I deliberated over writing this article because I wasn't quite sure how to approach it. Articles about female gamers seem to be popping up all over the place - almost as common as perhaps video games and violence as a subject of discussion. The majority of articles I've read either support female gamers (and women in the industry) or poke fun at the concept that like it or not, female gamers as a demographic are on the rise. To me it seems that for every positive article that is written about female gamers, there is always another point of view - and as surprising as this may seem, some women could be doing more harm than good to their fellow female gamers.

And that's when I am forced to reassess what I think and feel about the industry as a whole. To put things into perspective, in New Zealand where I am located, I am one of only three women (that I know of) that could be considered 'serious' game journalists. And when I say 'serious' I mean women who have worked/written for a prominent gaming related website or magazine on a consistent basis. And no matter how much I read about how the situation is changing, it just doesn't seem that way to me - not from a local perspective anyway.

Thankfully, I've had the pleasure of meeting quite a few female gamers online. Some of these gamers were extremely serious about their gaming habits and in some cases, alot more hardcore than some of the guys. Unfortunately, playing games online can expose you to all sorts of people - some of them unsavoury and yes, even female.

Today I came across two very different websites relating to female gamers. One of the articles I read really struck a chord with me which prompted me to write this article. The other made me sit back and think "WTF?!" and gave me a completely different view on the role that women play in gaming.
[URL=http://www.gameculture.com/2010/03/23/two-sides-female-gamers]read more[/URL]

[url=http://www.gameculture.com/2010/03/23/two-sides-female-gamers]More...[/url]