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(updated July 21, 2009) |
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Hey, welcome to my girl-gamer page! Note: by "girl", I'm including girls of all ages . . . because you're never too old to be a girl-gamer. Yes, girls (and even women) really do play computer (and video) games. Games are not exclusively for guys, although some guys seem to think so. Ok, so there aren't nearly as many female gamers, but we really do exist. The gaming forums might be full of guys, but there are actually some girls there too. We just aren't as visible. Trust me, it can be really intimidating to one of the few outspoken females on a forum full of males! To be fair, I have found that most of the guys on the forums are really nice, but I always have to deal with a few creeps who accuse me of not really being a female, because girls don't play games. And some jerks have even posted that I must be ugly or fat, because "those are the only kinds of girls who actually play games." Some have even told me to post a photo . . . to prove that I'm not fat and ugly. Like that would actually prove anything - I mean a photo could be of anyone . . . give me a break! For other guys, I'm just some kind of a fantasy girl, so I get hit on all the time . . . by guys of all ages! I'm not about to let a few guys stop me from enjoying the forums, but most girls just don't find it worth all the hassles and either never post, or just post with some non-female nickname, so the guys won't bother them. I know there are a lot of us out there, because I get email from other girl gamers all the time. Ok, so you have to understand that I joined my first gaming forum back in 2002, and things have changed a bit since then. I've noticed that there are now a lot more females showing up on the forums. Ok, so we're still very much outnumbered, but we're no longer such a rarity . . . which makes being there much easier for females now. Yes, some girls do play games. And some of us even have our own forums, like my Arwen's Realm forums and our own gaming websites, like my Morrowind Journal (my first game journal), and my current Oblivion Journal, and my brand new Fallout3 Journal (ok, so I have waaayyy too many gaming interests). Our numbers are slowly growing . . . but there would be a lot more of us if more developers would just start making games with us in mind too.
But it's really important to remember that games
are made mostly by males . . . for males. So most computer (and
console) games are geared toward guys . . . and girls don't even think
like guys . . . being that we're from Venus and all. So it's
harder for us to find games that appeal to us and we're often not very
comfortable with the game play. (Which is why my more recent
gaming journal are mostly focused on adding mods that improve gameplay.) Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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My First Game Genetics being what they are, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I am a big fan of fantasy and science fiction (after all, my mom did name me after an elf). To feed my fantasy passion, I mostly turn to books, as I really do love to read. But I also love fantasy movies and, yes, even computer games. I was first exposed to computer games when my older brother bought his first computer, a Tandy 1000. Back then, I was still trying to catch up from my accident (see My Bio Pages) and I believe that I own much of my recovery to my early gaming experience. Somehow it just tickled all the right parts of my brain - and I played a LOT. I nearly drove my brother insane with all my begging and whining to play my game. My absolute favorites were the "King's Quest" games.
Sierra's "King's Quest I" from 1984
When King's Quest I was very first game to use EGA
graphics - meaning 16 colors at a resolution of 340x650! Ok, so this is
pretty crummy compared to today's graphics, but EGA was a big
improvement over CGA graphics - monochrome at 640x200, or 16 colors at
160x200 (if you were lucky enough to even own a color monitor).
"King's Quests I - Quest for the Crown" was also the first animated
computer adventure game. (You had a little movable computer
character that you could actually control.) And I was really into
it too! At this point, I should probably make something clear, so you don't get the wrong idea about me. As much as I enjoy computer games, I'm really just sort of a casual gamer. And I'm like a total wimp compared to the real hard core power-gamers. For instance, I've never lasted more than two hours straight on any game. I just don't have the drive, nor the stamina, nor the desire to last any longer. I'm too much of an outdoors person, and I'm just way too hyper to sit for any longer. Goodness, you should read some of my Morrowind Journal email! Many hard core gamers have written just to inform me that I'm really pathetic, because it took me over 2 years to complete the main quest. Some power-gamers did that in a week, even though it takes something like a minimum of 100 hours. I'll just never be a power-gamer, because I like to do things like eat, sleep, and shower every day. And I've been playing Oblivion for three years now, and I still haven't got very far at all in the main quest. (Ok, I probably should explain that I've been attending college for the past four years, so I haven't had all that much free time on my hands.) I'm just too easily distracted and would rather just go wondering off in my own in a game . . . doing my own thing. I also have spent way too much time messing around with mods. In truth, that's become the main quest for me . . . to find the perfect combination of mods that make the game exactly like I want it to be. Which, by the way, is never going to happen. But I have done a pretty good job in finding and installing the right mods that have made the game much more enjoyable for me . . . and, based on the email I receive, for many other gamers (I'm currently using ~ 130 mods in Oblivion). My next game-improving-modding makeover is Fallout3. Oops, that makes it sound like I'm the one actually who's actually going to be making the mods that improve the game, which is just not true. All I do is find mods that others have made and test them out until I end up with a bunch that make the game closer to the way that I felt the vanilla game should be. (Although I have made a few tiny, little, very simple mods; and I have play tested quite a few for a number of modders.) Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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Adventure Games Most of the games that I have play are the action adventure type with some sort of definite mission, which usually involves puzzle solving to get through the game. Adventure games and role-playing games (RPGs) are actually quite similar. The main difference seems to be that adventure games involve more puzzles (or problems to solve) and much less combat. The other thing is that adventure games generally come with just one predefined playable character, which is only viewable if the game has a 3rd person view. And some adventure games, like "Myst" never even show what your character looks like. I love to be able to see my character (also called an avatar), as I really need to identify with her. So I only look for adventure games that have a female for the main character. The problem is that there are very few really good female characters. Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series is probably the best known female character in any game.
