tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29230049707754345572024-03-06T00:10:05.209+00:00The Males Of GamesA fascinating blog about sexism against men and women in video games! Come on in, you might learn something.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-35551858420878755842016-01-19T22:49:00.002+00:002016-01-19T22:49:15.020+00:00Why Your Voice is ImportantA couple of weeks ago, a GamerGate and NotYourShield supporter passed away at a young age in an apparent suicide. I don't want to give out her name, just in case it gets misconstrued as politicising her death or capitalising on it for my own gain (either for clicks or just to talk about my own stuff). That isn't the case. However, her death affected me more than I thought it would.<br />
<br />
I actually didn't know the young woman in question. I recognised her face when news of her death was posted but I can't recall ever speaking to her on Twitter. The reason her death affected me was because of something a friend of mine said about her: "She told me, nearly a year ago, she didn't feel that her voice was important". One of the reasons I wish I'd spoken to her was because in the past, I've felt the exact same way.<br />
<br />
The thing is, whatever you're committed to fighting for -- gender equality in video games, ethics in games journalism or more mainstream stuff like combating intrusive DRM in games -- it can feel like you have a <i>ton</i> of great points to make but they rarely, if ever, receive the recognition or awareness you want. That sounds selfish or egotistical but everyone wants to feel like their opinion connects with someone. For example, I've no doubt that every single person reading this can formulate a perfect rebuttal to Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes Vs Women in Games videos. There are many, many videos on Youtube doing just that but some of the most well thought-out arguments end up falling to the bottom of the pile and don't often get noticed as much as they should.<br />
<br />
I probably don't know how lucky I am; this blog doesn't set the world on fire or anything but I have a very friendly audience and a few people on Reddit who are kind enough to "signal boost" a lot of the things I write, especially the last few posts. I appreciate it a lot. Some posts have even been linked to by writers more high-profile than me, who I respect a lot. However, it still often feels like no matter what I say -- or <i>anyone</i> says -- about the subject of gender issues in gaming, it doesn't make a dent in the flawed "gaming is anti-woman" narrative. That can make you feel like your voice and opinion is unimportant.<br />
<br />
It's a little more complicated than that. I don't update this blog very often anymore<i> </i>and there are a variety of reasons:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Laziness</b></li>
</ul>
Obviously.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Other priorities</b></li>
</ul>
I have other commitments to deal with apart from writing this blog. I mentioned studying game design, so I have to balance continuing with that as well as work. I've had to put writing commitments on hold for other sites too.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>The narrative pushed by mainstream gaming sites remaining unchanged</b></li>
</ul>
As mentioned above. To this day, mainstream gaming media pushes the narrative that gaming is a "boy's club" in spite of <a href="http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf">ESA statistics</a> (page 5) that suggest it's actually fairly equal. No opinion pieces are written to rebut this claim or the idea that gaming is sexist. Women who disagree are treated as if they don't exist and men who disagree are dismissed because of "privilege", "patriarchy", "mansplaining" or another excuse to not actually answer the points made. It's reached the point where even <i>bomb threats</i> against GamerGate meetups receive little, if any, coverage by mainstream gaming sites. Presumably because reporting on diverse groups receiving harmful threats would damage the "harassment-endorsing boy's club" narrative that has been built up for years.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Waning interest in gender issues in gaming</b></li>
</ul>
Related to the above point. Seeing nothing change makes it hard to care about staying current concerning gender issues in gaming. That, and the majority of articles on the subject tend to be from mainstream gaming sites and therefore either clickbait, full of inaccuracies, incredibly dull or a mix of the three. Videos suffer from the same problem. Although I've written about articles/games/videos in great detail in the past, it feels like it can only be done for so long without regurgitating the same information.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Better/more high-profile writers than me covering the same subject</b></li>
</ul>
This happens quite often. Back when I started this blog, I wasn't on Twitter and since I joined, I would say there's been a big positive and negative shift when it comes to how I approach gender issues. The positive shift is that I no longer feel like one of the few people talking about the subject, which I did back when the only places I had as an outlet were Gamespot comments sections and the TV Tropes forum. There are thousands of people talking about gender issues in gaming, who roll their eyes at the claims made by outraged social justice warriors who don't care about facts. The negative shift is that I used to take to this blog whenever something annoyed me on a gaming site and needed to be responded to whereas now, I go on Twitter to see what the people I follow thought of it.<br />
<br />
<div itemprop="name">
The many articles of <a href="https://medium.com/@adrianchm">Adrian Chmielarz</a> on Medium are some of the standout articles that I may not have seen without being on Twitter. <a href="http://metaleater.com/video-games/feature/why-feminist-frequency-almost-made-me-quit-writing-about-video-games-part-1">Liana Kerzner's</a> five-part series "<i>Why Feminist Frequency almost made me quit writing about video games</i>" is another bright spot. Whether other people are more eloquent, have a platform seen more people
or simply have an interesting twist on their argument that I don't, I
find myself more tempted to direct people to <i>their</i> points rather than write my own nowadays.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
So, with all of this in mind, <b>why is YOUR voice important?</b></div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
I've heard it mentioned a few times that movements aren't made up solely of leading figures but of many smaller voices. I always thought that sounded a bit like a cop out but it's true; with a bunch of supporters making the same argument, gamers have made a movement out of what would otherwise be a few dissenting opinions on various websites. Without the "smaller" voices, the videos and opinion pieces by more prominent figures would be easy to dismiss. <i>With</i> them, on the other hand, it makes it harder for game journalists to do and remain credible. Instead, it exposes them as being agenda-driven rather than reporting on issues objectively.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
The reason that seems like a bit of a cop out is because you still won't receive the same acknowledgement as a lot of people making the same argument and still feel like the things you say aren't being read. Plus, if you're anything like me, you don't have any intention of making videos and you don't live anywhere close enough to attend a meetup with other like-minded people. Hell, you may not like social media or may not want to go through the effort of writing an article/filming and editing a video. However, these things don't mean that your voice isn't important or isn't being heard.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
You don't know who your words affect. There are tons of people who lurk on forums without posting or browse Twitter without having an account. Who's to say that one of those people won't see your intelligent, well thought-out point and use it in their own article or video? Although I can't recall any specific occasions -- I tend to give credit for good points I've heard people made -- I'd be very surprised if it turned out I hadn't done that at least once. And I know it's definitely happened to me, with both Adrian Chmielarz, mentioned above, and <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/11/27/an-open-letter-to-bloomberg-s-sheelah-kolhatkar-on-the-delicate-matter-of-anita-sarkeesian/">Milo Yiannopoulos</a> (in the line "leveraging a tragedy to her own political benefit").</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
Plus, think about this; what's the big deal about popularity anyway? There are <i>hugely</i> popular sites like Buzzfeed, Polygon, a bunch of Gawker sites and more that have only achieved popularity through clickbait. So many of their articles and videos offer <i>nothing</i> of any substance but hey, they're popular! On the other hand, there are independent news sites, blogs and gaming media sites all over the internet that offer objectivity, intelligence and substance in ways that popular sites based on clickbait can't even comprehend. If you feel like your voice isn't being heard, take solace in the fact that you're still speaking out. <i>You</i> are like an independent news site. You have credibility and moral fibre for expressing your opinions when you aren't even sure if anyone will ever read them.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
If you want a tip for making your voice heard, here's a practical piece of advice: post on Reddit, not Twitter. Twitter is like everyone shouting over a crowd of other shouting people, trying to get noticed. Reddit, and other more conventional forums, are closer to a discussion.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
Finally, don't give up. You'll never know who you could reach or what impact you could have if you give up. Your opinions are valued more than you know. Even as someone who is normally pretty cynical when it comes to people who try to be motivational, I believe that. You never know when your opinion will be the one people take notice of, rally around and support/defend, whether it's as an article or in the comments section of an article.</div>
<div itemprop="name">
<br /></div>
<div itemprop="name">
And I don't normally say this but I feel compelled to, given what I've been writing about; thank you for reading.</div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-63612441115860315002015-12-03T00:22:00.001+00:002015-12-03T00:30:49.139+00:00Censorship in Games - Are Developers Pandering to the Wrong Audience?In spite of not following gender issues in gaming as closely as I used to, I still follow plenty of people on Twitter to keep myself informed of what gaming's most easily-offended critics are currently annoyed about and how gender issues play a part in gaming nowadays.<br />
<br />
It isn't like there has been a shortage of issues to write about. For <i>Street Fighter V</i>, Capcom released <a href="http://nichegamer.com/2015/11/report-r-mika-is-now-censored-in-street-fighter-v/">an update</a> that switched camera angles for two characters -- Cammy and R. Mika -- to make their poses less provocative. There have been <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/localization-changes-confirmed-xenoblade-chronicles-x">two localisation changes</a> for <i>Xenoblade Chronicles X</i>; adding more clothing to a bikini-clad thirteen-year-old character and removing a slider to change a custom female character's bust size. The Western release of the newest <i>Fatal Frame</i> game has several revealing alternate costumes <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-10-20-project-zero-maiden-of-black-water-removes-skimpy-costumes">omitted</a>, replaced with costumes paying tribute to Samus and Zelda instead. And most recently, Koei Tecmo US has chosen <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/koei-tecmo-and-world-respond-to-dead-or-alive-xtreme-3-controversy">not to release</a> <i>Dead or Alive Xtreme 3</i> in the West, only for Play-Asia.com to criticise the move and <a href="https://twitter.com/playasia/status/669343456423100416">pledge</a> to sell the English-language version released in Asian markets through their website.<br />
<br />
There are two reasons behind all of this censorship/refusal to ship games to the West. The first is specific to <i>Xenoblade</i> and <i>Fatal Frame</i> and it's due to Nintendo's steadfast family-friendly image. They're basically doing the exact same thing they did back in the late eighties and early nineties, when they would censor minor instances of nudity, as was the case in games like <i>Final Fantasy VI</i>, seen here:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLp_SQr9Kg-eOQFsIhXya1bdnb3YOI_9f7GbGzYk4C2fJwgXNCJBnKScXD2too1L4vFrZk55ZO3LDbAUe8gvNn8Q353aJTAR7gBbRlF2mnAsCFcSFNC6Rpvmav9pD5HA_LHTbi6yllJ4/s1600/FFVI_Siren_Censorship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLp_SQr9Kg-eOQFsIhXya1bdnb3YOI_9f7GbGzYk4C2fJwgXNCJBnKScXD2too1L4vFrZk55ZO3LDbAUe8gvNn8Q353aJTAR7gBbRlF2mnAsCFcSFNC6Rpvmav9pD5HA_LHTbi6yllJ4/s1600/FFVI_Siren_Censorship.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Examples from the Japanese Super Famicom/GBA, American SNES and Western GBA releases of FFVI.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Where this falls apart is when games like <i>Fatal Frame</i> deal with horror, death and suicide and these are somehow considered <i>less</i> controversial than a woman in lingerie as an alternate costume. The number of games that feature dismemberment, disembowelings and beheadings are somehow considered acceptable compared to a game featuring <i>women playing volleyball</i>. The gaming media has stirred up a non-controversy to such an extent that Japanese developers are under the impression that all Western gamers are uncomfortable or offended by sexuality, rather than just a very vocal minority with high-profile positions. And no talented game developer wants to be called a 14-year-old boy by some talentless hack at Kotaku.<br />
<br />
Which leads to the second reason: good ol' fashioned prudishness. I know I've said this before -- probably several times -- but it's remarkable that an audience who claim to want video games to "mature" as a medium have such a fundamentally <i>immature</i> attitude towards sexuality in games. What kind of adult feels threatened by a bunch of polygons on a screen? Essentially what we have here is a <i>tiny</i> contingent of critics who feel it is appropriate to bully and shame developers into making the games they want, based on what <i>they</i> feel is suitable for <i>all</i> Western audiences. Gaming critics have reached the peak of entitlement and the worrying thing is that they're the ones being pandered to by game developers now.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAILDbTD7beEJA_ON9E3dEtff1bBUwOl__2G4No8TUUM5AGSPH0cDWmGpgzpN0GB0mVb9VSZ0otazMTGx1Ctvp5l2QaqTiQCIAAvIgRBOi-jDpNLkv_IC8GACdHnxNnbhijaXgiW8KlA0/s1600/dead-or-alive2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAILDbTD7beEJA_ON9E3dEtff1bBUwOl__2G4No8TUUM5AGSPH0cDWmGpgzpN0GB0mVb9VSZ0otazMTGx1Ctvp5l2QaqTiQCIAAvIgRBOi-jDpNLkv_IC8GACdHnxNnbhijaXgiW8KlA0/s640/dead-or-alive2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with characters in games being sexually attractive. Developers have a right to create any kinds of characters they want and audiences, men and women, have the right to enjoy them (as a matter of fact, one of the criticisms against <i>Xenoblade</i>'s removal of the bust size slider was that it prevented large-chested female gamers creating characters similar in appearance to themselves). Petty authoritarian bullies stomping their feet and throwing a tantrum because <i>they </i>feel uncomfortable is their issue. It isn't the developer's responsibility to change their game because of hurt feelings.<br />
<br />
Regarding <i>Dead or Alive Xtreme 3</i>, game developer American McGee wrote <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CUxzp58VAAA4YCP.jpg:large">this</a> on Facebook regarding the whole issue. He isn't the only person to speak out against this type of censorship. Following the news that <i>DOAX3</i> wasn't going to receive a Western release, a female voice actress tweeted this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yn9HPbQzovwG8loNi7TLSEp0-6Yh9vPCCkdzozuEhLAMAfWmQowsqKcFUjHpGSVwUAEwtBiSnLXjHk5DEkCtJ5QibFFrkKjgXQdvCRD8ZAMsaYN48iRuwhtOCxfAd0EbaTxuPxlEYhA/s1600/vatweet.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yn9HPbQzovwG8loNi7TLSEp0-6Yh9vPCCkdzozuEhLAMAfWmQowsqKcFUjHpGSVwUAEwtBiSnLXjHk5DEkCtJ5QibFFrkKjgXQdvCRD8ZAMsaYN48iRuwhtOCxfAd0EbaTxuPxlEYhA/s400/vatweet.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
(The tweet has since been deleted so, out of respect for the voice actress, I've redacted her name. I wouldn't want her to suffer online harassment or lose voice acting work for speaking out against feminism.)<br />
<br />
Apart from the obvious reasons why this is an issue -- games having content removed/not being localised because of puritanical outrage -- it's also an issue because of the recurring claim from gaming's Social Justice Warrior and feminist critics that "we're not coming to take your games away". <a href="https://archive.is/E90oQ">Katherine Cross</a> wrote about it on Polygon, also quoting Carolyn Petit saying the same thing. <a href="http://blogjob.com/oneangrygamer/2014/12/shes-not-gonna-take-your-games-away-says-jim-sterling-gta-5-gets-banned/">Jim Sterling</a> said it about Anita Sarkeesian too.<br />
<br />
Yet it's remarkable when censorship of games <i>does</i> occur, how quick this same crowd preaching about sexism from their soapboxes acts as if they <a href="https://archive.is/30PZS">don't have any</a> <a href="https://archive.is/MGQkl">real power whatsoever</a>. As if these same journalists who have given countless column inches to Anita Sarkeesian for the past three years, who called game developers 14-year-old boys, awarded <i>Bayonetta 2</i> lower scores due to being offended by a sexualised character rather than anything to do with the game's quality, warped #GamerGate to be about sexism rather than ethics in journalism and <a href="https://archive.is/KwCfb">gleefully used a mass shooting</a> to their advantage tell people to get over <i>Dead or Alive Xtreme 3</i> not coming to the West are suddenly the least-influential people in the games industry.<br />
<br />
As Anita Sarkeesian is so fond of telling us in her Tropes Vs Women videos, "these examples do not exist in a vacuum" and I've only mentioned a few examples. Do these people really think high-profile gaming sites and Kickstarter/Intel-funded Youtube critics who have been arguing against sexually-attractive women in games for <i>years</i> are completely unrelated to sexualised elements in games being removed for the West (or the games not being localised at all)?<br />
<br />
If so, it sounds like another example of playing the victim to me; even with their monopoly on gaming journalism and the many years of hammering home the same warped sexism narrative, they still insist that they're helpless, silenced victims.<br />
<br />
I actually planned on writing about Feminist Frequency's new video -- Jonathan McIntosh's "5 Ways Men Can Help End Sexism", the first video from Feminist Frequency I've watched in around two years -- but had more to say on this subject than I thought. I may write about McIntosh's video too because, even though it's more of what we've come to expect from McIntosh and Feminist Frequency -- Jonathan sounds more like Anita than Anita does, bizarrely -- it is a <i>hilarious</i> video.<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas!The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-1644690415380443872015-08-22T13:04:00.000+01:002015-08-28T21:59:19.865+01:00Anita Sarkeesian's Interview with Wired UK<a href="http://2015.theconference.se/">The Conference</a> is a yearly event in Sweden where "<span class="st">creators, communicators and innovators of all kinds" arrive to discuss digital media and give speeches on working in creative industries. As she did back in 2013, Anita Sarkeesian took to the stage, discussing what it's like to be the victim of abuse online.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">What I'd like to focus on is a follow-up article done by <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-08/19/anita-sarkeesian-sexism-online-harassment">Wired UK</a>, which is something of an edited highlights version of Anita's talk. Let's start with this:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>There are three ways in which men attempt undermine women online, Sarkeesian tells the audience at The Conference
in Malmo: through the denial of women's earned accomplishments, the
denial of their life experience, and the denial of their professional
expertise.</i></blockquote>
Those three ways that <i>men</i> -- not simply critics of Anita's or the social justice warrior crowd that has chosen gaming as its scratching post, specifically <i>men</i> -- attempt to undermine women online are three of the things I'd like to focus on.<br />
<br />
<b>The Denial Of Women's Earned Accomplishments</b><br />
