
I had never really gotten passed my ill fated D&D adventure with my cousins. Even though I totally owned HeroQuest, and had some rpg computer games under my belt (Betrayal at Krondor, Eye of the Beholder) I still felt a void in my gaming life. I had not mastered D&D and therefore felt like a gaming fraud. My friend Louise felt a similar hole in her life, but I believe it was more a result of cutting her teeth on HeroQuest and wanting more. Louise had joined many of my family's modified HeroQuest games -a story for another time and was on the road to becoming a serious gamer. But what did two girls in the suburbs know about D&D, or where to find an active D&D gaming group for that matter? Not much.
Fortunately, we had a friend, who had friends who played D&D on the weekends. What luck right? Needless to say we were really excited about getting an invite to join the group one Saturday. Matt, our friend with the connections, helped us to create our characters and even gave us some beautiful pencil drawings of his interpretation of what our characters looked like. I wish I still knew where my character drawing was. I have a feeling that one of my siblings took it. Just like they took the handpainted figurines I rightful stole from my dad. Anyway, this time I picked a rogue character to play I figured as a rogue I would be able to take a hit. As it turns out the rogue class is the type of character I still prefer.
The day of the campaign arrived and Matt walked us to his friends house for the game. For the next couple of hours we played, talked and laughed. It was great. I didn't die once! But then again we had a pretty big party: 2 warriors, 1 rogue, 1 magic user and a priest. Everything was going great until I started noticing the the world around me -the real world that is. We were in a cold basement that had a foul stale smell. The DM got a nose bleed early in the game and had to play the rest of it with toilet paper up his nose. Then I noticed that one of the players was the really 'dark' guy from school, who reminded me of the unibomber, kinda creeped me out. In the end, even though we really did enjoyed the game, both Louise and I agreed that we were not going to do that again. It was too close to cliche for comfort.
I sometimes wish I hadn't been so shallow and continued to go. But even as I write this it occurs to me that the guys never actually invited us to play again either. Who knows, maybe they were put off by having girls play with them. Perhaps we were too n00bish. I'll never know for sure.
And another thing, why is the cliche of D&D gaming that of a group of social misfits gaming in the basement? Everyone else I know who has D&D gaming groups are well adjusted and play in the dinning room (better table space). Something to think about.
Fortunately, we had a friend, who had friends who played D&D on the weekends. What luck right? Needless to say we were really excited about getting an invite to join the group one Saturday. Matt, our friend with the connections, helped us to create our characters and even gave us some beautiful pencil drawings of his interpretation of what our characters looked like. I wish I still knew where my character drawing was. I have a feeling that one of my siblings took it. Just like they took the handpainted figurines I rightful stole from my dad. Anyway, this time I picked a rogue character to play I figured as a rogue I would be able to take a hit. As it turns out the rogue class is the type of character I still prefer.
The day of the campaign arrived and Matt walked us to his friends house for the game. For the next couple of hours we played, talked and laughed. It was great. I didn't die once! But then again we had a pretty big party: 2 warriors, 1 rogue, 1 magic user and a priest. Everything was going great until I started noticing the the world around me -the real world that is. We were in a cold basement that had a foul stale smell. The DM got a nose bleed early in the game and had to play the rest of it with toilet paper up his nose. Then I noticed that one of the players was the really 'dark' guy from school, who reminded me of the unibomber, kinda creeped me out. In the end, even though we really did enjoyed the game, both Louise and I agreed that we were not going to do that again. It was too close to cliche for comfort.
I sometimes wish I hadn't been so shallow and continued to go. But even as I write this it occurs to me that the guys never actually invited us to play again either. Who knows, maybe they were put off by having girls play with them. Perhaps we were too n00bish. I'll never know for sure.
And another thing, why is the cliche of D&D gaming that of a group of social misfits gaming in the basement? Everyone else I know who has D&D gaming groups are well adjusted and play in the dinning room (better table space). Something to think about.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Memories of Family Games Night (D n' D)
My family plays games. Ever since I can remember my parents made sure that we spent time playing together. It wasn't a 'thou shalt' every Thursday night thing, not that there is anything wrong with that. But it was often, and it evolved as we grew up, and our interests changed.
