The next few posts will be both off-topic posts and blog assignments, so if you are looking for World of Warcraft commentary, stay tuned, I should have more posts up about that in a day or so!
See You in Azeroth!
~Liz~
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Being a Female Gamer for Profit....or why do I get so many presents?
EDIT:
Due to this not being read by just those in my class, I feel it necessary to post additional comments. I have observed being female being an advantage (sometimes) when dealing with others in World of Warcraft on a small scale. I am not suggesting that being a female in WoW makes it that much easier or the effect I am mentioning is rampant.
The part I mention about the night elf and receiving attention from male toons is, ironically, based on what I have observed from one of my male friends and his playing of a female night elf character. When asked, he would say he was a female. Deceptive? Perhaps. Wrong? Who I am to judge that?
My main goal in posting this (initially) was to comment on what can the perception of being a female gamer in WoW. Although the SomethingAwful article exaggerates this, it can be noted that being female can sometimes be an advantage in WoW. This is not to say it doesn't have its' disadvantages, sometimes you won't be taken as seriously or refused to let tank (the latter being personal experiences).
This is all just my two cents and should be taken as such, I am not a game theorist, I am merely just someone sharing their experiences.
Original entry:
I'll admit, being a female gamer can have it's advantages sometimes. However, the majority of the time, these advantages leave me feeling disgusting and somehow taken advantage of, not a fun way to feel while trying to play a game for fun. The advantages I refer to are the attention, but more importantly, the presents and gold you can receive by being a female gamer in World of Warcraft. But these advantages (of receiving gold from male gamers) soon turn into feeling yucky in general and sometimes worse.
However, this aspect of being a female gamer, while it can initially be fun, can degenerate into being stalked across servers (to be covered in another installment), and just generally feeling bad that you, just because of your gender, received gold and other help in a game that, while a lot of times fosters teamwork, is usually reliant on individual achievement. Whether that achievement is grinding levels out by killing kodos in the Barrens till you hit level 20, or collecting mats for the few items you can sell for massive gold on the auction house, the rush you feel from hitting a new level, or finishing a goal, is a big part of the game.
The site Somethingawful.com has a series of articles based on these interactions between gamers, and some of them are truly hilarious. In the following entry, I will analyze one of the articles and how they reflect on my actual experiences of being a gamer in World of Warcraft (more articles to come). I recommend the Something Awful series of articles titled "The Art of Warcraft" because those articles are a good satirical take on the whole MMORPG and WoW experience.
The first article that mentions being a female gamer that I will briefly look at it is the article "How to Properly Enjoy the World of Warcraft" . As the article title suggests, it is a list of suggestions as to how to enjoy playing the World of Warcraft (albeit a bit satirical in nature), and the majority of suggestions are comical and make fun of the idiosyncrasies that occur within game.
But the one suggestion that they make (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) still makes a lot of sense, because I've seen it happen and experiences it myself.
Here's the suggestion (full text from the article available here )
Although initially the reaction to this may be to either laugh or dismiss it as mere satire, like many satirical commentaries, this paragraph does have a kernel of truth, believe it or not. Being a girl within the World of Warcraft, especially on servers that don't have many female characters or in a guild where you are one of few females, can be highly profitable. I know this from personal experience as well as observation.
Although it is reportedly not as common nowadays as it was in the earlier days of WoW, every once in awhile, I will receive whispered questions of "Are you really a girl?" or "What do you look like IRL?". I usually just shrug them off, but sometimes the invitations can be tempting. If you are supposedly a true female AND a sexy race (Night Elf or Blood Elf in particular) the attention you may receive can be insane. Being offered 5G (which when you are lower levels can be a small fortune) to "talk dirty" to a male character or a purported male player, isn't all that uncommon.
I think that this really reflects on the role of women as gamers and players in World of Warcraft. In a seemingly equal environment, where the female characters have exactly the same abilities and traits as the male characters, from Strength to Spells, there is still inequality in the way players are treated. Although some female gamers might see the extra gold they can get as being beneficial (and trust me, gold and presents are usually not a bad thing), the fact that you can't even find equality in a place where your character is the face you present really speaks volumes on the reality of being a female gamer.
No matter how well you game, if the males you game with know you are female (in particular if you have provided proof) chances are you will inevitably get hit on by someone, be asked to just be a "companion" for someone, or the worst of all, have every mistake you make while raiding blamed on the fact that you are a girl.
