So this week we read about gender and gaming for class... Gender is always an interesting topic for me because I have a sort of visceral reaction to the highlighting of gender differences. I also have sort of defined myself in opposition to gender stereotypes most of my life while also not falling into the tomboy stereotype (I wasn't very athletic).

On the one hand, it made me more aware of my gender-stereotypic motivation in my enjoyment of games that are built for play in short intervals, not only because I am a mother and must share my attention, but also because when there are small digestible pieces, I end up consuming more (like the draw of potato chips). On the other hand, while reading about the aspects Purple Moon supposedly attracted girls with, I kept thinking... THIS IS NOT ME!

[About the short games... I played about two hours of WoW again, mostly spending that time reuniting my ghost with my body after getting in over my head. Then, a friend mentioned this game which I ended up playing waaaay past bedtime and the next morning.]

Now, I know that gender stereotypes are averages of a normal curve, sometimes caricatures even, but it is frustrating to not identify with this gender norm for my gender. I feel sort of left out in a way I have always been very conscious of. I am knowledgeable about the stereotype that I do not fit. It is a choice that I am aware of. I don't gravitate toward the pink and fluffy. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a publicized niche for the type of girl and girl-gamer that I am.

This seems in conflict with general accepted roles for the genders. As Brenda Laurel (Purple Moon creator) mentioned in class today, there are many acceptable roles for girls/women while the spectrum for acceptable boys' roles is very narrow. In the gaming world, there seems to be one type of acceptable girl that the games market to. Perhaps this is because Mattel bought out all their competitors in order to protect the Barbie brand. However, since girls are so interested (in their inner life) in fantasy, I think there should be at least a sort of unisex category of fantasy games that appeal to both genders. And like Wayne? was saying in class this game doesn't need to encompass the different things that each gender desires, but the things that overlap!

The other possibility (which I mentioned in class) is that because the range of acceptable behavior for girls is broad while the range of acceptable behavior for boys is very narrow, perhaps the boys have a greater need and motivation to explore their identities in these safe places to a greater extent than girls, thus partially explaining the high incidence of boy gamers...