After all that history, this brings me to the point IGÇÖm trying to make: From day one of my online experience I have been singled out by men simply because I am a girl who plays video games. What if I donGÇÖt want to be a girl who plays video games? CanGÇÖt I just play and not be bothered? I have had men message me on my original PSN (obviously female) saying GÇ£WhatGÇÖs up?GÇ¥ and GÇ£Can I have your number?GÇ¥ No. No you canGÇÖt have my number and no I donGÇÖt want yours. I just want to blow stuff up, kill people, and occasionally find unicorns to keep as pets in virtual reality.

When a guy on a video game has a problem with me, what happens? My pictures get tossed around and laughed at, my FB and personal information gets shared on the forums, I get called a wh0re by everyone I turned down and stopped talking to, not to mention when anything goes wrong I am the dramatic b11tch who must be on her period who started it all, and in the meantime, because the majority of gamers are in fact guys, IGÇÖm left back at ground zero. Because it is always going to be bros before hoes. ItGÇÖs always going to be the pack mentality. Can a girl just play video games? After all, I am just a girl; an online anime avatar with the ability to use a controller and have my virtual character under my control with a red backdrop under my name.

IGÇÖve been told that other girls donGÇÖt have the problems on Dust514 that IGÇÖve had. IGÇÖve heard countless stories and been in various squads with other women, hearing them being treated the same as I have. It seems like the only difference is that I am talking about it.


Video gaming, especially DUST since this is the game we have been playing, has been a desert wasteland of single men and anything walking around with breasts in the warbarge is your water.

When I found out what am MMO was and that DUST was a social game comprised of men, I thought GÇ£This will be great. Men arenGÇÖt dramatic like women. I wonGÇÖt have any locker room problems.GÇ¥ Only, what I didnGÇÖt know, is that the experiences I had yet to go through were from the Locker Room across the hallway from mine. The worst sort with the resounding shouting in my head of GÇ£I DONGÇÖT BELONG HERE.GÇ¥ but this is a video game. There arenGÇÖt supposed to be any labels on doors barring anyone out if they are female or male and IGÇÖve gotten the message: GÇ£If you donGÇÖt let us gang **** you, you arenGÇÖt welcome here.GÇ¥

Just think, I am a woman. You are men. In real life I wouldnGÇÖt let any guy take advantage of me, yet IGÇÖve found myself, online in video games, in squads where I was backed into corners and forced to go along with whatever because if I didnGÇÖt I would be kicked out of corp. I lost entertainment value. There was no enjoyment in playing the game for me unless I conformed. And, if I didnGÇÖt conform, I was the b11tch, the wh0re and the s11ut. So, if I found myself with the image of a man and the voice of a man, I could sincerely just be one of the guys and enjoy playing the game.


Do you believe in the double standard, because itGÇÖs been real for me.