What Does it Mean to be a "Girl Gamer"?

This week's guest post is right on track with a topic that keeps coming up during the making of She Got Game. A lot of people ask me "who qualifies as a girl gamer?" (as if it's up to me to be the judge of that! Whaaaaaaaat?) They want to know how many hours you spend playing, how many games you play, how much you need to know about it in general to be considered a "real girl gamer." A lot of people have also asked me if the term "girl gamer" has some kind of special meaning they don't know about. Well, rather than trying to compile some kind of generalization on girl gamers, I want to share this fantastic piece by Kirara Koneko, a self-identified gamer girl who's here to help explain what that means from a personal stand point. Her blog can be found here if you're interested in honor of her "three loves, Japan, Video Games and Life."

________________________________________

Kirara:

What does it mean to be a "girl gamer"? This isn't really a question that I ask myself, I don't really ever even think about that question. Until I see the look on people's faces when they find out I play games. For me, and I would assume for most of us "girl gamers," we don't think about it, because this is just the way that we are. 

I am female, an adult, and I like, no dare I say, LOVE video games! I am just like the men/boy gamers of the world. So why are we seen so differently? For some reason females in gaming are seen as this elusive species, a legend, an urban myth, a unicorn. So let me let you in on a little secret, we exist! We are out there, you walk by us every day, you talk to us, you interact with us, in some cases we might even be your boss. And just in case nobody noticed there are females in the gaming industry working hard to create these games we have all dedicated countless hours to, and guess what...they are doing it right alongside the men!

So why am I asking this question now? I don't think most people realize what women take on when they find themselves drawn to what, from an outsider (and even some insiders) feel, is a boys club. Most of the time we are dismissed, and it is automatically assumed that we can't play or that all we play are Hello Kitty and Disney games (absolutely nothing wrong with that) but there is so much more to us. We don't all get into gaming because our brothers or boyfriends taught us too. Most of us found ourselves attracted by the amazing worlds that opened up literally at our fingertips. Most of us taught ourselves how to play with countless hours of sometimes frustrating gameplay, and for most of us years later, we still love it!

So let me share with you the story of one such "girl gamer." I was young and completely unaware of the video game world. I had seen my uncle play with an Atari, but I was never allowed to play, because of course... I was a girl. One day I happened to find myself staring wide eyed at a Sega Genesis, I still remember what it felt like. I was just walking by, minding my own business at the local toy store, and all of the sudden behind this glass cabinet was this amazing shiny black box that literally screamed out my name. It was indescribable, I had to 
have it! It looked beautiful, and the worlds it promised, I literally stood there enthralled. I pressed my little face up to the glass hoping that somehow magically through osmosis I could just touch it. Fortunately the gods were smiling down on me, and my mom decided I had been a good enough little girl to warrant such a gift. 

You see I am the oldest of four--the only girl--and she was about to have my first of three younger brothers. So really, I think she was just trying to butter me up for permanent baby sitter availability. This one moment is what started it all, and from that moment on I was hooked. I spent hours completely immersed in so many games that to this day I still absolutely love. Fortunately some of them have even been remade, Castle of Illusion being one of those games I loved, and after having a chance to play it again recently it is still amazing. I have to say my only regret of those early gaming days is never having beat Ecco the Dolphin (those were definitely my first nerd rage moments). As I continued to grow and my desire for games increased I discovered Nintendo, and let's just say they stole my heart. 

Throughout the years there have been so many games that I have enjoyed and I literally own every gaming console and handheld, in some case multiples that have come out since the Genesis (except a Neo Geo Pocket that was stolen and never replaced). But for some reason there is no other that speaks to my heart the way Nintendo does. There is a small exception to that, Gears of War, and I don't know what it is about that series that touched me but I actually cried more than once as I played through the trilogy (I say that because I didn't play the last one, a slight boycott since Cliff Blezinski had nothing to do with it). So many years and so many games, but one thing remains the same I am a gamer!

I wait with baited breath for word on the latest releases from my favorite developers. I subscribe to numerous gaming magazines. I follow news online about the goings on of the gaming world. I have even been known to cosplay now and again. It's no secret to those that know me that if you just but peaked inside my bag you would surely find my 3DS XL. My little friend and I have only been parted twice, once for surgery, and once because it was stolen, the latter a very sad experience as not only did I not have my little friend but OH MY GOD, my save data!

