A Desperate Housewife’s Guide to Gaming

I stumbled across a blog post on the “Real Women’s Guide to Technology” that pretty much embodies the stereotypical soccer mom turned DS owner. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen the commercial with Lisa Kudrow making kung pow chicken with her daughter and a handful of other ads with [insert famous woman here] giggling while poking at the touch screen.

In the case of blogger Lee Doyle, who does not yet have a DS (though it is on her wish list), she discovered games were not “a dumb waste of time” when she secretly started playing her husband’s Xbox 360. Congratulations Captain Obvious. Games are extremely varied, and for the most part, quite intellectually stimulating.

Am I against casual, female, or mommy gamers? Of course not! I’m female, and I’ve been gaming since before I stepped foot in kindergarten. Maybe that skews my mindset because I’ve been more exposed and educated about what gaming is compared to folks, particularly women, just coming in to games. But my thing is this, while the following stereotypes are dispelled: video games are worthless brain rotters and are just something guys enjoy, another is created: women game too!… but they do so in the most flippant dumbed down way possible.

Let me paraphrase and grant my translation to the post linked above:

My husband thought it’d be cool to buy an accessory for our new HDTV… so he got one of those new-fangled “video game player xbox machines.”  Wellll, he didn’t use it much, only having played one game, so I decided to give it a try… so I tried it out while he was away *snicker snicker*, and the love affair began! Ohhh Peggle, you’re so relaaaaxing!

My husband never knew until he came home and caught me *gasp* playing Ace Combat 6 (probably the game he originally bought), where I had so much fun waggling my controller and shooting down baddies! “Take that!” I told the screen.

Sooooo relaaaaaxing! I love being such a gamer! Tee hee!

My husband was amazed! “OMG, my wife can turn on the console, much more she can use a controller! I neeeever kneeeew.”

I hate the categorization that women, for whatever reason, cannot participate in or enjoy gaming, but then when it’s suddenly “OK” that they can… it’s portrayed like this? Why can’t gamers just be gamers. You like them or you don’t. You like some. You don’ t like others. Fine by me. But would you ever see a post about a guy finding the joys and relaxations of Peggle while his wife was away, and her being shocked to learn that he enjoyed games?

If you walked out on the street, every guy you asked would not know Outer Heaven is Big Boss’ warrior paradise, and every girl you asked about games would not reference her boyfriend’s collection or her solitary love for mobile phone apps and Bejeweled.

Now, if this “blog” post wasn’t cheesy and stereotypical enough for you, wait till you get to watching this video (preceded by a Walmart ad) with a wonderful homemaker mom in a tit for tat chat with her hip daughter discussing consoles, featuring tons of over acting and no actual gameplay. I have never seen someone so blatantly say they bought a TV to bring their family together. This video would be satirical if it wasn’t actually trying to sell me stuff. It’s also amazing the girl talks about blu-ray being a quantum leap for video clarity, but she mentions nothing about how games are deeper and more challenging than ever before.  Watch and cringe… I mean enjoy.