Why is Gamestop so sexist?

[Dan558]

Come on now, there are stereotypes for a reason, think about the 'talent' pool of the gaming world, sure its exaggerated, but when you break it down to the people hardcore enough to get a job there. You are going to be right in the home of that stereotype.

You aren't going to get many 'random' people working there, gamestop is always gonna hire people with gaming experience, and when you combine it with those stereotypes. You are going to frequently get the more socially awkward around girls group most often.

Throw that together with the fact that many girl gamers use the fact that they are a girl to advance in many guilds/clans in games. As opposed to talent, you frequently get girls that are unqualified for the role they play, which makes them bad at it.(tldr girls are bad at games)

mostly this except I can't really agree with the statement that girls are bad at games, worse maybe but not outright bad 100%.

Basically to restate, not so many girls play games. Just because you and your friends (who Surprise! have similar interests) are girls who play games dosn't mean there is a 1:1 ratio of gamer guys to girls out there.

Next, as Selcopa said many girls who do play use the fact that they are girls to smooze their way into many more "elite" circles. I can vouch for this as in Wow the two guilds I have been in had one or two girls who were fairly mediocore but because they called every guy "Hun" and flirted shamelessly they were always first in line. That or they were married to someone high up already. While this is really just some of the bad eggs who spoil it for the rest it does make it seem like there are more girl gamers out there then there really are.

Lastly, like stated many traditional/older gamers are more likely to be introverted and therefore tons more likely to be awkward around the opposite sex. Therefore leading to the bias hiring of possibly less suitable guys from gamers who fall into this category. I say older/traditional gamers because lately gaming has become more acceptable to jocks/idiots who generally don't have the introverted personality compounded by years of female rejection. In the case of jocks it's much more along the line of just being sexist pigs around women rather then a misunderstanding.

Basically stereotypes encourages more stereotypes and other people have to suffer.

[Angel of Iniquity]

HEY quit spamming up MY topic. Pweeeease



Remind my not to go to that Gamestop anymore.

PS it's sexist to claim that females suck at videogames....

LOL
sorry, stereotyping has some truth to it haha, as it is usually based on an community based fact.
But yea, there were 2 blondes working at my gamestop awhile back. I don't think they knew what they were doing. I think they were speaking dutch.
I bought FF10-2 for the first time, and one of them said. "Oh, I didn't like that game"... Then about 20 seconds of awkward silence... So awkward... ... ..
Oh and HUSKYS are so awesome!

[Selcopa]

mostly this except I can't really agree with the statement that girls are bad at games, worse maybe but not outright bad 100%.

Basically to restate, not so many girls play games. Just because you and your friends (who Surprise! have similar interests) are girls who play games dosn't mean there is a 1:1 ratio of gamer guys to girls out there.

Next, as Selcopa said many girls who do play use the fact that they are girls to smooze their way into many more "elite" circles. I can vouch for this as in Wow the two guilds I have been in had one or two girls who were fairly mediocore but because they called every guy "Hun" and flirted shamelessly they were always first in line. That or they were married to someone high up already. While this is really just some of the bad eggs who spoil it for the rest it does make it seem like there are more girl gamers out there then there really are.

Lastly, like stated many traditional/older gamers are more likely to be introverted and therefore tons more likely to be awkward around the opposite sex. Therefore leading to the bias hiring of possibly less suitable guys from gamers who fall into this category. I say older/traditional gamers because lately gaming has become more acceptable to jocks/idiots who generally don't have the introverted personality compounded by years of female rejection. In the case of jocks it's much more along the line of just being sexist pigs around women rather then a misunderstanding.

Basically stereotypes encourages more stereotypes and other people have to suffer.

Meh, if you put yourself into a sitaution you are not qualified to do, you are bad, even if your overall skill is middle of the pack or even above average. And as I said I have played with some exceptional women in games, including Wow, but the vast majority of girls in elite circles are not that good.

And just to kind of add on to what Dan said, traditional gamers(who still are bred to this day) are still always going to dominate places like gamestop, simply because its their safe zone, where your gamer jock/douchebag/tool is going to be comfortable applying for jobs anywhere, as a result is less likely to be at a gamestop.

