Haha Lauren u rape my face!! Basically i agree with all that. For all those WOW players. ur not a gamer..get a life, or another game for that matter..

I hate seeing naked girls with controllers hiding their gines, thats fucking LAME AND GROSS!!!!!! all that did was show me your a fucking SLUT with some video game equiptment around. ghey ghey ghey...you suck nuts! (prob Literally too)

I could careless about the all female clans, that doesnt really bug me too much. PMS is the biggest, but whoop dee do, do u want a freakin cookie? Im in the ACK Ladies, which is a division in the ACK Clan. and we are all family we dont play halo 2 24/7, we are all mostly on GOW or RS3V. So yeah..we rock..All those halo 2 only girl clans are ugly and have no lives. Seriously. "ZOMG HALO 2 FTW!!!!!!" no. But yes lauren, i see where u are coming from. Me, I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I reserve every good game thats about to come out, and I play everyday for 8-12 hours. (except when I have a migraine...that doesnt count) So, yeah im a fucking GAMER, and I don't need to be fake and pose naked pictures with controllers or games all over me!..fuck that shit! But yeah, lately, I've noticed what you are talking about..cause I just joined a site called www.thegamergirls.com and Im on the forums, but I do believe its mostly for PC gamers, I haven't seen anyone Tooo INTO gaming really. But yeah..they are nice, but not hardcore enough for me. and their models i think, dont even game, but yet the posing half naked with the famous controllers. SO yeah. you + me = Rapeness. LOVE YOU! Kelly Kelley

Lauren is made of absolutely correct. Excellent post.

I agree with all the points you made. It's funny that you mention Chobot though, because just yesterday my friends called me up and were asking what was the name of "that one hot chick that licked a PSP."

okay long post will be long.
firstly i have alot of respect for you, your a stong enough person that you dont have to think and be a cetrain way to impress pepole.

i do use the term girl gamer i use it simply becuase its an ailliteration, and thierfore it rolls off the tounge well.

i dont mind women showing what they got. in all firness, if your happy with how you look, then go for it. BUT, thier will come a point where i will get sick of seeing your pushed up DD chest and will ask 'do you actually paly any games'. if they can show me thier skills, prove they have them. go you!
though i draw attention back to them miss video games awards, im sorry, was it jsut me or were none of them girls ordinary looking!? they were all stuidly beautiful! like normaly girls dont play games, or if they did, they couldny possably be any good.

i have actully never met a guy who has an issue with me being a female who playvideo games and i cringe when i read the gaming magazines as women write in to compalin that they are offended by the boobs on page14. im sorry but women in gaming ARE a minority. thats life, i accept it, in fact id like to think im grown up enough to not be offnded by, for example, laura crofts short shorts and can actually enjoy the game for what it is.
i do feel that many all female websites and clans, do carry on creating the stigma that there is a need for women to be different.

im not innocent, yeah, i cosplay, and yeah, i took a photo of myself in my nintendo tshirt. i can be accused of flaunting myself at certain points (EG for example). id jsut like to think that i do these things for the right reason, for FUN. like cam whoring at london expo.

I think the whole hot girl gamers versus regular girl gamers is an issue between the two (yes lets pass a law stopping percieved hotties from making a clan, cause ya know, they get all the attention or maybe get hired by IGN lol)... I don't mean to bash but it seems like you have this perception that gamers girls should not flaunt and play multiple games to be a gamer. I never knew such restrictions applied.

Look the only reason gamer girls get any attention at all is because gaming is big fucking magnet to just about any guy. whether the girl is hot or not, the gaming aspect bumps her up 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. I am not going to deny that maybe some girls who are cute are jus taking advantage of gamerdude's fantastical demands, but did you ever think that hot gamer girls are maybe trying to help bring in other girls who normally don't game because gamer girls in most social circles are seen as tobmboys? I tip my hat to these girls because it seems like they're actually trying to break social boundries and set an example for future generations of gamers.

Also What I found interesting was the statement of nongamer girls who post pics and wish for popularity... I think you'd be surprised how many girls out there, cute or not think smart guys/gamers are attractive. (yes these girls are rare

Overall, What I'm trying to say is before you rant think about all the other possibilities before hand and maybe post them as well. Cause as far as I read I just see the perspective of a "Authentic Girl Gamer" who thinks she has a mediocre appearance and got popular online the "hard" way and is not moving anywhere in the gaming industry because she's stunted by her looks.

It's Just how I see things from your writing on what you feel and think. I'm not looking for an arguement, just trying to verify my perceptions.

@Reywep Thanks for the comment :-)
The saying "if you've got it, flaunt it" comes to mind. What frustrates me is that these communities of "pretty girl gamers" really... boil down to "join my myspace" or "look at me" or "be my friend". But from past experience, you add them as friends you try get a conversation going and you get nothing back.