The intricacies of a system where you are both a gendered gamer and a gendered character can be staggering, but in general, if it is known that you are a female gamer (or pretend to be one) you are treated differently, even if you play male characters and are as good a player or better than your fellow male players. Even in Azeroth, gender (in a multi-layered way, even) exists.
See You in Azeroth!
~liz~
Due to this not being read by just those in my class, I feel it necessary to post additional comments. I have observed being female being an advantage (sometimes) when dealing with others in World of Warcraft on a small scale. I am not suggesting that being a female in WoW makes it that much easier or the effect I am mentioning is rampant.
The part I mention about the night elf and receiving attention from male toons is, ironically, based on what I have observed from one of my male friends and his playing of a female night elf character. When asked, he would say he was a female. Deceptive? Perhaps. Wrong? Who I am to judge that?
My main goal in posting this (initially) was to comment on what can the perception of being a female gamer in WoW. Although the SomethingAwful article exaggerates this, it can be noted that being female can sometimes be an advantage in WoW. This is not to say it doesn't have its' disadvantages, sometimes you won't be taken as seriously or refused to let tank (the latter being personal experiences).
This is all just my two cents and should be taken as such, I am not a game theorist, I am merely just someone sharing their experiences.
Original entry:
I'll admit, being a female gamer can have it's advantages sometimes. However, the majority of the time, these advantages leave me feeling disgusting and somehow taken advantage of, not a fun way to feel while trying to play a game for fun. The advantages I refer to are the attention, but more importantly, the presents and gold you can receive by being a female gamer in World of Warcraft. But these advantages (of receiving gold from male gamers) soon turn into feeling yucky in general and sometimes worse.
However, this aspect of being a female gamer, while it can initially be fun, can degenerate into being stalked across servers (to be covered in another installment), and just generally feeling bad that you, just because of your gender, received gold and other help in a game that, while a lot of times fosters teamwork, is usually reliant on individual achievement. Whether that achievement is grinding levels out by killing kodos in the Barrens till you hit level 20, or collecting mats for the few items you can sell for massive gold on the auction house, the rush you feel from hitting a new level, or finishing a goal, is a big part of the game.
The site Somethingawful.com has a series of articles based on these interactions between gamers, and some of them are truly hilarious. In the following entry, I will analyze one of the articles and how they reflect on my actual experiences of being a gamer in World of Warcraft (more articles to come). I recommend the Something Awful series of articles titled "The Art of Warcraft" because those articles are a good satirical take on the whole MMORPG and WoW experience.
The first article that mentions being a female gamer that I will briefly look at it is the article "How to Properly Enjoy the World of Warcraft" . As the article title suggests, it is a list of suggestions as to how to enjoy playing the World of Warcraft (albeit a bit satirical in nature), and the majority of suggestions are comical and make fun of the idiosyncrasies that occur within game.
But the one suggestion that they make (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) still makes a lot of sense, because I've seen it happen and experiences it myself.
Here's the suggestion (full text from the article available here )
"The only profitable tradeskill is being a female. Play as a girl. Do not ever, EVER, even hint that you are male unless you dislike getting free gold from desperate nerds. Most players should be skeptical that every elf with long hair and boobs is offering to dance for him in her underwear for gold, especially because the game has been live for more then a year now. Well, you can be a female Tauren with one horn, mange and the name BullBalls and still be solicited for whispered chat companionship. In a pinch for that sword you want to purchase? Tell your group that you are AFK because your period started, and come back to a myriad of invitations to be their online mistress. Mining/Skinning has nothing on the amount of profit that Gold Digging brings in. "
("The Art of Warcraft, How to Properly Enjoy the World of Warcraft", SomethingAwful.com, November 29, 2005, Caylen Burroughs)Although initially the reaction to this may be to either laugh or dismiss it as mere satire, like many satirical commentaries, this paragraph does have a kernel of truth, believe it or not. Being a girl within the World of Warcraft, especially on servers that don't have many female characters or in a guild where you are one of few females, can be highly profitable. I know this from personal experience as well as observation.
Although it is reportedly not as common nowadays as it was in the earlier days of WoW, every once in awhile, I will receive whispered questions of "Are you really a girl?" or "What do you look like IRL?". I usually just shrug them off, but sometimes the invitations can be tempting. If you are supposedly a true female AND a sexy race (Night Elf or Blood Elf in particular) the attention you may receive can be insane. Being offered 5G (which when you are lower levels can be a small fortune) to "talk dirty" to a male character or a purported male player, isn't all that uncommon.