<br />
In the case of Anita, I can see how she'd feel like she is a victim of this. People have criticised everything about her methods, from her Kickstarter campaign, to art theft, to using videos without the permission of their original owners.<br />
<b></b><br />
I don't deny that Anita has accomplished many things but not all of them are what I would call "earned". She <i>earned</i> her degrees in Communication Studies and Social and Political Thought. I'd certainly say she's earned everything she's gained from giving
college talks around the U.S. on sexism. She's marketed herself well, it
can't be denied. I wouldn't say she earned any of the money that was donated to her through Kickstarter or given to her by Intel. That's a different kettle of fish entirely. Likewise, is making videos really an accomplishment? Not especially. Is being critical of them "denying" that accomplishment? Not at all. However, the Tropes Vs Women series <i>has</i> been watched by a lot of people. Again, that's undeniable and it certainly is an accomplishment.<br />
<br />
It also makes me wonder whether fictional women are being included in that statement too. If so, there are plenty of people who would seek to deny the accomplishments of video game heroines entirely because they have a quality they disapprove of (such as a large chest). Take Lara Croft for example; prior to the reboot, there were thirteen games named, or spun off from, <i>Tomb Raider</i>. There were two feature films. Three novels. An animated series. A fifty-one issue comic book run. A place in the Guinness Book of Records as the "Most Successful Human Virtual Game Heroine."<br />
<br />
The character herself is intelligent, witty, cultured, a capable hunter and survivor (of a plane crash, no less). She's also a published author and in spite of her wealthy upbringing, remains grounded and easy to root for.<br />
<br />
In spite of all of this, many feminist critics have reduced Lara Croft to being nothing but a pair of breasts. The idea that these are the same people asking for strong female characters in video games is laughable. No matter how you cut it, that is the denial of women's earned accomplishments.<br />
<br />
<b>The Denial Of Women's Life Experience</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Let's just stop and think for a second; since Anita Sarkeesian came to prominence, who is the biggest demographic whose voices have been consistently ignored by both her and the gaming media? Women.<br />
<br />
Look at the short paragraph I quoted above. "Three ways in which men attempt to undermine women online". The narrative that is constantly being encouraged by Anita is that she is the victim of widespread abuse online and all of the perpetrators are male. Yet there is a sizable contingent of Anita's critics who are women. The closest I have heard to Anita acknowledging their existence was in a report on a college talk she did -- unfilmed, as Anita allows filming of her talks on abuse but <i>not</i> on gaming -- when she said something along the lines of "I've received criticism from women but not abuse".<br />
<br />
However, to listen to Anita or the <i>many</i> gaming news outlets that report on her (or Zoe Quinn, Brianna Wu or anyone else currently in the spotlight), it sounds as if there are only two sides: the infallible hurt party on one side and the inevitably demonic, foaming-at-the-mouth male abusers on the other. Nothing in-between.<br />
<br />
What do you call ignoring the many women who disagree with you if not "denial of women's life experience"? What do you call it -- other than arrogance -- if you feel you can speak for women as a whole and not take others' life experiences on board? Life experiences that <i>aren't</i> ones of sexism, abuse and oppression.<br />
<br />
While we're on the subject, ignoring your male critics is just as big a denial of their life experiences too. Regardless of the sex of your critics, their life experiences are no less significant than yours and no more worthy of being dismissed.<br />
<br />
Yet that's what gaming journalists have done; erased women from the discussion. When women "step out of line", so to speak, they cease to exist. That is, if they aren't accused of having "sockpuppet" accounts; men using female avatars. Again, assuming that women couldn't <i>possibly</i> disagree with Anita can only be described as arrogance.<br />
<br />
<b>The Denial Of Women's Professional Expertise</b><br />
<br />
Once again, since Anita came to prominence, whose professional expertise has been consistently ignored? Women.<br />
<br />
If you frequent Twitter, one of the responses to the accusations that #GamerGate is a misogynist movement has been to popularise this image of women who work within the games industry. It's a way of highlighting the hypocrisy of the gaming media; in spite of their claims of being progressive and pro-woman, they have made zero effort to raise awareness of or promote women who <i>actually</i> work in the games industry:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWa3ja86oLMr1EE5zi-ypzX3kTQgOqvchdrbyURWEwtkCcofDPJP3chmEie9jFABtWwNLq3WyGxw-rxj20_OcBOUEcS1E39XLd3_iaOjDHcCsNlioBwUDZVnvDOtZnudL9-HPBuCQy7Ns/s1600/womeningames.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWa3ja86oLMr1EE5zi-ypzX3kTQgOqvchdrbyURWEwtkCcofDPJP3chmEie9jFABtWwNLq3WyGxw-rxj20_OcBOUEcS1E39XLd3_iaOjDHcCsNlioBwUDZVnvDOtZnudL9-HPBuCQy7Ns/s640/womeningames.PNG" width="576" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead of putting any of <i>these</i> women in the spotlight, gaming sites devote article after article to women who often have little-to-no experience in the games industry. I can't quite put my finger on a particular reason why: the cynic in me wants to say it's because a retrospective of the several-decade career of an accomplished female developer doesn't earn as many pageviews as a "culture critic" ranting about how everything is sexist.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, it could be because, through their desperation to appear "pro-woman", no gaming website dares to deny a platform for the Anita Sarkeesians of the world to speak for fear of being labelled misogynistic. And if you read that sentence and thought, "but wouldn't a spotlight on one of the successful female game developers work to counteract that?" bear in mind that even raising $23,000 for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fine_Young_Capitalists">Fine Young Capitalists'</a> game -- with concepts taken from women all over the world and the game itself being created by an all-female development team -- wasn't enough to quell the accusations that #GamerGate was against women in gaming.<br />
<br />
Basically, several of the women in the image above have had <i>their</i> professional expertise dismissed outright by the gaming media and many a critic, in spite of them being far more experienced in the games industry.<i> </i>For instance, Mari Shimazaki, character designer for <i>Bayonetta</i>, was hit particularly hard with arguments such as, "just because she's a woman doesn't mean she can't be sexist". The statement itself isn't incorrect but I'm failing to see any respect for her professional expertise.<br />
<br />
Similarly, where was the acknowledgment of Gabrielle Toledano's expertise when she <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2013/01/18/women-and-video-gamings-dirty-little-secrets/">spoke out</a> against the trend of blaming the lack of women in the games industry on sexism, when there are other factors in play? As the executive vice president and chief talent officer of EA, she is likely in a far better position to judge than a wealthyYoutuber or the developer of <i>Depression Quest</i>. How about Christine Phelan's expertise, when she <a href="http://www.fmvmagazine.com/?p=13379">challenged</a> the viewpoint that because she's female, she <i>must</i> face sexist behaviour in the games industry at the hands of her male coworkers? In <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/indie-devs-opinion-gamergate-women-gaming">an interview</a> with TechRaptor, Jennifer Dawe, developer of <i>Seedscape</i>, expressed concern that the fearmongering caused by gaming's critics may push women out of the industry more than invite them in.<br />
<br />
Also, let's not forget that female developers can be accused of being "sockpuppets" too. Just a couple of evenings ago, I was directed to this on Twitter:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo31StT5YO81XO-ZW2Hqbg8iOcvjN6SnJt2z2TtX2H9hUpbKPEQC0acOVTxkql8v3zQU3D6yuHVgV4i470NiXJ7Ags34OxxuuW1VNjJDjCxGlBKanZlHTTp3RNfhUf83wSwzX5KB97C4/s1600/mayaposchsock.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo31StT5YO81XO-ZW2Hqbg8iOcvjN6SnJt2z2TtX2H9hUpbKPEQC0acOVTxkql8v3zQU3D6yuHVgV4i470NiXJ7Ags34OxxuuW1VNjJDjCxGlBKanZlHTTp3RNfhUf83wSwzX5KB97C4/s400/mayaposchsock.PNG" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge..</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wouldn't normally take issue with a single example but "Ernest W. Adams", who is making that accusation, is <i>the founder of the International Game Developers Association</i>. Pretty darn significant for <i>him</i> to be assuming female game developers couldn't possibly exist.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind, that's only covering women working within the games industry itself. What about fellow outsiders who don't agree with the sexism narrative, or at the very least take issue with some of the arguments put forward by its proponents? I've written before about Liana Kerzner's excellent <a href="http://metaleater.com/video-games/feature/why-feminist-frequency-almost-made-me-quit-writing-about-video-games-part-1">five-part series</a> called "Why Feminist Frequency almost made me quit writing about video games". Liana is a writer and producer who has worked in her field for over a decade. You don't have to be in the games industry to have professional expertise and Liana Kerzner is far from being the only woman to oppose Anita's viewpoints.<br />
<br />
To sum up all three of the points argued by Anita in her talk at the Conference, this denial of women's accomplishments, experiences and expertise certainly exists. Yet she's one of the biggest proponents of doing this (or, if she isn't, certainly hasn't shied away from the spotlight or spoken out against the media for not focusing on other women). In fact, she's actively profited from it; with the media arguing that the games industry is a horrible place for women and gaming culture is a toxic environment for anyone who isn't a straight white male, Anita Sarkeesian <i>appears</i> to be proven correct from an outsider's perspective. The more women are ignored and their experiences eliminated from all mainstream discussion of gaming, the more Anita can speak on their behalf.<br />
<br />
The "too long, didn't read" version of this can be summed up as follows: regardless of sex, skin colour, sexuality or any other characteristic, <i>everyone</i> is ignored in the sexism debate. Non-white, non-male, non-straight people cease to exist if they disagree with the sexism narrative and straight white men are all lumped into a "misogynist abuser" category.<br />
<br />
The Wired UK article doesn't end there. It mentions two statements by Anita that have been some of the most heavily-scrutinised over the last few days:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I am an expert on the depiction of women in video games. I know my stuff and I'm pretty good at what I do."</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"My analysis is very well researched -- it's double and triple checked."</i></blockquote>
The following picture from the Conference also tends to accompany the first quote above:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfoI1qyQ69-sukvZpucgvUAqJyknFazfCeQhRF1WVeKvl14TAR4Q0Kxxu9T14IXHBL2fWa6APMdWimfk_4feMVQOFXgLRbqAwyQ_BwXTTedUd0ZOpkt1rkrOJevsWwfj1YSSFrDLCiLE/s1600/anitaexpert.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfoI1qyQ69-sukvZpucgvUAqJyknFazfCeQhRF1WVeKvl14TAR4Q0Kxxu9T14IXHBL2fWa6APMdWimfk_4feMVQOFXgLRbqAwyQ_BwXTTedUd0ZOpkt1rkrOJevsWwfj1YSSFrDLCiLE/s400/anitaexpert.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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For those of us who have followed Feminist Frequency for a substantial period of time, this raises a bunch of questions. The one that springs to mind immediately -- and this is <i>not</i> intended to sound snarky, rude or critical at all -- is, "if Anita Sarkeesian is an expert on the depictions of women in video games, why does she get so many things wrong?"<br />
<br />
That is a genuine question, not intended to be insulting or amusing. The Tropes Vs Women in Games series contains <i>a lot</i> of incorrect information. As tempting as it is to write out all the ones I can recall, it feels like everything that has already been said about Anita's failure (or refusal, in some cases) to report on the depictions of women (and men) in video games accurately. However, a Twitter user named Jasperge107 is putting together <a href="https://imgur.com/a/gesiI">a gallery</a> of Anita's inaccurate claims -- although only 6 out of a total of 25 have been completed so far -- and Adrian Chmielarz wrote <a href="https://medium.com/@adrianchm/anita-sarkeesian-and-hitman-256cd0301463">an article</a> about Anita's controversy over <i>Hitman</i>, which she revisited during her conference speech. Yet while both of these go into detail about specific errors Anita has made, they only scratch the surface when it comes to the <i>number </i>of mistakes Anita has made.<br />
<br />
The fact that Anita considers this analysis "well researched", which was "double and tripled checked" does not strengthen her viewpoint in any way. All it means is that she was very thorough when being wrong.<br />
<br />
The second question that is raised by Anita's claim that she is an expert is how can she claim to be any such thing when she has <i>never</i> engaged in a debate over her views in the three years she has been in the public eye? She hasn't even debated her claims with a village idiot, let alone a fellow expert. In fact, consider the ways she has walled herself off from all criticism; Youtube comments are closed. She blocks people on Facebook and Twitter with alarming regularity. Filming is not allowed at her college talks. Even her Wikipedia page doesn't have a "Criticism" section and the "Reception and public appearances" header does not contain any criticism of her work.<br />
<br />
This all takes place under the guise of "preventing harassment" but if your definition of "harassment" is having your viewpoints challenged, how can you possibly claim to be an expert in your field? <br />
<br />
It also goes without saying that putting up a big slide about how much of a genius you are is incredibly arrogant. Humility is obviously not Anita's strongest suit. Although if I was in her shoes, with every gaming website singing my praises and one person even comparing me to Rosa Parks, my ego would probably be too inflated to consider being humble too.<br />
<br />
There is one final quote I would like to focus on before ending:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>The cultural norms of male-dominated spaces can be changed.</i>" </blockquote>
There are three problems with this statement; firstly, assuming that the things Anita dislikes (violence, sexuality) are "cultural norms". Secondly, assuming they need to be changed. Thirdly, assuming that gaming is male dominated.<br />
<br />
Since the first point is debateable and the second is obviously just Anita's own opinion; I didn't write a blog following E3 but she and her producer, Jonathan McIntosh, were famously complaining about the violence in <i>Doom</i> being "the norm". They didn't give reasons why it shouldn't exist but still shamed it for existing and the people who enjoyed it. It's the Jack Thompson argument, only in 2015, by people who are <i>supported</i> by the current generation of gaming journalists. Just like their arguments against sexism, it's their sensibilities that are being offended, nobody else's, yet they speak as authorities on what should and should not exist in the medium.<br />
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That's a separate issue though. What bothers me is the third point: the idea that gaming is "a male-dominated space".<br />
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Every year, the Entertainment Software Association publishes an "ESA Essential Facts" guide and makes it available online to read. You've probably already seen it but if not, it's available to view <a href="http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf">here</a>. The pages are filled with helpful infographics about game genres that people are playing, the age of players and the gender of the players:<br />
<ul>
<li>This year, women and girls make up 44% of all players.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ESA_EF_2014.pdf">Last year</a>, it was 48%.</li>
<li><a href="http://igea.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ESA_EF_2013.pdf">In 2013</a>, it was 45%.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/files/2012/08/ESA_EF_2012.pdf">In 2012</a>, it was 47%.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/esa_ef_2011.pdf">In 2011</a>, it was 42%.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.isfe.eu/sites/isfe.eu/files/attachments/esa_ef_2010.pdf">In 2010</a>, it was 40%.</li>
</ul>
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Now, read into the slight dips and rises in female players however you like but speaking as a general overview, the number of women and girls playing games has held steady for the last five years and it's in the 40-50% range. Or, to put it another way, <i>around half</i> of all gamers are female.<br />
<br />
For Anita, feminists, gaming websites and the mainstream media to continue pushing the idea that in this day and age, gamiing is still "a male-dominated space" is <i>ridiculous</i>. It could not be further from the truth and the facts above prove it. Unless these critics are being pedantically literal and saying that a 12% difference counts as a hobby being "dominated" by a particular sex, the evidence works against them.<br />
<br />
What's more, Anita's claims demean and insult the women she claims to be fighting for. Plenty of women were fans of gaming before she came onto the scene. To say something that basically boils down to "this pasttime needs to change before it's appropriate for women" is condescending. It basically treats women the same as children and, as was the case with female game developers, ignores women who have been enjoying gaming for <i>years</i>. What's more, when gaming has an almost equal split between the sexes <i>before</i> you start campaigning to end sexism in gaming, that may be a pretty good indicator that (a) it isn't male-dominated and (b) it doesn't need someone to change it because women are clearly capable of enjoying gaming without it being changed.<br />
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It seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same for Anita Sarkeesian and the media. The actions that have served her well in the past continue to serve her well in the present day and her arguments are as flawed as they ever were.<br />
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I apologise for the long wait between blog posts. In the last year, a lot more people opposing the "games are sexist" argument have started to speak out, on bigger platforms than this one. There are some excellent articles on sexism in games on TechRaptor, Breitbart, Metal Eater, Medium and more. It feels like the voices speaking out are more diverse too, as well as having a wider range of backgrounds; journalists, academics, people within the games industry and many others have raised objections to what they see as an unjustified attack on gaming (because, when developers, games and gamers themselves are all being insulted and told "gamers are dead" and "gamers don't need to be your audience", we're long past the point where it can be called "criticism").<br />
<br />
So while all of the raised awareness about the issues of sexism in gaming and the flawed arguments put forward by gaming's critics is wonderful, it makes things trickier for me. I know the more voices speaking out, the better, but it can be a bit disheartening to see a better writer than you talking about a subject you wanted to write about, on a larger platform than your own. It's an exciting development for gaming and gamers as a whole but it puts me in a trickier position.<br />
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That's why I didn't write an article after E3. I started it but never got back to it. I <i>may</i> go back to it at some point, just because some of the arguments put forward by the gaming media after E3 were pretty ridiculous but there was a <i>lot</i> of backlash against those flawed articles by gamers and gaming's supporters.<br />
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Feel free to leave a comment below and ... I never check my themalesofgames@gmail.com e-mail anymore but you can send me an e-mail if you like. Follow me on Twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMalesOfGames">@TheMalesOfGames</a>.<br />