The Original Lara Croft from "Tomb Raider" The problem is (as you can see) that Laura is more than just a bit overdeveloped. Goodness how is someone built like that going to be able to do any serious adventuring? Is it even possible to run with THAT much upper body weight? This is the problem with most female characters . . . plus the fact that they are often very underdressed. It's really hard to identify with a Barbie-built-bimbo character. Hey, here's a concept for developers: Why not give female characters some normal proportions, and let them wear some decent clothing? Then you might actually be able to sell some games to the female half of the population. Hey, I'm talking some real dollars here! Cate Archer, in "No One Lives Forever", was a much better character. She had a fairly realistic figure and wore more normal clothing (well, normal for the 1960's). And it was fun to play a game as a sexy spy character.
Cate Archer from "No One Lives Forever" My all-time favorite character is still April Ryan, from "The Longest Journey" (which is my second favorite game - right after Morrowind).
April Ryan in "The Longest Journey" April is a spunky, enthusiastic, sarcastic, 18-year old art student, who finds herself in the unlikely position of a hero. Finally a female character with normal proportions, who actually wears regular clothing - as in jeans and t-shirt! This is a long, involved game, with an engrossing plot, quirky characters, and complicated puzzles to solve. The funny thing was that this game was almost not released in the US, because they didn't think that it would sell well here. But it finally made it here late in 2000 and it became the single best selling action adventure game ever made. A sequel, called "Dreamfall", was released in 2006.
The three playable characters of "Dreamfall" In the image above, from left to right: April Ryan (all grown up now), 20-year-old Zoë Castillo, and the mysterious Kian. For me "Dreamfall" just isn't nearly as good "The Longest Journey". Don't get me wrong, because it is a pretty good adventure game and the graphics are very well done. My biggest complaint is that the interface is clunky, especially when compared to games like Morrowind and Oblivion. I found it extremely difficult to make my characters go where I wanted them to, so I was constantly running poor Zoë into walls . . . being frustrated all the time takes away from much of the fun. Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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Role Playing Games - Morrowind I hadn't had hardly any experience in role-playing games (RPG's) until I played Morrowind. That's because RPG's tend to involve mostly combat - which is something that I'm just not interested in. That's also why I don't play first-person shooter games (FPS's). I just can't handle violence . . . and even some of the animated violence found in computer games really bothers me. I can usually handle the cartoon whacking stuff, but I don't do blood or gore at all . . . not even the pixilated kind. And most of the newer RPG's and FPS's are just way too graphic for me in the blood and gore department. Ok, so now I'm about to try playing Fallout3, which is a LOT more violent, and have much more realistic looking characters (and more realistic gore) than Morrowind or Oblivion . . . I must be nuts! (If you are interested in why I'm going to subject myself to this, and are at all curious about how I make out, you'll have to jump over to my Fallout3 Journal.) The other thing is that the female character selection is much less appealing than that of adventure games. Well, less appealing to me, and to most other female players. Basically the female characters in most games are just eye-candy for the guys to look at. In a RPG, your character is often involved in combat . . . which means that you usually provide them with armor. All else being equal: the better the armor . . . the better the chance that your character will survive. The really silly thing is that in most RPG's the best female armor often covers up the least amount of skin! Sex and violence may sell games . . . but only when you're marketing the game to a certain type of player. The thing is that most female gamers (and many male gamers) have much higher standards. We want games that are a bit deeper - games with some realism - games with an involved plot. So where are our RPG's? Well, they're are a few, but they are pretty hard to find, because you have to sort through all the junk being released. The good thing is that a well done RPG actually appeals to both genders . . . so these games are often best sellers. Morrowind, which was released in 2002, is one of the "good" RPG's, and guess what? It was the best game that I had ever played . . . by far (see My Morrowind Journal). I'm sure there are other good RPG's, but, like I said . . . I haven't had much experience with RPG's. I was attracted to Morrowind before the game was even released because I could see that this was my type of RPG. It had great graphics . . . with normally proportioned female characters, who actually got to wear normal looking outfits. And you got to choose the type of character that you wanted to play as. You picked from one of 10 races, male or female gender, and then selected your character's face and hairstyle. (The characters appearance and selection was later greatly improved through add-on MOD's)
