Enter G.URL, a world exploring the feminine side of gaming culture in a cutesy take, inspired by retro-futurism, to make a universe only gamer girls would dream of. What kind of G.URL are you? G.URL is aimed at 16-25 year olds, due to its diverse content and chibi art style. Think of your average Pixar film: with an aesthetic that appeals to children, but a script written for adults. Nominated for two BSCI awards, G.URL aims to make a statement about female spaces in the gaming world.
The world of G.URL was created with the intention to explore an underrepresented, hypersexualised market: gamer girls. As the year of 2023 dawns upon us, the online world is merging with the real world – and gaming is a key part of that. It only takes looking at examples such as: popular events like football morphing into E-sports; online gaming allowing friends to maintain friendships digitally, and the rise of virtual reality systems providing the ultimate immersive separation from the real world. Our own grasp on reality is becoming fictional as the lines begin to blur between the real world and the digital world. G.URL is not just about gaming, but online culture also.
Growing up immersed in the gaming and online world, I’ve come to appreciate its role as a powerful form of escapism. G.URL Magazine intends to capture the essence of nostalgia when revisiting the old online games we once eagerly logged onto after school. However, my personal experiences have also exposed me to the prevalent sexism that permeates the gaming community. It’s disheartening to see that posing as a male character online, even when a female avatar is available, is often seen as a way to navigate the community more easily. This double standard is poignantly highlighted in the collaboration between Maybelline New York and Brave Together, a mental health initiative. Their campaign, “Through Their Eyes,” delves into the harsh realities faced by women and female-identifying gamers worldwide. Through a social experiment, two gamers assumed feminine personas using voice alteration devices and unique player profiles. Sadly, it comes as no surprise that both players encountered severe harassment. In the current climate, it feels that a space like G.URL is still a much needed requirement.
As G.URL enters this untapped market, we intend on drawing away from the focus on women’s bodies in gaming and instead aim to represent women as a whole. Instead of sexualising female twitch streamers, we’ll interview them; instead of calling a woman’s interest in gaming ‘childish’, we’ll celebrate it. G.URL intends to play into the polarising gender war within gaming and give a space to women when so little room has been offered. If men refuse to invite us into the gaming world, it’ll have to be a G.URL’s world only, as I introduce my first edition: G.URLWORLD.
You can grab a copy of G.URL Magazine at www.gurlworld.co.uk
Callie Foulsham | Fashion
