Suicide Girls Gamers by Geek Woman 10/24/05
I was doing research for an article one night when I came upon a member’s blog over at the Suicide Girls “I’m the world’s worst feminist.” She said. “I like porn, I like video games, and I like horror movies, and I cringe when I read feminist essays about any of those three topics.” I thought, “Well wait a minute, that would make me a terrible feminist too.” I know that isn’t true. Like every ‘ism’ in society, feminism has to evolve with the times. This made me curious about what the younger generation thinks of video games and images of women. Suicide Girls notorius website is culturally relevant perspective. I sat down with several of the Suicide Girls themselves and heard some very vehement and seriously spicy responses to my questions….
Game designers, if you want to know what women want, these ladies are not afraid to tell you. The Suicide Girls are an international community of aspiring models. They are very open minded and have much to tell in their blogs about the role that games play in their lives.
So far there isn’t an official Suicide Girls gaming clan. But I imagine it isn’t too far off in the future. There are several “Groups” at their website which are devoted to gaming of all kinds. According to Lauren Suicide they are some of the most active forums there. Gaming is a big part of the lives of “generation Y”. They use games to relax, blow off steam and just to have fun.
Geek Woman What do you like better PC Games or consoles?
Al Suicide: I’m more of a console guy myself. (Al is most definately a Suicide Girl by the way.)
Lotus Suicide: That’s a tough call. I’d probably have to say consoles. Though there are tons of great games for the PC, you don’t often get to sit around with your friends and play them together. Consoles bring people together a lot better.
Malloreigh Suicide: Personally I’m more of a fan of console games, but only because I prefer sitting in front of a television with a controller in my hand to sitting in front of my computer with the WASD keys and my mouse. It’s much easier to lounge in front of the TV! There’s also the issues of processor speed, video card, glitches, crashes and memory when it comes to playing on your computer. With a console, you’ve got everything you need right there and you don’t have to worry about MSN crashing your game. As a sidenote, I don’t game often on my computer anyhow, because I’m a Mac user.
Geek Woman For the next gen consoles will you be a an Xbox 360 or a PS3 person?
Al Suicide: Oh, PS3, all the way.
Lotus Suicide: PS3! Until Xbox gets Final Fantasy that’s where my allegiance has to lie.
Quinne Suicide: Xbox for life!
Malloreigh Suicide: I’ve always been a Playstation fan simply because Final Fantasy runs on PS, and I’ve got to say I’m an FF geek, but I was really impressed with the Xbox. I’d like to say both. There, I said it. Both. I’ll get both. (Not really a Nintendo person… some of the games are cute, but I just don’t get into Nintendo games like I do more mature games.)
Geek Woman What console(s) do you own?
Al Suicide: I have an 8-bit NES and a Playstation. I guess I also have a Game Cube that I got for free out of a mixup, but I only have one game for it and I don’t play it ever.
Lotus Suicide: I own a Game Cube and a PS2. My Xbox met a nasty end. *cry*
Malloreigh Suicide: Right now I have one of those tiny, slim, sexy PS2s. That’s it. If I were in a better financial position, I’d have an Xbox, a Gamecube, an N64 and a SNES for specific games. Though, since DOA isn’t really available for PS2 anymore and I am a Mario Kart -addict-.
Geek Woman How about handheld games? Anyone else got any?
Al Suicide: I always wanted a Game Gear back in the day, but never got one. My family was kinda poor. I want to get a Gameboy Advance, but… well, I’m still poor. And I prefer to spend my money at the bar.
Lotus Suicide: I don’t own any handheld games. I did buy my cellphone specifically because it has Tetris on it though.
Malloreigh Suicide: No. It’s my best friend’s PSP, though, and I rock the Lumines… such a fun and addictive game. It invades your dreams.
Geek Woman What are you playing now?
Al Suicide: Nothing, at the moment, but a friend recommended Fallout 2 to me, so I think I’m going to give it a go. My brother tried to get me into Call of Duty, a WWII game for the PC, but I’m a spaz when it comes to first person shooters and that game is NOT for spazzes. Too many surprises. Plus, it was pretty realistic and it depressed me to think about the fact that boys actually went through that 60 years ago. 
Quinne Suicide: Donkey Kong circa 1994 
Malloreigh Suicide: Always Dance Dance Revolution — I have DDR Extreme as well as the original NA PS1 home release, and arcade-sized dance pads. I’m also finally running myself through FFX and FFXI. For parties I have Soul Calibur 2 up in this piece. And, as everyone who’s bothered to speak to me in the last year+ knows, World of Warcraft.
Geek Woman Do you play any MMORPGS?
Al Suicide : No, but I hear Gemstone is pretty good.
Lotus Suicide : I’ve tried to get into the MMORPGS a lot but I just can’t do it. I don’t want to pay a monthly fee to play a game! For some reason they just don’t motivate me to develop my character at all.
Geek Woman Sounds like a vote for Guild Wars to me.
Malloreigh Suicide: I am all up ons the massively multiplayer online.
Geek Woman Your vote on which one is better Guild Wars or World of Warcraft?
