Columbia Home & Lifestyle - January/February 2009 - (Page 27) Photo by Jennifer Kettler. Caitlin Whiting’s WOW chararacter, “Red Light,” visits the “Valley of Wisdom” in the city of “Orgrimmar.” “The only customers that I know that are maniacs about the game (are) all female. Hundred percent,” she said. something to do in their relationships when their partners play, Donahoe said. Donahoe herself got into the first-person shooter “Call of Duty 4,” where players take on the role of a modern-day soldier, by watching her boyfriend. By the time she started playing multiplayer on her own, she knew all of the game's maps and strategies by having watched her boyfriend play. Holt soon switched from frustration with her husband for ignoring her to frustration with him for taking up all the computer time. A second computer purchase solved that problem. “I dumped $1,600 to stop the marital feud,” Jerry said. “And it's been bliss ever since,” replied Emily. Holt came to gaming relatively late in life, first starting after she graduated from high school. “I think my boyfriend at the time was playing Everquest,” another online role-playing game, she said. “It looked fun, and I made a character, and I just got into it.” “World of Warcraft’s” social aspect pulls her in, she said, adding she feels obligated to play when other members of her online team are playing, necessitating regular play. Holt, who plays when her 1- and 3-year olds are snoozing, said the game is a soothing way to wash away the day’s pressures. “I put my kids to bed, and it's my time. It's an excellent escape from a day of diapers and screaming,” she said. Stephanie Winter 19, and Cristina Johnson, 20, both students at the University of Missouri, were also at the November release. Both have been playing games since they were children: Winter started out on the Sega Genesis, while Johnson played both Nintendo and computer games. Winter and Johnson agreed the gender gap had been largely bridged in gaming. Growing up, the pair said games were largely something boys played. “But I played with the boys, so it didn't matter,” Winter said. “I think the boys like to think that it’s still the boys club.” columbia home & lifestyle 27 A Whole NeW World Emily Holt, 29, was one of those customers. She and husband Jerry joined hundreds of fans lined up at midnight on a chilly November night to be among the first to purchase the third expansion of the game, in which players create fantasy characters to do battle with other human and computer characters. Holt, a stay-at-home mom, has been playing the game since 2005. “For me it was either join my husband or hate the game and hate him playing it,” she said. “And I loved it. As soon as I started playing I was like, 'Why have I not been playing this the whole time?'” Women often get into gaming to have
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.