About
About Token Female Gamer
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away; okay more accurately, not that long ago in a much less exciting place, I went in search of online game reviews.
Just like in the gaming magazines, I couldn’t find any reviewers that I agreed with. It seemed that the common denominator was that all the reviewers were guys.
This realization led me to believe that there was a serious lack of female perspective in the world of computer game reviews.
So, I thought, well why don’t I write reviews. I’m a girl and clearly I have a different perspective. Maybe someone else would benefit from my insights.
But life caught up with me, and the idea had to be put on hold.
Eventually I realized that if I really wanted this idea to become a reality I had to make it a priority. I finally buckled down and magically found time.
This is the result – Token Female Gamer! Now I have a place where I can share my corner of the gaming world.
In my time of procrastination lots of women have decided to voice their opinions about games. Even some of the publications dedicated to games now have woman on staff.
And though I’m no longer fixing an obvious oversight, I still think I have a unique perspective to offer. I hope you enjoy!
WARNING!
Please note that all the reviews found on this site are my opinion! This opinion is based on my personal preferences, which have been shaped by the various experiences that have brought me to this place and time. No two gaming geeks take the same route.
I would also like to add here that as far as I can tell there is no such thing as an unbiased review. You just can’t take the authors preferences out of the reviewing. I guess that’s why they have different reviewers for different genres.
What is the content on this website about?
Its mostly going to be computer game reviews. I hope to add more topics as I go, but that depends on how much time I really have.
So after a little more time spent thinking about this, I have come to realize that I am a creature of many moods, meaning one week I only want to play computer games and the next I only want to watch DVDs. Thus there will most likely be a wide range of topics that I cover depending on my inclination that particular week.
Although, the focus will still be on games.
We shall see, its all a work in progress.
This leads me to another point. I am going to review things that I actually own. I shudder to think what I would write if I was made to sit through the harrowing experience called flight simulator. ICK! I do try a wide variety of games, but I’m pretty clear that certain genres are not for me.
These reviews are a little strange. What’s up with them?
Well since this is my very first try at reviewing, it will probably take me a bit to figure out what works for me. I really think that my reviews will all end up being different. Hey, there are lots of different kinds of games, why can’t reviews vary a bit? =)
Also, since this is not my job, I am going to be playing these games as little or as long as I like. No professional obligation here. Really one wonders how long some of those reviewers play those game anyway with some of the schlock that they come up with. Anyway I will try to be as clear about how long I have actually played the game as possible. I think that’s only fair.
I will give every game I attempt a few solid tries before abandoning it, but I don’t have the time or the inclination to play a single game for 20+ hours before it becomes fun.
Fun and enjoyment are what its all about for me. I mean this is entertainment after all.
A little blurb on the author’s history regarding possible topics?
The first computer game that I can remember playing is Donkey Kong Junior, the handheld version. I followed that up with whatever game I could find in an arcade or at a friends house – Super Mario Bros, Gauntlet, World Cup, Kings Quest, Leisure Suite Larry, Lute, and more.
Once older I was introduced to Laura Croft, Diablo, StarCraft, Heroes of Might and Magic, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Quake, Wolfenstein, and more.
Really early on it was Nintendo then migrated to PC stuff. I played whatever I could find.
At this point I am well in charge of my own purchases and thus mostly play what sounds good to me.
Tabletop gaming is also a big interest for me. Most of my time has been spent with Shadowrun and D&D, but I have also played Vampire, Heroes, BESM, and a few more. I even LARPed for a bit, although I was really too shy to ever be really good at it. Sadly I don’t have a current group that I play with. =(
The rest of my ‘entertainment’ time is spent on board games, movies, books, anime, and I’m sure there is more that I’m forgetting.
How did the name (Token Female Gamer) come about?
Most of my time playing computer games and other games I have somehow been one of the only girls participating. I never managed to find any girls that were interested in such pastimes so I ended up hanging out with a bunch of guys most of the time.
After college I joined a computer game company as a developer. Talk about boys club, I was the third girl hired and the first in development.
When it came time to decide what title to use on my business card I came up with “Token Female Programmer” as a joke. It had seemed like a trend in my life at that point. I had somehow managed to be the token girl in pastimes that are dominated by guys – computer games, tabletop gaming, board games, sci-fi media, etc.
The name rang true and thus stuck, that is how it came about. An expression modeled after a theme in my life.
Email?
Feel free to send questions or comments to the above email address.
Old Site Banner Picture of me (in case anyone missed it) =D