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<b>Edit:</b> A big thank you to /r/KotakuInAction for all the attention this post has received. It's much appreciated. </div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-15708650122221926762015-05-24T14:50:00.002+01:002015-05-24T19:17:31.103+01:00What Studying "Critical Approaches" is Actually LikeOver the past two months or so, I've been "fortunate" enough to take part in a "Critical Approaches to Creative Media Products" unit that deals with many of the same issues that we have read about and heard talked about in the games industry over the past few years. I don't know if it's anywhere close to the same as the "Social and Political Thought" class that Anita Sarkeesian took but the themes and language used are very reminiscent of her videos. The class itself isn't <i>horrible</i> ... but all the thoughts you have ever had about "cultural criticism" not being a real job are reinforced by it.<br />
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Let's start with the biggest reason why: there are no wrong answers. Absolutely everything is open to interpretation. Your own ideology and how much you read into things are more important than being accurate; it doesn't matter if the content creator actually <i>did</i> put the same spin into their work that you claim, it only matters that you make the claim and are able to justify it in some way.<br />
<br />
Some of you may have heard of a subject known as "semiotics"; the study of the meaning behind signs and symbols. This doesn't specifically refer to signs but can refer to a body of work (a text, like a movie, game or television series). It's all about the "decoder" (the viewer) figuring out the message and the reasons why the "encoder" (the content creator) created the work the way they did.<br />
<br />
Is it <i>correct</i>? Doesn't matter. Can you read something into it? If the answer is <i>yes</i>, then you're on the right track.<br />
<br />
If you think I'm exaggerating, I'll use an example given by the tutor herself; when talking about the 2001 <i>Tomb Raider</i> movie starring Angelina Jolie, she brought up a scene near the end where <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qbvDj8Nkpjo#t=4841">Lara Croft visits her father's grave</a>. The tutor's "decoding" of this scene is that the filmmakers and audience are only comfortable accepting a woman in a "masculine" action role if she also sticks to "her place" as a woman and outwardly displays that she's still feminine.<br />
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There's a big problem with this. Let's say Lara attended her father's grave in a suit. Couldn't I interpret that as the filmmakers refusing to show that a woman can be an action hero while also being feminine? That she has to be masculine to be believable? Only today, I looked up <i>Jupiter Ascending</i> on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Ascending#Critical_reception">Wikipedia</a> and read the phrase "Hollywood typically portrays strong women in action films as "Arnold Schwarzenegger with boobs"," so couldn't that standpoint be argued and be just as valid?<br />
<br />
Of course it could. Because there are no wrong answers.<br />
<br />
This "no wrong answers" approach is a key aspect of critical approaches that isn't picked up on by gaming journalists. It's all interpretation, based on the decoder's ideology more than the text. Gaming journalists miss this and treat the critique of people like Anita Sarkeesian as fact. Which is unsurprising, since she herself seems to have failed to grasp the fact that the critical approaches subject is based entirely around interpretation. This is why we hear blunt, insulting statements from Anita about people like <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ms-male-character-tropes-vs-women-in.html">Toru Iwatani</a>, who she claimed had "regressive personal or cultural notions about women". It's her interpretation but she's stating it as fact.<br />
<br />
More than that, and this is another <i>major</i> point that both gaming journalists and Sarkeesian have not acknowledged, even if your interpretation is 100% correct and you've nailed the reasons behind why a game developer did what they did ... you can still be factually incorrect about the game's <i>content</i>. Anita has brought that to the table in spades, cherry-picking examples that support her argument and ignoring the ones that don't (strong female examples and negative male examples). No, violence against innocent female strippers in <i>Hitman Absolution</i> is <i>not</i> "implicitly encouraged". Yes, MaleShep <i>does</i> have his own nickname. No, NPC bodies disappearing does <i>not</i> reinforce women's status as disposable objects. Even if being a "cultural critic" allows you to say whatever you like about a content creator's ideology, you can't ignore facts and evidence in order to prove your point. That is an area where there certainly <i>are</i> some wrong answers.<br />
<br />
I don't want it to sound like my Critical Approaches class was horrible and I have to give my tutor credit in some areas. She wasn't on board with the nonsensical "it's impossible to be sexist against men" attitude espoused by Anita and other high-profile feminists. One other significant point she made about sub-cultures vs. the mainstream. An "out-group" vs. an "in-group". Basically, as sub-cultures become more and more of an "out-group", they become more at odds with the mainstream.<br />
<br />
You may also have heard a phrase that goes something along the lines of "the oppressors never see themselves as oppressors". Judging from their reactions over the last year, it seems as though there are a <i>bunch</i> of high-profile mainstream figures in the games industry who still see themselves as being part of a downtrodden sub-culture. People like Anita, Leigh Alexander and Brianna Wu see themselves as oppressed, helpless victims being piled on by their oppressors ... but then do a great job of killing that image by landing television interviews, college talks and articles in mainstream newspapers to talk about how oppressed they are. It doesn't matter that they're wealthy. Or funded by Intel. Or the heads of PR agencies. Or were given hundreds of thousands of dollars by their parents to start their own businesses. Or have friends in high places, like film directors and mainstream journalists who are happy to promote them as being victims. They still don't see themselves as being part of the mainstream. Or they <i>do</i> and <i>know</i> how well-off they are but have to keep up appearances for the sake of profiting off their victimhood.<br />
<br />
I want to make it clear that I'm not limiting this to those three. Gaming journalism as a whole (more or less) seems to fit this mould. It seems to be a trend with feminism as a whole too; feminist writers and bloggers appear to think that feminism is the sub-culture when, in actual fact, it's the mainstream. In <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/interview-daniel-vavra">his interview with TechRaptor last year</a>, Daniel Vavra talked about how, "<i>there is a group of people that think they know what’s right and what’s
wrong and that they have a mission to make the world a better place and
protect the oppressed by any means. They don’t even care what the “oppressed” people think</i>". This isn't specific to games either. It's in all forms of media and <i>ridiculously </i>common in comic books (such as the <a href="http://www.blastr.com/2014-9-25/everybody-chill-milo-manara-isnt-being-banned-marvel-over-spider-woman-cover">controversy over the Milo Manara Spider-Woman</a> cover variant). "If you don't like it, don't buy it" is not a phrase they consider acceptable. The demand is that <i>nobody</i> should be allowed to buy it unless it suits their sensibilities. It's very immature. Feminist critique isn't a subculture. It's the mainstream and it has been for about thirty to forty years. Critics of feminist critique are the subculture.<br />
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I was surprised to find that I still get at least a hundred visitors to the blog a day, even when I haven't updated for months. I apologise for that but if you read my last update, you'll know that I don't keep in touch with mainstream gaming news anymore. I get by on word of mouth and a few smaller gaming news sites that care more about the games than the politics. We all <i>want</i> to like games and I feel like buying the games I'm interested in is the best way of doing that. If it annoys critics because it has "regressive" portrayals of women, even better.</div>
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Regardless of whether people love or hate what I have to say, I appreciate everyone who visits and feel guilty about not updating more often. My readers (and especially commenters) are all great people and I don't want to let you down after you've done so much for me. I'm <i>not</i> going to stop updating, I guarantee that, but as side projects go, this blog is actually pretty draining.</div>
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I have to give a long-overdue thank you to Adrian Chmielarz for his numerous links to this blog in his "<a href="https://medium.com/@adrianchm/top-ten-critiques-of-feminist-frequency-726979b690f1">Top Ten Critiques of Feminist Frequency</a>" article in February. It's much appreciated and his article was a great read. Thanks a lot to Adrian.</div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-73186868275134082632015-02-24T17:00:00.000+00:002015-02-24T17:00:05.149+00:00Final Fantasy XV's Female CidI apologise for not updating in January and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't due to feeling burned out on gender politics in gaming. Since I started this blog, I spent a lot of my time while writing each post seeking out information on the subject, often hunting down as many articles from the gaming media as I could on a particular subject. Even if those articles made me roll my eyes or cringe at the double standards the author happily promoted.<br />
<br />
Now -- and I put this largely down to joining Twitter and becoming smothered by the issue -- I tend to avoid these articles and avert my gaze from the latest ridiculous statements from "pop culture critics", IGF judges and game journalists who seem to hate their own audience. I don't see a reason to read something that I know will irritate me but there'll be no point in responding because it will just be ignored. More high-profile figures than me have responded to these criticisms of gaming without any response. It didn't matter whether they were game developers, game journalists or women and minorities themselves (and obviously, there's plenty of overlap between those groups). Regardless of who they were, they were ignored, insulted, added to blocklists or dismissed for being white and male (even when they weren't, bafflingly).<br />
<br />
It feels like each individual gamer's voice online matters less than ever before. Game journalists actively try and cultivate communities where nobody has the right to offer a dissenting opinion. Game journalism is basically one very big ivory tower, with journalists at the top bellowing what is "right" to the world while gamers are at the bottom, their criticisms going unheard.<br />
<br />
With that said, growing discontent amongst gamers is clearly being felt by game journalists as well and it's interesting to see how it's affecting them. Take <i>Dying Light</i>, for example, which I know very little about other than "it's the zombie parkour game". Recently, Techland, the developer of <i>Dying Light</i>, chose not to feature a quote from a reviewer or game journalist on the posters for<i> </i>the game, instead choosing to feature a quote from Pewdiepie, the Youtube Let's Player.<br />
<br />
Seeing game journalists' seething reactions to this shows how petrified they are about their monopoly being broken. <a href="http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2015/01/28/ridiculous-dying-light-pewdiepie-quote-used-on-ads/">Several</a> <a href="http://www.craveonline.co.uk/gaming/articles/816833-gamers-arms-pewdiepie-quote-appears-dying-light-posters">different</a> <a href="http://www.gamenguide.com/articles/19688/20150129/pewdiepie-news-internet-star-paid-for-dying-light-endorsement-techland-s-advert-opens-huge-ethical-can-of-worms.htm">sites</a> referred to Techland's actions as "ridiculous", "shady" and "an ethical can of worms". This is ignoring the fact that PewDiePie's endorsement is no different from a celebrity endorsement in any other medium. Authors promote their books by putting quotes from other authors on the back cover. Films sometimes feature quotes from other directors on their posters (one that stands out in my mind was a Quentin Tarantino quote for Kevin Smith's <i>Red State</i>). I can't even turn on my television without seeing George Clooney advertising coffee and Kevin Bacon shilling for mobile phone networks.<br />
<br />
What gets under the skin of game journalists is that they are becoming less and less relevant. Why would a game developer seek a quote from a reviewer or website who might give a game a lower score based on the size of its female characters' breasts or other issue unrelated to the game's quality? Or who only gave it a high score because of how many incentives they were given by the developer? When there's a gamer on Youtube with 34 million subscribers as of this writing, why wouldn't you reach out to <i>that</i> audience and use his quotes about your game? There's no reason not to.<br />
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This is basically gaming journalists behaving like children and throwing a tantrum because their parents aren't giving them the attention they want but, just like children, they're very, very loud. It seems as if they're afraid that gamers are listening to -- shock, horror -- <i>other gamers</i>, giving their opinions as they play games, rather than game journalists preaching about how horrible gamers are, how all games are sexist and then recommending you buy <i>Gone Home</i>.<br />
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Unfortunately, not everyone has the audience that PewDiePie does. I don't, so my voice doesn't get heard as much as I'd like. Game journalists are still the dominant voice in gaming. That's frustrating. Two weeks ago, a writer called Liana Kerzner wrote a five-part series called "<a href="http://metaleater.com/video-games/feature/why-feminist-frequency-almost-made-me-quit-writing-about-video-games-part-1">Why Feminist Frequency almost made me quit writing about video games</a>". Liana goes into a lot of analysis of Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs Women series so far and, as so many have done before her, pokes huge holes in her arguments. If you've read these types of arguments before, I recommend skimming Liana's articles but they're worth reading for her perspective on the matter.<br />
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I actually disagree with Liana on quite a few things but she comes at the topic in some important ways; not just as a woman but as a woman whose voice has been ignored <i>and</i> as a woman with a large chest who is being stereotyped by Sarkeesian for her views on women with large breasts in video games. I was surprised by how much it resonated with me; just as Liana is frustrated over her viewpoint being ignored and people speaking for her, in spite of the fact she belongs to the group being spoken for, I feel the same way when it comes to her flawed arguments about men. The gaming press listens to Sarkeesian but does not seek out different opinions as they should and not once have they suggested that peer review may be a good thing. In short, Liana and I are quite alike; we both write ridiculously long analyses on Anita's videos but ultimately, our feelings boil down to being the same. Liana was tempted to quit writing about video games due to Feminist Frequency, which is also a big part of the reason behind my long hiatus (although mine ties into game journalism as a whole but because Feminist Frequency's influence is largely responsible for the current climate, that's a circular argument).<br />
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Liana's arguments in part four of her series ties into what I want to write about today and, honestly, something I should've written about a month-and-a-half ago. The big news that in <i>Final Fantasy XV</i>, Cid -- a recurring name for different characters throughout the series -- will be given to a female character for the first time.<br />
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The reaction to the latest version of Cid being female reminds me of a few other occasions when a piece of news that <i>should</i> have been considered a victory for female portrayals in games hasn't been welcomed as you would expect. <i>Aliens: Colonial Marines</i>' developer adding female characters was criticised by Carolyn Petit on Gamespot, for example. Anita Sarkeesian dismissed Princess Peach's inclusion in <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> because it was "by accident" because it was a modified version of Japan's <i>Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic</i>. It feels like a similar story with <i>Final Fantasy XV</i>.<br />
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I don't want to describe the female version of Cid as being "monumental" or "ground-breaking" for women in games but if you're a fan of the <i>Final Fantasy</i> series, it <i>is</i> significant. Having a Cid in a <i>Final Fantasy</i> game has been a theme since <i>Final Fantasy II</i> in 1988 and the size of the role each Cid plays varies depending on the game. However, they tend to have something in common; providing the protagonists with transport for getting around the world (often an airship). This seems to be the direction <i>FFXV</i> is heading in too, with Cid being a mechanic. It's likely that she provides -- or repairs -- the car we see the heroes travelling in during each of the gameplay trailers.<br />
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So what's the big issue with Cid? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzimcfeS_Ffe3nsD-gZHQ9SgnO8hAuBN3IIs9-FwaDwIzShNwG5Od8-srV0rzIEDjcU5wIxAeUnrawiwj8FNLPUUbMivQ9p44U-vNGCupnFmILso7tbF9M3-XvfX_bE0xxudoEUKhS2E4/s1600/cid.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzimcfeS_Ffe3nsD-gZHQ9SgnO8hAuBN3IIs9-FwaDwIzShNwG5Od8-srV0rzIEDjcU5wIxAeUnrawiwj8FNLPUUbMivQ9p44U-vNGCupnFmILso7tbF9M3-XvfX_bE0xxudoEUKhS2E4/s1600/cid.PNG" height="640" width="486" /></a></div>
I plan on keeping my criticism here very short; what we have here is several examples of people who care less about what a woman <i>does</i> and more about how a woman<i> looks</i>.<br />
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First of all, let's dispel the myth that Cid's design is "the typical <i>Final Fantasy</i> female character". Thinking about female <i>Final Fantasy</i> characters, your mind could go to any number of conservatively-dressed women, such as Aeris, Yuffie, Yuna, Penelo, Ashe and <i>all</i> of the female characters from <i>Final Fantasy VIII</i>, <i>IX</i> and <i>XIII</i> (unless bare midriffs or legs are considered sexualised. By <i>Lightning Returns</i>, some of Lightning's costumes were clearly designed with fanservice in mind but prior to that, her outfits were modest). That's without going back to the 2D era.<br />
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Even thinking about other characters, what constitutes being sexualised? Rikku was introduced in <i>Final Fantasy X</i> with a shot focused on her behind but she wasn't portrayed sexually throughout the rest of the game, nor was her outfit revealing. The same can be said of Lulu, who wore a dress that showed her cleavage but was far from being a sexualised character. Even though Tifa is sometimes held up as a sexualised character, you'd be hard pressed to find any examples of her being sexualised in <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>. I don't know if further games and movies changed that.<br />
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This is slightly off-topic but it bothers me somewhat that some people -- hopefully a vocal minority -- have stigmatised <i>Final Fantasy</i> with this label about women while BioWare sexualise the hell out of their female characters but receive nothing but praise for being a "progressive" developer. It doesn't make sense but by now, I've accepted that's often the case.<br />
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All-in-all, Cid's critics basically pushed aside the fact that for the first time in a <i>Final Fantasy</i> game, Cid is going to be female. They ignored the important point that she is working in a traditionally male-dominated profession. All they focused on was her body and her outfit. It staggers me that the critics can so unironically and harshly judge fictional women based on their breast size and their attire and then complain that there are no good female characters. When you judge women so cruelly that you think "revealing clothing = bad character" and "large breasts = zero worth", that's the type of conclusion you arrive at. The same critics have attempted to retcon Lara Croft from being a tough, intelligent, witty, independent icon of the PlayStation and most successful female video game character of all time -- the Guinness Book of World Records even says so -- into nothing but a sex object or teenage boy's fantasy.<br />
