This is about the novel. If you are looking for the trope, see Gamer Chick.
Gamer Girl is a young adult novel by Mari Mancusi. It tells the story of Maddy Starr, a Goth girl who has trouble fitting in at her new high school and finds solace in an MMORPG.
Apathetic Teacher: Mr. Wilks, when he isn't pointedly siding with The Haters.
Ask a Stupid Question......: Billy, when he tries to insult Maddy, gets hit with humiliating snarks. "I'm putting the posters... on... the waaaalll" "See, with tape. You know... sticky sticky."
Author Avatar: In-universe; Maddy's manga character Allora is her avatar, both figuratively and literally.
Genre Blind: When Sir Leo rejects Maddy, she never considers that his bizzarely out-of-character behavior might be the result of another person using his computer. This doesn't just mean his randomly rude and insulting attitude either. She fails to notice that he isn't speaking in the character of his alternate self, something the real Sir Leo constantly insisted on doing. In her defense though, she's a little busy being angry and heartbroken over it.
Gym Class Hell: The Haters stuff Maddy's gym uniform down the toilet.
Humiliation Conga: Maddy when Sir Leo rejects her, her manga is ruined, and The Haters post it all over the school.
Love Interest: Maddy's online companion Sir Leo. He turns out to be a football player from her school, who was afraid of what his Jerk Jock friends would say if they found out he was a gamer.
Loves My Alter Ego: Maddy thinks Sir Leo would only be interested in her Fields of Fantasy counterpart.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Maddy, in a good mood, asks Emily to show her her dance routine. Emily knocks over a glass display and covers the living room with glass, upsetting her grandmother and angering her mother.
One Steve Limit: Averted. There's a girl named Sarah Silver playing Guinevere in Hannah Dustin's high school production of Camelot. Exactly one scene later another girl named Sarah shows an interest in manga.
Otaku: In addition to being a gaming fan, Maddy is a huge fan of manga and anime. She even starts a school club and at the end of the novel, enters one of her own creations in a publishing contest.
Parental Neglect: Maddy is understandably infuriated at her father, a fellow gamer, for his inability to put the game down long enough to join the rest of the family on a ski trip.
Perky Goth: Black Raven, AKA Treena. Maddy is also a mild version.
Shout Out: When Maddy starts her first day at her new school, she wonders where all the Edward Cullen worshipping Goth kids are. Also, when she tells Matt about Sir Leo, he says "Tell me what you know and I'll play Veronica Mars."
Teens Are Monsters: The Haters, with the exception of Chad. Their whole reason for treating Maddy like crap is because she's different.
Turn The Other Cheek: When Maddy is being bullied, her English teacher advises her to do this, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it will keep the bullies from having power over her.
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