It is also no secret that I'd rather spend quality time at home playing my latest game on a day off than wasting it at the mall or some other place that us girls are supposed to go. I strategically organize my schedule to ensure that I have the release day and a couple of days off after the launch to make the most of my gaming time (can't wait for the Destiny launch and 3 days off). My most recent acquisition was Diablo III Ultimate (not enough games like this). I find myself wanting to jump out of my comfort zone and try games that I might not be as great at but where I am drawn by the world. I will even share another little secret with you... I am a damn good sniper!

So you see, we are not all that different from all the other gamers you know. So I ask you, in the end aren't we all just gamers that love, hate, and dive in to these vast universes time and time again to experience and enjoy the possibilities at our fingertips?

Laughing at Gamer Girls: Portrayals in Comic Culture

I decided to continue comic-hunting this week and I thought we could share a few laughs over the English version of "Living with Hipster Girl and Gamer Girl." As you can imagine, this comic has gotten the full range of reader commentary from raving reviews to scathing complaints, maybe stemming from the fact that the girls are sexy and the author is a man. Anyway, these may not jive with everyone's sense of humo(u)r but I thought I'd post them as food-for-thought on the public image of gamer girls.

Funny or not? Accurate or not? The main question I'm interested in today is: what kind of portrayal is worth getting upset about? What kind of image are women gamers trying to make or break? Where do we draw the line when it comes to "gamer humor"? And when do we think things are just plain funny, without worrying about whether or not they're PC? Let me know what you think!

(Sexual content, just to warn you if you're at work or anything...also, I apologize about the different image sizes which I couldn't fix using this blog template. Luckily all of the originals can be found on the website above!)

Quick intro: The redhead is the hipster, the brunette is the gamer and the guy with the black hair is the self-declared non-emo roommate. Each character gets made fun of throughout the series but each one has some slick one-liners too.

Awkward Zombie: Something that'll make your day!

Hi! 

In light of still being on the road, I decided that this week should be a fun "vacation from blogging" week. Whether you're secretly reading this at work, or on your phone on the bus, or just at home in your living room, I want to wish you a happy Thursday by sharing my favourite excerpts form Awkward Zombie!!!

Last month I met Katie Tiedrich, the fantastic auteur behind the comics, at ConBravo in Hamilton. I found her very charming and easy to talk to. She has a totally laid back and macabre-but-cute sense of humour which I'm quite in to. AND a lot of her in-jokes are Nintendo-related which is just great. 

So enjoy! And definitely check out the rest of Katie's work. If you love it, post it on your friend's wall! Or even better, ORDER SWEET PRINTS! Ok now for the comics.

Katie commented: 

"The original female vampire costume in Bravely Default was actually considered TOO SEXY for American eyeballs, so the localized version of the game threw some more layers on there! I guess it's still supposed to be way hot, but I thought it was funny that it was also the class that mimics gross monster attacks like barf jets."

How you feel when you're playing Fallout:


No caption necessary!

...and 2 Zelda ones since I'm doing the picking:

That's it for today! Enjoy your Thursday and don't forget to tell the world about Awkward Zombie!!!

So I'm in Japan! ...and Madly Hoping Google is Wrong About Japanese Women Gamers

Hey, how's it going? 

Good, good. I'm doing pretty well myself. Currently lying on a nice comfy futon with a belly full of tempura and sashimi enjoying the air conditioning after spending a fun 35-degree day in my beloved Japan! For anyone I haven't told already, I lived in Japan for two years after my undergrad working as an English teacher in a public junior high. I was living in Yamagata, which is a beautiful, rural, mountainous area in the north of the main island. I can't explain what that experience meant to me, but it's something that'll probably stay with me forever.

Since I started working on She Got Game, a lot of people have asked me whether living in Japan really got me into gaming. In fact, the thought never really occurred to me. Of course Japan is a total gaming mecca, but I never heard a single word about gaming the whole time I was living here. Seriously (Ok--maybe one of my students mentioned Pokemon once or twice cause they were all like 12 years old, but that was about it.) I never once met anyone who identified as a "gamer" or who was really into the fan culture. I was living in an area that still used blackboards and fax machines...so needless to say it wasn't rocking out in the technology department.

