The life and times of a female gamer, writer and self confessed 'otaku' By Julie Gray Apr 18, 2007 - 2:51:06 AM

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Women’s Month has cometh to the Comicbook Bin. And to celebrate, I offer you this article about being a female and striving for excellence in a field that seems to be (for the most part) a domain for the boys!

As a writer (one that has struggled to break into the writing field or to at least have work recognised let alone commissioned), I have found that being a woman has given me a unique perspective on an otherwise one-sided view of the world for not one but several male dominated industries. Prior to becoming a (paid) writer, I worked in the IT industry for many years in various roles, the last in management and freelanced for many years writing video game reviews. I realised that I gravitated towards certain industries because (for the most part) they were dominated by men but not just any men. These industries were dominated by men who strived to meet challenges in their lives. Men who wanted to succeed and continuously pushed boundaries every day to do so. I realised that what some people may have viewed as a weakness (my gender) was in fact something I could use to my advantage. It enabled me to take the best of what I had learned and cultivate and nurture it into something I could use to better myself as a person. But most of all, these experiences helped me to focus on my career as a writer/reviewer of video games, manga and anime with a significantly unique and very female point of view.

A gaming persona that I identify with and my Xbox 360 gamertag pic.

This isn’t philosophical and I’m definitely not a feminist. I’m a female writer who likes to write about anime, manga, comics, video games and movies – most of which seem to be considered slightly too ‘geeky’ or too ‘masculine’ to ever be something a girl should or could enjoy. Of course, this is only one very narrow-minded opinion. But I’d like to say that it’s a part of my life I have embraced wholeheartedly and right now, I have found a place to express that enjoyment in words. Thanks to being part of the incredible team that make up the writers and editors of the Comicbook Bin, I have an opportunity to take my interest in anime and manga and do something really good with it - promote it and share it with the world.

Currently, I work as the editor of a video games magazine in New Zealand. Go figure - girls don't play games, heck, if you listen to some of the drivel on the internet forums today, "girls don't exist on the internets!". And as far as I know (and I would be HAPPY to be corrected), I am the only female in Australasia with this position and one of three editors (the other two being male) with an editorial position in the video games industry in New Zealand. Less than four months ago, I was an IT manager and a struggling freelancer. I used to dream of being a writer that actually earned money doing something I loved and now I am living that dream - for real! Here at the Comicbook Bin, I write manga and anime reviews. Every now and then I spread my wings and write a movie review. I also have several blogs and a website that link back to my work online. My ultimate goal is to manage an online community of writers who have shared similar experiences writing for the anime, manga, movie and video games industries. A place where writers of all ages and experiences can come together and share their passion for writing - a place for all things geeky. Somewhere that they can freely express their enjoyment for what they do.

Buffy - my hero.

This is my contribution to ‘Women’s Month’ at the Bin. My message is a simple one – strive for your dreams and love what you do, whether you're a guy or a girl. Life’s too short to waste it on ‘maybes’. And if you’re female, you’re reading this and you have aspirations to write – don’t let anyone tell you that you should stick to writing poetry or children’s books. Write about what you love and do the world a favour – don’t ever let your gender limit you.

And for those of you who dig quotes here's one for you:

"Live to write, write to live". Sums me up in one sentence, really.

For info, comments or just to say hello, contact me here: Julie@comicbookbin.com

You can view my work related scribbles here http://blog.digitalotaku.net and my (barely) legible raves and rantings are here http://www.digitalotaku.net.

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