Girls who play Hardcore?

[x]

I've heard a horrible misconception going around at school and in lot of gaming forums (particularly when it comes to Fallout for the forums)....that girls can't play video games! And if a girl does play games, she sucks compared to the guys.
 
Sure I've gotten my butt whooped by a lot of guys, but this was usually whooping done by guys who have had a lot more experience than me and I'm playing the game for the first time. If I have experience, then I can do some whooping of my own! It's all about strategy and practice when it comes to games, if you do it enough, you know how to win. In this respect, girls and guys have an equal opportunity to win.
 
Another misconception is that girls who play tend to only play pretty anime MMORPG's like Maple Story or Aion (both good games, don't get me wrong), and when they play "boy games" they either cheat or skirt around difficulty, such as using VATS in Fallout.
 
I don't know about other girls so I can't answer for them, but I like (not own) a diverse amount of games. I also enjoy playing realistically much more than cheating. It's a lot more fun to aim down the sight than use VATS. Keeping track of health and needs is also more fun than just getting off scott free. In fact, one of my favorite New Vegas mods is the Imp's, weather, Project Nevada mods. These mods make the game like it's real, you get drunk, you use the sights, your vision is affected by situations and the weather, you can starve/die of thirst, and you need to cook your meat over a fire. It's very hard and you have to keep track of a lot.
 
When I do mod and cheat it's only to fit a story or add graphic quality/fun extras, not to breeze through the game. For example in FNV, I modded my character's face,hair,body,added clothes (but only two sets of clothes because I have a realistic carry weight) and gave her some maximum skills and health. She can still die, and this was done to fit her story...she was a military experiment designed to be like this.
 
So, are there any girls out there who play a lot of games? Any girls who play hardcore/realistic/expert difficulty when they play?
 
 As for guys, are girls really that rare of players?

[Vine Tabris]

In my experience, there's a large portion of girls who play online games but turn off their mic because they don't want to be heckled by idiots asking for their Facebook or phone number, so the female population is more than what most think. Some even put on a voice changer to sound like a male just to avoid attention. But, eh, the best type of players are gender neutral players. I'm rather annoyed by the "YOU JUST GOT BEAT BY A GIRL" type player as well as the "GIRLZ CAN'T INTO VIDEO GAMES" players.
Video games are video games and are equal opportunity regardless of gender, so I don't think gender should be a deciding factor in anything relating to video games.
If a person is bad at playing then it's not because they're a girl, it's because they're bad at playing.

[Ares the Ram]

in my personal experience, I have two friends who are girls that can kick my ass at video games and Im pretty good myself.

Some are, some aren't. plain and simple.

as for rarity, its mostly guys I know that play. *shrug*

[x]

In my experience, there's a large portion of girls who play online games but turn off their mic because they don't want to be heckled by idiots asking for their Facebook or phone number, so the female population is more than what most think. Some even put on a voice changer to sound like a male just to avoid attention. But, eh, the best type of players are gender neutral players. I'm rather annoyed by the "YOU JUST GOT BEAT BY A GIRL" type player as well as the "GIRLZ CAN'T INTO VIDEO GAMES" players.
Video games are video games and are equal opportunity regardless of gender, so I don't think gender should be a deciding factor in anything relating to video games.
If a person is bad at playing then it's not because they're a girl, it's because they're bad at playing.

That's exactly how I feel about it, a game is a game, anyone can learn to win! That's scary that harassment is such a problem, but guess it can't be avoided.

@Macid: Sadly it's mostly guys that I know too :< I feel so alone

[WingedZephyr]

I actually think I know equal or more hardcore gamer girls than guys.

[[Sov]]

I actually think I know equal or more hardcore gamer girls than guys.

 
Me too. Though, I hang out with a huge group of nerds. I'm pretty alright at videogames myself, FPS and MPS are particular favorites when I'm feeling up for it. Though generally I stick to games like the Mario sagas, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc. They're fun and I can beat them within a couple of days. Personally I've got friends (female) who work in the video game industry. I find it all pretty facinating. 

[Ottersmash]

I think gaming beyond a strictly casual level is still a primarily male-dominated activity, though skill and attitude aren't restricted to gender. It's been slowly becoming more normal and acceptable for little girls to play videogames - even things that aren't cute or silly like Pokemon or Nintendogs - but no one really bats an eye at a little boy spending the afternoon on Starcraft or such, so the other gender often has a huge head start when it comes to gaming experience, developing a competitive mindset, and making connections among other hardcore or competitive gamers.

All the same, I've seen plenty of girls who are good at what they do, and even a few big league female players in some of my crowds. I play with the thrill of competition in mind, and since I'm usually playing online there isn't a difficulty setting. I wouldn't call myself hardcore, though.