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Plus, <i>male Final Fantasy characters are unrealistically attractive too</i>. From around a dozen androgynous hunks to plenty of gents sporting the open-shirt look, men's bodies and clothing in the <i>Final Fantasy</i> series has long been as over-the-top as the women's, if not more so. Yet it gets ignored or dismissed as -- you guessed it -- a "male power fantasy". Lack of awareness and objectivity concerning male characters is always a stumbling block when these arguments are made about female characters.<br />
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Also, and this <i>should</i> go without saying -- in fact, many of these points should -- but there is nothing wrong with making any character attractive or giving them revealing clothing. That does not automatically make them a bad character, nor does it make them sexualised. From what we've seen so far, Cid is not sexualised.<br />
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I think with announcements of this nature, we see a significant divide between two groups of people; those who <i>actually</i> want to see more good female representation in games and the entitled bunch who think stomping their feet, playing the victim and demanding their own way will override a game developer's creative freedom. <i>Final Fantasy XV</i>'s Cid is a better example of how to make a female character own a traditionally-male role than, say, <a href="http://supernerdland.com/thor-go-girl/">Jason Aaron's female Thor</a>, and deserves to be treated as such. She should be judged on her own merits as a character and not, as her critics want, as an object.<br />
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Besides, even if Cid was sexualised, God knows male blue collar workers have <a href="http://fashion.hellomagazine.com/fashion-news/201302041099/diet-coke-break-hunks-history/">never been sexualised</a>, right?<br />
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Finally, and I'm not going to go into this at all, if you want to see true hypocrisy, look up the reactions to the sexualised male hero of <i>Mevius Final Fantasy</i>, an upcoming mobile game. If you ever needed proof that gender equality is certainly <i>not</i> being argued for in games, go and read some of the celebrations by feminist gamers over a male character being sexualised. It doesn't come as a surprise how quickly they abandon their principles over sexualised characters when they're not the victim, nor can they deny it exists against men. Yay equality?<br />
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Leave a comment or e-mail me at themalesofgames@gmail.com. My posting may be more sporadic from now on.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-29713816477244557292014-12-31T16:50:00.001+00:002014-12-31T16:50:44.304+00:00My First Flash Game - "My Dinner With Jonathan"Part of the game design course I'm enrolled on is learning how to make games using Flash, so earlier this month, I made a short game to practice coding (basic stuff like changing frames and triggering animations). As I mentioned in my last blog post, over the past couple of months, Jonathan McIntosh -- producer of the Feminist Frequency Tropes vs Women in Video Games series -- has been getting a lot more attention on Twitter for his often bizarre statements. That led to the "#FullMcIntosh" hashtag being used to describe some of his most ridiculous tweets. He's gradually stopped being a behind-the-scenes figure and has become more prominent, to the point of appearing in a Feminist Frequency video himself.<br />
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So naturally, I decided that my game should parody Jonathan McIntosh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDihLyMwtg_XUjtqmnsLW65WDcoXcbVWZ5GBf7dd1AAYgBrUT2F36fo3vOS7IWk6dP3evPT-dxchjGCsZZBD9oVMNhrPN4WQIjMLHzzaTpQ4dUVoVUIPAdc-RbiPmfeVdXHmP5ZlhNrXQ/s1600/mdwjpreview.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDihLyMwtg_XUjtqmnsLW65WDcoXcbVWZ5GBf7dd1AAYgBrUT2F36fo3vOS7IWk6dP3evPT-dxchjGCsZZBD9oVMNhrPN4WQIjMLHzzaTpQ4dUVoVUIPAdc-RbiPmfeVdXHmP5ZlhNrXQ/s1600/mdwjpreview.PNG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.fastswf.com/8femi3o">Play "My Dinner With Jonathan" HERE!</a></div>
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I explain a lot about the reasons behind the game on the "About" screen but basically, my criticism of the Tropes vs Women series has been ignored. <i>Everyone's</i> criticism of the TvsW series has been ignored, unless it's very easy to dismiss (as was the case with <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/is-jonathan-mcintosh-behind-anita.html">Doug Walker in August 2013</a>). Yet the views of McIntosh and Sarkeesian, as flawed, unproven and blatantly untrue as they are, still receive recognition in game journalism circles. With that in mind, I've joined everyone else who's said "screw it" and decided that parody is a far better way of raising an objection than scrutinising every line of a Tropes vs Woman video.</div>
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I actually put more of an effort into it than you might think; I trawled McIntosh's timeline and the #FullMcIntosh hashtag for some of the most ridiculous things he's written and many of them were so ludicrous that I could put them into the game unaltered. Others were exaggerated slightly and a few were entirely fabricated (which meant I had to think like McIntosh. It was arduous). I made a list of <i>actual</i> Jonathan McIntosh statements and highlighted the ones that ended up in the game in some form or another:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view</i>.</td></tr>
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Bear in mind that this is my first Flash game <i>ever</i>, so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out overall. As you can probably tell, I'm not much of an artist but coding-wise, I learned plenty from it.</div>
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However, if you want a far more fun parody, about a week after I posted my game on Twitter, someone posted a link to a game called "<a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48156684/xmas-vivtest.swf">Vivtest - Xmas Edition</a>". If you're familiar with #GamerGate, it features a lot of references to figures who are, apparently, <i>opposed</i> to more ethical behaviour from game journalists. And yes, Jonathan McIntosh makes an appearance as well.</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-48844335044214089552014-12-10T02:31:00.001+00:002014-12-31T16:58:43.042+00:00Tekken's Lucky Chloe - Not Coming to the US?Three days ago, a new character was announced for <i>Tekken 7</i>. If you're familiar with Japanese idols, the new character, Lucky Chloe, appears to draw a lot of inspiration from them; her fun, unique outfit, bubbly personality and slightly forced use of English phrases ("Engrish") is somewhat reminiscent of idol stereotypes.<br />
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She looks like a fun character. Her moveset is entertaining to watch and, in my opinion, her outfit and personality both have a ton of charm.<br />
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Yet at the moment, there's a rumour going around that due to fan complaints, Lucky Chloe isn't going to be released in the U.S. Only Europe and Asia.<br />
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Because this is a rumour, it may be debunked in a few days and this will all become a moot point. For the time being though, it's started a conversation.<br />
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You can read <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/lucky-chloe-new-character-tekken-7-will-exclusive-europe-asia">TechRaptor's article on this story</a> but basically, when the character trailer was released, there was a backlash against the character on both Youtube -- read the comments of the video above -- as well as <a href="http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=947059">NeoGAF</a> and even directed at the games director, Katsuhiro Harada, on Twitter. I'll come to why this backlash occurred later on but Harada's response is the issue; responding to people bothering him on Twitter, he made the claim that Lucky Chloe would be exclusive to Europe and Asia.<br />
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I should say that I'm in Europe so even if this is true, it shouldn't affect me. Having said that, I feel bad for U.S. <i>Tekken</i> fans who aren't getting a character because of a vocal minority of complainers.<br />
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The complaints themselves were bafflingly varied. Some said that Lucky Chloe didn't fit in with the rest of <i>Tekken</i>'s cast, which is ridiculous. As a long-time <i>Tekken</i> fan, Lucky Chloe wouldn't even be in my top ten ridiculous characters. From fighting bears, kangaroos and dinosaurs to robot girls and old men doing somersaults, <i>Tekken</i>'s cast has always been more ludicrous than serious. The only reason we don't consider characters like Yoshimitsu and Devil more ridiculous is because they look cool.<br />
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For people making the claim that she doesn't fit in, <i>Tekken</i> has had cutesy, anime-esque female characters since 3. Just look at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVROJi27BYc">Ling Xiaoyu's <i>Tekken 3</i> ending</a>. The central Mishima family storyline and conflict is like something straight out of an anime. People acting like Lucky Chloe is a step too far seem to be making excuses. Being too "moe" or fanservice-y is not new to the series at all.<br />
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Those aren't the most worrying complaints though. Read this NeoGAF post:<br />
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Once again, people have been complaining about how a female character in a game is dressed. In this case, this poster went as far as say she was only included to appeal to fetishists (specifically singling out Harada himself and claiming that's the reason for Lucky Chloe's inclusion). There's also a ton of cultural insensitivity towards Japan and Japanese gamers.<br />
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The reason I'm writing about this at all is because this is the same type of entitled attitude that we see from modern game critics. This demanding nature is becoming frighteningly common. I apologise for bringing up Anita Sarkeesian but in her case, she directed her ire at Toru Iwatani, creator of <i>Pac-Man</i>; in her "Ms. Male Character" video, Sarkeesian brought up Iwatani's desire to appeal to women by making a game based around food. In spite of the fact that this <i>worked</i> -- likely bringing more women into gaming than Anita herself ever will -- Anita referred to Iwatani's "regressive personal or cultural notions about women". Basically, saying either he or Japan as a whole had negative views about women. So either he's sexist or the entire nation is. Once again, cultural insensitivity (possibly outright xenophobia).<br />
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Another example that I think is most comparable to the <i>Tekken 7</i> situation is when <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-dragons-crown-controversy.html">Kotaku's Jason Schreier lambasted Vanillaware's George Kamitani</a> over the design of the Sorceress in <i>Dragon's Crown</i>. He referred to him as "a fourteen-year-old boy" and, in a follow-up article, laid the entirety of sexism towards women in the games industry at Kamitani's feet (including such issues as booth babes, yet Schreier himself had no problem dismissing male con-goers as "sweaty male attendees" and ranting about "male power fantasies"). I went over this at the time but there is no reason or excuse for insulting a developer just because you disagree with his creative direction. Again, as sexualisation is less of an issue in Japan, insulting him just because he's more used to drawing what <i>he</i> wants instead of what <i>you</i> want reeks of cultural insensitivity.<br />
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The reason I draw parallels between the situation with Harada and the Lucky Chloe critics is because after Schreier complained, Kamitani responded by posting a picture of three of the <i>Dragon's Crown</i> Dwarf's palette-swaps in a <i>possibly</i>-suggestive pose (it's a long story but I cover it in the previous paragraph's link. Schreier added to his insensitivity by branding Kamitani homophobic).<br />
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In this case, Harada has responded too and this is where I <i>think</i> Harada may just be playing a joke on the haters. His joke about giving the U.S. audience a "well-muscled skinhead" seems like the same kind of jab as Kamitani's towards Schreier, so don't be surprised if Lucky Chloe is included. On the other hand, his comment about the characters being region-exclusive seems sincere. It's hard to say at this point.<br />
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The point is that in the face of this kind of dogmatic insensitivity and outright <i>bigotry</i> towards an entire nation over something as ridiculous <i>a female video game character</i> that we've seen a total of 46 seconds of, who could blame Harada if he decided to take his ball and go home? He'd have every right to. In the face of insulting, entitled critics who think every game developer owes them a favour, why shouldn't he say "screw it" and do as he wants, rather than what they want? It isn't like Phil Fish, who had a Twitter blow-up every two weeks and supposedly cancelled projects left and right in the face of minor criticism, insulting sexual assault victims along the way. This is like a parent teaching his spoiled children some manners using the "'I want' never gets" phrase.<br />
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Honestly, what did the critics even think would happen? Did they believe that if they complained enough, Harada would change Lucky Chloe to suit them? Look at the entitlement on one of the comments Harada responded to: "Please add an option to delete any character you do not want to play against in Arcade battle". Did that person really expect that to happen?<br />
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I have every sympathy for American <i>Tekken</i> fans who wanted to play a complete version of <i>Tekken 7</i> without having to import but at the same time, if this is true, it would be a good wake-up call to an entitled crowd who've never been told "no" in their lives. The same people who preach about not judging women on their attires or attitudes in real life are the same ones who love to dictate what women wear and how they act in fiction. I find that unacceptable.<br />
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<b>UPDATE:</b> As I was writing this, TechRaptor added a couple of updates in the article above. Still nothing concrete but it seems <i>likely</i> that Harada was referring only to the arcade versions of <i>Tekken 7</i>, rather than the console versions. Fingers crossed.<br />
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I didn't update last month, which I'd like to apologise for. Very hectic schedule but on the plus side, I'm now decent at using Adobe Flash. Trying to figure out if I could use it for this blog, somehow. If I ever make a "gender issues in gaming"-related game, I'll post it here. Unlikely though.</div>
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I have to give a big, big thank you to Milo Yiannopoulos for linking to this blog in his article "<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/11/27/An-open-letter-to-Bloomberg-s-Sheelah-Kolhatkar-on-the-delicate-matter-of-Anita-Sarkeesian">An Open Letter to Bloomberg's Sheelah Kolhatkar, on the Delicate Matter of Anita Sarkeesian</a>" on Breitbart. I've spoken to Milo a few times on Twitter -- although I doubt he remembered me, so him linking to this blog is just a coincidence -- and he's a nice guy. Give his article a read. It's excellent and very comprehensive. At this stage, why anyone continues to give Anita the time of day is a mystery to me.</div>
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Also, thank you to the influx of visitors who've stopped by over the past month due to wanting to learn more about Jonathan McIntosh. I've only written about McIntosh a couple of times because I've never thought of him as being especially significant. However, people have become more aware of him because of his penchant for posting unusual, often-nonsensical things on Twitter (such as "we need to see some games that are not fun" because he thinks that's the only way they'll be able to have as much depth and artistic merit as other forms of entertainment). More recently, he's become known for appearing in Feminist Frequency's "25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male" video, which I haven't watched but I did <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-about-gaming.html">post a brief rebuttal to it </a>back when McIntosh wrote it as an article.</div>
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I don't have much to add, although I'm finding it very telling that many of the items they rattled off were less about describing "gaming while male" and more involved with talking about women's experiences. McIntosh and the others in the video seemed content to speak on behalf of female gamers and tell the world what they experience. <a href="http://techraptor.net/content/female-gamers-react-feminist-frequencys-latest-video">TechRaptor</a> have another good article on this where the female contributors to the site (and other female gamers) leave their responses to the video. Watch the Youtube videos posted in the comments section too. It's eye-opening stuff.</div>
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As time has gone on, it's becoming more and more clear the social justice method of being "pro-woman" makes zero sense. They have zero interest in listening to the voices of women who say there's nothing wrong with the games industry or the gaming community. Women like <a href="http://www.fmvmagazine.com/?p=13379">Christine Phelan</a> (Valve) and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2013/01/18/women-and-video-gamings-dirty-little-secrets/">Gabrielle Toledano</a> (EA) both work in the games industry and say the industry is nothing but welcoming towards women. Likewise, female gamers speak up regularly about feeling nothing but welcomed into gaming communities. I'm currently enrolled on a games design course and can confirm that both are the case.</div>
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So why is it that the group considered "pro-woman" are the ones engaging in scaremongering? Telling women there's nothing but horrible portrayals, sexist male "virgin basement-dwellers" to abuse them and an industry that wants to drive them out? Likewise, consider the opposite; why is it that those of us who say "these female characters are great, female developers are awesome and gaming is a great pasttime for people no matter their physical characteristics" are considered "anti-woman"? Why is driving women out of the industry considered "progressive" by these people? Because we don't stomp our feet and throw tantrums about game content?</div>
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It's too late now but I was going to write about Polygon's <i>Bayonetta 2</i> review, talking about this exact thing. A great game, featuring a strong female character, designed by a woman and appreciated by women on the development team ... yet a male Polygon reviewer dismisses her as "sexualised". Apparently, strong female characters and the hard work of women is irrelevant if a guy playing it feels offended and needs to preach about how hard women have it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Akiko Kuroda, Producer on Bayonetta 2.</i></td></tr>
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Leave a comment below, follow me @TheMalesOfGames on Twitter or send an e-mail to themalesofgames@gmail.com.</div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-41157130541882881222014-10-25T18:00:00.002+01:002014-10-26T21:29:59.181+00:00Anita Sarkeesian's Sexist Exploitation of a Mass ShootingI've been procrastinating about writing a blog regarding Polygon's low Bayonetta 2 review score since they posted it last week but this couldn't wait. As some of you may know, there was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marysville_Pilchuck_High_School_shooting">school shooting yesterday</a> in Marysville, Washington, leaving two people dead (including the gunman) and four others in critical condition.<br />
