Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A reflection on a blog discussing gender issue

Girls, G.I.R.L.s and Everyone in Between: Gender Identity in Video Gaming and/or Why I’m Male on the Internet
This article give me a new way to make sense of G.I.R.L. this word on the Internet. I think the situation that the blogger encounter can reflect the norm in our real world. For example: female needs males protection while male should be the one strong enough to protect female. This can show that online interaction can show the gender issue easily and I think this kind of act can enact gender stereotype. As the blogger said in online game, people will treat you differently when they know your gender is female. Female always can be benefited by giving gift or can be protected. In contrast, female will also be discriminated by regarding them as a loser or weaker and people do not want to include female in one group to fright against other. Therefore, G.I.R.L. appears in the cyberspace. I think this is subverting female, in the meantime, enacting male. If we pretend to be a male in online game, we will use our stereotyping knowledge which we learn it from our daily life to present a male character. In this way, we will exaggerate certain elements which we think male should have. This is why I think G.I.R.L. is work on both Subverting and enacting gender.
This article really impress me a lot by introducing G.I.R.L. this concept. I think I can try to be a G.I.R.L. and experience what gender issue I can encounter.

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