There is a female on the dtoid forums who's posts are 100% photo thread ONLY. And each post is a new photo of herself. Now unless she is talking to everyone via PM.. what is the point. This user doesn't comment on the blogs, only goes on the forum to post photos and doesn't seen to interact with anyone else unless they have commented on her photo.

I am very welcome for new girls to come into the community. I would never of introduced my friend Hollie to destructoid otherwise. Aktrez is setting up a website called the girl gaming network which she explained to me is nothing more than to market to newer gamers and they are targeting females.

I didn't feel the need to go on about authentic model like gamers because Virtual Girl is a very obvious one. She has a lot of model photos on her myspace but is also an extremely talented artist and passionate gamer.

The reason I brought this blog on was more to relate my feelings to the current situation and burry the hatchet too.
I also didn't want to write the worlds longest rant-worthy essay because in that I would of argued both sides. I mearly wanted to bring up my main worries for the future of females in gaming communities.

Now I never ever said that my looks were stopping me from getting into the industry. I was stating that looks have gotten other females, for example Chobot, into the industry as a stepping stone. If she was not pretty, her liking a psp would of meant fuck all to a lot of people. My inability to get into the industry is my lack of experience and also living in a country where industry jobs are sparse and sought after.
I do feel I have mediocre appearance but that also has nothing to do with this post. If I was drop dead gorgeously I wouldn't go for a photo shoot and post it on the internet unless I was trying to be a model, which if a lifestyle I don't believe I could handle.
Also on the "hard" way note. I am sorry but you've talked bull right there. I never said it was hard to me to get into the community. Actually the majority of communities I join I manage to get known pretty quickly. Why? Because I become part of the community! By taking part. Not by flashing myself all over. I am outspoken which is usually an easy way to get noticed.

It's nice to see a male perspective objecting to what I have written. I want to see the issue from all angles and people's feelings. Why I wrote this blog.

Wow! Good post, This is been something i have been thinking about for a long time, and will most likely post about on my own at some time, its a complicated subject...

You just posted your last response before i was done typeing this, and thank for not throwing me under the bus, i was worried that i was the epitome of what you are talking about...lol

I have a ton of serious conversations with my husband about how to approach the gaming industry...and i never know what to do. I have been getting a lot of attention because I do model, but games are my life, I know that i will work in the industry (graphic design or writing) someday, and i want to make sure that i get the chance because i am an extreamly hard worker, and because of my talents, not because of how i look...

So what do I do? Stop modeling? take down my photos? I already pulled a few off since the girl gamer article on gamerhelp.com, but for the most part i am stuck on what to do and how to be taken seriously...

Its anoying that female gamers have to work so hard to be taken seriously, and i really dont know some times if i am helping or hurting that cause...I know i am guilty of doing "gaming related" shoots, which i agree with you, usually are just done for attention or to market yourself a specific way...to me i was just combining my hobbies...

Modeling for me was a proffession, now a hobby, and is most likely soon going to go away all together, gaming is my life and it is not going anywhere...its sad, but i dont want to get in to a proffession because of how i look, but becuase of my skills...

If you have any suggestions, please throw them to me, you seem to be very well respected in the community!!!

@babafettm

I know where you are coming from, and i know how easy (unfortunatly) it would be for me to get where i want to go because of my looks and my gender, but i feel like i should be exposing my work, not my body to get there...

I did piss off a large part of the female community with an article i did recently, where the site picked the photos off of my myspace modeling profile and surprise surprise they picked the few lingere shoots i have ever done to feature...i guess i should have seen that comming...

I got some really horrible responses to it, some just mean, and others from a ton of girls who said i was setting a bad example for other girls...and that really got to me...I am a gamer, the last think i want to do is alienate other people like me...

@Raywep. Haha, no worries. I could of just replied "fag" but that would of not been very nice and it's not how I feel LOL :D Would of been funny though xD

Anyway, I do come off very bias sometimes. Take me with a pinch of salts :D

Sorry it too awhile to comment. As I was saying to Loserly a couple of hours ago, this has more to do with marketing people taking advantage of the fact that a some gamers are lonely losers who will friend anyone with a hot looking avatar (just look at MySpace and 1up); so they make up these 'female gaming clans' (cough: Ubisoft) which are nothing more than marketing tools for lonely men who also happen to be gamers.

To be fair, this also happens in other arenas as well (once again, look at MySpace), so I think it's unfair to just focus on the game industry.