I think that this really reflects on the role of women as gamers and players in World of Warcraft. In a seemingly equal environment, where the female characters have exactly the same abilities and traits as the male characters, from Strength to Spells, there is still inequality in the way players are treated. Although some female gamers might see the extra gold they can get as being beneficial (and trust me, gold and presents are usually not a bad thing), the fact that you can't even find equality in a place where your character is the face you present really speaks volumes on the reality of being a female gamer.
No matter how well you game, if the males you game with know you are female (in particular if you have provided proof) chances are you will inevitably get hit on by someone, be asked to just be a "companion" for someone, or the worst of all, have every mistake you make while raiding blamed on the fact that you are a girl.
The intricacies of a system where you are both a gendered gamer and a gendered character can be staggering, but in general, if it is known that you are a female gamer (or pretend to be one) you are treated differently, even if you play male characters and are as good a player or better than your fellow male players. Even in Azeroth, gender (in a multi-layered way, even) exists.
See You in Azeroth!
~liz~
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Blog Assignment: Gendered Memoir
I sat in the outfield of the tee-ball field, hat askew as my small fingers tore apart a dandelion quickly, knotting them into chains and crowns. In my mind, in this daydream, I had just became the first ballerina-princess-writer-president and won an Academy Award. I was making my acceptance speech.
Suddenly one of the coach's voices dragged me back to reality. "Everybody move in closer" he said in a slightly cranky tone. I looked up, befuddled, wondering what warranted the need to disrupt my daydreaming in the outfield. There was nothing unusual going on, in my opinion. I squinted and looked closer at home plate. Again, nothing unusual in my opinion, looked like someone was coming up to bat. Although this was my first tee-ball game, I caught on to the rules pretty quickly.
Then it hit me. The only difference between the batters that had been up for the past fifteen minutes and this one was one simple thing.
She was a girl.
Suddenly one of the coach's voices dragged me back to reality. "Everybody move in closer" he said in a slightly cranky tone. I looked up, befuddled, wondering what warranted the need to disrupt my daydreaming in the outfield. There was nothing unusual going on, in my opinion. I squinted and looked closer at home plate. Again, nothing unusual in my opinion, looked like someone was coming up to bat. Although this was my first tee-ball game, I caught on to the rules pretty quickly.
Then it hit me. The only difference between the batters that had been up for the past fifteen minutes and this one was one simple thing.
She was a girl.
"Every day after school, Alan and I would call to each other from
our adjacent houses and meet at the hibiscus hedge...Silently we
would stalk thieves, snakes, Indians. Sometimes we were on the
same side...Sometimes one was the sheriff, the other the outlaw...
Then we would go to Alan's house, and the maid
would serve us tea and biscuits that his mother
had baked."
Sharon Lim-Hing "Alan and Me"
I had an Alan. His name was Brian, and he had blue eyes close to mine, a light clear blue close to a summer sky. His blonde hair was almost the same colour as mine as well, a light golden blonde with lighter blonde highlights dappled throughout. Our skin was almost the same colour too, a light roses and cream complexion betraying our mostly Western Europe ancestry (mine English and Irish, his Scandinavian).
We would play whatever games popped into our heads. Godzilla and the townspeople, house, cooking school, President, GI Joes, just to name a few. We would pool our toys together and play all sorts of games. When we were done playing, we'd go to either my house or his for our favourites: grilled cheese, tomato soup, pickles, or macaroni and cheese. If we were lucky, one of our mothers would have baked us some cookies and we'd have cookies and milk and get to watch the Smurfs or my favourite: Jem! She was truly outrageous, after all.
I grew up until around the age of six knowing that there were two different biological genders: boys and girls. But I wasn't aware of the social construction of gender, I just thought that it was a physical difference. I had a baseball hat, he would play with my barbies, and I saw nothing wrong with it at all. I didn't know that there was something "wrong" with boys playing with barbies, or girls playing baseball. So when they deemed that the rules were different for boys and girls while playing tee-ball, I was confused and angry.
"But then it was time for X to start school...The teacher would tell boys to form
one line, and girls to form another line...The school library would have a list of
recommended books for girls, and a different list of recommended books for
boys. There would even be a bathroom marked BOYS, and another marked
GIRLS. Pretty soon boys and girls would hardly talk to
each other. What would happen to poor little X?"
Lois Gould, "X: A Fabulous Child's Story"
My whole world changed when I started playing tee-ball. Here was an arena in which the gender expectations were clearly outlined by the coaches. Everyone moved in close when girls were up to bat, the boys were supposed to play less hard when girls were involved and the girls were allowed to play less positions so they didn't get "hurt". I was aghast. Why should the girls have different rules? I was sort of like X, in a way. I couldn't fathom how girls were so different from boys that we needed a whole different set of rules. Like X, I played with whatever toys I wanted. My mom and dad didn't treat me differently than any of the boy visitors we had.
