Real Gamer Girls?

It seems like the discussion of gamer girls is endless. Deciding whether females that pose with their controllers on facebook are to be considered gamers or not, seems to be one of the hottest topics of all times. At least this goes for the female gaming communities that I'm somehow part of.

I'm aware of the fact that I have been judging people that I've seen online only by their pictures or posts (I guess that's the only way to actually be judgemental online, lol). I've been seeing pictures of girls posing half naked with their controllers or posting "Omg omg! Ding 32 in World of Warcraft!" and seen them as wanna-be gamers or posers. Growing up with brothers constantly playing games, and myself trying them all out, it used to be hard for me to accept girls who would do their best to seem like they know what they're talking about just to receive attention from guys.

I've been asked multiple times if I am a gamer, or if I consider myself to be one. During the years I've mainly replied with a "no", since I don't play nearly as much as most people I know. Getting more involved in games and LAN communities contributed to a greater knowledge of games as well as playing more. Being surrounded by "gamers", I felt like I really became a part of it, and I was proud to be labelled as one. Today however, I know that I don't play as much as the people around me again. Whether it has to do with being busy or just not feeling like it, I don't know. Am I still a gamer? I'm not even sure myself. I know that most people I know would consider me to be one, although I'm not sure if that is how I see myself at this point in life.

To get back to the topic, this is why I changed my way of looking at things. Why should I judge someone for wanting to be part of the gaming community? I may not have posted pictures of myself with every console that I've ever owned, but why would that give me right to neglect someone else from getting involved? The reason for posting those pictures or texts may be due to wanting attention, but it may as well be because the person thinks games are incredibly cool or wanting to get involved in the same interests as friends. By considering it a privilege to be called a gamer, less people will be motivated to join in, which becomes an obstacle for the community to grow. By preventing the growth, the gaming industry will take longer to be accepted by the mass, and the mass wanting to get involved closes this circle.Would it make me less of a gamer if I took pictures with my Steelseries headset whilst licking my Xbox controller? No, it wouldn't make me less or more of a gamer.

Even though I sometimes still feel irritated by people who pose as gamers, I try to look at it from a bigger perspective. Let people pretend, and they may end up interested for real, allowing the gaming industry to expand.