Who's to blame for this? Marketers, or the dumb people that fall for this crap? I blame the idiot's, like the people on MySpace who will gladly friend anyone with a hot avatar who sends then a friend invite - without realizing that the "hot girl" they just accepted is really a 400 pound man, who's only intention is to infect that dumb guy's computer with adware.

I do take issue with the fact that people who only play one game are not true "gamers". That's like saying that people who only watch Basketball or Soccer are not sports fans.

ok u can't count Anna Kournikova as a female. shes just a tennis playing Attention whore/slut. Shes gross beyond everything I believe in. I hate her for make females in tennis look like absolute sluts. Thank you and Im done with her.

@boba

Of all those women in those pics you posted, how many of them are actually above average in their profession of choice?

or do you just dislike anna in particular?

won* not one. haha nubby

oh well now u know that they don't "suck" at what they do. Just a little fyi. lolz.

@atheistium

oh no hun, I wasn't trying to imply that you wanted the populatiry. you're attractive and intelligent enough to get that without having to resort to taking your shirt off.

I guess what i was trying to say was. you'd like to get your feet in the industry without having to become a complete sellout in the process. and i wouldn't blame you. you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, i'm sure you'll find your way

@puppet

Nbuisnesow shush the big people are talking serious business

the repsonses have been fantastic to read, its been really interesting to see peoples opinions, on what i expected to be a really touchy subject.
i guess lots of us are going to take a differnet stand on this whole issue, but its nice to see that people are actually taking in what others are saying.

i guess what ever happens thier are always gonna be people who use their looks and sexuality to make things work for them. as long as thier are people like that thier are gonna be people, who to some degree, belvie its acceptable or unacceptable from thier stand point.
its interesting to on a personal level, that yeah i used to post loads of pics of myself, like on my myspace, and yeah i will freely admit, i liked getting comments. but making new friends over the course of this year (yeah she knows who she is) has really started to change my way of thinking. i know on my part it was self confidence. thanks to a certain someone, im starting to learn that i shouldnt have to seek such reassurance from random people, or give two shits what they think.actually now i think about it, im guilty of pretty much everything athe lsited at some point, i like to think im maturing a little though, hahaha.


im sorry i spelt lara wrong, dad was yelling at me at the time, he wanted to put a golf club for sale on ebay, i want to reply to your post, conflict arose!

I'll have to say my little piece.

There are no gaming girls. simple. clean cut. And likewise, there are no gaming guys. There is just gamers. Thats how I've always seen and thats how I will continue to see it. There are gamers and non-gamers and a lot of these 'popular' women and men as well are none gamers, they sold themselves for a pretty penny and do the gaming for a pr flick. Now I know not all of them are like that, but there are those out there who ARE like that, where gaming became a marketing stunt for them and no longer something that they enjoyed. I could be wrong I suppose, I just cant stand to see gaming turned into everything else out there, where the popular becomes the weekly pr stunt to promote something. Sex and Money talks I suppose, even in the gaming industry.

@Dyslixec

good call

@Lemon
From what I've spoke to Aktrez about GGN its the girl gaming is mearly a marketing campaign to get new gamers in and its targeted at females. It's not a clan/league. It's to get NEW females into gaming.

I don't even know if I should say anything because it looks like everything's been said. I agree that girl gamers is a ridiculous label. You really hardly ever do see less attractive girls labeled as girl gamers, they're just nobodies to the general gaming public. Why is that? Since when did gaming become some "in" thing where hot people are allowed to represent us? I want to see people of all shapes, genders, ages and sizes at gaming tournaments and online interviews. As a straight guy with standards I have a hard time saying this but it's true, we need less nice boobs and more moobs.

Reywep"but did you ever think that hot gamer girls are maybe trying to help bring in other girls who normally don't game because gamer girls in most social circles are seen as tobmboys?"

I have a friend that was a closet gamer when i met her a couple of years ago when we were still in high school. In her case she would hide that she played games because the people she hanged out with considered it a geek, and thus a lame, thing.

Now she's not bad looking, but she's the type that looked up to britney spears and cristina aguilera, the type of girl who would like to be "fergulicious" in appearance. She's not all casual either (she likes RTSs), so even tough i agree that there shouldn't be so much emphasis on the girl part of "girl gamers", i can see things like that bringing girls like my friend into gaming, or at least give it an opportunity.

Also, this reminded me of Futurama, the episode where Leela plays blernsball and at the end she becomes an inspiration making all other female players try to be better to prove that not all girls suck at the sport.

LEMONS A BLACK GAMER! SEGREGATE HIM AT ONCE! :P

@Detry
Yes I do can you email them to me ASAP thank you xoxo

OMG GIRLS ON THE INTERNET WTF LOL!?!?!???

srsly, I think people make a huge deal out of nothing, I mean does it really matter whether you got a shlong