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I woke up this morning and went on Twitter to see the following tweets from Anita Sarkeesian:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_vXf9X0YOPqzd4b4Nt0JSg6RYLs21lPRiyihOdBi4VnxspTKM6pl8h3V0SwckxFv5jRfvTcaRWvln7EZYpRofcebkjP-bqprpPMLyi24Qz4U4ye11VFQGKPBeX-CeU-mT4mmefMBLZI/s1600/femfreqsexism1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_vXf9X0YOPqzd4b4Nt0JSg6RYLs21lPRiyihOdBi4VnxspTKM6pl8h3V0SwckxFv5jRfvTcaRWvln7EZYpRofcebkjP-bqprpPMLyi24Qz4U4ye11VFQGKPBeX-CeU-mT4mmefMBLZI/s1600/femfreqsexism1.PNG" /></a></div>
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There are a few good reasons to bring up mass shootings with regards to debating an agenda. To discuss the possibility (or necessity) of gun control laws. To point out the poor record of supporting mental health issues and campaign for change.</div>
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To push a ridiculous, pseudo-scientific claim about "toxic masculinity" is <i>not</i> a good reason. It's nothing but shameless exploitation of a tragedy to push a sexist agenda. According to Anita the problem isn't guns. It isn't failure to diagnose and treat severe mental health issues. It's <i>men</i>. "Toxic masculinity", to be more specific.</div>
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It's one thing to use such a disgustingly sexist phrase as that but acting like pointing it out is <i>helping</i> men -- "this is how patriarchy can harm men too" -- is just ridiculous. Imagine applying the phrase "toxic" to any other characteristic of any other demographic and acting as if it's actually for their benefit. "Toxic homosexuality", for example.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Edit: Created this for Twitter, so I figured I'd post it here too. Feel free to spread it around. </i></td></tr>
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<br />I've <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-problem-with-patriarchy.html">already written about the patriarchy argument</a> and how it fails to get to the root of many serious issues that affect men and women. Let's assume for a minute that the patriarchy exists; has the patriarchy ever described a characteristic innate to men as "toxic"? No, yet Anita is happy to do so. How exactly is the "patriarchy" harming me? They aren't stereotyping my entire sex in the way that a popular feminist is happy to, nor are they saying there's something wrong with me just for being male.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53_31MDCUxhYyihEN8pGNPl8iawP8zONDbkq7DdNXXR6xRIOQ7h9Q5TGo1lcIL2W5zCnmt-sL_Jja0RAtVJ1231dde7PC_nxFD-WvqP8Y21u3jSp7oHQY4iurzGrMtOsn63My_0eE38c/s1600/cathyyoung.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53_31MDCUxhYyihEN8pGNPl8iawP8zONDbkq7DdNXXR6xRIOQ7h9Q5TGo1lcIL2W5zCnmt-sL_Jja0RAtVJ1231dde7PC_nxFD-WvqP8Y21u3jSp7oHQY4iurzGrMtOsn63My_0eE38c/s1600/cathyyoung.PNG" /></a></div>
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As Cathy Young's tweet above points out, it's important to keep in mind that this isn't Anita throwing out her "toxic masculinity" phrase as part of a TEDxWomen or Conference talk. She's branding mass shootings as something inherent to <i>masculinity</i>. Not only does it ignore female mass murderers but paints it as a <i>male problem</i>. Then claims that she's "helping" men by telling them.</div>
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I wasn't the only one to point this out but it has to be said: Anita Sarkeesian is now on the same level as Jack Thompson. For those who don't remember, Jack's big claim was that the Columbine massacre was the fault of gamers and he used it to fuel his anti-gamer crusade. Anita is doing the exact same thing and using a mass shooting to promote all the sexist views she wants. She even took the opportunity to plug a book that she had written a blurb for on the back cover:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
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Understandably, Anita's sexist exploitation of a tragedy caused some backlash against her. Rather than taking on board the criticism and considering making an apology, Anita did what she always does; claims she was harassed. It's almost reached the point of self-parody:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5teyEDv_ojthL-yUN7ZyCrYkzmekEQ0rIK6hTjTgkI-xLWw6m7nI9wTTefZAkcFrIcuOkCeRkmYr_bskvc0dylC2-Ww2BaJ90lviQjkQS4w2pY0Fwir6YWnwo3xY4lNCXDapSTIHb8fI/s1600/femfreqsexism2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5teyEDv_ojthL-yUN7ZyCrYkzmekEQ0rIK6hTjTgkI-xLWw6m7nI9wTTefZAkcFrIcuOkCeRkmYr_bskvc0dylC2-Ww2BaJ90lviQjkQS4w2pY0Fwir6YWnwo3xY4lNCXDapSTIHb8fI/s1600/femfreqsexism2.PNG" /></a></div>
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Yes, Anita actually claimed that a backlash against exploiting a tragedy to push a sexist agenda was "hate". I don't think I've ever used the phrase "professional victim" to describe Anita, as others have, but it's an accurate description; she poses as a damsel in distress to gain further magazine interviews, newspaper coverage and talks about being harassed. This is no different and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't happen; following the shootings by Elliot Rodger in May, feminist bloggers and journalists <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/e3-2014-rainbow-six-sexism-far-from-it.html">leapt on the opportunity</a> to blame "male entitlement", "male rage" and "male privilege". Laying mass shootings at the feet of men is apparently common amongst modern feminist "hipsters with degrees in cultural studies" (as the wonderful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MxqSwzFy5w">Christina Hoff Sommers put it</a> when describing Anita's video game criticism).</div>
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After this, I don't want to see anyone claiming all Anita is doing is "making videos about wanting equality in video games", as Anita has claimed in the past during her talks. That was never true. The same applies for those who say "feminism is for equality". This is just another example of how that is <i>not</i> the case. In fact, if there <i>are</i> any feminists, especially feminist gamers, this should be the straw that breaks the camel's back when it comes to reasons to denounce Anita as your spokesperson. If the flawed arguments, the bias, stealing videos from others without permission, stealing <i>artwork</i> from others without permission, the whole "<a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/fewer-tifas-or-more-sephiroths-video.html">prostituted women</a>" instead of "sex workers" controversy and <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/damsel-in-distress-part-2-tropes-vs.html">dismissing male victims of domestic violence</a> didn't do it, this should.</div>
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In the link I just posted about part two of Anita's Damsels in Distress video, I wrote "her heart may be in the right place". Obviously, I withdraw that statement. There is no reason for any moral person to support Anita Sarkeesian or anyone else who would exploit a tragedy to push their own agenda. More than that, she is a prime example of why I refuse to support modern feminism. I actually follow plenty of feminists on Twitter who I like but it goes without saying that people like Anita Sarkeesian have made the feminist movement about misandry. Not equality.</div>
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This is a picture that I posted back in May, following the Elliot Rodger shootings. It's as true now as it was then:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Credit to <a href="http://europa-phoenix.blogspot.fr/">Europa-Phoenix</a>.</i></td></tr>
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<i>Leave a comment below, send an e-mail to themalesofgames@gmail.com or follow @TheMalesOfGames on Twitter.</i></div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-24508643334607629342014-10-06T21:06:00.000+01:002014-10-06T21:06:30.682+01:00"Ethics & Diversity"I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I came down with an illness at the same time I planned on writing a new blog.<br />
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College has started up again and my games design course kicked off with a focus on Ethics & Diversity as part of the induction. There isn't a lot to say about it -- just as there wasn't much discussion about it last year -- but I'll relay what was discussed.<br />
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Rather than a typical class of students, this year's course involves each group working together as if they're each an individual studio. Each "studio" has its own name, logo, etc. but before we reached that stage, we had to research mission statements from existing developers and create a "do's and don'ts" poster about ethics and diversity, after discussing it for a while.<br />
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Prior to creating the posters, the students had to list examples of discrimination they could think of either in games, the gaming community or the industry, under different headings on big sheets of paper the tutor provided. Headings like "Have you ever seen discrimination in the games industry?" and "List some examples of current ethical issues in the games industry". The one that stood out was "Why do you think women are under-represented in games?"<br />
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It's clear that it's a loaded question and your response is probably the same as all of mine were (but I didn't list). Could there be more female characters in games? Yes, as well as more varied and diverse characters in general. Do I think women are under-represented in games? No. I don't believe that just because few AAA games have female characters means women are under-represented and games with female protagonists are plentiful if you cast your net wider, particularly towards Japanese titles. Even if only AAA games are focused on, there are still plenty of strong female characters being represented, even while not playable. Plus, I don't think it's stressed often enough that just because there's a main character in a game with the same skin colour, sex and sexual orientation as me, that doesn't mean he "represents" me in any way. Sharing a few similar characteristics doesn't mean that character is representative of me or anyone else who shares those characteristics. <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/my-struggles-with-sexualised-males.html">I've spoken about this before</a>, saying it's often easier for me to identify with someone who doesn't share my characteristics, such as a female protagonist, than a character who does that I dislike (<i>Final Fantasy X</i>'s Tidus being being one of many examples).<br />
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In fairness to the tutor, he seemed reasonable enough. I spoke to him about having "heard" counter-arguments before to accusations of sexism in games -- without naming names, I mentioned that some critics had a habit of taking examples out of context and diminishing good female characters by ignoring/minimising their most praiseworthy attributes -- and he seemed happy to hear me out.<br />
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When speaking to the entire class, however, there were two things that bothered me. Firstly, a student mentioned <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/bxbj">women in the games industry being paid less</a>, which the tutor acknowledged and also mentioned that it was common across all industries. This particular "fact" has been debunked many times over the years, to the point that it ended up on Christina Hoff Sommers' TIME piece "<a href="https://time.com/3222543/5-feminist-myths-that-will-not-die/">5 Feminist Myths That Will Not Die</a>" (and Sommers also wrote <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/01/no-women-don-t-make-less-money-than-men.html">this article</a> for the Daily Beast if you would like more info on the subject or you can <a href="http://www.consad.com/content/reports/Gender%20Wage%20Gap%20Final%20Report.pdf">check out the report</a> yourself). Not to go into it too much but the wage gap doesn't take into account hours worked, experience, incentives for relocating, travelling long distances or being poached from another company. It's the same story in the case of the games industry but bear in mind that games have been a male-dominated industry for thirty years (and still is). Senior figures in the industry are more likely to be male and their salaries are obviously going to be larger than those of the entry-level employees that their salaries are being compared against (which, while still male-dominated, is more likely to have more female employees because the games industry has tried to appeal to women more in recent years). When you collectively weigh the male salaries against the female ones, it's obvious that the male salary is going to be higher overall.<br />
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The problem is that saying that in a classroom when everyone except the tutor is silent makes you look like a nut. Just saying "that's not true" doesn't do much good and it wasn't as though I could back it up with a PowerPoint presentation on the subject.<br />
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The second thing that bothered me was when the tutor asked outright, "has anyone here <i>not</i> seen any examples of discrimination in games?" The problem with that is it occurred after talking about the wage gap, after the class had wracked their brains to come up with examples of discrimination to write underneath the headings and after everyone had read out at least one example. After that, nobody is going to say "I haven't" and I doubt they would have even at the <i>start</i> of the session. It's also a loaded question, given it's not structured to account for answers like, "sure but [context, artistic direction, etc.]". That's not to say there <i>isn't</i> discrimination in the games industry -- most notably in online games, where trolls are indiscriminate about who they discriminate against -- but I wouldn't describe, say, the women in <i>Dead Or Alive</i> as an example of "discrimination" or "misogyny". Those terms are too strong to describe something so minor and waters-down the severity of <i>actual</i> discrimination and misogyny. I know this has all been said before but it's worth repeating.<br />
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At some point, one of the things the tutor said was something like, "ethics and diversity has become a bigger issue in recent years and will only become bigger as time goes on". To that all I have to say is ... great! One of the biggest misconceptions gaming's Social Justice Warrior critics have towards people who critique their viewpoints is that we <i>don't</i> want to have the conversation. That's not the case at all. I <i>want</i> this conversation as long as it is a <i>fair</i> conversation, with all viewpoints being given equal consideration. To date, that has not been the case.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-34696146421786755042014-09-06T22:43:00.003+01:002014-09-07T12:49:25.745+01:00#GamerGate and #NotYourShieldI'll try to keep this blog from being as long as the last one and give a more basic overview rather than a comprehensive one. This is a story that seems to keep growing, so there's no sense in being comprehensive if there are just going to be more articles and developments. Also note that, for once, I won't be linking to <i>any</i> sites that ignorantly insult or otherwise dismiss gamers.<br />
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For anyone who isn't on Twitter or who has been out of the loop for the last week or so #GamerGate is a hashtag that spiralled out of the gaming press' reaction -- or lack thereof -- to the unethical behaviour from game journalists that we touched upon last time; Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson sleeping with Zoë Quinn being an association that damages his ability to remain impartial while reporting. The gaming press did one of two things; they either gave a collective shrug of the shoulders or they went on the attack, ignoring the story about corruption in game journalism to say how horrible all gamers were to Zoë Quinn.<br />
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#GamerGate is basically the name given to those reactions and the unethical behaviour from the gaming press. Although since then, the situation has become a lot bigger.<br />
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Surprisingly, <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/gamergate">KnowYourMeme</a> gives a good overview of what #GamerGate is about. As before, InternetAristocrat made a video about all of this while it was happening. I recommend watching it if you haven't already:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Km3DZQp0StE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Let's recap some of the problems that gamers had with the gaming press. To begin with, it was journalists refusing to acknowledge conflicts of interest and associations that could damage their integrity. Nathan Grayson and Zoë Quinn for example. However, lots of other examples came out over the coming days (and some were already available at the time my last blog was posted), including Patricia Hernandez having relationships with two developers whose games she went on to promote on Kotaku without acknowledging any personal involvement. She went as far as to directly link to where the games could be purchased:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9TAYGdK8WaFxqHm3pryHM-GsQIx64UgtLGTTBC3_bwjYgIb3N0R7DTQa40hFxxhDemimhcgUAaymZ9qz9mlbnEESHlmm6Ippk98Yn9XhSFmKpvd6HqQX4Up0zdy1NiajOMfA3VtCujw/s1600/zqhernandeztotilo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9TAYGdK8WaFxqHm3pryHM-GsQIx64UgtLGTTBC3_bwjYgIb3N0R7DTQa40hFxxhDemimhcgUAaymZ9qz9mlbnEESHlmm6Ippk98Yn9XhSFmKpvd6HqQX4Up0zdy1NiajOMfA3VtCujw/s1600/zqhernandeztotilo.PNG" height="320" width="33" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view (very large image).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since then, she's added footnotes on each piece, very briefly pointing out her relationship with each developer.<br />
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Plus, details about journalists contributing to developers' Patreons -- which, in case you didn't know, is a website where people can donate regularly to content creators, usually per month but also per video for Youtubers, per image for artists, etc. -- came out while I was writing my last blog:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfdzuGZCR5wfpd7uYWEe3U2QYFJQh72KOKxNOWD7blk4TAW1_FnUjkc1IXOa-du8ZiEBNyPQVPhfad5XoQqxe8oJFlsTnbdff9n8tgXrp8-bSUZVc0hoSF2APiG8ZBx7nKdug07JX9Ms/s1600/zoequinnsilence.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfdzuGZCR5wfpd7uYWEe3U2QYFJQh72KOKxNOWD7blk4TAW1_FnUjkc1IXOa-du8ZiEBNyPQVPhfad5XoQqxe8oJFlsTnbdff9n8tgXrp8-bSUZVc0hoSF2APiG8ZBx7nKdug07JX9Ms/s1600/zoequinnsilence.PNG" height="400" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view (very large image).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then there was this comment from someone who works for Reuters, the world's largest news agency. Give it a read, it's an interesting little story. Amongst other things, the writer notes that during Reuters' 2008 review, they discovered that a staggering <i>0%</i> of staff members for gaming news sites had degrees in journalism. That's not a misprint. Zero percent:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UpKXKhPX4nxbO9GwS6UopCQaN0PAdB7Ep5cTQqVoanpcNHJMyW2Mwv7sxvd1yNoIH9WRBEFuRJIOrlfTga6mnVQAkSdmiEXnldoxdROFDpGd0VUCqOvjIWPiD9bQQSjs4pDo_CAzO4c/s1600/gamergatereuters.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9UpKXKhPX4nxbO9GwS6UopCQaN0PAdB7Ep5cTQqVoanpcNHJMyW2Mwv7sxvd1yNoIH9WRBEFuRJIOrlfTga6mnVQAkSdmiEXnldoxdROFDpGd0VUCqOvjIWPiD9bQQSjs4pDo_CAzO4c/s1600/gamergatereuters.PNG" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There was also the friendship between Polygon reviewer Danielle Riendeau and <i>Gone Home</i> developer Chris Remo, going as far back as 2011. This raised some eyebrows when Riendeau review the game for Polygon and gave it a perfect 10/10 score:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdkgoDaAbfBUsp0qB7J6n8VGv16EuYvd03eWVIMWnCOSjyDDpaU0q1G9fHwUSK1LTxFBZXfsna3X-rxOl-e_a_cH-PyWjmdNH-_OTjyBuvVb1vV_Wtt_SqnpBrRGRD38m5IckEaRBSSk/s1600/gggonehome.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdkgoDaAbfBUsp0qB7J6n8VGv16EuYvd03eWVIMWnCOSjyDDpaU0q1G9fHwUSK1LTxFBZXfsna3X-rxOl-e_a_cH-PyWjmdNH-_OTjyBuvVb1vV_Wtt_SqnpBrRGRD38m5IckEaRBSSk/s1600/gggonehome.PNG" height="320" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As this is such a big and far-reaching story, I'm sure I've missed some examples but these all came to light because of #GamerGate. Let's not forget <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-24-lost-humanity-18-a-table-of-doritos">Rab Florence's Eurogamer article</a> about exactly this type of club -- taking aim at the Games Media Awards, Geoff Keighley and the relationship between journalists and publishers -- and <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Publisher-Admits-Game-Review-Scores-Heavily-Influenced-By-Trips-Parties-Swag-48395.html">Cinema Blend's article</a> about publishers offering gifts to reviewers. As you can see, evidence of unethical behaviour is beginning to mount. Feel free to refer back to the Society of Professional Journalists' <a href="http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp">Code of Ethics page</a> if you're interested in seeing where, exactly, game journalists went wrong.<br />