Anyway, this summer my boyfriend and I decided to come back not only to visit everyone and to explore, but also to do a little research for this project. It's actually been tricky to find any personal content--you know like blogs, vlogs and articles by Japanese women gamers. If I were to only rely on English Google, here's what I'd get when searching "Japanese Girl Gamer":

First we've got Otome Games which I find pretty fascinating. For those of you who aren't familiar, they're like interactive visual novels which are targeted at women by giving the main character some racy, romantic encounters with the hot guys in the story. Something like this scenario:

Now maybe this isn't your cup of tea, but the interesting thing is it's totally consistent with other aspects of the culture which cater specifically to women's romantic fantasies. Hell I once found myself in a Butler Cafe with a friend of mine where everything I said was met with, "Yes, my Princess." Never have I ever been so embarrassed in my life. Moving on.

Anyway, whether or not the women in these games match up with our idea of great female characters, there is something to be said for the fact that there's a distinct market devoted to what we all supposedly, secretly want. 

Next on the Google list is this thread on Where to Find a Gamer Girl, which doesn't say anything about Japanese women, but which says:


"If your looking for places to find girl gamers, your best options (from what ive learned) are A: Japanese produced games. Harvest Moon is almost a chick magnet. Everyone female gamer ive met has played, and enjoyed a Harvest Moon game. I think its because of how much more adorable and fun Japanese games can be. (Im not saying women ARNT into hardcore gaming, im just saying its slightly less likely from my own experience.)"

Harvest Moon, ladies and gents:

One of the only thoughtful articles I read on the subject was written by Jacqueline Cottrell who was working for the Jace Hall Show. She interviewed Ryako Asumi, a close friend and avid gamer, to find out what it's like to be a girl gamer in Japan.

According to Ryako, "In Japan, women who game, or just the average otaku woman in general, can be looked down upon by both men and women." She also mentions that, "being a woman in Japan who games is kind of like waving a red flag in front of a bull: If I were to announce I’m a gamer in a crowded room of men, maybe 90% of them would try and have sex with me."

WOW. Sounds just fabulous, doesn't it? I actually messaged Jacqueline about the article and she said she'd pass on the word to Ryako. With any luck, I'll be able to meet her in person while I'm here and talk about these issues in more detail.REST ASSURED there's got to be way more to Japanese women gamers than the internet lets on. From my experience of living here, personal introductions make all the difference. I'm hoping that my visit here will help to flesh out the paltry image that dominates the web.

Wish me luck on my hunt for interviews!
皆さん、いつも読んでくれてありがとうございます。またね

Cheers

Red Sun: The Early Life of an Indie Game

Last weekend at ConBravo in Hamilton, I had the chance to meet some pretty awesome people after our interviews and panel called "Crowdfunding and the Independent Artist." There are so many of you out there doing rad creative things that deserve people's attention, so I was glad I could offer some tips that might save you a headache or two.

On that note, I want to introduce you to one of the indie artists I met, Richelle Rueda, who's spent the past several months on the dev team for a game called Red Sun (which looks like an exciting dark twist on the classic Bo-Peep.) I've always wondered what it's like to build a game from scratch and trying to co-ordinate a team of people who might have competing visions for the final product. SO here's a behind-the-scenes look at the process and some of the challenges of starting your own project:

A Little Information

My name is Richelle Rueda. I graduated from Texas A&M with a B.Sc. in biology. I worked in oncology research for three years, but I have always been an avid gamer. During school I worked as a freelance 2D artist under the pen name FireCatRich on deviantart. While my freelance work is primarily digital, I’ve had formal training in 2D and 3D traditional art at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, receiving high honors upon completion of my studies. This past year I've been in the post-graduate game design program at Sheridan. There I led a small development team through their capstone project from concept to completion in the summer of 2014. 

Red Sun is a vertical slice - a small, polished sample or demo that is representative of a larger game - a 2-D puzzle platformer that was built in Unity 4. Ideally this can be used in a presentation to potential employers or investors as a sample of our work even if the larger game is never finished. The developer’s blog for Red Sun can be found here.

The Pitch

In December of 2013, all the designers in my cohort were tasked with making a short game pitch for our peers and the programming students. There were two main goals to this pitch. The first was to illustrate a clear vision for a game, highlighting its unique characteristics and project risks. The second goal was to demonstrate our personal skills and what we could offer to the team. The sculpture below was made to do both. I was the only traditional sculptor in the class and while it did not directly contribute to the digital game, it did demonstrate my clear vision of the main character and my dedication to the project.

The games pitches with the most votes were then able to form teams in January. Red Sun had a total of four members when the entire process was completed, with two designers and two programmers.

