When someone thinks of a gamer, the stereotypical image someone would most likely turn to would be a nerdy guy sitting behind a computer monitor in a dark room in his mother’s house. I can tell you that is far from the truth. I know that the concept of gaming is not appealing to everyone, but it’s not hard to find someone who does. Maybe it’s your little brother playing on his Nintendo DS, maybe it’s your romantic partner playing Call Of Duty while you both are hanging out, or maybe it’s your parent playing computer games in the living room. Gaming is not a disease, but it is contagious.
If you were to walk around and ask anyone ‘Do you play video games?’ there would be a good chance they would say yes. A good majority of that group answering would be men. Ask any man what they think of video games, if you dare, and they will sing high praises of this awesome invention.
The video game industry has been around as early as the 1950’s, when they made simple games and simulations in order to further computer science research. However, they did not become popular until the 70’s and 80’s, when the arcade games and home platforms were introduced (Wikipedia). Ever since then the game industry has skyrocketed and has become one of the most popular hobbies in the country. A field that used to be, like everything else, dominated by men. This is because since before the 70’s and 80’s men were the primary laborers of the work force, not women. They took over the gaming industry and excluded women just like they did with everything else. Women have always been harassed on the gaming platform, just as much as they endure in real life.
Contrary to popular belief, however, men are not the only ones behind the controller or the computer mouse. In fact, as of this year, adult women became the leading demographic in the gaming industry. According to a study done by the Entertainment Software Association women over the age of 18 now make up an astonishing 36 percent in the gaming industry while the adult men are a close second at 35 percent (Romano).
Many boys would forget this information, but it was a female who invented the science fiction genre. A woman by the name of Mary Shelly, back in 1818 when she was just a teenager and wrote the world famous novel Frankenstein, was the young mother of the science fiction genre (Milam). Fun fact, she created the genre while still a teenager and became invested in women challenging their society just like her mother before her. Yay feminism!
As a fellow girl of the gamer community I can talk about how I myself enjoy gaming, whether I am playing one on my own time or I am watching someone enjoy themselves playing a game on a Let’s Play on YouTube. I have several friends of all genders who themselves enjoy the fun that comes from gaming and thinking that such an easy hobby can only belong to one genre is silly.
Games are genderless and can be enjoyed by anyone! So game on!