PSP Blogger - PlayStation® Portable Fansite

We recently covered a topic about gaming in relationships and received some very interesting feedback. While some females hated the idea of their partner’s gaming habits, others joined in on the fun.

We decided to visit Grrlgamer and had the privilege of interviewing Managing Editor and PR Coordinator Didi Cardoso about female gamers in general. This is what she had to say:

PSPSA: First off, how long have you been with Grrlgamer?

Didi: Going on 8 years, started as a fan-fiction contributor, and a few years ago I took over as managing editor and PR.

PSPSA: Are all the members of you forum/lounge only female and how many of them are there?

Didi: No, our community is composed of males and females. Only the staff is female. There are about 500 registered members.

PSPSA: So what exactly made you decide to become part of the gaming community?

Didi: What made me become part of the site was the passion for games and writing.

PSPSA: Do you think that females in general have a hard time getting accepted as gamers?

Didi: I can't speak for every other girl, but I've had my share of nasty comments and funny stares in several occasions. Fortunately for me, I don't care what other people think of me playing games. :)

PSPSA: We recently had a discussion about females who don't really approve of their partners gaming habits. What's your opinion on this?

Didi: I say try to play a game together, you might enjoy it. My husband and I have been playing games together since EverQuest came out. We've been through a bunch of MMOs together, we play FPSs and action/RPGs together, and it’s a lot of fun. And if it weren't for him and the usual "You have to play this!” I would have missed out on a lot of great games in the past.

PSPSA: We recently added an article to the site that included the words DS vs. PSP, which obviously caused some flaming. Does this problem also occur in your community?

Didi: No. We actually don't have flaming wars, only healthy discussions. Our community is very diverse in both the games they appreciate and systems they own, everything from classic platforms to the PS3. Preferences are preferences, but I think it's unfair to compare systems that are so different and each has its own set of games and features, and serves different purposes. It's like the PS3 or Wii vs. Xbox 360 argument. It just doesn't work.

PSPSA: What is the general age group of your staff and members?

Didi: We're all in our 20's-30's (staff), members ranging from 18 to their 40's.

PSPSA: Anything you would like to say to the guys that don't really approve of female gamers?

Didi: Approve or not, we still play all sorts of games.

PSPSA: If you where forced to choose one gaming platform, what would it be?

Didi: Probably the Xbox 360. Although I like all my gaming systems and use them all, so I'd rather not pick just one especially since I really like the advantages of portable gaming.

PSPSA: Just before we wrap this up, is there anything else you would like to mention?

Didi: I don't know. But I always like to clarify that we don't encourage an anti-male attitude. For some reason, people tend to jump to that conclusion a lot.