I can't say I've ever experienced harassment while gaming. I don't advertise that I'm female, but in the name of equality I also won't lie or go out of my way to hide it. On an occasion where the cat's out of the bag, I'll usually ignore any advances and take any snark in stride. A lot of people are just screwing around, anyway, and I don't feel like turning off a mic is necessary. Different crowds, I guess.

[Alison Marie]

that is not true! i have been dominated by girls in video games that ive played for years!!

[ChibiMyuutsu]

I'm very proud of my computer tech and gaming prowess as a female, but I don't go around saying "Oh, I'll kick your ass at any game!"   Girls that I can't stand are the ones who act all tough on games then whine and cry when they get beaten.

I'm not much of an online player, it's too much trouble than it's worth, especially when you're married.  Guys tend to see that as more available than being single. ><

I use VATS in Fallout 3, but I am brand new to the game, and have horrible aim with gun games. I don't like guns; never will. I'm actually returning Fallout today for that exact reason.  As an archer, however, I am a force to be reckoned with. In Morrowind, and Oblivion, there isn't a time where I'm pulling my arrows out of a skull or an anus.   

What really impresses my guy friends, and any new ones I meet, are my computer skills.  And I don't mean using a keyboard, and knowing how to ctrl-alt-del. I'm going to school to be a computer support tech, and eventually move on to the Geek Squad or run my own business.


To wrap this up, I truly believe females CAN and WILL play video games, regardless of gender stereotypes.   I'm the epitome of broken stereotypes.

I forgot to mention that on the first playthrough, I play the easiest mode. Then I crank up the difficulty on each one.

I loved the Metroid Prime series and its different difficulty settings.  I'm still working on Corruption's Hypermode.

[Sne]

My sister enjoyed games like Counter-Strike: Source and Modern Warfare. I don't know if she still does.

She also liked Oblivion and analogues, I bet she'll like Skyrim. I liked Fallout in Hardcore mode and when Creation Kit is out I'll at least try (that'd be my first mod that adds new content, so I don't know how well it goes) to make an analogue for Skyrim if there won't be any effort to do so already

[Count of Cutesy]

I remember once when I was playing Guitar Hero at the arcade, and then I saw this one girl playing, and she kicked BUTT at the game. So don't ever think that girls can't play videogames.

But to be honest, I never had that misconseption.

[MiltoniusPrime]

I enjoy meeting girls who happen to be good at the kind of games I enjoy (like Rock Band, Dance Central, DDR), but regardless of gender, I can't stand people who brag to everyone around them about how good they are, and get upset when they don't win.

When I ran my Rock Band tournament at Anthrocon this past year, a fairly inebriated girl and her boyfriend came in, and she started bragging about how great she was at singing, and how we could all learn something from her.  We decided to stop mid-play and let her sing one song of her choice.  I forget the exact song she chose, but she spent a good amount of time going through the "stereotypical female choice" artists (Lady Gaga, Flyleaf, No Doubt) before picking one of those three.  She did a mediocre job, and our reaction reflected that.

One of my female friends has been playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band since GH2 or 3, and occasionally bests my scores, and never brags about it.  She also happens to have a non-working pinky finger on her fretting hand.  And doesn't whine if she misses a few notes

[Ottersmash]

I enjoy meeting girls who happen to be good at the kind of games I enjoy (like Rock Band, Dance Central, DDR), but regardless of gender, I can't stand people who brag to everyone around them about how good they are, and get upset when they don't win.

When I ran my Rock Band tournament at Anthrocon this past year, a fairly inebriated girl and her boyfriend came in, and she started bragging about how great she was at singing, and how we could all learn something from her.  We decided to stop mid-play and let her sing one song of her choice.  I forget the exact song she chose, but she spent a good amount of time going through the "stereotypical female choice" artists (Lady Gaga, Flyleaf, No Doubt) before picking one of those three.  She did a mediocre job, and our reaction reflected that.

One of my female friends has been playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band since GH2 or 3, and occasionally bests my scores, and never brags about it.  She also happens to have a non-working pinky finger on her fretting hand.  And doesn't whine if she misses a few notes

This is where we start to see the difference between a "female gamer" and a "gamer guurrrl," though yours doesn't quite fit the bill.

Nothing worse than the latter.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

oh, there are definitely many hardcore female players out there. as Vine said, many don't use mics or mention their actual gender due to sad bastards looking for their numbers and facebook pages. however, it's disgusting how good many of them are. in fact, two of my ex-girlfriends were hardcore gamers. my 4th gf in high school was part of my Counter-Strike clan. that bitch was mean as hell when you give her an L96A1 AWP sniper rifle. my other ex, when i started college was one of the top 5 players in Illinois for DDR and in Street Fighter... that last one both depressed me and brought back a good memory. I met her in the semi-finals, and was the first girl to make top 20, and the first to beat me... and she was way too friggin' good. Nailed me 3-1 wins, 2 perfects.... (so ashamed... but that's also how we met)

but yea, hardcore gamer girls, hell yes they exist, and run the frick away if she's hardcore.