INTERVIEW: Meagan VanBurkleo

Recently we caught up with ‘the nerd of many faces’ to discuss exactly what ‘girl gaming’ means to her.

CG.biz: What first caught your interest about video games, and what’s kept you interested this long?

MVB: I am really lucky to have grown up with an engineer for a dad and a pair of brothers. Don’t get me wrong – ¬I am a geek by my own accord – but having a family that enjoyed the same things helped foster a hobby into a passion. I started playing video games when my dad brought home the NES. He wasn’t really interested in it as a gaming system, but was curious about the latest technology. My brothers and I played the thing to death and I would consider myself a gamer even back then.

But when my dad brought home the original PlayStation, everything changed. He also brought home Tomb Raider. My brothers were at an age where they didn’t really see the merits of playing as a hot chick, so I swooped in and took over in their stead. I was addicted pretty quickly. After that my brothers had to fight to get the controller out of my hands. It snowballed from there and soon I was the one buying the newest gaming systems, with my brothers hunkered down in my room after dark watching me play. Those are still some of the best memories I have with my family.

CG.biz: The way you combine your femininity and interest in games in a professional capacity is interesting. Why do you think the combination works so well?

MVB: If you asked any of the guys at my work about my feminine side they would probably answer you with a blank stare. If you equate femininity to appearance that is. Work is work for me and I am pretty fond of the jeans and t-shirt combination. Makeup need not apply.

But yes, despite the above, I do have a very feminine side of me that comes in my hobbies (modeling/cosplay). Although I do catch myself every once in a while talking about something, such as my new haircut or a stellar pair of heels, which makes my coworker’s eyes glaze over. Still, I can’t help but tell them. That’s when I am reminded that I am female.

As for why the combination works so well? Who knows? From my perspective some people embrace particularly feminine gamers or game designers and sort of put them on a pedestal. Others knock them down and say it’s all a front for attention. But one thing is true either way; women in gaming tend to get more than their fair share of attention.

I guess the only explanation I can come up with is that people are naturally attracted to things they perceive as unique. And for some reason or another the majority of the industry still sees women in gaming as an exception to the rule. So until women increase in visibility within the industry, people are going to continue to get excited about spotting the elusive female nerd. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a ton of fun being a female in the gaming industry, but we are not as uncommon as many think. 

CG.biz: Who is your favorite female games character?

MVB: That’s an easy one. Anyone who knows me will dish that I had/have a borderline unhealthy obsession with Lara Croft. Because she was the first game character I ever felt connected to I developed a bond with her that has let me forgive the string of bad games before Legend and Underworld. While I now have my little obsession under control (my brothers used to tease that I had a shrine in my room, referring to a wall full of Tomb Raider posters and merchandise) I still get a bit giddy whenever something new featuring Lara debuts.

But there are plenty of other female characters I am drawn to – Faith from Mirrors Edge being one and Jade from Beyond Good and Evil being another.

CG.biz: What sort of games do you like? Do any ‘games for girls’ appeal to you?

MVB: Through high school and college I was a pretty strict RPG gamer since they deliver the most bang for your buck. Since my cash flow was nonexistent I had to find titles that would last me months instead of hours. As a result I am a big Final Fantasy and JRPG fan.

However, over the last five years my tastes have much diversified. I am now big into shooters, action/adventure games, platformers and more. I haven’t much dabbled into MMOs (the addiction potential scares me) and I am hoping to get back into RTS’ soon as I played them often growing up. It’s a bit funny looking at my gaming habits now because they have reversed. I intentionally seek out games I can plow through in a day or two so that I can move onto the next great experience. RPGs are now much harder to commit too.

As for the ‘games for girls’, I can see their appeal from a marketing standpoint and believe they have a place in the expanding audience. They just don’t hold any attraction for me. But I am pretty sure that I don’t fall under the target demographic for Barbie Horse Adventure or Fashion 101 anyway. Those games are great for girls who enjoy playing dress up but are a bit too young to explore the activity in the real world.

My only concern when it comes to games for girls is that parents who don’t know much about gaming might skip over Mario, Zelda or Professor Layton and instead zone in on the aforementioned titles. That’s fine if the girls is a Barbie fanatic, but we have to be careful not to pigeonhole kids into gender stereotypes at an early age.

CG.biz: What, in your experience, are the preferred genres in the female games community?

MVB: As far as I know the studies all say that MMOs, RPGs and casual titles are king when it comes to females – and there is legitimacy behind their research methods. But from a personal standpoint my girlfriends and I enjoy good games. That’s really our only prerequisite for picking up a title.

It’s important that developers understand who is playing their games so that they cater to that crowd. I don’t know if there is such a thing as making a game ‘female friendly’, but it is nice to have a choice of a female avatar in games like online shooters.

I guess I don’t know how long these studies will stay relevant. As public awareness grows and the gaming culture continues to diversify I think personality is going to play a much larger role than gender.

CG.biz: Do you think the way females are portrayed in many video games is off-putting to the female market?

MVB: This is a tough one and a subject that seems to polarize females in the gaming industry. For me, I play games to step away from the more mundane aspects of life. I enjoy the fantasy and exaggeration that comes along with it – meaning I don’t get offended when a female character’s breasts are bigger than her head. And more often than not they are.

However, I think that those who take offense to the portrayal of women seem to forget that the same is true of male characters. Duke Nukem is just as unrealistically proportioned as Lara Croft. In real life hulking shoulders, rippling muscles, a chiseled jaw and constant five o’clock shadow is just as unrealistic as a 24 inch waist with DD breasts.

That’s not to say that I don’t understand how the portrayal of female characters offends some women. I realize that it can be perceived as degrading when developers populate their games with female characters solely as sex objects or eye candy. Characters with no substance behind their refined features don’t interest me at all – male or female.

CG.biz: Do you think the games industry is doing a good job of selling to girl gamers? If not, what do you think could be done better?

MVB: There are some things I am seeing done right. Putting females in gaming advertisements is one thing. Women play games and seeing that represented in massive advertising campaigns makes us feel more included. Nintendo is obviously phenomenal at this because their entire platform is constructed under the expanded audience umbrella. But I would like to see this taken one step further and have it just as common to see women in game advertisements or promotional materials as men. We do make up half the population of the earth after all.

It’s also nice to have a female gender option in less narrative driven games. It might seem like a small detail to some, but I can’t express how excited I was when I realized that you could pick your gender in Halo 3. Sure, there were no aesthetic differences, but the grunts and groans coming from under your helmet were all female.

Lastly, try to avoid unnecessary gender stereotypes whenever possible. Any advertisement with an unwarranted abundance of pink is going to put me off immediately. And just because your game has lots of big guns and explosions doesn’t mean that only the boys will be picking it up. I can’t count the number of times I have read a press release or seen an advertisement that talks about my testosterone level or girlfriend. It’s just not necessary.

In the grand scheme of things, the above aren’t deal breakers. But ask and you shall receive. For the most part the gaming industry is doing a good job. I would still rather be seen as a unique individual first and a female second, but there is nothing wrong with being aware of potential issues.

Image courtesy of ScrubClubRecords