She first appears in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) as a child psychology student working as a camp counselor assistant trainer, in which she was portrayed by Amy Steel.

Writer Ron Kurtz conceptualized the character, while director Steve Miner intended to utilize Ginny to carry further installments as the main protagonist.

Film scholar Carol J. Clover cited Ginny among the original examples of the "final girl" theory developed in her 1992 nonfiction book Men, Women, and Chainsaws.

[1] In Part III (1982), Ginny appears in the films cold open flashbacking her confrontation with Jason and is later confirmed to have survived on a news report detailing her ordeal.

[2] Ginny makes her first literary appearance in the novelization of Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), which states that she is in "serious condition" and is suffering from "severe hysterical shock" because of her battle with Jason Voorhees.

Steve Miner intended for the character to return in the sequel as the protagonist and wanted the film to have a more psychological element to it—with Ginny's trauma being the focal point.

Amy Steel recollects receiving a script that features the character returning to university to finish her psychology degree and being an outcast among her peers.

[8] Eric Goldman (IGN) wrote of the franchise's lead characters that Ginny is "one of the most appealing in the entire series," attributing it to Steel being likable.

[9] Matthew Chernov (Variety) wrote that "actress Amy Steel gives a loveable performance that elevates her to the top ranks of horror movie heroines.

[12] Scholar Bruce F. Kawin notes Ginny's major in child psychology and writes her empathy toward Jason Voorhees and understanding children's emotions as attributing to her survival.

[14] Conversely, literary critic John Kenneth Muir commended Ginny for being "resourceful" during the film's climax and writes that she upstages Alice (Adrienne King) and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) during her impersonation of Pamela.