Al Suicide : I’ve never played either, but everyone I know who plays WoW is kind of a loser. Come to think of it, I don’t even know anyone who plays Guild Wars, or anyone who will admit to playing it, at least. So, I’m going to guess that Guild Wars probably sucks more, simply because I know more people who will admit to being into World of Warcraft.
Geek Woman OK, I better not admit to being a GW fan then.
Malloreigh Suicide: It’s not really fair for me to answer this, because I haven’t actually played Guild Wars. I’m too busy leveling my Warrior (in WoW) to bother.
Geek Woman What’s you favorite game of all time?
Al Suicide : That’s a tough one. I think it’s a tie between Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and FFVII.
Lotus Suicide : Tetris probably. I’ve got to stick with the classics. It’s the only game that I’ve played consistantly my entire life.
Malloreigh Suicide: I get flack for this all the time, but it’s Final Fantasy VIII. I know, I’m one of maybe five people in the whole world who absolutely loves that game, but I do. There’s so much character detail and side-story and god damn the graphics are great. I just really like it. I’m also a huge fan of Dead or Alive 2. DOA1 was terrible and DOA3 is -okay-, but there will always be a special place in my heart for DOA2. I’ve mastered all of Tina’s many throws. Super Mario Kart for the SNES is a favourite of mine as well. I’ll never, ever tire of that game. Even now, about ten years after I originally became wtfobsessed with it, I still love it — though I don’t play it often, seeing as nobody I know actually owns it.
Geek Woman How would you like to see women depicted in games?
Al Suicide : I guess I’d like to see them taking on the same roles as men do in video games: superheroes, gangsters, crime fighers, zombie killers, racecar drivers, assassins, renegade cops with nothing to lose, universe savers, etc. Pretty much any video game part could be played by a woman.
Quinne Suicide: Tough bitches with big racks, and I loved McGees dark Alice
Lotus Suicide : I would love to see a female character who doesn’t have a rack bigger than her head. I mean, I used to own DOA Beach Volley Ball and I loved it but I’d rather see a woman who would be able to walk in real life.
Malloreigh Suicide : It’d be nice if there were more strong female main characters, but I understand why there aren’t. Even in today’s progressive society, most gamers are male, and they identify more strongly with male leads in games. Anyway, it’s just cool to see smart, strong females who don’t need to be rescued all the time (Tifa 1, Aeris 0).
Geek Woman Do you think that there is a double standard among women as far as what types of images they find acceptable in women’s products vs the images that they complain about in games? Example: the covers of women’s magazines seem acceptable whereas Lara Croft or Kasumi from Dead or Alive are described as being too “jiggly” by some women.
Geek Woman I agree with you Al. Studies have shown that most women, and men in the USA are over weight. Women don’t take care of themselves and work out after having babies. I think we have to be able to separate actual image issues from the jealousy factor.
Lotus Suicide : I find both of those examples a bit offensive. It’s fine to be a size zero, but it’s also ok to be a size 10. I think magazines and video games and all main stream media have to realize that not all woman are beanpoles or barbies.
Quinne Suicide : I think that is so stupid. I prefer the girls in the games to be super hot and ‘jiggly’. I’m jiggly ha! If you dont like it don’t play the game! I like when the girls are sexy, the game would be boring if they weren’t.
Malloreigh Suicide : I absolutely do not think there is a double standard. I have never heard anyone who wasn’t okay with Lara Croft’s tit size say that they were okay with magazine covers. The women on Cosmo and Vogue covers are taped back and airbrushed, just like the cover girls of Maxim — male fantasies. The girls of DOA and the Tomb Raider are male fantasies brought to life in polygonal form. Same deal, really. In neither case are those representations of real women. Of course, I’m not saying it’s okay at all, but I don’t think there is a double standard. I have never heard anyone mistakenly claim that magazine cover girls are okay whereas video game girls are not.
Geek Woman What do you think of the current political trend of censorship that is attempting to gain control of video games?
Al Suicide : LAME. I don’t see why so many politicians think parents are incapable of raising their children and therefor have to raise children for them. Parents should control what their children are exposed to, not the government.
Quinne Suicide : I think censorship is lame in every respect, if we can have horror movies and snuff videos why censor video games? Politics should stay away from game, music, porn, all the good stuff… stick to forgin policy and such.
Lotus Suicide : I love State of Emergency because I can hack off a persons head and then beat another person to death with it. I don’t think extremely violent games should be marketed towards children. I have no problem putting an age restriction on games but I don’t think these games shouldn’t be made.
Malloreigh Suicide : I think it’s ridiculous. No wonder Americans can’t think for themselves; they’re never given the opportunity to have an opinion. In all seriousness, though, we’ve been told for years that the media is the reason our kids are f***** up. It’s movies, it’s TV, it’s music, it’s music -videos-, and it’s video games. Maybe parents shouldn’t let video games raise their kids. Funny how censorship is a primarily American phenomenon — truth and liberty for all. GTF away from my games!
Geek Woman How would you define what is sexist in games?
Al Suicide : Video games are sexist?