Up to that point, gender was only differences in appearances, and my mom having smaller hands than my dad wasn't any reason for boys and girls to have different rules. Both of my parents could do the same things: they could run and play with me, they could watch Jem! with me, they could read me stories, they could play Barbies. Why should the rest of the world be any different, I reasoned?
After the aforementioned game, I had a "talk" with my mother. These different rules made no sense, I tried to reason with her. Why should boys and girls have different rules when they weren't that different in my eyes? How fair was the boys "playing less hard" when a girl was up to bat? I was indignant, and I demanded that my mother spoke to the coaches, because this wasn't fair...it was an outrage, in fact! My mother attempted to soothe my wounded pride by telling me that it wasn't anything I did that caused them to want to have different rules, but the damage was done.
My world was different: I realized that some people saw boys and girls as being different, and even worse, that some people saw the girls as being weaker and not as smart or strong as boys. It changed my outlook for good.
Later on, while discussing this incident with my mother, I figured out one of the reasons that they let girls play less, and placed them in different positions than the boys, and urged the boys to play "less hard" on the girls, was frankly, because they had no idea how to handle having girls on the team. This was about their sons playing tee-ball to them, and it was considered somewhat shocking even to them that many girls would want to do something like that when there were girls' only teams. It was 1988, so it was almost twenty years ago, but attitudes like this can be found even to this day. My friend has a daughter, and certain sports teams look at her as a liability instead of an asset.
Looking back, almost twenty years for the incident, it still has an impact on my life, although it takes me awhile to figure out exactly how it impacts me to this day. But looking at how I live my life everyday, it brings into focus exactly how it effects me. I became aware of the expectations of me as a gendered being that day, and I still live (somewhat) in accordance to these gender expectations and ideals. I get up everyday and put clothing on selected from my wardrobe bought mostly from the women's department, put my makeup on, use shampoo, conditioner and other toiletries marketed to my gender, with all feminine scents (no masculine fresh or clean ones, of course) and face the day all kitted out in gender appropriate accoutrements.
Most of this I do unconsciously, my preferences having been influenced over the years and myself being shaped by society over the years. However, due to the readings and discussion that take place in this class (IDIS 280), I feel that I am becoming more conscious of how society HAS shaped these preferences, and I am examining them in a closer fashion. The way I behave is less of a "natural" thing, and more of a "social construct" than I ever would have realized. Everything from the choice of food I eat to the colour of car I was considering buying is somehow connected to society's expectations of gender. Realizing this has helped me to become a more responsible and aware person. I try to base my decisions more on what I like, instead of what society tells me I should like.
our adjacent houses and meet at the hibiscus hedge...Silently we
would stalk thieves, snakes, Indians. Sometimes we were on the
same side...Sometimes one was the sheriff, the other the outlaw...
Then we would go to Alan's house, and the maid
would serve us tea and biscuits that his mother
had baked."
Sharon Lim-Hing "Alan and Me"
I had an Alan. His name was Brian, and he had blue eyes close to mine, a light clear blue close to a summer sky. His blonde hair was almost the same colour as mine as well, a light golden blonde with lighter blonde highlights dappled throughout. Our skin was almost the same colour too, a light roses and cream complexion betraying our mostly Western Europe ancestry (mine English and Irish, his Scandinavian).
We would play whatever games popped into our heads. Godzilla and the townspeople, house, cooking school, President, GI Joes, just to name a few. We would pool our toys together and play all sorts of games. When we were done playing, we'd go to either my house or his for our favourites: grilled cheese, tomato soup, pickles, or macaroni and cheese. If we were lucky, one of our mothers would have baked us some cookies and we'd have cookies and milk and get to watch the Smurfs or my favourite: Jem! She was truly outrageous, after all.
I grew up until around the age of six knowing that there were two different biological genders: boys and girls. But I wasn't aware of the social construction of gender, I just thought that it was a physical difference. I had a baseball hat, he would play with my barbies, and I saw nothing wrong with it at all. I didn't know that there was something "wrong" with boys playing with barbies, or girls playing baseball. So when they deemed that the rules were different for boys and girls while playing tee-ball, I was confused and angry.
"But then it was time for X to start school...The teacher would tell boys to form
one line, and girls to form another line...The school library would have a list of
recommended books for girls, and a different list of recommended books for
boys. There would even be a bathroom marked BOYS, and another marked
GIRLS. Pretty soon boys and girls would hardly talk to
each other. What would happen to poor little X?"
