Girls only club.
With the incredible increase of the female population in video games in MMOGs the interest in female only groups has also increased. Throughout MMOG history the online communities has seen the formation of guilds or clans. A guild is when a group of players that play regularly with each other come together and form a club of sorts. You see these guilds in all forms of MMOGs and in each one they serve a particular purpose. Games such as first person shooters (FPS) and role-playing games are littered with these clubs and each guild is actively trying to increase their numbers. Within these guilds a new phenomena has arisen. The communities have seen the increase of female only clubs. Leading the way in this new era is a group called Frag Dolls.
Frag Dolls is a female only clan that was formed in 2004 by the Ubisoft production company. The purpose of the formation of Frag Dolls is to represent Ubisoft video games and to promote the presence of female gamers. Frag Dolls travel to conventions to participate in tournaments, talk on panels for promoting female gamers and encourage safe and positive gaming environments for women gamers. The frag Dolls have dominated many first person shooter tournaments and are seen as talented players in all video game genres. The interesting thing about Frag Dolls is that they are all beautiful women.
Most if not all of them can literally pass as a model for any of Americans main stream magazines. So what is the message that Ubisoft and the Frag Dolls sending here? I admire the ladies of Frag Dolls for their efforts in encouraging women in gaming but I fear the Ubisoft is using them for their looks in another form of marketing. We should take a step back and ask ourselves these questions; Do we want another form of media expressing what a female gamer should look like? Or do we want a community that accepts females for who they are? Though I do encourage their efforts and I think they are all very courageous for the stand they are making for women in gaming. Keep up the good work ladies! For further information you can find it on their website:
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