The original game proposal was then mapped out. The GDD (game design document) was written as though we had unlimited time and manpower on the project. This helped us to get all of our widely ranging ideas and goals for the project on paper. All of our team members had the opportunity to add their own ideas into the game, though not all of them chose to do so. While it was frustrating to not receive that much input from the other members of the team, my personal goal was to have the main characters--Bo, her sheep, and the gooey wolf antagonists-- fully realized within the game. Below is some very early concept work I did for the wolves.

The most difficult part of the development process that I’ve had to go through so far was re-evaluating the original proposal once a group was put together. The original proposal was, intentionally, very grand and far more than could possibly be done in the 4 months of production we were given. We had to take into consideration the group’s strengths and specialties and realistically evaluate our own weaknesses. I find self-evaluation quite difficult, as did the rest of the people in the team.

When the dust settled and meetings among the team and with our advisers had concluded, the final proposal was cut down to the vertical slice of the much larger game that we are currently working on now. We had to showcase Bo and all her unique abilities in her world in one tutorial level and one fully realized level of game play. The story elements and large cast of NPCs that inhabited the world were stripped down to their bare minimum to accommodate our small team size and limited production time.

One of the hardest parts of getting started came down to setting short term goals that were manageable. In any large project it can often seem daunting to look at it as a whole, so chopping it into much smaller goals helps get things off the ground. We found that these very simple block diagrams were helpful to communicate ideas between team members even though the actually numerical values ended up changing several times during the project.

These diagrams also helped with the next step for our team. While the four of us were handling the game from a mechanically end, we asked additional people to join our team to make some improvements. At this point we brought on an animator to handle the lion’s share of the 2D sprites and a composer to make some original scores for the game. While the project could have continued without these additions, the quality of the project greatly improved from their expertise. This presented a new difficulty along with the benefits though; the interactions between team members often had to be facilitated. Below is Bo’s turn-around that I, as the primary 2D artist made, and then handed off to the animator. This job order required time to organize and made a timeline pivotal to the project.

Final Thoughts:

For anyone that would like to start their own project, be it a game or other creative project, there are a few helpful hints to keep in mind:

1. Research your topic. If it’s a game play lots of games and examine them critically.
2. Be creative with your ideas and solutions.
3. Get those ideas down on paper and prepare to explain them to other people.
4. Don’t be afraid to talk problems through with your team.
5. Be clear about your goals and your team members' goals for the project. Check to be sure they don’t conflict.
6. Be realistic with your time and resources.
7. Reevaluate your project at set intervals.

The team also benefited from the time invested in project management and timeline building to keep everyone working efficiently. There were regular check points so that we could clearly see our progress and end goals.

Good luck and happy hunting on all your creative endeavors!

-Richelle “FireCatRich” Rueda

Survey! Your Ideal Online Playground for Girl Gamers?

Some days my brain operates on two competing levels and it goes something like this:

"Yes but, um, I've been thinking--"

"--You've been THINKING!? Now look here, I warned you about thinking. I've got a knob for this job, now let's get on with it!"

(sorry I just had to throw that reference in)

We all have those days right? Where your brain is going in circles and you end up totally stalled? Well, today I did some thinking, and I concluded that it was time to get your input on a big idea that I have. 

When I'm not doing interviews for the doc, the majority of my work for She Got Game involves solitary things like organizing, researching, and planning. The same sites and big names always pop up, and frankly I get frustrated with some of the gaming resources out there. Not because they're not good, but because they rarely include diverse content continually created by new people.

You know what I really want? I want to discover some funky obscure projects+blogs+videos+reviews+podcasts+concept/fan art+games that so often get lost in the ooooooos of Google searches. A LOT OF YOU ARE ALREADY DOING THIS. Why not connect us all somehow?

Back to the big idea, I've been dreaming up a collaborative website for us. 

Think Kotaku meets YouTube meets Reddit meets GameSpot, except that it will include you and your friends and any other woman who's into gaming in a curated, fun, visually exciting way. Ok fine, that's one hell of an aspiration, but let's dream about it anyway.

If you knew a webwizard (which I do) who wanted to build you that perfect online niche you've always wanted, what would that look like? I seriously want to know!

I've been looking at women and gaming websites for a long time now and here are some examples of what's already out there:

Women in Games

Reddit: GirlGamers 

Casual Girl Gamer

Girl Gamer Vogue

So after taking a look at these, we want to know: What do you want!? Is there something lacking in the online communities and sites that are already out there? How can we build you the ideal online gaming playground for YOU? Fill out the survey if you want to have some input!

