With the many gaming lounges that the city has to offer along with it being the destination for online and device-based gaming championships and tournament platforms, Bengaluru is touted to be India’s gaming capital. Yet the city’s gamer girls have always been considered an anomaly and not a norm.
MetroPlus speaks to a few who intend to break the visual of the lone female gamer.
Leah Joseph, a regular player of Supercell’s Clash of Clans and Konami’s Metal Gear Solid, says that when it comes to the different sexes battling it out in the virtual world, it is a fair fight. “I used to play Super Smash Bros. and NFS Nitro with my brother and he never used to belittle me or go easy on me. Neither did my male clan mates in CoC. I don’t think that it matters to them that I’m a girl.”
On her passion for gaming she says that there are several reasons as to why she loves it. “It is competitive and I love it when I clear a level – it gives me a high. I also love being able to get into the skin of my characters; there is a certain level of emotional attachment I share with them and the storyline makes it all the more addictive.”
Valve Corporation’s DOTA 2 gamer Ayesha Khyser agrees. “I’ve been into gaming ever since I was seven or eight with my Game Boy and PlayStation2. Gaming is one of my biggest sources of happiness. Being sucked into the virtual world is a release for me. The fact that most games are limitless is another compelling factor. You know that there is always room for improvement which allows you to strategise better and make quick decisions.”
Jemima Vaz, an avid DOTA 2 gamer who also plays Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft says she was introduced to these MMOs by her brother. “I used to watch him play and I got hooked too.”
As of 2016, online sources state that the percentage of women gamers in the world stands at 48 per cent and there is a steady rise in the number of girl gamers in Bengaluru. Aarthi Rathnam, who plays FromSoftware’s Bloodborne says that most people are amazed when they find that she plays games. “It really isn’t that big a deal for us girls. All gamers, regardless of gender and age, play because they want to and because they like it.”
Jemima echoes the same thoughts. “I think that there are many girls who do play but aren’t confident enough to give themselves the ‘gamer’ label. It’s probably because of the stereotypical school of thought that gaming is a ‘guy thing’, which it definitely isn’t.”
This stereotype, though, is gradually becoming a thing of the past with gaming becoming a popular hobby among both boys and girls. Leah sums up: “Gaming has always been a big part of my life and I don’t think that will ever change.”
