I also understand how you don’t want to play yourself in a game. Games themselves are fantasy, and it’s only right that characters represent a fantastical ideal. I’m not ashamed to admit I have many MMO characters that are female. Kinda weird to get hit on when they actually think you’re female though…lol So ladies, I have somewhat of an idea what you’re talking about..

@Connick - yea, I guess objectification is really everywhere. If an attractive woman busts out a Xbox cam when playing. She can probably rely on some horn dogs coming out.

Being objectified while playing the game really isn’t that different than being objectified in the game.

Alexis, thanks for sharing a bit of what it means to be a female gamer in a medium with a male majority. I can tell you that there’s nothing more sad then playing a game online and hearing a girl/woman being harassed over the microphone. I have friends myself that won’t get on a mic because of the losers who constantly hit on them. And I agree, the more girls that can get involved in gaming, the more natural a fit that females in will have in the industry.

Thanks for your comments, again.

I do hear some of your inconsistencies though, specifically that the casual demo really is a hard one to pin down. It needs to be a lot less presumed than it is. Like a *lot* less. Start to really define the concept of \’casual game\’ in more concrete terms than simply by example (i.e. \"it\’s like Peggle or Wii Fit!\")

As for the sex-in-games counterargument… I respectfully disagree. Sex sells, indeed, but the way the game industry handles sex is just plain clumsy. There\’s being sexy and then there\’s being hormonal. Games haven\’t really shown the former - I can\’t think of a single one.

Good article, definitely thought-provoking on both sides.