Lois Gould, "X: A Fabulous Child's Story"
My whole world changed when I started playing tee-ball. Here was an arena in which the gender expectations were clearly outlined by the coaches. Everyone moved in close when girls were up to bat, the boys were supposed to play less hard when girls were involved and the girls were allowed to play less positions so they didn't get "hurt". I was aghast. Why should the girls have different rules? I was sort of like X, in a way. I couldn't fathom how girls were so different from boys that we needed a whole different set of rules. Like X, I played with whatever toys I wanted. My mom and dad didn't treat me differently than any of the boy visitors we had.
Up to that point, gender was only differences in appearances, and my mom having smaller hands than my dad wasn't any reason for boys and girls to have different rules. Both of my parents could do the same things: they could run and play with me, they could watch Jem! with me, they could read me stories, they could play Barbies. Why should the rest of the world be any different, I reasoned?
After the aforementioned game, I had a "talk" with my mother. These different rules made no sense, I tried to reason with her. Why should boys and girls have different rules when they weren't that different in my eyes? How fair was the boys "playing less hard" when a girl was up to bat? I was indignant, and I demanded that my mother spoke to the coaches, because this wasn't fair...it was an outrage, in fact! My mother attempted to soothe my wounded pride by telling me that it wasn't anything I did that caused them to want to have different rules, but the damage was done.
My world was different: I realized that some people saw boys and girls as being different, and even worse, that some people saw the girls as being weaker and not as smart or strong as boys. It changed my outlook for good.
Later on, while discussing this incident with my mother, I figured out one of the reasons that they let girls play less, and placed them in different positions than the boys, and urged the boys to play "less hard" on the girls, was frankly, because they had no idea how to handle having girls on the team. This was about their sons playing tee-ball to them, and it was considered somewhat shocking even to them that many girls would want to do something like that when there were girls' only teams. It was 1988, so it was almost twenty years ago, but attitudes like this can be found even to this day. My friend has a daughter, and certain sports teams look at her as a liability instead of an asset.
Looking back, almost twenty years for the incident, it still has an impact on my life, although it takes me awhile to figure out exactly how it impacts me to this day. But looking at how I live my life everyday, it brings into focus exactly how it effects me. I became aware of the expectations of me as a gendered being that day, and I still live (somewhat) in accordance to these gender expectations and ideals. I get up everyday and put clothing on selected from my wardrobe bought mostly from the women's department, put my makeup on, use shampoo, conditioner and other toiletries marketed to my gender, with all feminine scents (no masculine fresh or clean ones, of course) and face the day all kitted out in gender appropriate accoutrements.
Most of this I do unconsciously, my preferences having been influenced over the years and myself being shaped by society over the years. However, due to the readings and discussion that take place in this class (IDIS 280), I feel that I am becoming more conscious of how society HAS shaped these preferences, and I am examining them in a closer fashion. The way I behave is less of a "natural" thing, and more of a "social construct" than I ever would have realized. Everything from the choice of food I eat to the colour of car I was considering buying is somehow connected to society's expectations of gender. Realizing this has helped me to become a more responsible and aware person. I try to base my decisions more on what I like, instead of what society tells me I should like.
Friday, June 22, 2007
GLOSSARY AND TERMS: What the heck is a Tauren mage?
I decided it would be a good idea to make a listing of things that I have mentioned/will be mentioning as far as the "jargon" of World of Warcraft terms go. I will add to this periodically as I mention more terms and places within the game. Links will also be available, most to the official Blizzard website.
Alphabetical order (A-Z):
Alliance:
The Alliance is one of many factions within World of Warcraft. The races under this alignment are Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, Night Elves and Draenei. The main two factions that a player chooses to play when they create a character are the Alliance and the Horde. It is important to emphasize these factions are not good and evil, but rather two sides of the same coin. They are constantly warring with the Horde faction.
Azeroth:
Azeroth is the main mythical world (a map is seen in the background of my blog) where the game the World of Warcraft happens. It consists of two main continents (Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor), and within these continents, cities of both sides (the Alliance and the Horde) battle for control with each and against outside forces.
Faction:
The alignment that one chooses within World of Warcraft. Although there are multiple alignments and factions within WoW,
Horde:
Another alignment or faction that can be chosen in World of Warcraft. The races under this faction are Tauren, Blood Elves, Orcs, Undead and Trolls. The main two factions that a player chooses to play when they create a character are the Alliance and the Horde. It is important to emphasize these factions are not good and evil, but rather two sides of the same coin. They are constantly warring with the Alliance faction.
