So you see women who...God forbid!...*READ*! as women who clearly must have some self-esteem problem because big macho, studly men like you aren't paying attention to them?

Either this is a very serious indication of your self-worth, which if so I would guess is staggeringly low, or you really seriously think that way...which means you ate paint chips as a child. But...as a highly educated, unattractive, socially inept, video-game playing woman...I trust you feel the bite of venomous sarcasm...I can tell that you are too smart to be one of those people who were dropped several times as a baby.

Therefor you must be in the absolute zero self-esteem and totally petrified of women category.

Nice try, you get an A for effort. Better luck next time.

- Princess Artemis

But enough of the sarcasm and on to the topic.

I think that video games do endorse a certain amount of misogynistic views, such as the "women as victims" and "women as rewards" views (we've all heard them before) to some extent, but not the ones expressed by Neo what's-his-face. Frankly, he's just one of a kind. I think he's still stuck to the backward idea that it's abnormal for girls to play "boy" toys such as video games. Doesn't he know that, for a decade or more, girls have been able to play many conventional "boy" toys without being ostracized, the biggest example being Lego? Girls are being vocal about video games, not because they are being ostracized and thus are going on a crusade for men to accept them. They are just reminding people that they exist.(Interestingly, boys are ostracized if they play "girl" games such as Barbie, but that's another topic.)

But we can still learn much from the Neo guy. He serves as a warning of what backward, mysogynistic views people can carry if they lack human, or more precisely, female contact, even if they don't play video games. My suggestion to him is to get his hands off the video game controller (and also outta his pants ;) and go out to see who women really are.

- Paris

I am simply asking perhaps more than a glancing look at the idea of biological differences in males and females and how this affects the rationale in regards to video games. Why the ratio of female to male gamers is offset so significantly. Surely I am not the only one to question why gaming is an opiate for young men with poor social schools? It begs a great deal of questions running the gamut from developmental health to social standing and how this is all enmeshed into the emotional connection people hold with gaming.

Perhaps this is a concept better suited for message boards in regards to pathological health rather than a fan based video game column run by an obese German kid? Who knows, but I do not think I am the only one who has questioned the appeal of video games and why in some cases it reaches a level fanaticism.

Nich, Brooke, is it possible to give any ground to the fundamental concept I am trying to propone or will you relent in your hubris and obvious arrogance? Yes I know most gamers think they are smarter than everyone else, but all things aside do you think it is possible to see the merit here? Or is this just a topic you refuse to directly respond to due to its nature and the tone of the site.

- Neorune

So. I'm an ugly, sad, wallflower-ish loser because I play videogames, eh? Well, I tend to disagree there, because: 1.) Every time I go into the store to buy a videogame, a sad, ugly, wallflower-ish loser type of guy comes on to me, and 2.) Unless "Neorune" is an alias for "Brad Pitt," I think it's a might rich of you to call judgment on any cross-section of the population. Perhaps the problem here is that your delusions of grandeur have been gyrating out of control; for example, in the last presidential election, I did not see "Neorune" on the ballot. I have no idea who you are. And, your logical background assumption seems to be that male gaming is an Adonis-only sport. I can only describe that particular fork of the syllogism as "wrong."

The other syllogism fork that's mystifying me is the importance placed on the World of Videogames. See that little "games" appended there, right after "video?" That's not there without reason (and can, in fact, be compared to 'videorealities,' which you seem to be playing). Why aren't you ripping off angry letters to stop dumb gurlz from infiltrating the high-paced, technological world of Connect Four Gaming? Or Battleship? What about Twister? Have we ruined that with our estrogen fumes, too?

And we videogame girls are the same ones hell-bent on receiving educations, eh? Will the horror never stop? What's next -- the right to vote?! It is obvious that individuals who think in terms of stereotypes have some sort of problem, and that this sort of thought is the highest form of ignorance. As for the games themselves fostering this kind of semi-literate ranting, I can only say that they are no more responsible than, for example, the Christian Bible, which is used by ignorant bigots all over the world to prop up their tiny egos.

And, isn't this the guy who was pissed the other day because the topic was changed? The one who spelled "flighty" like "flightey?" He really needs to get a handle on that Microsoft thesaurus/dictionary combo.

- Emily

I believe the medium itself attracts people like the ones Mr. Maragos described, rather than creating them. Videogames have been a solitary passtime for a very long time, and it's one of the few things that lonely, often bitter people can do without feeling foolish (try eating in restaurants by yourself for a while, or go to an amusement park alone -- you'll see what I mean).

Honestly, it's a vicious cycle with some people -- they're bitter and lonely, so they turn to games, which keep them lonely, making them more bitter (and scaring other people away in the process), leaving more time for games... see where this is going? Eventually they harbor a resentment against someone or a group of someones (half the population in some cases), as they see them as a reason for their bitterness. It's not often rational, but it beats facing the idea that maybe, just maybe, it's the games they've spent so much time with that are causing their depression... just a thought...

