Online Video Gaming for the Grown Woman

I have a no nonsense approach to gaming. If someone or something annoys you; ditch that person or thing. There are exceptions to this: PlayStation Home has a pretty mean game of pool, so I will sometimes suffer through interacting with the immature people that populate it. For the most part, I try to stay with the "Too much of an itch, it's time for the Ditch." mantra. Because of this I have come up with a few rules that I feel make online gaming a bit more enjoyable for women, and adults in general.

#1- Be wary of the target audience:

Most video games are marketed to, or follow a certain demographic. Hannah Montana will usually have a young female following, and the latest popular FPS (First Person Shooter) will have more of a male late teen to mid-twenties vibe. There are exceptions, but it pays to know what type of game you are playing, and who is the target audience for that game.

#2- Don't put you PSN ID or Gamer tags on anything online:

The last thing you want is to have to change your online ID because some wanna net stalker decided you were going to be his online nookie nanny. Forums and community sites can be a lot of fun, but they can also be huge headaches if you leave your information out there for the world to see. Case in point: I have my own profile at PSNteractive.com. It is a really great site for finding mature gamers to play with, but I didn't fill out the part for my PSN ID. Reason: I want to have control over who I play with, and withholding that information allows to me be more selective.

#3- Gender Bend

I know we all want to be free to be ourselves online, but female avatars are seldom left alone in virtual worlds. Sometimes it is a blessing; ie. free stuff, but most times it is an extremely annoying fact of existence. As much as I hate to say it, I will sometimes cross play. This is useful in most, if not all virtual worlds, as I get to walk around PlayStation Home without an entourage.

#4- Introduce your Real World Friends to Gaming

Let's be real. Many women just don't like typical video games. We will play solitaire, mine sweeper, or whatever other mini diversions are on the computer, but there is just something about console games that screams "Immature Boy Toy, STAY AWAY!" I usually combat this with the Nintendo Wii and Wii Sports, or with the PS3 and Sing Star. Parties and karaoke seem to help gaming inhibitions melt away. Who knows, a couple outings with Sing Star could be just the thing you need to get a few of your real life friends to be gaming friends as well.

#5- Join a Gaming Society

Gaming can be a really enjoyable experience with people you know. If you are new to gaming, and don't have many gaming friends, it may make sense for you to join a gaming society or friend network. There are many gaming networks that I have check tried, but for just finding other adults to play with, I recommend PSNteractive.com. It's pretty small by most standards, but the people I have met on there have been personable and nice.