Night Elves (link to Blizzard WoW site about Night Elves):
One of the races in World of Warcraft that is of the Alliance alignment. Also referred to as one of the "sexier" races of the game, night elves are beautiful creatures of the humanoid type, with purple-undertoned skin and what would be deemed "stereotypical" elf features of elongated ears and tall height with slender bodies. They are nocturnal by nature and strong magic users attuned with nature.
Races (link to Blizzard WoW site about the races):
Different types of characters involved in World of Warcraft that have different characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The full list of races is as follows: Blood Elves, Draenei, Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans, Night Elves, Orcs, Taurens, Trolls and Orcs.
Tauren (link to Blizzard WoW site about Tauren):
The Tauren are one of the races in World of Warcraft that are of the Horde alignment. They are in appearance half human and half cow or half bull. They appear similar to the minotaurs of mythology. They are reverent of nature and are generally peaceful unless disturbed. They are strong allies of the orcs. They are also talented at herbalism.
WoW:
An abbreviation/acronym for World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft:
A computer game of the MMORPG genre. This genre is called the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. In short, the game is a roleplaying game that includes millions of players from around the world that interact with one another.
Hope that helps! Watch this for further terms to be defined!
See you in Azeroth!
~liz~
Alphabetical order (A-Z):
Alliance:
The Alliance is one of many factions within World of Warcraft. The races under this alignment are Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, Night Elves and Draenei. The main two factions that a player chooses to play when they create a character are the Alliance and the Horde. It is important to emphasize these factions are not good and evil, but rather two sides of the same coin. They are constantly warring with the Horde faction.
Azeroth:
Azeroth is the main mythical world (a map is seen in the background of my blog) where the game the World of Warcraft happens. It consists of two main continents (Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor), and within these continents, cities of both sides (the Alliance and the Horde) battle for control with each and against outside forces.
Faction:
The alignment that one chooses within World of Warcraft. Although there are multiple alignments and factions within WoW,
Horde:
Another alignment or faction that can be chosen in World of Warcraft. The races under this faction are Tauren, Blood Elves, Orcs, Undead and Trolls. The main two factions that a player chooses to play when they create a character are the Alliance and the Horde. It is important to emphasize these factions are not good and evil, but rather two sides of the same coin. They are constantly warring with the Alliance faction.
Night Elves (link to Blizzard WoW site about Night Elves):
One of the races in World of Warcraft that is of the Alliance alignment. Also referred to as one of the "sexier" races of the game, night elves are beautiful creatures of the humanoid type, with purple-undertoned skin and what would be deemed "stereotypical" elf features of elongated ears and tall height with slender bodies. They are nocturnal by nature and strong magic users attuned with nature.
Races (link to Blizzard WoW site about the races):
Different types of characters involved in World of Warcraft that have different characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The full list of races is as follows: Blood Elves, Draenei, Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans, Night Elves, Orcs, Taurens, Trolls and Orcs.
Tauren (link to Blizzard WoW site about Tauren):
The Tauren are one of the races in World of Warcraft that are of the Horde alignment. They are in appearance half human and half cow or half bull. They appear similar to the minotaurs of mythology. They are reverent of nature and are generally peaceful unless disturbed. They are strong allies of the orcs. They are also talented at herbalism.
WoW:
An abbreviation/acronym for World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft:
A computer game of the MMORPG genre. This genre is called the Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. In short, the game is a roleplaying game that includes millions of players from around the world that interact with one another.
Hope that helps! Watch this for further terms to be defined!
See you in Azeroth!
~liz~
What WoW looks like: A Few Pictures
In World of Warcraft, a picture (or screenshot) can speak a thousand words. What I describe to you cannot have the same effect as an actual picture, so here are a few of the World of Warcraft.
First of all, since this is a blog on gender issues, let's look at the sexy race, the night elves...notice anything about her figure? :P (Today in Azerothian Playboy.....Sexy Night Elves Bare ALL)
They even dance in an interesting manner! (Click here to see the actual dance in gif format, blogger doesn't like Gifs being posted for some reason).
But even races that usually aren't sexy are kind of sexy or at least have big breasts.
See, even zombies can be sexy, she's got quite the figure and not much clothing! And look at her gorgeous flowing purple hair and pouty lips!
Even Tauren are chesty, and they are half-cow!
The Tauren on the right is a female of the species. Tauren are man-bulls or in this case man-cows, and they are on the side of the Horde (Azeroth, the World of Warcraft) is based largely on the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance, two sides in a war.
