[Coda]

It's not so much that the GAMES are male-only (most people realize that girls play D&D -- but the stereotype is that they play social intrigue instead of combat) as it is that the ENVIRONMENT is. Boys claimed the "geek" archetype first (again, the stereotype is that girls have other social outlets and therefore don't turn into geeks) and band together for solidarity in that pursuit, and a girl entering that environment is treading on the subconsciously-sacred area that geek-boys have carved out for themselves.

And both because boys DO outnumber girls in those pursuits, and because the attitude reinforces itself by shunning those that don't fit the preconceptions, the environment also reinforces that perception, because girls ARE a comparative rarity.