-Some Random Jerk

I'd just like to make a request that none of Neorune's letters ever get printed again. I've already had the inherent bigotry and stupidity of the human race shoved in my face several times in the past few weeks and I have no desire to see it again if I can avoid it, particularly in something as innocuous as a gaming letters column. Rambling manifestos on the inherent inferiority of women don't really restore my faith humanity.

Also, I feel like printing this crap gives it an air of legitimacy it doesn't really deserve. I know that wasn't Nich's intention when he printed the letter, but I feel like addressing this tripe in any civilized manner is akin to trying to logically refute the KKK's position on white supremacy. The only way to deal with this sort of thing is to treat it as the lunatic frothing it is and ignore it.

Washington Irving, embarrassed to be human.

I'm quite amazed that this person is so well-adjusted socially. Playing RPGs, after all, isn't a simulation of life. People frown on others walking into their homes and taking their valuables. But the fact that this man is so well-versed in nearly every game known, as well as being a regular casanova, is astounding. Why else would he have issues with the way female gamers look? If he was just some regular shmoe, he could ignore them. But no, he is such a glistening hardbody, so insufferably gorgeous, the pinnacle of human beauty, that these natty female gamers throw themselves at his feet, shread their clothes off and beg to suck his toes in a fit of unadulterated lust. How can he possibly walk down a street unmolested?

However, I do find it odd that he was able to divine exactly who you are, what you're like and how you look simply from less then two weeks' worth of columns. After all, he pinned down your utter dependancy on television; though it could be argued that images of nothing but hairy feminists playing videogames is something perpetuated on TV, that is simply because that is a rare truth in television. Surely he can think for himself, instead of letting the television (ironically set in exclusively 1950s programming) think that women are inheirently inferior for him.

Surely he wouldn't think that. He must remember that while you conduct yourself differently then Nich did, Nich conducts himself differently then, say, Drew did. And that Drew and Nich conduct themselves differently then Thor did, lo those many years ago. It's worth mentioning that all of the mentioned were male, and thus equally superior to each other in every way. But I digress. What I also meant to bring up is that among any community, people like to be handed their own reputation. The reader would argue that this is also known as 'stereotypes', and gets people in trouble-maybe even jailtime-if perpetuated. May I remind the reader that we're living in Neorune's Bizarre World of Adventure? Where everyone knows that you can't be respected in a community unless the lawmakers who govern your community are somehow the same as you, whether by gender or what have you. Remember, though, the lawmakers have to be the majority; it's still okay if they're hairy, fat men who haven't had a girlfriend in years, who spend most of their day watching anime girls be raped by dripping tentacles. And, of course, pointing out to women who obliviate their arguements on internet message boards that they are ugly, thus showing their supreme intellect and raging superiority over them. It's worth mentioning that the above-mentioned are in and of themselves a minority of the larger majority that rules the gaming land; by Rune's logic this means that they should be scorned and made fun of as well because of it. Don't worry, Neorune; the laws of your land are completely being upheld in that respect.

Keep reaching for that rainbow!

- The Fire Elemental

I'd like to draw an analogy with another form of entertainment that tends to me strongly male-dominated: pen-and-paper RPGs, specifically D&D. In the new edition of that game, it has become standard editorial policy to give equal time to both masculine and feminine pronouns when referring to a subject whose gender is undetermined. This is in marked contrast to past policy--the second edition Player's Handbook contained a disclaimer about the book's exclusive use of the masculine third-person pronoun. Many players of D&D actually feel betrayed by this change. In a letter to Dragon one man writes:

"[T]try to imagine what it must be like to be repeatedly reminded of an ideology with which [you] strongly disagree every time [you] open a D&D book or read a copy of Dragon Magazine." He then bemoans "the politicization of D&D", and accuses people of wanting "a game devoid of people who do not share [feminist] political opinions".

The idea of the politicization of D&D is ridiculous. D&D is not at the vanguard of some kind of feminist movement--the disclaimer I mentions above reveals how it actually resisted a broader context of social change for a long time, only now, after 25 years of complaints from dedicated gamers, finally making a change that is long overdue. For a long time D&D was a bastion of chauvinism.

Ok, so now let's relate this to video games. It's clear that chauvinist stereotypes are prevalent in many video games. The whole "Men are always fighters, women always white mages" rule is still largely in effect, even if there are a few exceptions now. And that's just one obvious manifestation. There are plenty of ways in which video games tacitly endorse sexist/chauvinist ideas or aesthetics. And in ways that seem to me to lag behind the general cultural trend, much like D&D did for years. Hence, by arguing by analogy, it seems possible that people are attracted to video games as a kind of 'boys only' club, in which their sexist ideology does not come in for much scrutiny and is even quietly acknowledged.

I would also like to point out that the main reason for the change in D&D is the vocal resistance of devoted gamers. This is something I have not seen much of from the video game playing community in response to blatant sexism in video games. This is probably partly because D&D players tend to be older, but as we've noticed many times in this column, video game players are getting older (as a demographic group). It's time we made our voice heard in this arena, as well.

