"The Voices of Women in the Super Smash Brothers Community"

On Tuesday we discuss the idea of femininity and also the virtual world, especially regarding video games. Although I myself was never really a gamer I have friends that do. Some are very into it but, very rarely do you find female as extreme gamers, competitively. Is it because it is a "men's" sport or is it just because we are under represented? Especially because a lot of time women are hiding their true identity because of the remarks that they often get in the virtual world.

This was an article a friend of my posted on the different statistic that women has to face just in the game  Super Smash Brothers alone. Although things are changing and more female are getting involved in the gaming community, the issues is still prominent. Like a lot of the quotes on the data, the virtual world is a way that, like in the olden days when women use a pseudo name in order to get their works publish, a lot of female gamers hide their identities to be well respected. I wonder, whenever you play games online or anywhere have you heard the phrase, "Oh I was going easy on you because you were a girl," after you won a game? Why can't we win because we are actually good?

Another thing about the virtual world in gaming is sex still sell. A friend of mine who plays League of Legends showed me a space where people can watch other people play the game. A lot of time, girls allowed this to happen so that they can gain points or prizes to help them in the game itself. For me, I find it uncomfortable if people watch me play in person let alone online. Who know what they are doing. These women is using there sexuality, or looks, to gain power in the game. Yet, are these women using their sexuality to gain control and power for themselves and for women or are we going backwards again, exploiting ourselves even more by doing so? A questions often ask when dealing with femininity and ways that women use it.