And Huskies are amazing, but I live in apartments and goto school they're too big. And my blue heeler doesnt even need to be on a leash, herding dogs ftw, follows me around all the time

[Dan558]

so yeah.. my question is why is it that it's such a oddity when girls are heavy gamers?

Basically because it really is an oddity.

And just to kind of add on to what Dan said, traditional gamers(who still are bred to this day) are still always going to dominate places like gamestop, simply because its their safe zone, where your gamer jock/douchebag/tool is going to be comfortable applying for jobs anywhere, as a result is less likely to be at a gamestop.

That too it's a haven for gamers/introverts so when someone odd comes in they don't know how to react. Opposed to this though, and which may explain some of the people who have reported different Gamestops, In some gamestops where there are lots of girls its likely because it started off with fighting gender stereotypes and therefore didn't fall into that rut. Then again you can get it going bad where underqualified girls are hired because they are girls who can schmooze men into buying games or simply because the hire-er wanted a girl to stare at all day.

I know of at least one gamestop here where I've seen girls who don't know what they are doing and are clearly just for eye candy.

And even though many stereotypes are bad and shouldn't be strictly followed many are taken from real situations.

[Selcopa]

I'll make the sexist comment, girls are terrible gamers, I am better at mario kart, counter strike, and world of warcraft then the majority of girls that play them, and id even go as far to say that most guys are better at those same games compared to most girls.

And if you don't like it, feel free to comment on my inability to draw, write legible words, sew, prepare intricate meals and other things that women are stereotypically better than men it. Hey I embrace stereotypes most of the time
(Of course then i'm probably gonna mention how I don't forget where I parked my car when I go grocery shopping, but go for it)

[Rocky]

I'll make the sexist comment, girls are terrible gamers, I am better at mario kart, counter strike, and world of warcraft then the majority of girls that play them, and id even go as far to say that most guys are better at those same games compared to most girls.

And yes, this is 100% true. Sorry to say it, but anyone who watches e-sports or has any grasp of competitive knowledge can verify this. The rate of professional videogame players is heavily favored to males over females in virtually every game and genre.

[Selcopa]

and real sports if we wanna throw those in, just sayin.

[Dan558]

I'll make the sexist comment, girls are terrible gamers, I am better at mario kart, counter strike, and world of warcraft then the majority of girls that play them, and id even go as far to say that most guys are better at those same games compared to most girls.

And if you don't like it, feel free to comment on my inability to draw, write legible words, sew, prepare intricate meals and other things that women are stereotypically better than men it. Hey I embrace stereotypes most of the time
(Of course then i'm probably gonna mention how I don't forget where I parked my car when I go grocery shopping, but go for it)

lol I admire your bluntness on the subject. I actually dance around a solid opinion on matters like this because I don't want to offend anyone. So continuing with that tone sometimes when I see stereotypes blurted out like this my mind screams "YES! YES! Why do people reject the truth like this?" other times it disgusts me (i.e. like racial hate for hates sake)

[che]

I'll make the sexist comment, girls are terrible gamers, I am better at mario kart, counter strike, and world of warcraft then the majority of girls that play them, and id even go as far to say that most guys are better at those same games compared to most girls.

This is the equivalent of saying there are 100% more idiots in Madison,Wisconsin that in Tusla, Oklahoma. If there are 5 idiots in Tulsa, and 10 in Madison, that statement is true, but can you see the weight?

It's not as A or B as that, though. If we (somehow) compare the ratio of men to women who play videogames, we will get an uneven number favoring men (I believe). Then we will also have to seperate those into casual gamers, hardcore gamers, competitive gamers, etc.

But the real reason why everyone stares at you when you walk into gamestop, Mel, is because you're sexy as fawk!

[Selcopa]

This is the equivalent of saying there are 100% more idiots in Madison,Wisconsin that in Tusla, Oklahoma. If there are 5 idiots in Tulsa, and 10 in Madison, that statement is true, but can you see the weight?

