Whilst I have not yet finished the migration of posts over to the new blog, it's time to start posting again.  Mostly because it's my way of pretending that I'm not really as busy as I am.

Beyond the obvious of working and trying to wrestle in the time to finish moving posts, there's the whole poking poor Ariven and going wow, I'd like this and this and this and some of this for the blog!!!  And him just sort of looking at me... 

At any rate, today's rant is on a subject most definitely not appropriate for posting on the official job related writing platform.  The other day, Coyote did an article about why he doesn't like "gamer gurlz."  There was a lot of hubbub about it, but really?  He was right.  The "gurlz" from the site he used as an example emerged en masse to defend themselves, but they really kind of missed the point.

See, the thing is, there really isn't as much of the whole "boys club" in games as people like to think.  Chances are, if you're running into issues as a female in a game, it's cause you're running around cramming your tits down everyone's throat and demanding to be treated specially cause you're "Zomgz!! A real life FEMALE!!"  Which is frankly the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard in my life.  Because the same people who demand to be treated differently cause they're different sit there and bitch when they get treated differently cause they're "just as good as the guy gamers and should be treated the same way." 

There's no winning with these stupid bints.  Trust me honey, if you're having problems in game, it isn't cause you're a chick.  It's cause you're a frelling moron.

I confess to being a total flake now and then and getting a little too caught up in the movie I'm watching and thereby inadvertently playing the tank in the red game, but I'm actually a damn good player.  Not cause I have tits, but just cause I'm good at my class.

The very idea of segregating women onto their own little girl power sites just exacerbates things.  You don't want to be discriminated against?  Then stop holding yourself separate and demanding that people cater to you because you're different.  You want to be part of the gang?  BE part of the gang.  Get involved with sites that cater to GAMERS.  Just gamers. 

It's the internet.  No one cares if you're female, male, black, yellow, orange, or missing body parts.  They care that you play the game well or not.  They care if you act like a twit or like a human being.  Holding yourself apart and telling people to treat you like everyone else cause you're a girl is ridiculous.  The very act of holding yourself separate and declaring your gender automagically belies your assertion you want to be just another gamer.  Cause if you did, you wouldn't feel the need to slap people in the face with your mammaries.

That's something I've really never understood.  Maybe I'm a really bad feminist.  I have no idea.  But here's the thing.  Men and women ARE different.  Men can do things women can't.  Women can do things men can't.  We're not equal.  I couldn't lead a raid to save my life.  Not cause I don't have the skill, but because I'd just get bored trying to herd that many cats.  I'd get pissed off at everyone running around with their thumbs up their butts.  So let a guy who has the desire to do it knock himself out.  Or a chick.  I don't care who, as long as they do it well.  And that right there, is the beauty of gaming.  Cause a huge portion of the people you run into are going to feel the same way.  If you do it well they'll respect you for it.  If you're a giant spaz, they're gonna mock you til you cry.

I don't make a big deal out of the fact that I'm female.  I do my thing and if it comes up it does.  It inevitably does cause I'm myself and that ends up being fairly on the girlie side...  But I accept that.  I don't try to be other than who and what I am.  That doesn't mean I haven't had my share of creeps on the internet, but then that's everywhere.  It isn't a matter of my being female and people knowing.  It's a matter of people are jerks and there are some severely lonely people out there with no people skills.  You put them in their places, kindly if possible and brutally if not.  Then you move on.

We don't NEED to have sites set up just for us to usher us into the gaming world.  We don't need to be coddled and have our hands held.  A good many of us find it offensive.  I feel like it's a bunch of women shoving me back 10 steps for every 3 I take forward.  Cause yeah, the gaming industry is predominately male.  But it's changing.  And it isn't changing cause we shove our boobs in their faces and make them treat us specially... It's changing cause we're earning respect for what we can do, not what we have.  The more women out there making a big deal out of it causes those of us who aren't making a big deal out of it to be viewed differently, though. 

That being said... I can see the side of the women who think they need support from their sisters.  And good for you... But don't even pretend that it's a way to forward a cause.  It isn't.  It's just another way to segregate yourselves and draw attention away from ability and take it right back to boobs.  It's about attention. 

You're on the ultimate equalizer.  People can't see you, they can only see what you can do.  Why the hell would you shoot yourself in the foot by bringing sex or race or anything else into it?  Shine on your own abilities.