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Roy and GM

GM, San Francisco
likes: fighting games, 2D, big breasted video game characters, podcasts, coffee, Star Trek, getting into fist fights
dislikes: Sony, HALO, organic food, iPods, EB Games, macs

Roy, Los Angeles
likes: meat, polyester twill pants, cuddling, Pride FC, sweaters, PDAs, Tekken
dislikes: Itagaki's face, RPG players, HALO/HALO players, The Beatles, "brahs", winter, Xbox controllers, crooked titties, Star Wars fans

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013 :: Girls + Japan

filed:10/18/2005 by GM


I grew up around comic books. When my older brother moved out of the house when I was three, I inherited all of his comic books. Of course it was no use to me then considering I didn't know how to read but it paved the way for my constant relationship with comic books for years to come.

When I moved to San Francisco from LA, I happened to live around the corner from a comic book store. When things got boring or difficult at home, I'd simply walk around the corner and hang out at the comic book store. Instead of stifling my male traits like at home, I was welcomed there.

I tried to read comics. But mostly none of them interested me because of poor artwork and writing. I still hung out at the comic book store however, because it was like a sanctuary.

Over the years, I've seen the comic book crowd slowly change. Instead of the regulars who would come in for their savers, there were more adolescent girls coming in to buy manga novels. As time went by, more and more girls kept coming in.

I'd go to anime conventions every year. Not because I liked anime or manga, but because I was always curious what these people were buying. The otaku ("obsessed with anime/manga/Japanese things") crowd seemed to be willing to shell out hundreds of dollars in a couple of days on frivolous Japanese things.

Eventually the manga titles and merchandise we were selling at con and at the comic book store ended up also being sold at Borders and other non-typical stores. Quite honestly, the Borders in downtown SF's manga section almost rivals my comic book store's.

It's important to note the popularity that anime/manga has garnered these past couple of years. You can track these things through a timeline of television shows and video games.

Do you think anyone had remembered the poor Final Fantasy franchise when Final Fantasy 7 came out? Or if anyone had even remembered Chrono Cross when Chrono Trigger was released?

The point isn't Japan's new place in American pop culture.

The point is, before Japan, girls (in the majority) didn't care much for video games or comic books.

While sadly, the majority of girl gamers only play RPGs and whatever FPSes their boyfriends play, I see that there is still room to improve. What will this mean for guy gamers?

1) When a coin line is long at an arcade, guys must tolerate girls standing behind them putting on their makeup and/or complaining how they were skipped in line because they had to go to the bathroom.
a) Girls trying to skip in coin lines by using their "feminine wiles."
2) You won't be able to tell wither you're playing against a 12 year old boy whose balls haven't dropped yet or a girl when playing games with voice option.
3) Being embarrassed/teased by your guy friends when losing to a girl at anything.
4) A tougher time preordering certain games, depending on how long it takes girls to spread out their interests.
5) Putting up with girls who don't play games to play games, but simply play them to try and pick up guys.

The good things about the whole situation is that it won't be such a sausage party when you go to arcades or hold a LAN party. Maybe you might be able to get a girlfriend who actually understands.

My only warning to guys everywhere is.. don't give your girlfriend your WoW/Lineage II/Everquest II account information. If you break up, you'll regret it when you sign in and realise you have no character anymore. Just remember not to freak out like the Asians do and kill some fool.

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