“But, girls don’t play video games…” This is a phrase I have heard many times over the years…The Internet gaming world is male dominated, this is a fact. Girls do play video games, and very well I might add. Many men seem to think that women in gaming is a new phenomenon, this is not a fact. We have quietly been here all along.

I have been gaming for some 30 years, since way back when my dad bought a Radio Shack TRS-80, cassette tape drive. For you youngsters, here’s a picture

It was also my introduction to being a pc geek. The games had to be recorded in code onto tape, it was tedious, but I loved it. I moved on to consoles, out-played every boyfriend I ever had, to their dismay. I was always the only girl at the video game store. I remember one time, I had pre-ordered a copy of a new Tomb Raider game, and I went in to pick it up. I went up to the counter and told the boy I was picking up a game, and he says…”You’re Shannon, right?” “Ummmm…yeah”, I replied, as I was wondering why he knew my name and why he had this look on his face like he was in a candy store. He says..”You’re the only girl who has ever pre-ordered a game here, everyone knows you, do you really play?” I wanted to punch him in the face but instead make a comment about his utter lack of social skills, and the fact that he would probably never get laid.

I was introduced to online gaming four years ago, when my brother gave me a copy of Unreal Tournament 2004…I was hooked instantly, and I still play regularly. There was no other game like UT, the Unreal Engine in all its forms is a thing of beauty, some of the finest programming there is, still. It is also the game that started the user-made mod revolution. Every aspect of the game can be modified, from player skins, to maps, to gametypes, making the possibilities endless. Add that to being able to play online…there is no AI in the world that can compare to playing against real people, in real time.

I think many women go into online gaming as a way to spend time and connect with their husbands or boyfriends. They go in being already familiar with the guys’ game/clan/friends and that offers some level of protection from being disrespected. I went in alone, and to be honest, I didn’t tell anyone I was a girl for at least three months. It wasn’t until I was asked to join a clan that I decided I should say something. They were surprised, more so than I expected, and showed me the utmost respect as a person, but showed me no mercy in game. It taught me a very important lesson as a female gamer; a mans’ attention caught up in flirting with me is a distraction I will happily exploit to win the game. If you’re not going to pay attention, I’m going to shoot you in the face

A move to another clan, Notorious Band of Killas, and subsequent public relations work showed me a world which was far bigger than I expected. I enjoy being out in the gaming community, meeting new people, but I had a hard time finding other women, especially in Unreal. I found a Counterstrike clan of women, [*Girlz*] Clan, a group of amazing women I still belong to. I also became involved in several other female gaming groups in an effort to find others. In the past few years I have seen a rise in the number of female clans, easily searched on Myspace and other social networks, and an incredible rise in competitive and professional female gamers.

We have infiltrated every game on every platform, and are not only being taken seriously, but have become a force to be reckoned with. Old stereotypes have fallen by the wayside, and aside from the occasional teenage boy who can’t seem to keep from acting like an idiot, men seem to be warming up to the idea of women being just as good at gaming as they are. It is after all a sport that can’t use the “boys are stronger than girls” mantra, and if you can’t use that, then we are on a level playing field, and on a level field, well… women rule!

~Raccoon aka Shannon

ClanLess

NBKillas

MySpace|Raccoon