My Morrowind Wood Elf character - a custom MOD You also picked your stats (basically your strengths) which determined how the game would play for you. Plus you could play this game with a minimal amount of combat, and still complete the main quest. Well, you still had to fight off a bunch of wild creatures, and kill a fair amount of monsters, and defend yourself from some not-so-nice characters, but you didn't have to spend the entire game killing things. Killing still happened way too often for me personally . . . but I could sometimes find another solution. And the killing was just whacking . . . until the bad guy (or my player) fell down and didn't get up again. It wasn't gory . . . there was only a bit of blood . . . so I could handle the fighting, when I had too. Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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Role Playing Games -
Oblivion Bethesda Softworks, the developer of Morrowind, released the next version of it's Elder Scrolls series. Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion was released on March 20, 2006.
My Oblivion Wood Elf Character in Cyrodiil As you can see, Oblivion has even better graphics . . . with even more realistic characters. Oh, and the female characters are still normally proportioned and got to wear normal clothing. The only problem was that had some really major issues with the released version of Oblivion . . . mostly because of the way that the game was overly focused on combat and by the way it was mainstreamed. (Note: mainstreamed = dumbed down, because the result was that the game did most of the thinking for you.) But I didn't give up on Oblivion, and I've been able to install modss that have corrected most of these issues. My modded version of Oblivion has finally surpassed Morrowind as the best game that I have ever played. For more information on Oblivion and on improving it with mods, check out my Oblivion Journal. Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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Role Playing Games - Fallout3 Bethesda Softworks, the developer of the Elder Scrolls RPGs, released the next version of the Fallout series. Fallout3 was released on October 28, 2008.
My Fallout3 Character, Right After Escaping From Vault 101 In Fallout3 the graphics have been turned up yet another notch, with much more realistic characters. The female characters are normally proportioned and wear normal clothing (although there are a LOT of mods that have been created that will reduce them to eye candy). I also had some really major issues with the released version of Fallout3 . . . again because the game was overly focused on combat, with more blood and gore than I had ever been exposed to in a RPG. I was very aware that playing Fallout3 would be pushing my limits as far as what I can handle (I can't handle much violence), but I wanted to give the game a try. Fallout3 turned out to be a bit of a surprise for me . . . in a good way. I was worried that I wouldn't even like the game, but I found it surprisingly fun to play, once I fixed my biggest issues with mods (such as greatly reducing the amount of blood and gore in my game). For more on Fallout3, and on improving it with mods, see My Fallout3 Journal. Page Menu: | Introduction | My First Game | Adventure Games | Morrowind | Oblivion | Fallout3 | Other Games | Links |
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Other Types of Games
Even though my favorite games are RPGs, I like many different types of games. Here are some of my favorite Strategy Games (hmmm, I really need to update this list): Civilization IV: "a turn-based strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meier's studio Firaxis Games. It is the latest installment of the acclaimed Civilization series." Patrician III: "a real-time trading simulation featuring elements of construction and the historical background of maritime trade in Northern Europe during the 1300's. As a resident of a medieval town, your goal is to rise from the status of a simple, insignificant trader to that of a Patrician and perhaps even become the head of the Hanseatic League. You can raise your standing through town improvement and diplomacy or fill your coffers through piracy and smuggling" Anno 1701 (also called 1701 A.D.): "a unique empire building simulation set in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this third episode of the incredibly successful series, players are immersed in the golden age of exploration and trade, where they set out to discover and inhabit new islands - islands that will soon be home to huge cities. Players are tasked with establishing, expanding and maintaining a flourishing medieval metropolis while interacting with other players through trade, diplomacy or military conflicts. 1701 A.D. presents players with a 3D gaming world bursting with life from the vibrant citizens, to the incredibly varied flora and fauna to detailed animated animals."
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Links Links to some other Girl-Gamer Sites:
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