Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Girls Don't Exist on Runescape

I am a girl on the internet. There really are quite a few of us.

Women have had a long history in Runescape. Many of the first players and famous people were women in real life. The first smither who got 99 smithing was Bluerose13x. She was extremely powerful and rich during her time since she was literally the only source of player-smithed items.

The first person to get 99 fishing was Tks and all the top crafters were also women. Women in Runescape are everywhere, as old school players, clan leaders, skillers, pkers and player moderators.

Yet in spite of all this, the female RS players must contend daily with the opinion that she does not exist.

"There are no girls on the intarwebs!"
"You aren't a real girl."
"I don't believe you are really a woman."

Why this persistent belief that nobody female would ever play RS? Do we need the XY genes to click a mouse? Obviously not, yet I have met many, many players who are genuinely convinced that female RS players cannot possibly exist.

The reasons are many, varied and also rather pathetic.

"All the girls I know irl don't play games, they just go out for meals."

This is an absolutely genuine reply I have gotten from a (presumably male) RS player. Yes, he really thinks women do nothing but go out for meals.

When the RS player insists that, yes, she really is a girl, the replies are entirely predicatable.

"No pic no proof."
"You're not a girl if u don't show us pics."
"Get on ventrilo."
"Webcam."

Men do not need to go on ventrilo/webcam or show their pics to everyone who asks just to prove that they exist. Why do women have to bother?

One time I joined an IRC channel for a Runescape-related community. Right away, I got kicked. Then again and again until I gave up on reading the final message (and the reason for the kicks) "fuck off, there are no girls on the internet." Another reason I have been kicked from IRC -"tits or gtfo."

Comment please, I would really like to know what RS players think about all this.

15 comments:

Of Pandas and Pirates said...

I was training my agility the other day and I was listening to some players saying that girl = Guy In Real Life. They didn't believe that another player was a girl. I almost never talk on Runescape to avoid that kind of stuff but I thought it was comical. Where did the idea come that girls don't play internet games? I'm a girl and I enjoy the "intarweb".

JoeMaximum said...

My girlfriend is playing Runescape, and she love it. I also know many others girls in RS. She never had problem saying she's a girl and someone not believe her.

Unknown said...

Girls in RS are real, although Meili is not :(

but I still love her <3

bliss

Anonymous said...

Come to RSCAngel.org for a wonderful Runescape Classic experience!!

Anonymous said...

Here is where the theory originated:

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/No_girls

Hollow_Fyre said...

I get this a lot. I'm a former clan leader and most of the people I know have seen my photo or heard me on ventrillo...and I still get told I'm not a girl. I also get "If you're a girl why isn't your RSN feminine/slutty/girly" It gets old, but I just see it as most of these non-believers have never spoken to an actual girl and it hurts their little heads to try to picture talking to one at all...even online.

Anonymous said...
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Davo338 said...

I completely agree with you. Most guys who play RS have never even seen a girl irl so how could they believe one plays the same game they do? =P Every time I meet a girl in RS I believe they are in fact a female and I like to treat them with extra respect seeing as they are a rare breed. Rare as in good, of course. I'm glad someone is speaking out for this. Kudos to you. =] Happy Scaping!

Aximili E I said...

I have numerous friends in RS that are female: Ore Sabre, Blade Sabre, Wise Serpent, Funtail etc etc... the founder of a clan I'm in is female... I really don't like the way girls are treated online or offline...Females are human beings not some stereotype garbage from some total not close to life tv show character...

Anonymous said...

Get back in the kitchen, wench.

Mia Dela Cruz-Soriano said...

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I'll make sure to tell my niece about this site. i'm sure, she'll think it's cool!

anyway, thanks for dropping by my website & for leaving a comment. drop by again anytime!

Lilcutiepie said...

Hi Meili, girls def so exist on Runescape. I was one :D

Mythical said...

Goneril was one of the higher leveled crafters in Runescape. She got to 80 before P2P came and was one of the few to craft Dragonstone Necklaces right off the bat.

Anonymous said...

This is the most common thing that will happen to me when I'm on rs. Most of the time when I talk to my friends publicly on rs, some random guy comes up to me and says to my friend:

"how would you know is she's a girl? it's probably some old dude...keep that in mind."

"old dude", "ugly fat old man", "she/male", "man" are the most common ones boys come up and tell me. Honestly I have no way to prove this false theory.

In my opinion I think it's quite sexist for some guys to think that girl's never go on the interenet!

Besides from rs I have played all other types of online games, warcraft, diablo2,imvu (chat game), maplestory even on those games people don't beleive I'm a girl.
Out of all games I played, I got it worse when I played Diablo 2. People would always call me a liar and it got really annoying.

I really don't know how this whole situation will stop...mostly likely it will never stop or it would just take a long time.

Thanks for sharing that blog though, it makes me feel that I'm not the only woman getting treated this way!! haha

G said...

Girls do nothing but go out for meals? I seriously laughed at my computer at that one. I mean, really? Come on...

I know many female players at this game. Most are a lot better at it than I am. It amazes me how people think its just one big "boys club."

Its ridiculous.