"Girls can play just as well as guys," said Morgan Romine, captain of the Frag Dolls. "But there are subtle differences. We tend to be better at communicating strategy, which is critical when you're playing in a team. Male gamers have a bit more ego. Girls are more willing to cooperate."
Romine, who starts a doctoral program in anthropology in video game culture this fall at UC Irvine, posits that girls are steered away from video games at an early age.
"Games aren't considered very cool among girls," she said. "They'd just rather hang out with their friends. I know I did. But I also loved playing games. So when online games came around, it was like having the best of both worlds. I could play games and be social."
Phillips is hoping more women make that discovery. And she expects that as the ratio becomes more even, the tone within online games will become more civilized.
"It is going to change as more women start playing," Phillips said. "But it's going to be slow."
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alex.pham@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Online sister
Who: Christa Phillips, a.k.a. TriXie
TITLE: Community editor, Microsoft Corp.
Role: A goodwill ambassador for Microsoft's Xbox Live online game platform. Phillips, who goes by the online handle TriXie, started GamerchiX, an online group for female players that has more than 3,100 members.
Age: 38
Education: Two years at Bellevue Community College
Hobbies: Mechanical bull-riding, drinking tequila and supporting a grass-roots foundation of women gamers.
Personal: Has a 15-year-old son, Scott, and 11-year-old daughter, Callahan.
Hero: F. Scott Fitzgerald. "I named my son after him," she said.
Favorite game: Zuma, a puzzle game
Favorite movie: "Goodfellas"