One of my first memories of my parents gaming, is really just vague images of my dad having his friends over for D n' D. I don't remember anything specific, just that I wished I could play too. I also remember the annoyance of having to go to bed just as the game started. It was a big mystery to me what they did. All I knew was that it involved dice, little metal figurines my dad painted, and all sorts of maps. In short: pretty cool.
Imagine my happiness when my older cousins Josh and Virgil came over to visit when I was 10 and my dad offered to DM a game for us. I couldn't believe it my luck. Dungeons and Dragons was a game for adults! This was my chance to enter in to a world of adventure and fantasy that I had been blocked from my whole life. Now if only I understood how to play the game...
I got to be the magic user, while Josh and Virg were a fighter and a priest. My dad sat at his desk looking very serious, while we sat on the nearby couch and chairs. I wondered if my cousins would notice that I had no idea what I was doing.
Even though I didn't really understand what was going on, I was still happy to be there. I got to finally play, and use the cool 20 sided die my dad had. (I loved the colours and the novelty of them). These were my dad's special dice that we were not allowed to play with them, touch them, and it was better not to even think about them. My fingers itched to touch them. I had visions of this game going on for hours and the great adventures we would have. I wanted to destroy an ogre with a fireball!
I lasted maybe 2 rooms in the dungeon before my dad informed me that I died as a result of my injuries from the first skirmish. The priest forgot to heal me. Game over. It totally sucked.
My next 'real' foray into the world of Dungeon and Dragons was much more fun, really cliche, but much more fun. But that's another story.
One of my first memories of my parents gaming, is really just vague images of my dad having his friends over for D n' D. I don't remember anything specific, just that I wished I could play too. I also remember the annoyance of having to go to bed just as the game started. It was a big mystery to me what they did. All I knew was that it involved dice, little metal figurines my dad painted, and all sorts of maps. In short: pretty cool.
Imagine my happiness when my older cousins Josh and Virgil came over to visit when I was 10 and my dad offered to DM a game for us. I couldn't believe it my luck. Dungeons and Dragons was a game for adults! This was my chance to enter in to a world of adventure and fantasy that I had been blocked from my whole life. Now if only I understood how to play the game...
I got to be the magic user, while Josh and Virg were a fighter and a priest. My dad sat at his desk looking very serious, while we sat on the nearby couch and chairs. I wondered if my cousins would notice that I had no idea what I was doing.
Even though I didn't really understand what was going on, I was still happy to be there. I got to finally play, and use the cool 20 sided die my dad had. (I loved the colours and the novelty of them). These were my dad's special dice that we were not allowed to play with them, touch them, and it was better not to even think about them. My fingers itched to touch them. I had visions of this game going on for hours and the great adventures we would have. I wanted to destroy an ogre with a fireball!
I lasted maybe 2 rooms in the dungeon before my dad informed me that I died as a result of my injuries from the first skirmish. The priest forgot to heal me. Game over. It totally sucked.
My next 'real' foray into the world of Dungeon and Dragons was much more fun, really cliche, but much more fun. But that's another story.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Minecraft lego! For real?!?
Thinkgeek tweeted about this a couple of days ago. I think I know what I want for my birthday.
Ya know... just to display in the library... not to actually play with or anything...
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/12/06/minecraft-lego-minecraft-lego/
Ya know... just to display in the library... not to actually play with or anything...
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/12/06/minecraft-lego-minecraft-lego/
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
What's your game?
When I think about different types of gamers I usually think along the lines of computer gamers vs. console gamers. Or gamers who prefer FPS games to RPG. Generally speaking, when I think of gaming, or gamers, my mind goes to electronic games. This is not to say I don't play board games, I love board games. But I just figured if you play boardgames, you enjoy all boardgames. I only recently realized how wrong I was and that there are different types of board game gamers.
