I Like “Girly” Games

Our world is filled with stereotypes and misconceptions about somebody’s orientation and way of life. We see it in films, movies, books and all forms of expression. You are supposed to act a certain way because you are predetermined by societal norms that were put there without your knowledge. Boys like blue and girls like pink. It’s how it’s supposed to be and you should just blindly accept that or risk becoming an outcast. With that melodramatically academical shit in mind, I would like to to tell you all that I like games that girls are supposed to like. And I don’t care what you think about it.

See, in my early gaming days the amount of games I had access to were scarce. I did not know about internet retailers and I generally didn’t know what was on offer. Then one day I picked up The Sims at a local electronics store. For shits and giggles, initially. What followed was a sort of addiction to this simulated world where I would do absolutely everything within it and know everything about the game. In the years that passed I picked up all the expansion packs I could and played every Sims game I could get my hands on. During all this I discovered that The Sims isn’t really a masculine game. It’s heralded as a game for which you need a vagina as a prerequisite.

This baffled me because I loved this game. It was extremely entertaining for me. To discover that I might be called gay and be bullied because it was a game that only girls liked took me by surprise. It was rather sad how I had to hide my love for the franchise from my guy friends in fear of being ridiculed for it in some way or another. I also thought that it was pretty damn stupid. Why should I hide something that I deemed entertaining just because it is associated with a more female audience? I didn’t care because I enjoyed myself and that’s all that matters to me.

To this day I’m a fan of the Sims and I say that with absolutely no shame. Why should I suddenly feel insecure and deny the entertainment I received just because it’s not something that is commonly associated with my gender? If I play a game and I enjoy it, then I bloody well enjoy it. I think this is a real problem that happens more often than we think, but have no knowledge of. There are probably hordes of guy gamers out there that love the Sims, but would never publicly admit to it in fear of being ridiculed just like I was.

I don’t see the point in calling someone gay or girly just because they like something different than what is expected of them. I’m pretty sure I will venture into deep psychological analogies with regards to gender roles and cultural norms pretty soon, but the simple fact is that this labeling business has to stop. No game should be confined to one gender in particular and alienate the other gender in the process. That’s what’s going on with the whole thing about “girl gamers”. Just because a girl plays a game that’s dominated by men, she should not feel alienated and unwelcome just because of her gender.

I consider gaming a genderless entertainment form. Everybody can enjoy it and it should not matter what genetalia you posses when you do.

So yeah, fuck you, The Sims is awesome.

Name: Marko Swanepoel
Location: Vereeniging
Position: Author, Features & Columns

Marko has published 526 posts. Read all of Marko's posts.

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