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QuickJump Quicklist: Seven types of girl gamers

Posted Mar 30, 2008 at 11:40AM by Nicolo S. Listed in: Opinions & Analysis Tags: karaoke, Bejeweled, Chrono Trigger, PopCap Games, Frag Dolls
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QuickJump QuickList - Image 1  


It's true: female gamers do exist (the shock!). Just like male gamers who come in different shapes, sizes and flavors, we can come up with a diverse list of girl gamer types. No, Frag Dolls and 6-year-olds fascinated by the Wii don't count. South Korean StarCraft fangirls were tempting to add, but we decided to cut them from the list since we can't tell if they actually play games or just read magazines to drool over the pros.

If you ever need a brief guide on the who and the what of female gamer types, this QuickList is for you. No need to put up those flame spears, because we don't have anything against those who don't fall under our categories. Furthermore, apologies go to our female readers who weren't covered, but right now, here are the more prominent types we've seen of our beloved industry's non-male audience.

Hardcore Gamer - You don't need a pair to kill Altima in Final Fantasy Tactics with one blow or defeat Metatron from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne without losing your sanity. While the hardcore who would go discuss their "1337" gameplay tactics and strategies on notorious message boards almost never expect to run across girls, it is a fact that the male dominated scene of spending hundreds of hours to kill secret bosses and pull off insane Achievements for bragging rights is not without the presence of the opposite gender.

Female hardcore gamers aren't the ones who scream at the top of their lungs in Halo 3 online; we're talking about the experienced whose knowledge can go back even to the 8-bit era. Many of them agree that Chrono Trigger is one of the best JRPGs ever, while some are skilled Civilization players and classic point-and-click masters.

Girl Gamer - Image 1


Casual Gamer - It's no secret that there are smaller game companies who can only afford development of Flash games and the likes for the easy to please, and they're earning their dough with such business mantra because the female swarms dig their stuff. Casual gaming's favorite customers belong to the type which first comes to the uninformed's mind, labeled with the stereotype that ladies don't play anything other than PopCap puzzle games.

Don't expect one to sing the Portal song or name your party members in Mass Effect, but count on them having more of a social life than the typical World of Warcraft raider. Challenging one to a top-score battle of Bejeweled is sure to damage your ego after. Oh, and if you happen to have a DS, never let the Nintendogs loose.

Girlfriend Gamer - Being dedicated to someone in a relationship is no easy feat, and in most cases involving male gamers, the partner has to familiarize with the hobby to have something to talk about during those awkwardly quiet dates. In a short period of time, the girlfriend gamer will be able to know what "RPG" means. She won't be able to distinguish between RPG and anything else with swords and flashy magic, but at least she's trying.

Luck is what you'd pray for If want these sympathetic companions, and you don't want to mess up when your pleas are answered. Nothing beats a dedicated girlfriend who's willing to tweak her lifestyle for her man, so they score high in our scale. Unfortunately, you'll find sad teenage boys who antagonize girlfriend gamers because they can't get any.

WoW player - Image 1


Social Gamer - Massively multiplayer online games, known only as the realm of hardcore geeks capable of appreciating simple roguelikes back in the day, have become chick magnets because of their social aspects. Consequently, the market extended its reach enough for the social gamer's population to grow.

Nowadays, you'll find countless of cute MMOs like MapleStory and other online flicks such as Audition. In those virtual worlds, there are thousands of the so called social gamers who entered cyber space to meet strangers and make new friends. They sometimes play to the point of obsession, but they do so as social beings.

Passionate Gamer - Gaming gigolos aren't the only rare species in our world. Once in a blue moon, you might come across girls who are serious about what games they play - that's the passionate female gamer. Say Devil May Cry without any second thought, they'll tell you about all the philosophical and religious implications of Dante's Inferno.

The lower ranks include those who live and breathe fanfictions and are often adept in text-based roleplaying through forums and instant messengers. Then comes the elite, the ones who will school you on the morality of cheating games and chant video game lines whenever they can. They only pick game-related songs when you take them to karaoke, and if you manage to marry one, be ready hear "Did you level up?" every morning.

Link cosplayers - Image 1 


Cosplay Gamer - We have a theory that fashion and gaming were so close together, they eventually made love and gave birth to cosplay gamers. Said species don't like toying with the joysticks as much as dressing up as the elaborately clothed avatars we see on screen. A cosplay gamer would occasionally pick up a game to internalize a character, but rarely to see credits roll.

Make no mistake - we're aware that even a father past his 50s with a young daughter can become Bioshock's Big Daddy and Little Sister in cosplay conventions. The cosplay gamer we're referring to is the person who'd worry more about how her height, hair, skin tone and body build fits the character she has her eyes on, than relish memorable experiences while playing a game that could've compelled her to "be the character" in the first place. Cosplay gamers find satisfaction in coming up with homemade attires, not from gaming itself.

Closet Gamer - In some societies, only a geek would play video games instead of partying every night or joining the cheering club like everyone else. It is inevitable that a female gamer would keep her favorite past time to herself in such environment, thus the closet gamer came to be.

It's not unlikely to find the walls of their rooms covered with posters and fan art, but you won't get them to reveal their secret gaming accomplishments or rave about the next big pretty boy-filled title. On the positive side of things, the head count of female closet gamer shut-ins don't hold a candle to their male counterparts.

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17 Comments


Sort by:
   by NarooN - 5 days ago
 » Cool.
That was fun to read. You guys should do more of these Quicklists. :D


   Re: Glen D. (QJ. NET Staff) - 5 days ago
 » granted
Thanks. More are in the works. Matter of fact, we've got one coming up in a couple of days. It'll center on a certain lawyer we're all too familiar with.... :D

   Re: NarooN - 5 days ago
 » awesome
Can't wait to read that! Muahaha...

