Hey world, guess what! There are female gamers. There are also females who are not interested in games. And there are dudes who donāt like games, either. SHOCKING, I KNOW.
Yet, thereās this: Japanese website Sugoren did a story on nine ways you can get your ābeginner gamer girlfriendā to have fun while playing few games. Because the only beginners out there are girls? Here are those ways:
1. Be nice while teaching her how to play.
2. Occasionally lose to her on purpose while playing a versus game.
3. Prepare snacks, drinks, etc.
4. If possible, buy games you can play with her.
5. Every so often, check to make sure sheās not getting tired.
6. Laugh off mistakes and donāt get angry.
7. Avoid franchises she hasnāt played before or doesnāt know.
8. If you are having fun and she isnāt, stop playing immediately.
9. Clear the difficult parts for her.
*sigh*
Online in Japan, the reaction to this piece on various forums has been largely derisive, with many commenters ironically pointing out that they first need a girlfriend or wondering how they can get one. āVideo games are something you play alone,ā wrote one commenter on popular site Hachima Kikou. āEnd of story.ā
The article was written based on a survey female readers of Otome Sugoren took, so there might be shades of truth. But some of these bits of advice are really, really patronizingāto both male readers and their girlfriends. And even if the readers of Otome Sugoren are females, why not spin this out to advice on how to get all non-gamers comfortable?
When I think of the female (or male) friends I haveāgamer and non-gamerāthe vast majority are relatively comfortable with video games. They grew up when Nintendo was exploding in popularity, so the notion of video games arenāt entirely foreign. Male or female, they might not play current consoles, and honestly, Iām really not convinced it would be wise to try to coax them into doing so.
But this article isnāt about friends, itās about girlfriends, you say. Yes, thatās correct. It is. And I know that people want to share their interests with the people they care about. However, if your girlfriend (or boyfriend!) isnāt into video games, then she (or he) isnāt into games. Thereās nothing wrong with that and no need to let him or her lose so theyāll feign interest in your hobby. More important than getting your loved one to play games with you is hoping they understand and respect your interests. The same should go for how you feel about theirs.
(Top photo: blanche | Shutterstock)
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