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So what was the gaming press' reaction to all this? Calm acceptance of the whole situation and a pledge to reform what is evidently a broken system? Well, there is <i>some</i> talk of reform, which we'll come to later on but on the whole ... no. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWH1VfjKgKfAjnwPA4dD3nwEzXrxgFSqiTuZQuFW845vzYE36sr5A0FQAqZRAIZLjCPjr5dhRa0lLJaA9b43tzf9zIeDLTfKVKJMXp7hn2XqgtuDy3lFWQbSwFwSj-jPlhbdgbD8BxnQ/s1600/gamergateTomHatfield.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWH1VfjKgKfAjnwPA4dD3nwEzXrxgFSqiTuZQuFW845vzYE36sr5A0FQAqZRAIZLjCPjr5dhRa0lLJaA9b43tzf9zIeDLTfKVKJMXp7hn2XqgtuDy3lFWQbSwFwSj-jPlhbdgbD8BxnQ/s1600/gamergateTomHatfield.PNG" height="320" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tom Hatfield - Writer for PC Gamer, Rock, Paper, Shotgun and The Guardian. Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01fi7vupxy9gpuERNVdK8Up4X82TLFPYA5oxZ2qwU_JW9vzTYJp_LmLyY1q1X0v45ojHYJgSuVALa4sBYwL4z9jrwveCqSN_lBYamSPgVbIQOXC1IC66qDlXEbVnrlfVRS1thHs0jSho/s1600/ggfaraciisis.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01fi7vupxy9gpuERNVdK8Up4X82TLFPYA5oxZ2qwU_JW9vzTYJp_LmLyY1q1X0v45ojHYJgSuVALa4sBYwL4z9jrwveCqSN_lBYamSPgVbIQOXC1IC66qDlXEbVnrlfVRS1thHs0jSho/s1600/ggfaraciisis.PNG" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Devin Faraci - Writer for Badass Digest. Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aLbL4B1Y3g6smHQWLhXesPCsi8PolQWg9RpAEdK8fxmJRp0ClI8jA86HQmrLbPOX-E0vZTs_ftTCnq2xn_HxHXaxO8TZSGgt7z-7qhMXeHl2v1spf4bw4nL54rFbHL9A8WhM-A63JKw/s1600/gghelena.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aLbL4B1Y3g6smHQWLhXesPCsi8PolQWg9RpAEdK8fxmJRp0ClI8jA86HQmrLbPOX-E0vZTs_ftTCnq2xn_HxHXaxO8TZSGgt7z-7qhMXeHl2v1spf4bw4nL54rFbHL9A8WhM-A63JKw/s1600/gghelena.PNG" height="314" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Helena Horton - Currently writing for the Daily Mirror's Ampp3d columns. Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These are just a few examples from writers. Being compared to ISIS and saying that #GamerGate was a reason to kill all men are some of the more severe examples but insults about "basement-dwelling virgins" and "manbabies" were thrown around regularly. Here are some examples of the types of ad hominem attacks directed at #GamerGate supporters:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo82rvlCUUrHFuIaWBw-I76WijznnKfAUUUBfxCcGCe6fy9KHM4At-LfrEJp-DVV11asKNkXnGorgVvcjya86I0YIU8uXWNJW5QIvaeG3fa_BoL079rbxLk-0sqGF5mSRomZL5jIAFsM0/s1600/gamergateinsults.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo82rvlCUUrHFuIaWBw-I76WijznnKfAUUUBfxCcGCe6fy9KHM4At-LfrEJp-DVV11asKNkXnGorgVvcjya86I0YIU8uXWNJW5QIvaeG3fa_BoL079rbxLk-0sqGF5mSRomZL5jIAFsM0/s1600/gamergateinsults.PNG" height="488" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view. Note that "@Devin_Faraci" is a parody account ("@devincf" is the actual account, as seen in a previous screenshot).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was the same story when a hashtag titled "#IStandWithJonTron" cropped up. I missed out on this hashtag while it was happening, so I can only assume that Youtuber JonTron -- someone who I only knew from his involvement in the cancelled Game Jam reality television show that Zoë Quinn was also involved in -- voiced his support for #GamerGate and faced this backlash for it:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_KGI572Upsw8-GwkJcBC9tnExG-B2dDTtdxnemED30WPxhlgz9GWgiSW5tUr8HmevKJE9ug76Cj2zvgh8-Av6Ub3uoeLvoKAwa8kYvP0OTtQduzlkbK7amLFCfXWZ09MRDpEEH6AGQQ/s1600/gamergatejontron.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_KGI572Upsw8-GwkJcBC9tnExG-B2dDTtdxnemED30WPxhlgz9GWgiSW5tUr8HmevKJE9ug76Cj2zvgh8-Av6Ub3uoeLvoKAwa8kYvP0OTtQduzlkbK7amLFCfXWZ09MRDpEEH6AGQQ/s1600/gamergatejontron.bmp" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There are a few reasons for so many comments about misogyny but, as far as I can tell, very few of them had to do with #GamerGate. Some were still annoyed that the hashtag grew from the Zoë Quinn situation, which wasn't that much of an issue by the time #GamerGate was being discussed. Then there was the leak of celebrity nudes, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst, that happened a few days ago. I have <i>no</i> idea how that was linked to #GamerGate. From what I see from the 4chan co-creator implementing a DMCA policy, it's related to 4chan. I also recall hearing something about them first surfacing on Reddit.<br />
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Then, around the same time, Anita Sarkeesian tweeted about having to leave her home because of death threats. She showed a screenshot of another three-minute old Twitter account with only ten tweets as "proof". Only ten tweets, all being violent, sexual and threatening towards her.<br />
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Now, ignoring whether this Twitter account was legitimate or not (I'm skeptical), <i>this</i> made the news on gaming sites while other significant stories didn't. This unverified story about Anita Sarkeesian leaving her home -- it was based on nothing but her word -- was reported while stories like, say, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-fine-young-capitalists--2">the Fine Young Capitalists' IndieGoGo campaign</a> hadn't received any coverage at that time. Since then, it's received coverage twice. Once on Vice, where they complained about the campaign for being born of misogyny (even though this project <i>for women</i> has raised $52,000 as of this writing), and once on Gameranx, where the writer said that just because the project supports women doesn't make it immune to criticism. Which is fair enough but hilarious when you take into account the fact that <i>no</i> gaming sites have published any criticism of Anita's supposedly good-for-women project.<br />
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Let's be clear; I'm sure there was harassment of both Quinn and Sarkeesian but thirty seconds of research into #GamerGate at any point while it was occurring would've showed that the vast majority of gamers cared about ethical behaviour and, following the insults and accusations of misogyny, some <i>respect</i> from the gaming press and that sexism didn't come into it. The fact that game journalists branded all gamers participating in #GamerGate this way was a damning indictment of their unwillingness to investigate and accurately report in itself.<br />
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Accusations of unethical behaviour cast a black cloud over games journalism but, since attacking gamers was suddenly the trendy thing to do, a bunch of gaming sites all coincidentally seemed to have the same idea; supposedly, but unconvincingly, independently from each other, about <i>ten</i> different articles sprang up declaring "Gamers are Dead" ... and they all showed up <i>over the course of one weekend</i>. I'm not going to link to them all here. A blog called <a href="http://crotchetyoldgamer.com/2014/09/03/where-do-we-go/">Crotchety Old Gamer</a> has a list of many of them but I assume there's more than that. And yes, they used the Anita Sarkeesian story to justify this "Gamers are Dead" claim in each one. There were similar articles about a petition being circled by developers about making an effort to stop harassment in games wherever they saw it. Some sites, like IGN, used an image from Anita Sarkeesian's latest video for <i>that</i> article too but, even worse, the moderators appeared to be censoring perfectly reasonable comments:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxJkqnVFOhneCfOcLv92UhfmBIM9Mui7feRga311YSPhj05D4KObyMPgwjGWhHAQt8DrfXR0IKNo4Uil7si-3RvoiiX6UybsDOCvScOHbyhMemxVhEhUUAMAMZSQrh619oiz3ABjRtC8/s1600/gamergateign.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxJkqnVFOhneCfOcLv92UhfmBIM9Mui7feRga311YSPhj05D4KObyMPgwjGWhHAQt8DrfXR0IKNo4Uil7si-3RvoiiX6UybsDOCvScOHbyhMemxVhEhUUAMAMZSQrh619oiz3ABjRtC8/s1600/gamergateign.PNG" height="400" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Recapping all of this is starting to feel a bit stale and long-winded, so I'll give some of my thoughts on it and pick that thought up a bit later.<br />
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Let's start with the obvious; game journalists don't own gaming or the "gamer" term. Plenty of gamers have been playing games for decades. Game journalists aren't going to kill it in one weekend with some passive-aggressive articles and if they actually believed they would, it's incredibly arrogant of them.<br />
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Then there are the insults thrown around. The funny and sometimes strange thing about #GamerGate is that many of the people using the hashtag didn't dislike game journalism. Demanding ethical behaviour didn't mean that they disliked game journalists or suggest that any of them were bad at their jobs (outside of the unethical behaviour, of course). This may have been an attack on a corrupt system but it wasn't about the individuals. When names were mentioned, such as Stephen Totilo, it was because they were in positions to change things. So my question is this: how much must you dislike your own consumers to insult them in such a way? It disturbs me how <i>comfortable</i> game journalists were at branding people misogynists -- there's no two ways about it, calling everyone bigots -- when called out on their own actions. This kind of refusal to take responsibility actually has an acronym; <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/DARVO">DARVO</a>, or "Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender". Or if you'd prefer something more relateable, a refusal to take responsibility is something children do when they've done something wrong. Game journalists did the same thing. Attacking <i>people</i> when your <i>industry</i> faces criticism is not a mature or rational response.<br />
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What I found amazing about #GamerGate was how game journalists -- through their conflicts of interest, attacks on gamers and biased/political/soapbox issue articles -- managed to annoy absolutely <i>everyone</i>. From all demographics. In spite of the claims that all the #GamerGate supporters were "straight white guys" who desperately wanted to maintain a boys' club, the gaming press annoyed men, women, transpeople, left-wingers and right-wingers, people of all races, all sexualities, the able-bodied and the disabled, feminists and MRAs.<i> </i>People from <i>every</i> demographic and group showed their support for #GamerGate for the simple reason that people from every demographic are gamers. We all care about accurate and unbiased journalism ... and the gaming press' arrogance concerning the matter didn't help them in the slightest.<br />
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Going back to the story and the "Gamers are Dead" articles, the problem was that by trying to derail the goals of #GamerGate and
turn it into an issue of sexism rather than journalistic integrity, the
gaming press pulled <i>all</i> of their soapbox articles into the firing line. Although there are people like me who have always had a problem with gaming sites promoting a political stance, others began to speak out in objection to gaming sites using arguments about misogyny, sexuality, minorities and "straight white guys wanting to keeping gaming as a boys' club" in order to derail topics about their own corruption.<br />
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So we had objections to Kotaku's Jason Schreier insulting George Kamitani for his character designs in <i>Dragon's Crown</i>:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52COab7VyMeg8Y-K9bzPPUyFX1ASeNi_loJTNAipn6kUamrSOQe9jXkGz3-sSV1Ipe9kiufjFjxlhB4nl4AGUNG86PV12Av-hsqPE-nNuKR0g-nrGOlJ6mUCcE0LTTBs1NQ0-DAl4twc/s1600/ggschreier.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52COab7VyMeg8Y-K9bzPPUyFX1ASeNi_loJTNAipn6kUamrSOQe9jXkGz3-sSV1Ipe9kiufjFjxlhB4nl4AGUNG86PV12Av-hsqPE-nNuKR0g-nrGOlJ6mUCcE0LTTBs1NQ0-DAl4twc/s1600/ggschreier.PNG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A freelance writer named Jenn Frank wrote a scathing attack on gamers in The Guardian, <i>again</i> saying that it was all about hatred of women and using Anita Sarkeesian and Zoë Quinn as examples. Then it came out that Frank is a friend of Quinn's, funds Quinn's Patreon and Quinn's PR agent funds <i>Frank's</i> Patreon:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W1Aq75uvl42W7TEqrlZ05GE2xTYx-ibGiY_h0vlheeBe-yE5xbb8gQVwarTeXxiBMjQnSDdjSrqI5F4oTp_xwL_n989iuT1aYaqz73a1KyyrJGYflm2tSZxgcxy-bnsyhxD96JkBPu4/s1600/ggjennfrank1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W1Aq75uvl42W7TEqrlZ05GE2xTYx-ibGiY_h0vlheeBe-yE5xbb8gQVwarTeXxiBMjQnSDdjSrqI5F4oTp_xwL_n989iuT1aYaqz73a1KyyrJGYflm2tSZxgcxy-bnsyhxD96JkBPu4/s1600/ggjennfrank1.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt2vDlA62wSBr-O7FJQOksoZg4b7H4mNg0i_yb7xz7R05lulY-1zLHgACx2XjdiY9kXcHE2UPQcMyir5NfskXFpcxa8f58flIpB6Xx2NU1t8SDKCJZ53a7aCKECM5XHRL3CRYK25bw5A/s1600/ggjennfrank2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXt2vDlA62wSBr-O7FJQOksoZg4b7H4mNg0i_yb7xz7R05lulY-1zLHgACx2XjdiY9kXcHE2UPQcMyir5NfskXFpcxa8f58flIpB6Xx2NU1t8SDKCJZ53a7aCKECM5XHRL3CRYK25bw5A/s1600/ggjennfrank2.PNG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bear in mind that throughout these <i>many</i> accusations of misogyny on the gaming community's behalf, female gamers are speaking out against unethical behaviour in the gaming press ... and having their opinions ignored. Frustrated female gamers didn't fit the "misogynist" narrative the gaming press was weaving. Same for non-white and non-heterosexual gamers being ignored by the writers claiming these were the acts of "straight white guys".<br />
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So basically, the same game journalists who <i>claim</i> to be all for progressiveness and equality in gaming are the same people ignoring the voices of women and minorities. The same people writing about Zoë Quinn and posting Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes Vs Women videos are the same people who refuse to give publicity to the Fine Young Capitalists' IndieGoGo project. People who don't represent women or minorities feel as if they have the right to speak on behalf of women and minorities.<br />
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This is when the #NotYourShield hashtag started being used.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUXwn6HnKbMIuOpyYZe23jnl2darraG-R6kRLZIksNQ-vaMrvUTVnFmxZGw2bElAVb5V-HIrkdcAJ_vs4q8rAi7saGrO6LAwZ85AXdpUeK3OrTyUMhlIixSvMcuJEzf5UMGvefz7rYII/s1600/notyourshieldpic4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUXwn6HnKbMIuOpyYZe23jnl2darraG-R6kRLZIksNQ-vaMrvUTVnFmxZGw2bElAVb5V-HIrkdcAJ_vs4q8rAi7saGrO6LAwZ85AXdpUeK3OrTyUMhlIixSvMcuJEzf5UMGvefz7rYII/s1600/notyourshieldpic4.PNG" height="187" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqP0Djqfv4MGosulGUS-bZ-eSTrAeSe8_8UpS7XbZ0mHpk7u5lRclejoKqMgdHs_EVAa718APt3k9EhE35aLsIgM_hkqDTc8vghBFTblD3NQouVkhk-UZ9C0CzYCfOpjJ7pIgPZo-SzA/s1600/notyourshieldpic5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqP0Djqfv4MGosulGUS-bZ-eSTrAeSe8_8UpS7XbZ0mHpk7u5lRclejoKqMgdHs_EVAa718APt3k9EhE35aLsIgM_hkqDTc8vghBFTblD3NQouVkhk-UZ9C0CzYCfOpjJ7pIgPZo-SzA/s1600/notyourshieldpic5.PNG" height="338" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view. Tweets are still difficult to make out in this one.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gamers from every demographic other than the "straight white male" group that game journalists were singling out used #NotYourShield to object to the gaming press' use of their sex/race/sexuality to shield themselves from accusations of corruption.<br />
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#NotYourShield opened up an extra can of worms. Pictures like this one started to do the rounds, showing that 4chan -- the site that game journalists loved to single out as a misogynist haven that #GamerGate sprang from -- actually had a lot more female members than visitors to the gaming sites accusing #GamerGate of misogyny:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GhgpFtHQzuGStoGJLSVRfkj6p4v5N23JKyygQWslhpV33l2qWIronzHCip6MLA8i_XHou_LS_kx_s5sam8xtKp7ndQjgDFJs6-idXJIZET-Ko7mF7TywANqqzDLNL_oXre-CtSVh6Ec/s1600/ggalexa.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GhgpFtHQzuGStoGJLSVRfkj6p4v5N23JKyygQWslhpV33l2qWIronzHCip6MLA8i_XHou_LS_kx_s5sam8xtKp7ndQjgDFJs6-idXJIZET-Ko7mF7TywANqqzDLNL_oXre-CtSVh6Ec/s1600/ggalexa.PNG" height="340" width="640" /></a></div>
Although I suspect these images already existed, they were brought up as part of #NotYourShield to protest how everyone other than straight white men were being ignored the gaming press:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEhN5McyjBzMAKRiu5kyt6u0CC7mNFcOyGuSDYXaWSBeOHjws6NeTIbE_J2Mkm5908PYg_qu_ekj7dX9IqLElHub6xc2xDoySFUTIDZpdk0ESqV-gJa9f1PR-n0LH48OVSy71di4jO3I/s1600/notyourshieldpic.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEhN5McyjBzMAKRiu5kyt6u0CC7mNFcOyGuSDYXaWSBeOHjws6NeTIbE_J2Mkm5908PYg_qu_ekj7dX9IqLElHub6xc2xDoySFUTIDZpdk0ESqV-gJa9f1PR-n0LH48OVSy71di4jO3I/s1600/notyourshieldpic.PNG" height="540" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb85lgHk6no8gsaFqXWMA2LMPonjwPeBfX6fHoenqwELwNZ-p33Q8WEu0MJ7y-I-weYp-7wC48cS39ITWswJb4q-zwLvcdyquvH7KpIY9b3idQ9FWq0rylc7llyDvzfyMLXIRlAVbbaM/s1600/notyourshieldpic2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb85lgHk6no8gsaFqXWMA2LMPonjwPeBfX6fHoenqwELwNZ-p33Q8WEu0MJ7y-I-weYp-7wC48cS39ITWswJb4q-zwLvcdyquvH7KpIY9b3idQ9FWq0rylc7llyDvzfyMLXIRlAVbbaM/s1600/notyourshieldpic2.PNG" /></a></div>
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And there was also a great video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7x3HSmNJ2o">this female gamer</a>. Can't embed it here for some reason, so make sure to check the link. There were blogs by <a href="http://thathipsterdoofus.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/what-gamergate-means-to-a-black-gamer/">black gamers</a> and <a href="http://angelwitchpaganheart.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/thought-of-a-feminist-gamer-on-gamergate/">feminist gamers</a> too.<br />
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It was all very inspirational to watch if you followed it at the time.<br />
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#NotYourShield didn't change anything, of course. Game journalists and developers went on ignoring women, transpeople, non-whites, LGBT and other gamers just as they did before, except maybe suggesting they were white guys using "sockpuppet" accounts (faking it).<br />
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There has been <i>some</i> support for #GamerGate and #NotYourShield on a few different sites -- <a href="http://www.gamerheadlines.com/2014/09/notyourshield-gamergate-saga-continues/">Gamer Headlines</a>, <a href="http://www.gamesreviews.com/news/09/journalists-ignore-gamergate-notyourshield-peril/">Games Reviews</a> and <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/09/gamergate_explodes_gaming_journalists_declare_the_gamers_are_over_but_they.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_top">Slate</a> -- and their analysis compared to that of, say, Gamasutra is like night and day.<br />
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As for reform, Polygon and Kotaku have revised their policies regarding support for developers. <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Polygon-Kotaku-Revise-Their-Policies-Amidst-Controversy-66962.html">CinemaBlend</a> covers the story and it seems that while all Polygon writers have to do is disclose whether they fund a developers' Patreon, Kotaku writers are prohibited from funding them entirely. Kotaku seems to be making greater strides but looking at both the comment from the Reuters' employee from earlier and the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics page, I'd say both still have a long way to go. There isn't much mention of avoiding <i>other</i> potential conflicts of interest, such as relationships, and there is zero acknowledgement of the lack of respect game journalists seem to have for their audience.<br />