Greg Gates, whose response to the Dragon letter has still not been printed :(

I guess it's a reaction to being thought of as some kind of lesser male by the jocks, lashing out at someone they percieve as being beneath themselves. If you look at the way Neurone attackes gaming girls: 'In my own experience females who have an inclination towards video games and anime run much in the same vein as women who read and take to education. Unattractive, low self worth, and poor social skills. As if they somehow are trying to vindicate their existence through alternative lifestyles with the rationale that they are "smarter" and "different" than other women, an obvious compensation of self worth. ', if you replace "women" with "guys" you have a very stereotypical view of gamers and geeks.

I reckon it's a case that guys like this project their own insecurities on to girls (and gay people, anyone who they see as weaker than themselves).

I couldn't help but be mildly amazed by Neorune's perception that, apart from the comment on female gamers, 'women who read and take to education' are 'unattractive, have low self-worth, and poor social skills'. I daresay I should stay home and knit. Or perhaps quit my current place in the national top girls' school because, oh, what's the point? I'll be losing my chance for a boyfriend.

I admit I'm a nerd, I suppose I'm even more of a nerd because I stay home and play videogames. But I'm happy being a nerd and I'd rather go on being a nerd than 'shop, date, and talk on the phone'.

All right, enough of that. I suspect you'll have more than enough outraged statements by the end of today. I don't believe that there's any real element in games that causes this kind of pigheadedness. While yes, videogames are more or less tailored for males, there's no actual label saying that they aren't suitable for girls, and no one appears to mind either if girls get their hands on them and start getting as addicted as guys do.

I've been playing videogames for a couple of years, and I don't actually see any obvious slighting of the female gender in any of them. I'm also in a girls' school, and as a result I actually know more female gamers than male ones. There's about six or seven just in my class of twenty-six. It's really not uncommon. And the male gamers I do know may be kind of surprised at this, but they're generally quite ready to accept it, and no one yet has even hinted that perhaps we shouldn't be playing videgames.

In short, I'd say Neorune's got a grudge against you. You deserve applause for acquiring one so quickly.

The fact of the matter is that those people who argue incessantly over video games - that would be, us - are a very small portion of the video game playing audience as a whole. A lot of my friends own Playstations, but I don't see them arguing over the social implications of video games, or the de/incline of quality in Final Fantasy games, or any of the things we talk about in this column. They just buy the newest Madden 2001 and mess around with it a couple hours every weekend.

We argue over games because we love them. It's one of our favorite things to do. When someone like Neorune writes a letter like he did, it's because he is, to put it simply, an asshole. Assholes are everywhere, in every hobby, every workspace, every school, on every highway. Games are in no way unique in this respect.

David Niven said it best: "There is no cause so noble that it will not attract fuggheads."

-Eightball, hopes he's not a fugghead

The biggest problem with our dear Neorune, (New Viking Sewer Adventures? Perhaps.), is that he seems to assume that any woman who reads, 'takes' to education, or plays videogames is unattractive and unlikable, and that any woman who is attractive is automatically an airheaded bimbo, paraphrasing aside. No other circumstances or factors are involved in this. As requested, I'll keep sex out of this, since it would be unfair to ask him just how popular he is with the ladies, or considering his level of hatred toward women, the guys, and won't question his description of other males as 'little boys', a term that obviously has no significance for him. (+10 points for fitting Yaoi in there somehow.)

The clearest feeling I got from his little diatrabe is that he feels women should be out doing their best to have sex with as many men as possible, or marrying one immediately, in order to follow their biological imperitives and produce offspring. After all, it's not as though women should be allowed to own property such as a television, due to their weak moral fiber and lack of rational intelligence...they'd fritter away all their leisure time playing those silly games, rather than getting out and seeing their husband's back yards, going to singles bars, picking up strange men, working menial part-time jobs, cleaning up after the children, or somehow managing to overcome their staggering intellectual and social disadvantages to grasp the basic falsehood of 'equality'.

After all, it's not as though woman *are* equal to men, but in the interests of egalitarianism, there's little harm in letting them believe it, with a pat on the head and a shove towards the bedroom. Why would women want to do anything meant for men, anyway? This is just another example of those dumb butches looking to do things like vote, work men's jobs, and hog the bowling lanes at the local pin-o-rama, and that's a crime against nature and biology, yessir!

In conclusion, by our noble sage's reasoning, women who like videogames are so stupid, anti-social, slovenly, and ugly that should they attempt to write a letter to an 'irrational little girl' running an intelligent letters column, they would accidently address it to the Peruvian Embassy in Mongolia, fill it with unbroken lines of 'USUCKMAN', sprain a wrist when their greasy fingers slip on the keys, and somehow set themselves on fire when the monitor shatters, due to their reflection touching it.

Thank goodness I'm different than those other poor women. I suppose I'll get back to playing Valkyrie Profile now.