When “Monkey Wrench” by Foo Fighters comes on the radio, some students cannot help but think of the color combinations and riffs associated with playing the song on Guitar Hero.
But most don’t picture a girl holding that guitar.
“I think there are more girls starting to play video games,” senior music education major Laura Ziccardi said. “There’s actually a lot of us out there, but it’s not really realized.”
The old stereotype of a gamer – a socially awkward, nerdy boy playing World of Warcraft or Halo and never leaving his room except for food and class – is becoming further from the truth. A recent study by the Entertainment Software Association, the industry’s trade group, shows 40 percent of players overall and 44 percent of online players of video games are female.
“Video games are no longer just a form of entertainment for children and young adults alone, and the old stereotypes of a gamer no longer apply,” reads the ESA website. “Forty percent of all players are women, and women over 18 years of age are one of the industry’s fastest growing demographics. Today, adult women represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent).”
Female students are eagerly taking part in this new trend. Junior English major Laura Espinoza said she plays Guitar Hero “all the time.” She also has a Nintendo Wii, on which she plays Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
“Over the summer, I got up to medium [level],” Espinoza said of her Guitar Hero skills. “I play a lot on weekends so my skills don’t deteriorate.”
However, there are very few games in stores specifically marketed to female consumers. There is a game for Nintendo systems called Cooking Mama that helps the player plan meals, and one called Pet Shop that allows the player to take care of a variety of virtual pets.
Women are still carving a niche for themselves in the gaming community and are fighting the stereotype that games are only for boys.
Ziccardi has competed in Dance Dance Revolution tournaments and said she has always found herself representing a minority; at tournaments, she would be one of only a few female competitors. She competed for four years, until her sophomore year of college, in local, regional and nationwide tournaments with other Dance Dance Revolution aficionados.
Ziccardi has won many female-only tournaments, with the tournaments drawing around 45 competitors.
“It was kind of cool but also annoying when they said, ‘You’re one of the best girls,'” Ziccardi said. “I want to be on the same level as the guys.”
Ziccardi got into video games through her older brother, as did senior psychology major Kristen Scott.
“I started watching him and started playing Mario when I was five,” Scott said. “The day I really started playing was when my brother got into Zelda. It was the action and the puzzles and storyline.”
For girls who may not have grown up around video games, it can be a difficult skill to learn. But many have found Wii more accessible, as its controller allows the player to make the desired motion and have it be translated directly to the screen. This is different from the usual handheld controllers with A and B buttons and combinations required for complex moves. For example, in Wii Sports, a popular game for Wii, players can play baseball and make a throwing motion to pitch the ball.
“This new generation of girls playing comes from the Wii,” Ziccardi said. “It’s much more appealing to girls, because it is the actual activity. Anybody can play Wii.”
