Wow, and you thought Fat, slutty, or Ugly had harsh words...

[Deleted472477User]

http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/06/harassment-misogyny-and-silencing-on-youtube/comment-page-3/#comment-27488

 

Her project:

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games?ref=card

 

I can see how *some* males (I refuse to call them men) might get a hair up their butts over this, but really. All it speaks of is their weakness, immaturity, and inability to tolerate strong, capable, confident females that also aren't made more sexually appealing to make them less threatening. No one says anyone has to like anything, but it's like we say here on Nexus: don't like it, think what you want about the project and its author, but pass in silence.

 

I hope this will spark some intelligent discussion more than fighting and trolling. There's enough of that over it already.

[mojodajojo]

Sorry, I don't know how I ended up with this blank post. I don't usually suffer from the lag post prob.

[JimboUK]

I think they is two very separate topics here, Youtube and her message. There is no excuse for those comments on Youtube, sadly as I've said before we seem to have bred a generation with an alarming number of misogynists in it, maybe it's insecurity, I don't know but any right minded individual is going to see that as unacceptable behaviour whatever the reason. As the portrayal of women in video games she is correct, what she doesn't mention is that men are also portrayed unrealistically as well.

[mojodajojo]

Some of the reactions she has evoked on youtube are rather embarrassing to anyone with male genitalia. As for what she's trying to accomplish, here's a quote from Vonnegut that I find relevant as to what kind of impact she is capable of having on the gaming industry( in terms of their representation of females in games.)

 

"During the Vietnam War, every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high."

[pwnedbyscope]

in most games this is true, however one in particular this isnt, bing bing skyrim, vanilla skyrim that is, not modded, but most skyrim women are hardy warriors able to hold thier own against anything man or otherwise, this is also true for a number of other games as well, halo reach- kat, a bit iffy but resident evil-jill valentine, metroid-samus aran, while it seems like women are always portrayed in a negative or unsavory light, it only seems that way because the worst offenders are the ones that stand out the most, now that isnt to say there is a problem with it, but everyone must remember that video games are an art form, all art is subjective.

[pwnedbyscope]

"The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high."

i have never heard that before and it has to be the most amazing thing ive ever heard, that is awesome

[Vagrant0]

And yet, nobody cares to notice what sort of messages seeing male characters in games is presenting. How can a young male in this society live up to the model of a gun-toting anti-hero with ripping biceps, or a great warrior who travels long distances and wins impossible fights against evil. What message is it sending women who are expecting to meet this suave man of mystery, but only see the guy that works the drive-thru or spends hours trying to sell insurance over the phone. What we need are games where the roles that characters play are realistically attainable. Less heroic... more country bumpkin. Less handsome... more like they fell from the ugly tree, hit every branch, and decided to climb back up to try the other side. You know... Like how these people are in real life.

 

Lowered expectations for everyone.

 

That's what made GTA4 such a great game. You played the role of someone who's face had been bitchsmacked by genetics, and spent most of your time denigrating yourself in the services of just about every a**hole that crossed your path.

 

 

Oh wait... being at the bottom of the food chain, not getting the girl, not overcoming some unusual circumstances, or even having to occasionally see yourself as someone grotesquely unattractive doesn't usually lead to an enjoyable gaming experience. That's why most stories are written with epic situations, simplified relationships, and feature characters who either look buff or buxom... Because anything else usually is a pain to play, or just ends up being too drama heavy for the average 13-28 year old male to give a s***.

 

While there is the issue of most of these games being made in parts of the world where there are long standing sexual standards as part of the core cultural framework, most of these areas couldn't care less about what a few Americans (or even Europeans) think. They make games with busty heroines or play to tropes because sex sells, and the average programmer isn't known to have much real contact with women, let alone have the time or patience to build/maintain a relationship. Nevermind that most women in the world wouldn't want much to do with someone who works 18+ hour days, maintains a minimum level of hygiene, and doesn't earn very much for the effort. Even if someone knows that they're a 2 or a 3, they will still try to hook up with that 6 or 7 and have fantasies about that 8 or 9... Regardless of gender.

 

The misogynist epidemic probably has a greater tie to the amount of stupid people with an access to share every single thought they have, combined with their own pathetic social skills and changing social dynamics that no longer place men as a prestige class. Male roles are eroding quickly, leaving either ones which are unattainable by most, or ones that very few would want to deal with. I have even seen women joking a number of times that if women ruled the wold, the only suitable place for men would be doing those hard, disgusting jobs, castrated servants, or the lucky few being milked by sperm banks.

 

Equality is good, but in the process you lose those firm definitions of identity that are necessary for people to find their place in the world. The sexual division of labor didn't occur as an accident, or because of some man deciding to state his importance and make it law. It happened as a product of natural sexual cycles and sex-based development in the brain. The ideal is to have enough freedom for people to have some say in their life, but still have clearly defined roles, both socially and sexually.

[tetradite]

I can't help but feel that if she gives that much of a damn about the representations of women in the games industry then she'd be better off raising money to get trained in making games, rather than making videos which will change nobody's mind about anything.

 

That isn't to say that I think women are portrayed well in games, they're not on the whole treated well at all (I stay silent but I loathe 90% of the "adult" mods on this basis), but does she think no-one's noticed, and her videos and going to bring about some kind of stunning revolution in the minds of games designers?

 

There was a time when being a feminist meant being sent to prison in the fight to get the vote.

[mojodajojo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicapper_General

[pwnedbyscope]

I can't help but feel that if she gives that much of a damn about the representations of women in the games industry then she'd be better off raising money to get trained in making games, rather than making videos which will change nobody's mind about anything.

 

That isn't to say that I think women are portrayed well in games, they're not on the whole treated well at all (I stay silent but I loathe 90% of the "adult" mods on this basis), but does she think no-one's noticed, and her videos and going to bring about some kind of stunning revolution in the minds of games designers?

 

There was a time when being a feminist meant being sent to prison in the fight to get the vote.

I think that these "pro-fem?" individuals need to pick a choose thier battles, 100 years ago it was the right to vote, 30 years ago is was workplace equality, which still isnt totally resolved, on either side (being hired should be based on credentials not whats between your legs) and whats now emerging is the right to own your body, ie laws against abortion controlling women w/e. Im a bit sad to say it but these fights against video games and equality in the portrayal of characters is really nothing more then a cry for attention, people need to realize that games are marketed to a certain group of people and no matter how pissed off you get an no matter how loud your blow your horn, they arent going to shift the entire industry for those that are not the target audience