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The Escapist's general manager also mentions revised ethical guidelines:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBTRJv8jJ6rkvTyBFpEWXJ0XTxzrYLENIB5Hi5-nV2SYvFbvBO7651ctL45j8AqRovo0Fj3E45UDtvhGf804BzREfTc-8grT26ksyPnT1tUIK4-ngFyfo64Og18VkBlBP-1ZPGn0A5ig/s1600/ggescapist.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBTRJv8jJ6rkvTyBFpEWXJ0XTxzrYLENIB5Hi5-nV2SYvFbvBO7651ctL45j8AqRovo0Fj3E45UDtvhGf804BzREfTc-8grT26ksyPnT1tUIK4-ngFyfo64Og18VkBlBP-1ZPGn0A5ig/s1600/ggescapist.PNG" height="120" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That about covers all I'd like to cover. I suspect I'll take a break after this, with my next blog at the end of the month at the <i>earliest</i>. Until then, I recommend supporting #GamerGate and leave a few images here that I couldn't fit in anywhere else.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8zsrJML4KZj_cRTKVP7k-XcFxX6GpQ17url20UAmVqzMiHKCajg4kDvCuRXrfy_9bAu33IId9hqjD-p8mPxCqWDdFGBA66Pc7b-ByyUe-bGTjmNLOLO5LptnObSInWelniOh0jQSwJ4/s1600/ggfaraciholocaust.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8zsrJML4KZj_cRTKVP7k-XcFxX6GpQ17url20UAmVqzMiHKCajg4kDvCuRXrfy_9bAu33IId9hqjD-p8mPxCqWDdFGBA66Pc7b-ByyUe-bGTjmNLOLO5LptnObSInWelniOh0jQSwJ4/s1600/ggfaraciholocaust.bmp" height="342" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Devin Faraci of Badass Digest saying arguments against Anita Sarkeesian are as ridiculous as Holocaust Denial.</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJg_N7OEubxR8TGyZ9I5xtemYNFv-w8wNRpeOPhZAESOH_zGtza9Gk-Tv8SiTXCy5i-8UGuMRNYe2BmMiGmhuTW5Vm253JAxg8xuOLbNMgyDJG9mWqeoPAX8ReMxaLUtHbMMNyXemhKA/s1600/ggsessler.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJg_N7OEubxR8TGyZ9I5xtemYNFv-w8wNRpeOPhZAESOH_zGtza9Gk-Tv8SiTXCy5i-8UGuMRNYe2BmMiGmhuTW5Vm253JAxg8xuOLbNMgyDJG9mWqeoPAX8ReMxaLUtHbMMNyXemhKA/s1600/ggsessler.PNG" height="182" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adam Sessler, former X-Play host, president of a consultancy firm for entertainment and media.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizowYzBGVpNRP-1NyRkGFtior3FOgng6rUeu3-cOWv9fS1kMy8MC8jUmk9YSU8OnSVZPGWEA8cYC6iJu6apjJatgn_Z35OagvQvY4HPXi6MhSlNbocIqhXpRkmwhZ9Iw8X53w1HxDLaAU/s1600/supportgamergate.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizowYzBGVpNRP-1NyRkGFtior3FOgng6rUeu3-cOWv9fS1kMy8MC8jUmk9YSU8OnSVZPGWEA8cYC6iJu6apjJatgn_Z35OagvQvY4HPXi6MhSlNbocIqhXpRkmwhZ9Iw8X53w1HxDLaAU/s1600/supportgamergate.PNG" height="307" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Support #GamerGate image.</i></td></tr>
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<br />The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-60815530586913949612014-08-24T13:21:00.000+01:002014-08-26T02:12:44.210+01:00The Zoë Quinn Story<div class="MsoNormal">
If you've been following the story of Zoë Quinn over the past few days, it's been an almost <i>unbelievable</i> period for the gaming community. In short, a story came out about Zoë Quinn's personal life that was only <i>mildly</i> interesting and noteworthy but due to selfishness, stupidity and needless censorship from many different parties, it became a much bigger issue than it should've been.</div>
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For those of you who don't know, Zoë Quinn is the indie game developer who worked on <i>Depression Quest</i>, a text-based "adventure" game (for lack of a better genre) that is up on Steam. It received quite a lot of publicity at the end of last year because Quinn allegedly received a lot of abuse for creating something that is arguably not a "game" in the sense of the word we're all familiar with. More on <i>that</i> later.</div>
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Since then, Zoë Quinn has enjoyed the same kind of minor celebrity that many women in the games industry share, due to being a representative of the struggles that women in the industry face. However, following the release of <i>Depression Quest</i>, she stayed out of the spotlight. Until last week.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeiCSLLgqRvHOZFMgxUlNK6OuUFpziSB3HzXi3fWVYLlk1_vzyAEOaM0rU-I_2naPiOEvUHxtsHtdGi6CkCKgizge07U8pX8FW2fGq9Q3qOSeT0ioyE0A0XlP-Pe6Mtw16UkraZ4xAtY/s1600/zoequinn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeiCSLLgqRvHOZFMgxUlNK6OuUFpziSB3HzXi3fWVYLlk1_vzyAEOaM0rU-I_2naPiOEvUHxtsHtdGi6CkCKgizge07U8pX8FW2fGq9Q3qOSeT0ioyE0A0XlP-Pe6Mtw16UkraZ4xAtY/s1600/zoequinn.PNG" height="400" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoë Quinn</td></tr>
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On August 16th, an ex-boyfriend of Quinn's named Eron Gjoni created a Wordpress blog called "<a href="http://thezoepost.wordpress.com/">The Zoe Post</a>", which chronicled a chunk of his relationship with Quinn. He went into great detail about their time together, showing a video featuring both himself and many of Quinn's messages to him for proof that his story was authentic and screengrab after screengrab of his conversations with her. The big story is that while they were together, Quinn cheated on Gjoni with five different men and -- something I don't feel has been focused on enough when this topic is discussed -- had unprotected sex with Gjoni without him knowing about her other sexual partners, putting him at risk of sexually-transmitted diseases.</div>
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Now, if you're hearing this story for the first time, you're probably thinking the same thing that me and literally <i>every</i> single other person who heard this story thought; "you know, that's not that interesting. The Zoe Post is a good read but so what? I'm not into gossip about indie developers' private lives". You're right. On its own, this story probably wouldn't have amounted to very much. It was its own contained affair, which would probably blow over very quickly after some people altered Quinn's Wikipedia page for fun and got the usual insulting messages towards her out of their system.</div>
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There are two big problems with that; 1) one of the people she slept with was Nathan Grayson, a games journalist who has written for Kotaku and Rock, Paper, Shotgun and 2) the horrible, unbelievable handling of this problem by Quinn, the gaming press and even <i>completely unrelated forums</i> like Reddit and NeoGAF have caused it to spiral out of control.</div>
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The real meat of the issue is that Quinn had sex with a member of the gaming press. This is what's caused the majority of the outrage and is why this isn't just a story about Quinn's personal life that fizzled out after it had run its course. There's a lot I will mention here for people who don't know but a good place for all the facts about this is a Youtube video called "Quinnspiracy Theory: The Five Guys Saga" by Internet Aristocrat. He gives an excellent, detailed rundown of how all this ties to the gaming press and, at 24 minutes, will probably take less time to watch than this blog will take to read. With half a million views as of this writing, it's practically required viewing at this point:</div>
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I have to admire Internet Aristocrat's hard-hitting style, particularly when setting his sights on clickbait and social justice articles on gaming sites like "Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is" and Jonathan McIntosh's "Playing with privilege: the invisible benefits of gaming while male". I've discussed these articles here before and it's a relief to see a video calling them out receiving so much attention.</div>
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I don't think the link between Quinn's sexual encounters with Nathan Grayson and social justice articles are <i>quite</i> as clear-cut as Internet Aristocrat makes out and, although I think <i>Depression Quest</i> and <i>Gone Home</i> are sorry excuses for games, that particular opinion is irrelevant. However, he does raise some good points that I want to bring up. There are several parties who screwed up on a large scale and I'm interested in examining what they did wrong and how it's led to the issue spiralling out of control.<br />
<br />
Let's start with what happened before breaking this down into the different groups. Basically, everything you need to know is that Zoë Quinn slept with the following five guys:<br />
<ol>
<li>Robin Arnott - Indie developer.</li>
<li>Joshua Boggs - Zoë's boss and a married man.</li>
<li>Nathan Grayson - Game journalist. Writer for Kotaku and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. </li>
</ol>
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The accusation from Internet Aristocrat (which I believe he got from others) is that the other two men were Kyle Pulver, indie developer, and Brandon McCartin, indie developer who worked on <i>Fez</i>. I'm not sure how these two names came out because Gjoni intentionally covered up the names of the last two men in The Zoe Post, assuring readers that he didn't think they were the type to sleep with a woman while knowing that she had a boyfriend. Interestingly, Pulver is the only one who says the accusation towards him is unfounded:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5_Ck12FCF6bbpePh5zMRfdvjA_8IGLOc5hPGG_V0SyeYYuPKFjnq3TrZM7vfF1DFnioNODKgkiZjKOS1VIjgoNxQvt5PiiVrcB4hMfV_uxPiXLqYuHaYOPeNYpj1qftnAZRKfpZRCUM/s1600/zqkylepulver.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5_Ck12FCF6bbpePh5zMRfdvjA_8IGLOc5hPGG_V0SyeYYuPKFjnq3TrZM7vfF1DFnioNODKgkiZjKOS1VIjgoNxQvt5PiiVrcB4hMfV_uxPiXLqYuHaYOPeNYpj1qftnAZRKfpZRCUM/s1600/zqkylepulver.PNG" height="321" width="640" /></a></div>
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Make of that what you will. I haven't seen any evidence to the contrary (although I'm happy to be convinced) and this is pretty much what I expected everyone in his situation <i>would</i> do in the face of such an accusation. McCartin, on the other hand, posts links to Polygon articles about Twitter harassment, so he doesn't seem quite so innocent. Regardless of all this, Grayson's the important one. Keep him in mind.<br />
<br />
Got all that? After this, it gets a bit more complicated, due to the ridiculous number of stories that came out in a short space of time.<br />
<br />
Before we go any further, let's make this explicitly clear; this is <i>not</i> about attacking Zoë Quinn, nor anybody else. There are lots of people who ended up creating a mountain out of a mildly-interesting molehill and the lack of responsibility from all of them is what has driven to an overwhelming backlash from gamers.<br />
<br />
Let's start with Quinn though and look at how her actions led to this story becoming bigger than it was originally.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Zoë Quinn</b></u><br />
<br />
I'll try to cover as much as I can for newcomers to this story but since there's a lot of branching information, I have to limit some stories to just the relevant parts. I'll save Quinn's Tumblr response until the end, since I have some stuff I want to write about it.<br />
<br />
After this story broke others began to come forward with their own stories about Zoë Quinn. One of these people was from a group known as The Fine Young Capitalists, who were interested in having women worldwide suggest ideas for games, having everyone go to their website to vote on the best one and female developers would create it. Even better, the profits from the game go to charity! Here's the story from Reddit:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eKBo4Y13hJh1_ekf_yfG17kfFrmZdEYeDWC_VyiAAwb7BmB8NMuGpCSOcvLnPkbTNxAOVWCUv_rCRDLCDi0wH2RnEjtLsRmc9RIz922o-DF72k7edHwJgE63XwIlBtC9T6LbmgI1FX0/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eKBo4Y13hJh1_ekf_yfG17kfFrmZdEYeDWC_VyiAAwb7BmB8NMuGpCSOcvLnPkbTNxAOVWCUv_rCRDLCDi0wH2RnEjtLsRmc9RIz922o-DF72k7edHwJgE63XwIlBtC9T6LbmgI1FX0/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit3.png" height="210" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Plus, this is a legitimate cause; The Fine Young Capitalists have their <a href="http://www.thefineyoungcapitalists.com/Voting">own website</a>, where you can vote on the best game idea and their own <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-fine-young-capitalists--2">IndieGoGo</a> page for the project. Quinn maintains that it didn't happen as the Young Capitalist member describes it; she says there was no doxxing or banning from Twitter (yet didn't follow up on my helpful suggestion to donate to the project):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqklmhopOoa1frBseBdPOybMUJXZd3g6reg1-yuTelioNZ_oIpPyL5mWxWPtF1mEwVFbsmL8sPlDr_nwGyOyY80nKLEPwnsiVvPHXlZJ0b3K5gIQoRpl-YB8ouer7FrhjM8_-Bb0W3Bbo/s1600/zoeindiegogo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqklmhopOoa1frBseBdPOybMUJXZd3g6reg1-yuTelioNZ_oIpPyL5mWxWPtF1mEwVFbsmL8sPlDr_nwGyOyY80nKLEPwnsiVvPHXlZJ0b3K5gIQoRpl-YB8ouer7FrhjM8_-Bb0W3Bbo/s1600/zoeindiegogo.PNG" height="400" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
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Also quite funny to note that Anita Sarkeesian hasn't donated either. 4chan, on the other hand, have responded overwhelmingly, leading The Fine Young Capitalists to praise them on Twitter. Interestingly, <a href="https://twitter.com/TFYCapitalists/status/502856595374878720">94% of donations come from men</a>.<br />
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<b>Update</b>: Now TFYCapitalists have accepted a character design from 4chan for one of the games too! <a href="https://twitter.com/TFYCapitalists/status/502912133416640512/photo/1">And she is excellent</a>.<br />
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<b>Update #2</b>: And now the IndieGoGo page has been hacked and shut down. It isn't clear by who yet but you can read TFYCapitalists' statement <a href="http://thefineyoungcapitalists.tumblr.com/post/95626418480/on-the-conspiracy">here</a>.<br />
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<b>Update #3</b>: And as it turns out, someone has provided a helpful picture showing that Zoë Quinn's backlash against TFYCapitalists was considerably <i>more</i> than she was making out:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHMw_Qizq-HzSUl8nhQIcU0mzPTRXdVVBsiz_hB4_6xFh5gzh2M6Y81EcPzuFF4OGfvyXztc3aC3VRiYOtTKLIvaIBCgHZH1FTjMbKuVNLqbpyN-x5h-jAV-jJszaO-qmpr1AUT-A9Ag/s1600/zqtfycapitalistsproper.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHMw_Qizq-HzSUl8nhQIcU0mzPTRXdVVBsiz_hB4_6xFh5gzh2M6Y81EcPzuFF4OGfvyXztc3aC3VRiYOtTKLIvaIBCgHZH1FTjMbKuVNLqbpyN-x5h-jAV-jJszaO-qmpr1AUT-A9Ag/s1600/zqtfycapitalistsproper.PNG" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There's an issue with Zoë Quinn's claim in the tweet above; "if you're sad women aren't making more games, why ask for 6 months unpaid labor from them?" For new readers -- I'm sure I'll get a few from this post -- I studied game design at college and one thing that was instilled in all the students was how the games industry is largely portfolio-based. Any artwork from the Fine Young Capitalists five game projects would look great in a portfolio. Any programmers would have a brand new game to place in a showreel. It goes without saying that making a game <i>for charity</i> would be an excellent thing to put on a resumé.<br />
<br />
It isn't as if the female creators working on the Fine Young Capitalists' game are walking away empty-handed. If their own money was going into the project, I could see Quinn's point. As it is, this is a project where everyone wins. It's an <i>excellent</i> idea and a very worthy cause.<br />
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Then, there was this tweet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM4AJHKyGhX1WuDckFaV-gXVZPsTcJABa_Q64hnyv1QgbbTi-3YjWdIwklOsHT8Zn4ALkoQ7VueyVwq3Fkd9cl9_bhyphenhyphenH2Ref1zQ4XaoFcicoqAFRjWLy_UPNbZHhE5Fs-GPmINTsSgPs/s1600/zoequinnphilfish.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM4AJHKyGhX1WuDckFaV-gXVZPsTcJABa_Q64hnyv1QgbbTi-3YjWdIwklOsHT8Zn4ALkoQ7VueyVwq3Fkd9cl9_bhyphenhyphenH2Ref1zQ4XaoFcicoqAFRjWLy_UPNbZHhE5Fs-GPmINTsSgPs/s1600/zoequinnphilfish.PNG" /></a></div>
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The first person in the conversation, Wolf Wozniak, claims that Zoë Quinn sexually harassed him and Phil Fish, developer of <i>Fez</i>, inadvertantly confirms it. Rather than staying quiet and pretending he didn't know what on earth Wozniak was talking about, he confirmed that he knew what this person was talking about. His tweets were then favourited by Quinn and Robin Arnott, one of the men Quinn had slept with. There was also a long series of tweets leading up to the revelation that Wozniak was sexually harassed by Quinn, discussing how he feared being stigmatised by the indie developer community. His tweets are now private but there was an image featuring the entire discussion (although I couldn't find a version where all the tweets were large enough to read), including Fish's reply.<br />
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<b>Update:</b> Someone posted this picture in the comments section of a Gamespot article. This is the one I was looking for:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m5xhmhNDc3DChbkSulw8OhNvYB9_KxSATNL2cUpV1lc8eXBAwc0QWx9C-L44W_QRPH_SwaQ-g9YWAsVHDUGeHbY4DwBs0jrE4F1XZymn_Us8BwWodw5vNsCNaFvOSPx43NQv-Nlt30A/s1600/zqsexualharassment.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m5xhmhNDc3DChbkSulw8OhNvYB9_KxSATNL2cUpV1lc8eXBAwc0QWx9C-L44W_QRPH_SwaQ-g9YWAsVHDUGeHbY4DwBs0jrE4F1XZymn_Us8BwWodw5vNsCNaFvOSPx43NQv-Nlt30A/s1600/zqsexualharassment.PNG" height="217" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here's where I want you to do something for me, readers; pick a male game developer. Gabe Newell. Peter Molyneux. Will Wright. Imagine a scandal breaking out where it was revealed that they had sexually harassed a woman at a wedding and had unprotected sex with their wife/girlfriend after cheating on them with five different women.<br />
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How long do you think it would take before you went onto a gaming website and read the headline, "Gabe Newell steps down as Managing Director of Valve in the wake of sexual harassment and multiple affair scandal"?<br />
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How quickly do you think calling the victim of the sexual harassment a "little shit" would get called out as typical internet misogyny?<br />
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Why do people leap to Quinn's defence when she harasses and knowingly puts her boyfriend at risk of sexually-transmitted diseases -- I cannot stress that point enough -- in a way that they wouldn't if the perpetrator was male and the victims were female?<br />
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I used to like Phil Fish, after seeing <i>Indie Game: The Movie</i>. Phil deleted his Twitter account late last night, claiming that he was hacked and Polytron and <i>Fez 2</i> were up for sale. He left while ranting about Quinn's critics being "cowards" and "ball-less manboobs". I don't really want go into the debacle any more than that.<br />
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I've only written about Quinn <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/a-quick-update.html">once before on this blog</a> and it was actually <i>defending</i> her in the face of the abuse that she allegedly received. I don't know how recently these were created but a <a href="http://imgur.com/a/4VOcx">series of images</a> has been doing the rounds that show how unlikely it is that the perpetrators of the harassment were <i>actually</i> the culprits. I can't really comment on it more than that; I don't know Wizardchan well enough to say whether this is accurate and I don't know whether Quinn had evidence of phone calls that she didn't bring up (or just weren't included in the images) but that's a convincing overview.<br />
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Finally, we come to Quinn's reply on Tumblr, which can be read <a href="http://ohdeargodbees.tumblr.com/post/95188657119/once-again-i-will-not-negotiate-with-terrorists">here</a> or you can take a look at an Imgur version <a href="http://imgur.com/a/Z1Vgv">here</a>, in case the main version is removed (or you don't want to give Quinn's Tumblr any views).<br />
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Quinn's blog was one of the reasons I went from being only mildly interested in this story to giving it more attention. I feel as if there were two ways she could've handled this when talking about it on her blog; the mature, responsible way or the aggressive, uncompromising way. She chose the latter.<br />
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The big issue that I have with Quinn's response is that she insists on describing the events as "personal issues" but the way she responds is anything but personal. Rather than this being solely about Quinn herself, she holds herself up as an example of all women; she talks about what it's like to be a woman no fewer than five times throughout the blog post:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[...]<i> all of these things are inexcusable and will continue to happen to women until this culture changes. I’m certainly not the first. I wish I could be the last</i>."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Sexuality is one of the most personal, hurtful, and easy things to
demonize a woman over, and also has nothing to do with my games</i>."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>This is another example of gendered violence, whereby my personal life
becomes a means to punish my professional credentials and to try to
shame me into giving up my work. I’m still committed to doing my small
part to create a world where no woman is at risk of experiencing this</i>."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>These kinds of accusations have been levied against any woman of status in any industry, ever</i>."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>I have been judged because, if you are a woman, you are expected to