I know, you are thinking: 'Uh... duh newb!' But I honestly just assumed that everyone had the same exposure to a variety of boardgames growing up that I had. That their parents, being responsible and concerned with their childs' development made sure to expose them to an assortment of different games, teaching them to appreciate all games for their unique qualities.
It was my last -board- games night with friends from work that awakened me to the reality that everyone games differently in every gaming format. My friends are a definite type of gamer; they prefer to play group party games like Cranium, Taboo and Ouburst. Any game that involves yelling, teams, and opportunities for amusing outbursts are an instant success. I enjoy these games too, but as I also realized that night, those are not my preferred game.
I had been dying to introduce my friends to one of my favourite role playing (lite) strategy games: Betrayal at House on the Hill, -think Clue meets Scooby Doo -on steroids. What could possibly go wrong? I had already played this game numerous times with other friends and my family. It is quite simply an awesome, fun filled game. It has excellent plots, twists, and opportunities for you to collaborate to destroy a common enemy... unless you turn out to be the traitor, then all bets are off.
Imagine my dismay when the game flopped. Just when things were getting interesting! The haunt had just begun, and I looked looked around to my friends getting ready to do some serious ploting only to discover they were all staring at their phones! checking Facebook, texting, tweeting, and generally not engaged. I was so disappointed. Here I had suffered through endless party games and now had the chance to really game and my friends had checked out. How could this have happened? (My one consolation was that at least I wasn't the only one who was disengaged during the party game portion of the night; one friend actually fell asleep during Taboo, even with one of his teammates yelling in his ear. He left early. Ah good times!)
And that's when I realized two things:
1. I'm a bit of a game snob despite my assertion that I love all games,
and
2. That there is a board game for every group/individual... you just need to agree on which genre to choose.
And I guess the same goes for every game format, from computer, console, board and card games; there are subcategories and genres that appeal to different people. It just means like in everything in life that sometimes you'll have to compromise. Even if it means playing Taboo... again.
I know, you are thinking: 'Uh... duh newb!' But I honestly just assumed that everyone had the same exposure to a variety of boardgames growing up that I had. That their parents, being responsible and concerned with their childs' development made sure to expose them to an assortment of different games, teaching them to appreciate all games for their unique qualities.
It was my last -board- games night with friends from work that awakened me to the reality that everyone games differently in every gaming format. My friends are a definite type of gamer; they prefer to play group party games like Cranium, Taboo and Ouburst. Any game that involves yelling, teams, and opportunities for amusing outbursts are an instant success. I enjoy these games too, but as I also realized that night, those are not my preferred game.
I had been dying to introduce my friends to one of my favourite role playing (lite) strategy games: Betrayal at House on the Hill, -think Clue meets Scooby Doo -on steroids. What could possibly go wrong? I had already played this game numerous times with other friends and my family. It is quite simply an awesome, fun filled game. It has excellent plots, twists, and opportunities for you to collaborate to destroy a common enemy... unless you turn out to be the traitor, then all bets are off.
Imagine my dismay when the game flopped. Just when things were getting interesting! The haunt had just begun, and I looked looked around to my friends getting ready to do some serious ploting only to discover they were all staring at their phones! checking Facebook, texting, tweeting, and generally not engaged. I was so disappointed. Here I had suffered through endless party games and now had the chance to really game and my friends had checked out. How could this have happened? (My one consolation was that at least I wasn't the only one who was disengaged during the party game portion of the night; one friend actually fell asleep during Taboo, even with one of his teammates yelling in his ear. He left early. Ah good times!)
And that's when I realized two things:
1. I'm a bit of a game snob despite my assertion that I love all games,
and
2. That there is a board game for every group/individual... you just need to agree on which genre to choose.
And I guess the same goes for every game format, from computer, console, board and card games; there are subcategories and genres that appeal to different people. It just means like in everything in life that sometimes you'll have to compromise. Even if it means playing Taboo... again.
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