Is Gamer a Dirty Word?

I admit that there are a few things that I’m truly passionate about. I’m passionate about equal rights and treatment for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc. I’m passionate about the arts and every aspect of it.

I’m also fiercely passionate about being a gamer and being a girl. I think that there’s something wonderfully refreshing about being a girl gamer. And it’s great that more women are discovering how wonderful it is to play video games. It makes me thrilled that more girls are picking up a controller and enjoying something that I have gotten so many hours of joy from.

Enter the latest Nintendo 3DS ads.

It really sticks in my craw that they’re trying to market the 3DS to girls in a way that makes the word gamer seem almost like it’s a dirty word. “I’m not a gamer…” is how it starts.

It makes me wonder, what is it about the word “gamer” that makes it such a dirty word. It leads me back to the many instances that I have seen about male gamers and how they tend to think. Like video games are a privilege for the boys, but girls get into it and it becomes outright misogyny. Now, that’s not to say that most men are like that… the truth is, it’s really just a vocal minority… overly vocal minority. Most men that hear that I’m a gamer are actually OK with that. In some cases, men actually love that I am willing to pick up a controller (or dice as I also play tabletop RPGs as well) and play with the boys.

So, why does Nintendo feel that they need to show girls saying they’re not gamers? What’s so wrong with the word gamer when it’s attached to girls? Is there some preconceived notion of what a gamer girl is supposed to be or look like?

I honestly don’t understand.

It’s that kind of advertising that becomes divisive to women who are gamers and those who play games but don’t like the tag “gamer”. We all get the same enjoyment by spending time gaming whether it be casual gaming or platforms or RPGs for FPSs or what have you. We are gamers, whether you want to use the term or not.

Why make a certain word dirty when it should really be a badge of honor? Maybe that’s something that I just don’t understand. I wish that someone would explain why seeing a girl say she’s a gamer would be a bad thing.