"No, this is not my boyfriend's computer."

I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of playing Donkey Kong and Super Mario World on Super Nintendo with my cousins, I was probably four years old. I grew up with a Game Boy Advance, which I carried everywhere, then a DS later on. I played a lot of PC games, then Wii and eventually Xbox 360. My Xbox Gamerscore is over 10,000 and I've spent countless hours in game after game. It wasn't until I went into multiplayer games on Xbox Live & Steam that I realized how different it is for girls in the gaming industry.

You're fine until you get on the microphone. When people in a game find out you're a girl they can either suddenly become extremely nice to you, or you get harassed. On occasion, it won't make a difference because you're all there to play a game. I've had strangers start sending me messages asking for my number, pictures, etc. It's creepy. No, random stranger from the internet, I do not want to "play Call of Duty and make out" with you ( an actual message I've gotten). This might be part of the reason gamer girls are hard to find, they might be in hiding.

A lot of times, I'll be the only girl in the game store, comic shop, tournament, etc. No one's really harassed me in person, other than and/or stares, the occasional unprovoked comment or noise. I'm really happy that my local shops & their patrons are generally pretty considerate and inclusive, they don't tolerate people being unkind.

There are so many stereotypes going around about female gamers. We're not doing this to impress boys. We're not trying to impress anyone. We're just here to play games because it's what we love to do. We're not looking for special treatment or for you to go easy on us in games. We just want to be able to play games and be treated like regular people, without being constantly asked if we're single. But it's nothing I can't handle. I realize there are so many more problems in the world that are so much bigger.

It's not all bad though. Sometimes people are more willing to help you in games because they're genuinely kind and want to stop the stereotypes. I've made a lot of friends through games, comic shops, and conventions. Sometimes people are surprised to see a girl who's into the same things they are and it gives you things to talk about.

So, girls, embrace your nerdiness. Keep playing video games. Love what you love and don't be afraid.

In regard to the cover photo, most people remember Christina Grimmie for her amazing voice, but she was also very important to the gaming community. She got me into The Legend of Zelda games.