BWSCDIPoTWA (Bit's Whenever Sefah Can't Do IpotW Article)

Hey, guys. I'm Bit. Co-writer of Bangchuckers and
heir to the throne of the Traitor King. I'd like to take this moment
to write about a subject that has caused quite a bit
of controversy lately for Sefah, Lolzor, and myself.

Girl gamers.

Girl gamers aren't new, different, or even all that special
anymore. While it's generally accepted that male gamers have
and perhaps always will outnumber female gamers, there's not
so few of them that they shouldn't get treated the same as any
other player. So here's a few things to keep in mind when playing
against a girl in any game.

1. Girls are not automatically bad at games.

Girls in a game are players just like any other. If they are noobs we, then stomp them into
dust just like any other. That's how we learn. If you're friends with a female noob,
help her out by showing her better plays and better strategies. If you can give her a better
understanding of the game without pointing out every mistake she makes, she's more
likely to keep playing, enjoy playing, and actually learn to play better. On the other hand, if
you harp on her constantly pointing out every little thing she's doing wrong, she's not ever going to want to play again. Let her learn from her mistakes on her own, but help her out when she asks for it, just like you would for any male gamer. If you're playing with a girl who's been playing for a while, avoid comments like “You're the best girl gamer I've ever seen!” A statement like this implies you're setting the bar low for her, and she isn't going to appreciate it. Keep it simple and gender-neutral. Don't be condescending or belittling, she deserves every victory she gets. If you've been going easy on her, stop. You both will learn to play better when you're playing at your peak, and she will feel more vindicated when she actually beats you.

Tl;dr Assuming girl = noob is a fantastic way to become forever alone guy.

2. It is still ok to trash-talk them.

Trash-talking is by far one of the most enjoyable and necessary elements of playing games IRL or
online. I could and probably will write a full article on the techniques and subtleties of trash talk, but for now, suffice it to say that there's a right way and a wrong way to do it. If you're doing it right, then by all means, taunt and trash-talk your female opponent all the way to victory. If you're doing it wrong then please refrain from trash-talking anyone until my next article comes out. If you're unsure whether you're doing it wrong consider this: Do you receive warnings and bans from moderators of the game more frequently than once or twice a year? Do your chat logs look like a mass of swears and various misspellings of 'noob' in all caps? Do your IRL friends avoid playing with you? You're doing it wrong. Feel free to take their gender into account when planning your insults. Questioning a woman's sexuality or implying she has less-than-adequate lady-parts make for much less effective insults than quips based on gender stereotypes. However, bear in mind that she has probably become immune to go-back-to-the-kitchen jokes, so you may need to be a little more creative. For example, suggest that she only got into magic to play with kitty cards.

3. Treat them as a player first, and a girl second.

Cannot stress this enough. When that countdown finishes, when the gates drop, when the deck is shuffled and cut, she is just another player. She has earned her right to the respect due any other player and should be treated as such. If you hit on a girl during a game you deserve the cold hard rejection you are about to receive. By all means, if you meet a girl playing a game, hit it off, and live happily ever after more power to you, but don't think for a second that she'll fall in love with you for letting her win at something. Conversely don't automatically assume that she's the girl of your dreams just because she happens to play the same games you like. People have different personalities that are not revealed by their hobbies, and personality is what makes a relationship stick after the initial attraction of shared interests.

4. Don't ever make me write an article at 1am on Friday.

Seriously, I was up until almost 4, and when I got up this afternoon to proofread and finish it, I decided to purge the whole mess with fire and start over, hence why this is so late.

I demand at least a week for the next one.
Peace.

Next time on BWSCDIPoTWA (Buhwiscid Eye Potwa):
Right and Wrong ways to Trash-talk your opponents.