It's not as A or B as that, though. If we (somehow) compare the ratio of men to women who play videogames, we will get an uneven number favoring men (I believe). Then we will also have to seperate those into casual gamers, hardcore gamers, competitive gamers, etc.

But the real reason why everyone stares at you when you walk into gamestop, Mel, is because you're sexy as fawk!

Ahh but that is why I made the comment about "elite circles" like high end raiding guilds or leagues in FPS games, where a guy will simply get removed from those circles if they are terabad, while with a girl everybody just picks up the slack because she posted a picture of her IRL on the forums and leaves winky faces at the end of all their sentences.

@part2 pics or it didnt happen, although im sure there's a RL pic thread here somewhere, too lazy to track down, actually scratch all this i dont care either way lol

[che]

Ahh but that is why I made the comment about "elite circles" like high end raiding guilds or leagues in FPS games, where a guy will simply get removed from those circles if they are terabad, while with a girl everybody just picks up the slack because she posted a picture of her IRL on the forums and leaves winky faces at the end of all their sentences.

@part2 pics or it didnt happen, although im sure there's a RL pic thread here somewhere, too lazy to track down, actual scratch all this i dont care either way lol

There's also the guy that's really terribad but the guild leader keeps him in the main raid (or whatever the equivalent is in other games) because he is friends irl with the guild leader. What's the difference?

Honestly, both are pretty shitty in terms of a performance standpoint, but what if statistics show the raid (which is made up of 75% hetero guys) performs better when the female is on vent? What about the fact that the guild leader's friend irl makes a shitload of potions for raid buffs and does a ton of behind the scene shit that nobody has the time/will to do even though he's 10% shittier than the average person on the A-team?

[Selcopa]

The difference is the % of the guys that get their spot in elite circles by doing this. And the % of girls that do this, is significantly higher. Id say at least 10x higher.

If the raid performs better because a girl is on vent then there are some underlying problems that need to be dealt with without needing to sandbag a girl in. As far as the shitty friend, you might keep him in the guild and let him do the farm stuff, but he's not gonna get in the tough progression raids, not in a healing or tanking role, and if he's ****ing up as a damage role either he's gonna get replaced or people are going to leave. And they will, i've left a guild before seeing this happened and overall it lead to the collapse of the guild(not me leaving, although I like to think i started the charge)

[che]

The difference is the % of the guys that get their spot in elite circles by doing this. And the % of girls that do this, is significantly higher. Id say at least 10x higher.

If the raid performs better because a girl is on vent then there are some underlying problems that need to be dealt with without needing to sandbag a girl in. As far as the shitty friend, you might keep him in the guild and let him do the farm stuff, but he's not gonna get in the tough progression raids, not in a healing or tanking role, and if he's ****ing up as a damage role either he's gonna get replaced or people are going to leave. And they will, i've left a guild before seeing this happened and overall it lead to the collapse of the guild(not me leaving, although I like to think i started the charge)

If it were mostly girls who held their spot in elite circles all legit-like, and I was in the minority being a male (role reversal), I'm pretty sure I'd feel awesome about being one of the only males and I might be a little extra flirty to keep my spot in raids.

I specifically noted that the guild leader's friend is 10% shitter. If your guild cares/is competitive enough to care about 10%, chances are they are going to drop that person from the raid whether they are a chick or not. I've seen it happen myself, I used to be in Death and Taxes back when I played. But this has more to do with the guild leadership than anything.

Anyway, bottom line: It's a game, people will choose who they would rather play with over people they don't. It's not always based on skill, and some of it is compatibility. You can put 11 of the best soccer plays on the same team, but if they don't work well together/aren't on the same page they aren't going to be much of a team.

The men who are ultra desperate guild leaders that keep girls around because they think they will have a chance to sleep with them are just kidding themselves (most of the time). But hey, you never know I guess!

[Selcopa]

Well when you do sleep with them its not because of your legit WoW skills i'll say that, and i do remember D&T, I was in a guild called Consequence from Burning Legion, i'd be surprised if you recognized it, but were ranked globally during the Naxx period, although not super high.

