I Am A Mother Gamer

I guess it's odd enough to some people; mainly a lot of men, that I am a girl and I play video games and read comic books. Add the fact that I'm a mother into the mix and it seems to boggle their minds. There are more of us than people think. It's becoming the norm more and more, but there are still a few guys that are genuinely shocked when they see me come into the Game Stop or into the local comic shop. I've had a few boys act offended that I would even deem to come in there.

Yes, I am a mother and yes, I am a wife. It doesn't change the fact that I love playing video games to unwind or read a favorite super hero comic book. While I do like some girlie games, I don't really like all of them. I love games like  Legend of Zelda, God Of War, and Metal Gear. If something has mechs or robots in it, I'm hooked. If it has singing dancing princesses or Pokemon, you can forget it. That's not for me. I say this because every time I go in, at least one of the men in there will try to suggest a very fluffy game or comic book to me or they will ignore me completely because I'm not a male and talk to my husband Ron when he's with me. Not only is that insulting, it's also fairly rude. I'm not the only woman this has happened to. Quite a few of my girl friends have mentioned various incidents where they were asked if a game was for their husband or boyfriend, stared at, ignored, the sales person helped a male customer before them when they were clearly there first, or spoken to them like they were an escaped mental patient. It's highly off putting when someone treats you that way just because they feel in their opinion you don't belong there if you have lady parts.

Here's the bottom line fellas. Don't assume that a woman doesn't play video games just because she has children and a husband. Definitely don't gawk and stare because we're in what you feel is your sacred domain of guy territory. There are more of us out in the world than you think. Don't patronize us, talk down to us, or assume we like all the girl appealing games that come out. Some of us like decapitating centaurs and exoskeleton mech suits as much as you.

Sure, being a wife and mother keeps me busy. There are days where I feel as if I have no time to myself at all, but on the days that I do have free time, that's when I enjoy a little video game or comic book vacation. I am a mother gamer and that's all there is to it.