Notice however, that even as part cow, her chest is quite large, her midriff is bare, and she has braids. Compared to the male of her species she also has much smaller horns, and her frame is much more slender. Even as half cow, women have to have the ideal hourglass figure!
Also notice that her hands are quite delicate for what you would suspect of a character her size.
The average Tauren female is much smaller than the average Tauren male character, as are the majority of the males and females of the different races of the game (these differences will be explored in depth later).
The fact that even these half cow/bull humanoid creatures have stereotypical features can really make you think of how pervasive stereotypes and the pressure to conform to a body ideal can be.
Another thing to consider when looking at these pictures is as to who the general target audience is: males. The characters (even the Tauren) are fairly feminine, with slender waists, large breasts and proportionate bodies. To give an example of what the males look like, here is an example of three of the races:
Tauren male (in a word, and using an awful pun, he is beefy):
First of all, since this is a blog on gender issues, let's look at the sexy race, the night elves...notice anything about her figure? :P (Today in Azerothian Playboy.....Sexy Night Elves Bare ALL)
They even dance in an interesting manner! (Click here to see the actual dance in gif format, blogger doesn't like Gifs being posted for some reason).
But even races that usually aren't sexy are kind of sexy or at least have big breasts.
See, even zombies can be sexy, she's got quite the figure and not much clothing! And look at her gorgeous flowing purple hair and pouty lips!
Even Tauren are chesty, and they are half-cow! The Tauren on the right is a female of the species. Tauren are man-bulls or in this case man-cows, and they are on the side of the Horde (Azeroth, the World of Warcraft) is based largely on the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance, two sides in a war.Notice however, that even as part cow, her chest is quite large, her midriff is bare, and she has braids. Compared to the male of her species she also has much smaller horns, and her frame is much more slender. Even as half cow, women have to have the ideal hourglass figure!
Also notice that her hands are quite delicate for what you would suspect of a character her size.
The average Tauren female is much smaller than the average Tauren male character, as are the majority of the males and females of the different races of the game (these differences will be explored in depth later).
The fact that even these half cow/bull humanoid creatures have stereotypical features can really make you think of how pervasive stereotypes and the pressure to conform to a body ideal can be.
Another thing to consider when looking at these pictures is as to who the general target audience is: males. The characters (even the Tauren) are fairly feminine, with slender waists, large breasts and proportionate bodies. To give an example of what the males look like, here is an example of three of the races:
Tauren male (in a word, and using an awful pun, he is beefy):
Human male (again broad shoulders, ripped arms and tapered waist)
And finally, the night elf male, which when viewed in juxtaposition with the night elf female above is quite startling...in fact here is a comparison of the two genders in the race:
The female is on the left, the male to the right. The size proportions are not correct, the male in game is actually quite larger than the female. I just find this race interesting because at first glance, both are beautiful creatures, with high cheekbones and delicate facial features, and pale purple skin. However, the similarity ends there.
Although the male night elf is slender, he still has muscular arms and legs, with broad shoulders and a tapered waist, as do all of the male characters in WoW.
The female night elf is very busty, with an almost impossibly tiny waist, very slender arms and legs, and a much more delicate face than the man.
Even in Azeroth, the "frailty myth" prevails. (see "The Frailty Myth" by Colette Dowling). Play, have fun, but think about it.
See you in Azeroth!
~liz~
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Why I Wrote This Blog: A Little More Detail
This blog has a main topic, however from time to time it may veer off course and into different topics, whether assignments unrelated to gaming, or just something I found funny or worth writing about. Overall, there is a general topic that I would like to post on as much as possible.
I decided to choose a topic that I am familiar with: being a gamer and a female. In order to make the topic matter a bit more focused, I decided to focus mostly on being a gamer in World of Warcraft.I've played World of Warcraft for about a year and a half, and I think it is a lot of fun. However, there are still gender issues concerning females in WoW, whether it be in real life or in Azeroth itself (Azeroth is the realm that you explore in World of Warcraft).
Women are the minority in the world of gaming in general, but it is quite pronounced in World of Warcraft. Although on the surface it may seem like there are many female characters, chances are that the female character is being played by a male gamer behind that screen.
The game in and of itself is on the surface seemingly made for males, as the majority of the females of the races, even the ones that seemingly wouldn’t be sexy (such as the Tauren, a half cow/half human minotaur-esque creature), still has large breasts and a smaller waist, typical of the mainstream idealized female figure. Faces of the female characters are usually tending towards the softer and less aggressive features as well. I will discuss the visual features of the female characters and the female “half” of the races in upcoming entries.