Quinne Suicide : I’ m going to sound like a perv but I remember playing Tomb Raider when i was younger and wanting to marry Lara Croft. I like a good strong woman.
Lotus Suicide : Without even getting into content: Marketing. Have you ever seen a comercial for a game where a female is shown playing and enjoying it? Didn’t think so.
Geek Woman What genres do you like best? Horror, First Person Shooters, Adventure, RPG’s, or maybe driving and racing games?
Al Suicide : I can’t help it, but I just LOVE sidescrollers. The Castlevania series is my favorite of all time. I haven’t played Lament of Innocence but I heard it wasn’t so good. That’s what you get for taking something awesome and turning it into a 3rd person shooter. I do also enjoy fighting games, like the Tekken series, and I really liked Bushido Blade.
Geek Woman A new Castlevania has just come out for the Nintendo DS so you might want to put that on your wish list.
Lotus Suicide : Another hard question! Puzzle games or RPG’s. I’m a big fan of the Myst series, and again, tetris. But to chose those before FFX would be really hard. After that probably first person shooters. Give me a day off and Unreal Tournament and I’ll be a happy camper… without camping of course.
Quinne Suicide : Oh I love driving and racing games, I’m actually pretty good at them.
Malloreigh Suicide : I’m an RPG junkie. I love storylines. I love figuring things out and delving into the depths of characters and backstories. I love getting really involved in the games I’m playing. I’m also a big fan of fighting games — I’m pretty competitive. I’m definitely not a first person shooter fan. The orientation just doesn’t work for me. I was so impressed with myself when I finished Wolfenstein 3D.
Geek Woman How did you get started into gaming? Was there a guy involved, or is it something that is all about you?
Al Suicide : My brother got a Nintendo when I was really young and I used to play it sometimes. When I was in jr. high and high school my brother would take me to parties and that’s where I had the majority of my exposure to video games. I used to play Tekken 2 and Mario Kart 64 with his friends. I suppose you could say my brother got me into video games. It’s not like it was something I did with a boyfriend to please him or whatever. I played the most in high school with friends. I’m going to get back into gaming as soon as I get my stuff unpacked (I just moved).
Malloreigh Suicide : I have an older (by eight years) brother, a father, and a (barely) younger brother. I was surrounded by video games growing up. I generally wasn’t allowed to play — the boys in the family got more video game time if I just wasn’t allowed ’cause “you’re a girl” — but I used to love watching. I’ve been stealing video game time for as long as I can remember. I used to love putting together racetracks in ExciteBike for NES. When my brother and cousin started playing Chrono Trigger, I got to be Lucca, ’cause I’m the smart one with glasses. I had a couple of those 200-game samplers for our old 486 and I threw down regularly on them, ’cause the computer’s always been my domain. It wasn’t until my older brother moved away from home and my parents got me (I had begged and begged) a Playstation for Christmas that I really finally got to get into games on my own, though. That was Final Fantasy VIII. My first real love.
Geek Woman OK open mic, what do you want game developers to know when they make the next blockbuster game?
Al Suicide : MAKE. A F******G. SIDESCROLLER.
I swear. Sidescrollers are THE BEST. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is possibly the best videogame ever made, and it’s a sidescroller. I briefly played the Contra that came out for PS2, and it had some really sweet sidescrolling action. Stop fucking making all these lame video games with dumb plots that just have really good graphics. 3-d modeling isn’t novel anymore, guys. I don’t want another damn 1st person shooter with annoying controls. Speaking of dumb plots, video game makers could really learn a lot from FFVII (and FFIII, but I never got obsessed with that one) which has one of the best plots in video game history. The graphics might not be the best (they were awesome when it came out, I know) but the plot is… simply amazing. There’s so much to the game. You can’t make a movie that has as much story. Books, yes, but if they made a book with as complex of a plot as FFVII it would have to be QUITE long.
Lotus Suicide : Put me in it! I want to be a ninja so bad it hurts!
Malloreigh Suicide : Strong female leads are a-okay! A non-cheesy, deep storyline is a-okay! Zombies are f’in scary, and Easter Eggs are the best. Customization of your character is awesome –like KOTOR — and mini-games within the larger game break the monotony. GO!
Geek Woman What do you think of the games that have been made into movies ?
Al Suicide : I think movie makers are running out of ideas that they think will make money. I also think these movies are totally awesome. I love movies where the action takes the place of a plot. Resident Evil 2 I think is my favorite so far. I think it was a mistake to make a Final Fantasy Movie (even though it looked awesome) because there’s simply not enough time in a movie to put in the amount of plot required. I liked the movie, though. Making a movie based on a video game is WAY more ridiculous than making a video game based on a movie. No, wait, I think my favorite movie that’s based on a video game would have to be Super Mario Brothers. F*** yeah!
Lotus Suicide : I loved the super mario brothers movie when I was little… I should probably just leave it at that.
Malloreigh Suicide : Some games translate well to film and some don’t. Some games are great to play, but they just don’t really work if they’re not interactive. Likewise, some movies just do NOT need to be made into video games.
Quinne Suicide : Ehhhh, I prefer the games.
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