...And as always, feel free to email me personally at shegotgamethemovie@gmail.com if you have any other thoughts or ideas. 

Peace, love and happy Thursday.

No Thanks, I'll Just Watch: Why We're Content to Play the Spectator

One of the people who deserves credit for my interest in computer games is my uncle Darrell who I visited in Texas every couple of years as a kid. He'd whip out (kid)inappropriate games like Unreal Tournament which was a big relief from Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (thanks dad). But one thing I regret is that I didn't get to spend much time with my cousins. Take Ginger, for instance. Turns out we actually share some common geek interests:

When she's not curled up with her poodle, she's probably chipping away at her PhD...or watching a few friends battle it out on the PS2. WHOOPS did I say "watch"? I did! Funny, it turns out this is something we actually really love to do...

Consider this Major League Gaming headline (and check out the article):

"Last year, 71 million people watched other people play video games"

When you look at the facts, there's no doubt that the eSports audience is huge--so huge that the live game streaming site TwitchTV is reportedly worth around 1 billion dollars. Bloggers have spouted a ton of theories about why: we want to learn top player's secrets, we love to watch just about anything that's pro, we want the interactive thrill of watching online...

...But why do so many of us also love watching average Janes+Joes play video games? Why would I want to sit for hours and watch my brother play Tony Hawk Pro with his friends? Why would he be glued to my game of Portal? And why the hell do people assume that girls would rather watch cause they "can't play"? 

Ginger:

Some of my best memories are of hours spent sitting, pajama clad, with a bowl of pop-corn at hand, night after night watching some extremely sophisticated and intricate narratives unfold through the touch of one skilled gamer and a Sony PlayStation 2 Duel Shock Controller. It was during these long nights that my appreciation for the complexity of the character development and epic story arcs in video games grew from passing curiosity to utter fascination. It was not until years later, when I was studying for my M.A. in Literature that I began to reexamine the games I had grown so fond of and ask myself, “What is the function of video games in shaping and portraying society and what is the role of the spectator in such function?” Furthermore, are roles of gamer/spectator gendered, and if so, what social constructs enforce these roles?

If you don’t play video games, there is much to be gained from watching the stories unfold, and the role of spectator cannot be undervalued as people often crowd around champion gamers in conference halls, arcades, and recently, for the first time, during the X-Games in Austin, Texas. Is there gender stratification between gamers and spectators? Are girls more likely to be spectators of games because the role of spectator is passive, and girls are supposed to be passive? It seems that there is a common perception that girls just watch video games because they don’t think they are good enough to play, or that they simply feign interest in gaming just to seem more interesting themselves. This could be true of some people, but as a girl spectator of gaming, I have to say that watching people play video games is one of the most relaxing, interesting, and entertaining things that I could do in my spare time. In fact, I often nag some of my gamer friends to buy and play a certain game that I want to watch. Why don’t I play the game myself then? Because I find watching more relaxing.

One could also argue that a spectator can’t really be into games if they are only watching. I disagree. I know more about certain games that I have watched than some others who have played the games themselves. Girls will probably never represent the majority of certain activities such as pro-football or sumo wrestling, but that does not diminish the magnitude of their genuine interest and expertise in activities that they are passionate about. Video games are no different, and I say if you are a girl spectator, embrace it because video games profoundly address issues that affect everyone.

One of my friends wrote her Master’s thesis about female characters in Final Fantasy VII. Through a discussion with her, I began to understand that video games are, like other genres of entertainment such as science fiction and horror films, able to present rich social criticisms because they are not meant to be taken seriously. My friend argued that female characters in FFVII worked to reinforce stereotypes about women. Whether I agreed with this argument or not, I started to think about video games differently. They were like a new form of folk tale, designed by people with vested interests, portraying certain ideals to a specific audience. I thought about how FFVII was rich with eco-criticism, and how Resident Evil mirrored George A. Romero’s zombie metaphor, with a particular jab at pharmaceutical consumption. So, whether gamer, or observer, video games offer a unique medium through which to tell modern day folk tales and offer an entertaining lens through which to view society. Gamer, spectator, male or female, everyone has something to gain by understanding video games as something more than just mindless entertainment. Anyone who sees the parallels between Michel Foucault’s social theories and the closing dialogue in Metal Gear Solid would agree.