   Re: Glen D. (QJ. NET Staff) - 5 days ago
 » thanks
we'll do our best tp not disappoint you. :)

   Re: Quixand - 5 days ago
 » My Wife is
what you can call an Annoying Gamer.

making me buy games for the PS3 cause she thinks it's cute (The Simpsons Game and even Sonic) then playing it once for like 10 minutes and then forget about it!!!! and if you tell her "are you sure u'r gonna play it" you get a "i don't get to play anything".

buy download games on the PSN which gets charged to my credit card then play it for 5 minutes then forget about it...

i remember during my Ninja Gaiden days during some epic-almost-finish the game battles she'll go "let's play Simpsons" then i say "just a couple more minutes"... then she looks over your shoulder as you play and you lose ur focus then go on and on about Simpsons plus the "i never get to play dialogue"... so i stop and endure the mental anguish of wanting to play again while i run around as Marge with her megaphone, she never even let me use Bart cause that's who she likes.

not to mention that she puts tons of pictures of her girlfriends in my PS3 cause she says it's "Hi Def".

how did i resolve this problem? i introduced her to WoW... now we game in peace.

   Re: Master Chef - 5 days ago
 » Hm
Don't they have rental stores in AU Quixand? I think I remember that's where you live. Just rent them if you can

   Re: Quixand - 5 days ago
 » we do have that here
i've got an account in VideoEzy... i used to rent some PS2 games there... u know the sort of games which ur not really sure about but u want to try anyway...

Master Chef i must admit that option slipped my mind... cause every thurday i go to JB Hifi and EB Games just to browse the shelves and she will just see those games and ask me to buy it for her... never crossed my mind that i could rent it for her instead!!!!!! now you just made me regret all those wasted cash buddy... anyway i deserve it so i'll just accept it and the next time she comes to me and say for instance "wow a Golden Compass game! i don't get to play anymore"... i'll just smile and look all so galant and say "SURE!!!!! but i know a place where i could get a better deal and you can play it tomorrow"... then head off to VideoEzy and rent it... i won't tell her though cause she'll just say "why if it's ur game u buy it but if it's mine u rent it."

thanks for the reminder Master.

   Re: Master Chef - 5 days ago
 » ROFL
Please tell me you only used Golden Compass as an example and did not actually purchase that abomination XD

   Re: Advertising -


   Re: Quixand - 5 days ago
 » sadly
it's not just an example... she had me buy it.

it was on the same day that i bought Devil May Cry 4.

i ain't too happy about it.

   Re: Quixand - 5 days ago
 » Golden Compass
she had me watch it then she had me buy the game... that's a double whammy right there!!!
   by PSPMAN90 - 5 days ago
 » Totally!
I agree It was quite enjoyable reading this! Thanks Qj Staff!
Keep That Hard Working!
Is though find new stuff and put it in articles here all days!
Thats pretty nice of you.
Thanks!
n_n'!
PSPMAN90

   by lavino - 5 days ago
 » and the last type: wife/girlfriend non-gamer whiner
"Why do we have to go to EB again? We were just here last week"

"I'm just gonna go to look at shoes next door..."

"I don't understand you, this game looks exactly like the other one you got in x months ago (yes dear.. it is called a SEQUEL!!!!)"

"At least my shoes are all 20% off"

"Now you got this. You mean we're not gonna watch Notebook (or insert any other boring as hell chic love/relationship movie title here) tonight?"


   Re: Quixand - 5 days ago
 » atleast to some people
it's the Notebook...

i basically know all the lines in Ever After... not by choice buddy... not by choice.

maybe i shouldn't have shared that at all.

and for my wife it's not really shoes but plants... FREAKIN PLANTS!!!! not only are the darn thing expensive but i have to move them around constantly and some of them are taller than me (i'm average height 5'9") so some of them are damn tall!!!!

for each game i buy it's like she's entitled to another plant...

i keep on hoping and hoping she gets hooked in WoW... she plays it but not really "hooked", still there's hope.
   by Valaria79 - 4 days ago
 » oh so true
definitly fun to read.
Growing up being a "Girl Gamer" was always fun for me.. but the guys didnt always welcome it at first, well till they could see that you could hold your own.

I still get a giggle everytime I hear a guy in a game complain about thier girlfriend or lack there of. My husband's reply everytime is.. well find your self a gamer girl. They are the best.
Our family motto: A family that Games together... Stays Together.
Our 4 year old plays his kiddie console when we are busy kicking butt in a game of our own.

   by Lazyboy256 - 4 days ago
 » Yeah!
I always wondered what would be the day when I'd read an article like this, thanks! Great read.
@Valaria79: I like that motto :D
I myself am waiting to find a gamer girl, I expect to meet one when I head off to college that focuses on game development.
Hardcore, Passionate, and Closet gamer girls seem like the best to me.

   by Binary - 4 days ago
 » man
I like that girl with the WOW. I hit it!

   by NeonLightning - 3 days ago
 » pizza is good for you
ok my wife is a wierd version of a gamer chick
shes got the nerdyness but knows nothing about computers or consoles
she loves cronotrigger and smb:rpg but hasn't beaten eather of them
she spends half her time reading fanfics(mostly on anime though)
the other half she spends cracking and playing games like the ones on popcap


btw the one with WoW i could see ones like that everytime i goto the collage but the cosplay ones were hot



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