Noobs with Boobs

         From the time I was 8 years old, I knew the difference between an assault rifle and a battle rifle, how to “frag” somebody and when to “pistol whip” an enemy. Fortunately, this was not because I was in some sort of toddler mafia, I merely became quite immersed in video games, namely the war-based ones such as “Halo” and later on, “Call of Duty.” I was influenced by my cousins and friends to play video games and became a huge fan of the digital sport.  Unfortunately, most of my friends in middle school and high school didn’t take me too seriously as a “gamer” due to the fact that I am female. However, I did not find this to be much of a hindrance since I quickly proceeded to prove them wrong by demolishing their discriminatory butts in almost every game. I realized that the stereotype that women cannot succeed in video games was silly, but it was also mainly based on fact; most girls my age viewed video games as an alien activity carried out only by the cootie-ridden boys or their little brothers. Consequently, boys only played video games with other boys; and so the stereotype erupted.

            Many themes present in video games draw a primarily male consumer crowd; for example, most f the character options for most games are male and manya majority of video games contain graphic sexual images of women. Recently, however, these companies have been producing more “pink games” in order to diminish the idea that the games they make are gender-exclusive. The irony in this lies in the fact that these games play off of gender stereotypes. The very name, “pink games,” (Grimes) suggests that all girls are drawn to and like the color pink. These games also feature cliché girly designs and games. Most have to do with fashion or beauty and those that don’t usually involve cooking or child rearing.  While these games offer an exciting opportunity for many girls, they also inspire ridicule for male players.  Girls who do enjoy video games, however, continue to immerse themselves in the male-dominated games regardless of the scoffing they endure. Because of this, I do not believe that the stereotypical nature of games is an issue that needs to be dwelled upon. Girls who do feel discriminated against are usually those who would not play video games anyway.

            Not only is there conflict in the gaming industry regarding gender, but there is also debate about whether video games affect a person’s performance in school and cognition. Studies have shown that playing video games “can improve spatial attention and mental rotation” and can also help children with “reading skills, mathematics and biology” (Prot).  However, other studies prove that “video game playing [is] negatively correlated with college GPA” (Burgess).  While these two statements seem contradictory, I believe it makes perfect sense; while video games may help the brain work better, many students become distracted by them and end up abandoning their studies to focus on their gaming careers. I believe that while certain games seem vacuous in the education department, some that I have played have taught me a lot about math, science and even current world problems.

            Another area of dispute regarding video games is the correlation of gaming to violent behavior. Many experiments have proven that “video game violence can significantly increase aggressive thoughts, emotions, and behavior” (Prot). However, many scientists do not see a strong enough relationship to write the behavior off as coming directly from the video games. While I agree that some video games lower the threshold of what people perceive as violent or gory, I do not believe that video games alone can trigger violent behavior in a person. In my opinion, unless a person is mentally unstable to begin with, they should not have violent outbreaks because of a game.

            My own experiences with video games have shaped my opinion on their production and their effects on the users. I have had mostly positive experiences with games other than an occasional loss; this has allowed me to confidently say that the gaming industry is one that is not perfect but has definitely developed well over the past decade. For me, gaming is always a go-to comfort activity and the fact that some games are “gender-biased” doesn’t bother me too much anymore. I personally have not seen a drop in my GPA due to excessive playing or had any unusual violent encounters, although I may have just been lucky.