My Virtual Neighborhood, A Gaming Story
The writer tells her own gaming story, beginning with her love of Animal Crossing. At a time in her life when she was often lonely, this gameHER found a virtual neighborhood full of friends, fun, and relaxation.
By Emily Norman
Not everyone grows up with a ton of friends, but hey, what can you do?
I wouldn’t say I was popular by any means as a child. I lived a little further from my school than most, and my friend choices were pretty limited (although I must say the friends, I did have were amazing, and are still around today). Nonetheless my life as a kid was often lonely. Time spent at home was mostly time I spent alone. Sometimes I found it hard to occupy myself because I also grew up as an only child but eventually, I discovered another world.
Upon receiving my first gaming system, the GameCube, I made a fascinating discovery.
I discovered a virtual world, a world that could provide me with all the company I wanted.
I had friends in another neighborhood. I had friends in a virtual neighborhood in a game called Animal Crossing.
I played this game for HOURS upon HOURS. My parents put a lot of time in telling me to take a break, but it never really worked. I was hooked. I loved my virtual friends. Not to mention, Bob the cat and had me tasked with endless favors and deliveries that must be completed. In turn, I got cool furniture for my house, so how could I turn down that offer? Eventually I discovered other games and played more popular titles like Mario Kart: Double Dash, Disney Extreme Skate Adventure, and SSX. These are the games that characterized my childhood.
Today, games serve as a way for me connect with people, to have fun with my friends, and to relax after a long day. I love Overwatch, Sims, Super Smash Brothers, and anything related to Nintendo. Don’t forget Animal Crossing and catch me wearing my D.Va jacket and SteelSeries Arctis 7 headset, blabbing out commands in any online Overwatch match.
Games mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but I think we all have one thing in common – we just want to have fun.
My gaming story is a little different. It’s not me winning a tournament. It’s not me being the best girl gamer of all time. Heck, it’s not even me being a girl gamer ALL the time. But it’s about the fact that I enjoy playing.
By speaking out about our own gaming stories, women as a whole are being represented. We make a little more progress by showing up and saying, “Hey! We matter too. We also have stories. We also play games. And we also can kick butt!”
This is not about me ranting against men, I promise. So many of the men that have created games and technology have gotten us to where we are today, and I’m so thankful for some of the great inventors that have provided us with such fun.
But I also think time for another voice to be heard. We need reform, and there’s a lack of representation of women and feminine voices in the gaming world. Something has to change, and all we have to do is talk about it. It’s time for us to see a future of all female gaming teams and equal representation in this space. It is our responsibility to speak up and say what we think, and how we feel.
Let’s make a change, and let’s have fun doing it. Game on, my friends!
Photo of Emily Norman, courtesy of the author
About the Author:
Emily Norman is a recent college graduate who loves baking, video games, and her boyfriend Alex. She can be found on the weekends mixing up something delicious in the kitchen, or spending a few hours playing her PS4. Her favorite color is pink, favorite artist is Doja Cat, and she relates to Toad on a spiritual level. Find her on Instagram at em_adventures13 to see all her cooking escapades, as well as the occasional trip to any nearby hiking trail. She wishes for all women to feel empowered and speak up about their passion for gaming because girls can play too. In the future, she hopes that the gender spectrum in gaming will become less binary, chocolate will become even more delicious, and the GameHers will gain worldwide traction.
Her gaming name is iris_sucre.
Illustration of the author by Hannah Polkey. Find more of her work here.
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