Another reason why I decided to write this is because generally when the gaming world is critiqued as to the portrayal of gender, and gender issues in general, it is usually by someone who is not part of the gaming world, a world which can be hard to understand from the outside looking in. It’s a sub-culture, with many groups within that group itself (e.g. console gamers, Dungeons and Dragons players and fantasy RPGers). All of these smaller groups interact in different ways, and the intricacies of the gaming world can be hard to understand unless you game yourself. I intend to try to correct this oversight and provide a critique of gender in World of Warcraft from the perspective of both a participant and an observer.
See you in Azeroth!
~liz~
I decided to choose a topic that I am familiar with: being a gamer and a female. In order to make the topic matter a bit more focused, I decided to focus mostly on being a gamer in World of Warcraft.I've played World of Warcraft for about a year and a half, and I think it is a lot of fun. However, there are still gender issues concerning females in WoW, whether it be in real life or in Azeroth itself (Azeroth is the realm that you explore in World of Warcraft).
Women are the minority in the world of gaming in general, but it is quite pronounced in World of Warcraft. Although on the surface it may seem like there are many female characters, chances are that the female character is being played by a male gamer behind that screen.
The game in and of itself is on the surface seemingly made for males, as the majority of the females of the races, even the ones that seemingly wouldn’t be sexy (such as the Tauren, a half cow/half human minotaur-esque creature), still has large breasts and a smaller waist, typical of the mainstream idealized female figure. Faces of the female characters are usually tending towards the softer and less aggressive features as well. I will discuss the visual features of the female characters and the female “half” of the races in upcoming entries.
Another reason why I decided to write this is because generally when the gaming world is critiqued as to the portrayal of gender, and gender issues in general, it is usually by someone who is not part of the gaming world, a world which can be hard to understand from the outside looking in. It’s a sub-culture, with many groups within that group itself (e.g. console gamers, Dungeons and Dragons players and fantasy RPGers). All of these smaller groups interact in different ways, and the intricacies of the gaming world can be hard to understand unless you game yourself. I intend to try to correct this oversight and provide a critique of gender in World of Warcraft from the perspective of both a participant and an observer.
See you in Azeroth!
~liz~
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Introduction or Why I Am Writing This Blog
As I am sure most of you have noticed, this blog is about being a female gamer in World of Warcraft, the popular Blizzard MMORPG game.
I am sure the first question you are asking is: Why?
I am a 23 year old graduate student, and I decided to take an undergraduate course over the summer in order to learn the basics of something I hadn't yet scratched the surface of. Thus, I chose Introduction to Women's Studies.
One of our assignments was to create a blog addressing gender issues, whether they be in art, popular culture, discrimination or anything really.
I decided to choose a topic that I am familiar with: being a gamer and a female. In order to make the topic matter a bit more focused, I decided to focus mostly on being a gamer in World of Warcraft. However, the posts about World of Warcraft will be mixed in with my reactions to other things as well.
I've played World of Warcraft for about a year and a half, and I think it is a lot of fun. However, there are still gender issues concerning females in WoW, whether it be in real life or in Azeroth itself (Azeroth is the realm that you explore in World of Warcraft).
My next entry will be a glossary and basic introductory post explaining things that are within World of Warcraft. I will try to explain as much as I can, but a game like WoW is incredibly complex and has many layers, which I am hoping to peel back with this blog!
See you in Azeroth!
~Liz~
I am sure the first question you are asking is: Why?
I am a 23 year old graduate student, and I decided to take an undergraduate course over the summer in order to learn the basics of something I hadn't yet scratched the surface of. Thus, I chose Introduction to Women's Studies.
One of our assignments was to create a blog addressing gender issues, whether they be in art, popular culture, discrimination or anything really.
I decided to choose a topic that I am familiar with: being a gamer and a female. In order to make the topic matter a bit more focused, I decided to focus mostly on being a gamer in World of Warcraft. However, the posts about World of Warcraft will be mixed in with my reactions to other things as well.
I've played World of Warcraft for about a year and a half, and I think it is a lot of fun. However, there are still gender issues concerning females in WoW, whether it be in real life or in Azeroth itself (Azeroth is the realm that you explore in World of Warcraft).
My next entry will be a glossary and basic introductory post explaining things that are within World of Warcraft. I will try to explain as much as I can, but a game like WoW is incredibly complex and has many layers, which I am hoping to peel back with this blog!
See you in Azeroth!
~Liz~
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