There is a compatibility thing, but the point is that a girl is much more commonly avoiding those standard filters by brushing up on the higher ranking players, and even though the general consensus is that the guild would be better without her raiding, but stays in because the guild leader says so.

[che]

Well when you do sleep with them its not because of your legit WoW skills i'll say that, and i do remember D&T, I was in a guild called Consequence from Burning Legion, i'd be surprised if you recognized it, but were ranked globally during the Naxx period, although not super high.

There is a compatibility thing, but the point is that a girl is much more commonly avoiding those standard filters by brushing up on the higher ranking players, and even though the general consensus is that the guild would be better without her raiding, but stays in because the guild leader says so.

Is it the girl's fault, or the person allowing her to take advantage of them, though?

[Dan558]

Since at the moment the convo has shifted to girls on teams. I think it's insanely annoying the frequency in which girls shamelessly flirt on online games. It sickens me to the point where i usually have to turn off voice chat or ignore text altogether to keep from yelling at the bitch (I say this because that's what flirts are) to stop it.

It's so damn distasteful that I resign to the fact that they all must be butt-ugly women who get zero attention in real life so they constantly have to reassure their place in a circle of guys who can't see her by being a unconsequential tease/flirt. It's shameful how many times I have gone through entire sittings while five guys will fawn over a girl and she just laps it up like a whore trying to come off as cute (not just one person one time but many girls on various games)

Every one seems to always add "hon", "hun" or something to that affect with every typed message.

[Selcopa]

[Cheesevixen]

IDK I've never had that experience there. Maybe they've just never seen a cute girl before? Sry those guys are weirdo's. >>

[Rhaps]

I have two gamestops within my region that I frequent; One is run by a large* scenester lady who kinda scares me (on account of glaring at me when I peruse, not the large scenester part.) and the second one is run by casual gamers.
They didn't even know Trauma Center had sequels for christ sakes

On topic, I think the sexism isn't the employing requisite of gamestop, it may just be a recurring trend in the people they hire.
--
*Large as in fat.

[Selcopa]

Haha scenesters, so anti conformist that they all conform to wearing the same anti conformist clothes

oh corporations, you and your sneaky hot topic.

[SOLDIER #819]

Did "pro gaming" get really popular without me noticing? I know the ladies go crazy in Korea for the Starcraft champs, but is it getting that much coverage here?

and the second one is run by casual gamers.

With any luck that'll mean they're less inclined to recommend games I don't want, ask me if I want to pre-order x, or steal my pre-order bonus styluses because they love the series soooo much and just had to have 3 for themselves.

[Block]

Did "pro gaming" get really popular without me noticing? I know the ladies go crazy in Korea for the Starcraft champs, but is it getting that much coverage here?


With any luck that'll mean they're less inclined to recommend games I don't want, ask me if I want to pre-order x, or steal my pre-order bonus styluses because they love the series soooo much and just had to have 3 for themselves.

It is making a much bigger splash than it used to (pro gaming that is). Obviously it's no SC2 in Korea level, but Intel and a few other companies are pushing it pretty hard for the Americas.

[kupo]

heh, this thread made me think of my most recent visit to gamestop. i went 2 sundays ago to pick up my pokemon white preorder and grab some lunch right after church. so i walk into a gamestop in a dress, heals and my ever-so-sharp looking 3 yr old son and stand in line of 12 yr olds and their parents all there for the same reason. they had a box of ps2 games without the cases so i rummaged through to find a copy of 'mercenaries' and decided to get it (i had lost my copy about 3 years ago). once its my turn to check out i had the guy 'mercenaries'. he looks at the game, looks up at me with one eyebrow raised giving me the 'your a girl that actually plays this game', then finishes the check out.

anther time (not at the same gamestop location) i was looking a new psp game to play while on a trip. i was the only person in the store at the time so one of the employees and i strike up a bit of a conversation. long story short, he brought up the topic of FF
guy - so do you play any final fantasy at all?
me - ya i do, awesome series
guy - let me guess, like most girls your favorite is vii cause of cloud
me - actually no, i enjoyed playing I and tactics more. i never understood why girls had a fascination with cloud

guy looked stumped

[Dan558]

Did "pro gaming" get really popular without me noticing? I know the ladies go crazy in Korea for the Starcraft champs, but is it getting that much coverage here?

I think at this point it's still in their own head. Gaming in general is more universally accepted but being a "pro gamer" really means nothing to the general public. Only other "pro gamers" and the obsessive wannabes actually hold them in any regard. Casual hate is actually more popular then actual pro gamers and its hard to understand why. Casual gamers have overall made gaming have more of a positive view and following. Even still it's really hate for hates sake "ooooo this person actually plays games for fun!?!? how dare he/she! They should always learn the ins and outs of every game so it becomes more of a chore to maintain then a fun way to pass the time!"

Anyways back to the flirty girls subject from before. It's even obvious on this site that several girls oversexualize their account be it with little hearts of massive "sexy" pictures and stupidly calling other members "lovers" or calling themselves sex goddesses. Barf. Get over yourself.

[loaf]

Read first page. About girls in games and clans. My WoW guild had 10+ girls. At least 6 of them were good. I would actually prefer to group with 2 of them over a lot of other people.

I actually personally know 3 girls who are pretty good at games. One of them is amazing at Mario Kart 64, wins mini tournaments.

I am a girl, and I own you all at video games. Tru Story.

P.S. *Anyone who types like this, needs to be shot. Making yourself look like a 6th grader.*

[Unknown Entity]

I owned a guy cashier once in GAME. He obviously didn't get the job because he was passionate about games. He came walking up to me all sly like, and asked if I needed help. Out of eveeeryone in the store, he picks the female on the other side of the room. I just smiled and said "No thanks," and got back to looking through the games.

He went to walk away but came back, after he saw me pick up a Dead Space 2 pre-order case, and said that I wouldn't like that kind of game (implying it's too violent). I simply said "I'm pretty sure I will. I bothered to platinum the first game," and then left the store. His friend who was working behind the register started laughing at him.

I don't know why they'd be so sexist. If you like games, and you're a girl (which you are ), go into the game store with your head held high. If they want to act off, let them, but don't let it get to you. They're obviously not mature enough.

[che]

P.S. *Anyone who types like this, needs to be shot. Making yourself look like a 6th grader.*

*All six graders should be shot*

[LocoColt04]

he looks at the game, looks up at me with one eyebrow raised giving me the 'your a girl that actually plays this game', then finishes the check out.

I actually get really excited (HAR HAR) when girls pick up something other than some crappy pet game or something loaded with pink. It's surprising to me that there are still employees at GameStop locations that still behave in a sexist manner. I guess it all depends upon your region. Up here in DFW, we're so close to the corporate office (literally, it takes me 20 minutes from my place) that those idiots are few and far between. Customer service is a massive focus, and a lot of that stems from not behaving like a total douchewaffle.

The average store around here is staffed with 30-50% females; there are a couple of stores in the area with almost entirely female staffs.

To answer the very original question, I can only hope that it's just that one location and not indicative of your entire region. I'd suggest trying another location, and if you're honestly bothered by the demeanor of those employees, I'll be happy to give you the customer service number (because honestly, creeping over your shoulder and leering at you is completely abhorrent behavior).

[Dan558]

The average store around here is staffed with 30-50% females; there are a couple of stores in the area with almost entirely female staffs.

see? now 50% women is just a misrepresentation of the girl gamer community, makes me just think that girls are hired on purpose to overcompensate for possible sexism.To me its just fighting ignorance with more ignorance. It would be like inviting African Americans to a wedding that serves chicken or fish but you only serve them fish because you don't want to seem racist and offer them chicken. They see a girl apply so they figure they should give them more consideration because there's the risk of being called sexist (especially near headquarters as you say).

Can girls honestly claim they are 50% of the gaming community in Canada and the States? If so, most of them must be really hidden well (and i'm not just saying they don't talk online) and never talk about it in public (off internet) even to their guy friends.

[sayian]

lol we have a game store called Replay, there probably more chiks that work there than guys... pretty attractive too