constantly “prove” yourself, and even mere accusations can somehow undo
all the good you’ve done and justify any measure of depraved brutality
against you. Meanwhile, I see major support thrown the way of my male colleagues when they are accused of any sort of wrongdoing</i>."</blockquote>
If you've ever seen responses from content creators like Anita Sarkeesian, you'll have probably seen arguments very similar to these ones. Rather than taking responsibility for her own actions, Quinn shifts the focus onto her critics. It stops being something she has to acknowledge about herself and paints those who disagree with her actions -- including her ex-boyfriend -- as people who want to attack her because she's a woman.<br />
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I'd also like to address that last quote; first of all, these aren't accusations, it's proof. The message logs on The Zoe Post show Quinn herself admitting that she's slept with other men. Secondly, Quinn really sees "major support" thrown the way of male colleagues? Men are actually supported when cheating on their partners? Because all I see is the opposite; Zoë Quinn has received overwhelming support for her actions and has had the gaming press defending her. More on <i>that</i> later.<br />
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Thirdly, men in the media have been reprimanded for a lot less. While it's the gaming press rather than the industry itself, a while ago I briefly wrote about how Destructoid writer Ryan Perez was fired for referring to Felicia Day as a "booth babe" on Twitter. This dislike of <i>one</i> female celebrity was apparently enough for him to be branded a misogynist and get fired from his job after a witch hunt spearheaded by Wil Wheaton. However, Perez is not representative of all men any more than Quinn is representative of all women.<br />
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Quinn's tumblr post also started a trend of victim-blaming towards her ex-boyfriend that continued throughout the majority of articles I've read about this whole affair. In spite of the fact that Eron Gjoni himself acknowledges that The Zoe Post is written "almost entirely in shitty metaphors and bitter snark", Quinn and others dismiss him as just "an angry/vindictive/jilted ex-boyfriend", depending on the article you read, and a Daily Dot article reducing his issues down to "nasty, post-breakup gripes".<br />
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I'm not going to let this particular point go; Zoë Quinn had unprotected sex with Eron Gjoni after cheating on him, knowingly putting him at risk of sexually-transmitted diseases. This is <i>not</i> a minor issue. If I went through that, I'd probably be "angry" and "vindictive" too but justifiably so.<br />
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The idea that Quinn puts forward about this being a personal matter is also flawed. This is going off-topic quite a bit but there was a phrase used here in the UK by a journalist and satirist called Ian Hislop, during a political scandal involving the Defence Secretary. On a show he's part of, he said, "he blurred the line between his personal and professional lives. Surely that means we're entitled to ask questions about the personal one", which led to a minor debate about legitimate areas of enquiry and overstepping those bounds. I know I certainly <i>have</i> delved into personal details here but it's honestly due to the way it's been handled. The insistence by both Quinn and her supporters that she is the victim in all of this. Imagine, instead, if she wrote something more PR-friendly and professional sounding, apologetic and full of humility. Something like:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I <i>was</i> in a relationship with Eron Gjoni and, as with many relationships, did things I regretted. My actions did not impact my professional career in any manner. I apologise to anyone who was hurt during this period due to my behaviour. I appreciate your continued support and understanding."</blockquote>
Even with something like that, Quinn wouldn't reveal <i>anything</i> about her personal life but would also remain mature and professional. That's the type of response we've come to expect. Not a rant about how hard she had it following the reveal of details of a relationship where she was arguably emotionally abusive towards her boyfriend.<br />
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There's probably more that I could nitpick about this but I can leave it there. Again, I want to point out that, in spite of the fact that I've been critical of Quinn's actions, I don't want this to be an attack on her. She is right about one thing; this being her personal life does entitle her to a significant amount of privacy and as critical as I am of her behaviour, handling it properly could've gone a long way. Which is the theme of this entire scandal, if "scandal" isn't too strong a word.<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Gaming Press</b></u><br />
<br />
We all know that game journalism is awful. It's not a secret. There aren't many mainstream gaming sites that don't feature clickbait articles now. Internet Aristocrat highlights several of these in his video above. Articles about Social Justice themes have become a lot more common. That'd be fine on sites devoted to the subject but, if you've read the <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/what-am-i-supposed-to-do-about-gaming.html">many</a> <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/good-female-characters.html">different</a> <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-dragons-crown-controversy.html">blog posts</a> I've written about these types of articles, you'll know that it's difficult not to see these "journalists" as being entitled to the point of insulting their audience and attacking developers when they see something they don't like (like George Kamitani being outright insulted for <i>Dragon's Crown</i>'s female character designs or Hideo Kojima facing a backlash for Quiet's revealing outfit in <i>Metal Gear Solid V</i>).<br />
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Then there's the constant focus on AAA games, particularly on story and cinematic presentation over gameplay. It's similar with indie games, such as <i>Gone Home</i>. I don't begrudge any game a review or previews but when Gamespot has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-last-of-us/news/"><i>twenty</i> features on <i>The Last Of Us</i> in July of 2014</a>, including one called "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-test-of-time-looking-back-at-the-last-of-us/1100-6421041/">The Test of Time: Looking Back at The Last Of Us</a>" -- only thirteen months after its release -- you can't expect a chunk of your audience not to roll their eyes at the preferential treatment. Think of all the time everyone wasted on <i>Watch Dogs</i>. One of my biggest pet peeves when browsing gaming sites is the lack of attention given to titles that don't fit either the big-budget or indie mould. When's the last time you read about <i>Dynasty Warriors</i>? <i>Disgaea</i>? The <i>Atelier</i> series? They're all still going. Unfortunately, in the case of gaming sites, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism">Yellow Journalism</a> is the order of the day.<br />
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That's a minor complaint when we consider the long-standing accusations of corruption in the gaming press. In 2012, <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-10-24-lost-humanity-18-a-table-of-doritos">Rab Florence wrote an excellent article for Eurogamer</a> that called out the nature of the relationships between games journalists and people working in games PR; going from a famous picture of Spike TV's Geoff Keighley (although I was most familiar with his GameTrailers work) sitting between a <i>Halo 4</i> poster and a table of Doritos and Mountain Dew, Florence also criticised game journalists winning free PlayStation 3s from a competition at the Game Media Awards.<br />
<br />
While searching for information for a college paper, I came across <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Publisher-Admits-Game-Review-Scores-Heavily-Influenced-By-Trips-Parties-Swag-48395.html">an article on CinemaBlend</a>, quoting from a Q&A that an anonymous publisher did for Kotaku. Here's the part they quoted:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Reviews only have an impact if they're 90+, and then the impact is huge.
<br /><br />
We don't take steps to get good reviews, we take steps to make good
games. Then we invite reviews to fancy promotional events to warm them
up on the game before they play it on their own.
<br /><br />
I think of our launch parties as warm-up comedians for the main act.
Warm-up comedians are there to get you laughing and excited, so when the
star performer walks onstage, you're primed and ready to enjoy the set.
Our promo events are the same way. We bring out media to a fancy
location, wine and dine them, show them the best parts of our game, and
generally build anticipation for release. The theory is that, once they
get the game and play it privately, they already have a positive
association with the game, which may influence their final score."</i></blockquote>
Although the article made it clear that there isn't any money exchanging hands, it's unquestionable that game reviews are influenced by factors other than just game quality. While I'm sure professional journalists would insist that these types of fancy events don't sway their opinion, how can they remain impartial following the experience? Honestly, this is something I don't blame the publisher for; it could be argued that if the publisher is rich and dumb enough to offer it, the game journalist should take it. I see it the other way around; if the journalist is unethical enough to accept lavish gifts from someone whose game they'll be reviewing in the near future, a publisher rich enough to throw these kind of events might as well.<br />
<br />
With that, we come to Nathan Grayson. As mentioned earlier, he's one of the men Zoë Quinn had sex with. He's a games journalist and has written for Kotaku and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. I looked back over my blog and was surprised to find I'd written about him twice before, as small parts of larger posts. <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/1reasonwhy.html">Once</a> criticising a <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b9vq">#1ReasonWhy</a> article he wrote where he referred to men as "self-centered slobs" and <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/i-hate-gaming-community.html">another</a> where he <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b9vs">interviewed the lead writer of <i>Dragon Age III</i></a> and had a closing statement that would have a six-year-old rolling their eyes at the immaturity. Interestingly, I wasn't aware that he'd written both articles until now but both times I criticised him for an "us vs. them" mentality when it came to sexism in games.<br />
<br />
(Note: I'm using DoNotLink for both of the Rock, Paper, Shotgun articles in that paragraph, so don't panic if you're redirected.)<br />
<br />
The accusation is that Zoë Quinn slept with Nathan Grayson to get publicity for her game on the sites that he writes for. Now, let's deal with the elephant in the room: there is <i>no</i> evidence of that being the case. That's just the way it is. He's only written about her twice. <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b827">Once on Kotaku</a>, about a game jam-themed reality show she was involved in and <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b8rp">another on RPS</a>, featuring <i>Depression Quest</i> in a list of greenlit releases on Steam. No reviews of <i>Depression Quest</i>. Also, no word from Rock, Paper, Shotgun as of this writing but for once, I have to give credit to Kotaku for <a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b9g3">actually responding</a> to the accusation towards one of their writers. In a mature fashion, no less.<br />
<br />
So without any actual positive coverage for <i>Depression Quest</i> from Grayson, that means game journalism is in the clear, doesn't it? If only.<br />
<br />
Some people have linked to the <a href="http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp">Code of Ethics</a> page on the site of the Society of Professional Journalists. This is an <i>amazing</i> list that clearly explains unethical journalistic acts and it's mind-boggling to go down the list and mentally cross off every one that the gaming press is guilty of committing. Take note of the points underneath the "Act Independently" header, particularly the first three:<br />
<ul>
<li>Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.</li>
<li>Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity
or damage credibility.</li>
<li>Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun
secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in
community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The fact is that Grayson <i>was</i> in a position to help Quinn and who knows if he talked about positive coverage for her game behind the scenes? Likewise, Quinn was the perfect font of conflict for Grayson's Social Justice-themes and rants. Regardless of the fact that Grayson didn't write a <i>Depression Quest</i> review, he could have. This <i>was</i> a conflict of interest. This <i>was</i> an association that comprised Grayson's integrity and damaged his credibility. And, as pointed out by the anonymous publisher from the CinemaBlend article, games journalists certainly do <i>not</i> refuse gifts and special treatment that compromise journalistic integrity.<br />
<br />
Putting Grayson to one side, you only have to look at how the gaming press has responded to this Zoe Quinn story to see more examples of a lack of ethics. They adopt one of two extreme stances; not mentioning the story <i>at all</i> or going on the defensive in the same way Quinn did (blaming her critics, her boyfriend, using it as an example of misogyny in gaming, etc.). The obvious problem with not mentioning the story at all is that it's a big story to ignore. In a way, games journalists have shot themselves in the foot. Yes, it's about Quinn's personal life, which protects her from attention. However, when games journalists don't have any qualms about calling male gamers "self-centered slobs" (Grayson, RPS), insulting developers by calling them "14-year-old boys" and going on to lay all of sexism in gaming at their feet (Schreier, Kotaku) or the following Ben Kuchera (editor at Polygon) tweet, they have no excuse for the Zoe Quinn story being off-limits.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR37Fvm7L9PRFjmKUBMlBu0mcCAfZfLwln9ibWfLiRMDFwlNz70Xc9sKGKW_fOmnri0KPX58GqHnt9VFobmMF4E_LSPszOvIaUkDx1MO-goGbDpRJW2WeQ74OBNwsO6VpWoHnqDgqqRyk/s1600/zoequinnbenkuchera.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR37Fvm7L9PRFjmKUBMlBu0mcCAfZfLwln9ibWfLiRMDFwlNz70Xc9sKGKW_fOmnri0KPX58GqHnt9VFobmMF4E_LSPszOvIaUkDx1MO-goGbDpRJW2WeQ74OBNwsO6VpWoHnqDgqqRyk/s1600/zoequinnbenkuchera.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
All of this, in itself, crumples up the SPJ Code of Ethics and throws it away. "Seek Truth and Report It" and "Be Accountable" are completely alien concepts.<br />
<br />
When it comes to the number of articles that take Quinn's side, I don't even know where to begin. For the sake of consistency, here are the links to several articles I've rounded up but I recommend <i>not</i> viewing them.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b96o">The Daily Beast</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b8oz">DailyDot</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b8iy">New Media Rockstars</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/framed?525303">Forbes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/ba1q">Raw Story</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.donotlink.com/b870">Motherboard</a> </li>
<li>Geek Party (although there are about six Geek Party articles about it, so I'm not going to bother with any of them).</li>
</ul>
These all pander to their readers with the same arguments we've seen again and again but Motherboard is the worst of the bunch; Quinn was harassed (with only her word as evidence), this is an example of misogyny in "predominately male communities", she was compared to Anita Sarkeesian and, worst of all, Quinn was slut-shamed.<br />
<br />
I'm going to say this one more time, hopefully for the last time in this blog post. Feel free to say it with me: <i>Zoë Quinn had unprotected sex with her boyfriend after sleeping with five other guys</i>. If you want to act like criticising her over that is slut-shaming, I think you have a lot to learn about sexual health. If this was as by-the-numbers as the author of that article paints it -- "A woman should be able to engage in sexual relations with her peers and not be publicly smeared for it." -- Quinn <i>wouldn't</i> have been smeared for it outside of the usual trolls. That's not what happened.<br />
<br />
However, one thing that eats away at me about that Motherboard article is the following paragraph-and-a-half:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"To make matters even more ridiculous, a digital mob has taken to
accusing Quinn,
not ironically, of creating "a negative image for all current and
future female game devs with her actions" and "[setting] back women in
the video game industry." </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>
Actually,
what keeps women from the gaming industry (and other tech related fields) are online incidents like this one."</i></blockquote>
Firstly, as a quick aside, most women <i>choose</i> to stay out of the gaming industry. There's nothing actively keeping women out. It's likely the same as <a href="http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/06/a-quick-fix-for-the-gender-wage-gap/#mbl">other engineering majors</a>. You can't say women are being kept out of the gaming industry any more than you can say men are being kept out of social work, performing arts and psychology.<br />
<br />
Secondly, and this is the part that bothers me, the author of that Motherboard article wrote that paragraph ... but didn't find any quotes from female developers to see what <i>they</i> thought. As it happens, here's two female devs who were very vocal about the issue (names and dates obscured, just for the sake of safety):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95TamKZ-4CNyvEjakAUfXETOqZWUYXXFzhIl3ovxRP2Gsln7TJRBu2bKDSZRs-cl6CpDwin0MT4cGitxneoYbDBuiQSmzgfJ00g6g8jZOp13dcyKCMoKDOezvUAyp-sHVD4S4rtwqXuU/s1600/zqfemaledev1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95TamKZ-4CNyvEjakAUfXETOqZWUYXXFzhIl3ovxRP2Gsln7TJRBu2bKDSZRs-cl6CpDwin0MT4cGitxneoYbDBuiQSmzgfJ00g6g8jZOp13dcyKCMoKDOezvUAyp-sHVD4S4rtwqXuU/s1600/zqfemaledev1.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_wlhmmGvCQYpdk5Dw958YLXqH6H8Nb8zS9l6KWNbHF-cAs8TLMFoYadfCXT6Uoqjp-0dFW9hDoi2cwqIBiusj9smoiJnfJKEQyYz52rjpN52oCH8clq49ImpujJSreQuHRIltoBFgVE/s1600/zqfemaledev2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_wlhmmGvCQYpdk5Dw958YLXqH6H8Nb8zS9l6KWNbHF-cAs8TLMFoYadfCXT6Uoqjp-0dFW9hDoi2cwqIBiusj9smoiJnfJKEQyYz52rjpN52oCH8clq49ImpujJSreQuHRIltoBFgVE/s1600/zqfemaledev2.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
You wouldn't think it would be difficult for the writer of the Motherboard article to actually consider asking a female developer's opinion, rather than being so arrogant as to speak for them. Even the creator of the Tumblr they linked to -- kc-vidya-rants -- was female but the author automatically assumed they were male! Apparently, an appeal to victimhood is more important than acknowledging that female developers may object to Quinn's behaviour too (and by "behaviour", I mean her Tumblr and Twitter responses as well as the events that started the entire controversy).<br />
<br />
Finally, there's the claim that "Women are not welcome on the internet", a statement that was around <i>long</i> before the Zoë Quinn story ever existed. To that, all I have to say is look at the outpouring of support for TFYCapitalists' IndieGoGo project, featuring an all-female development team and game concepts from women all over the world. Look at the money that 4chan is putting towards it! Over the past month, I've been frequenting the Women Against Feminism <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WomenAgainstFeminism?fref=nf">Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://womenagainstfeminism.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> and the only people telling them they weren't welcome were -- you guessed it -- feminists. Here's a quick screengrab I took of a comment before it was deleted for strong language (opinions are welcome but strong language is moderated):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8a4_eU_iyjgrpogirFJzHYoTfTDqUYLiLb3qw4Fmf91mrl9FUkci9jaXWNvlCX4fZX7ErPZDMlwsHFX6bYJa2EbDNU73KU3KHxLFzCdVaE9gFp2KVxOAFD51Eb1FBU6jesVywTKzDXY/s1600/stephantesshort.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8a4_eU_iyjgrpogirFJzHYoTfTDqUYLiLb3qw4Fmf91mrl9FUkci9jaXWNvlCX4fZX7ErPZDMlwsHFX6bYJa2EbDNU73KU3KHxLFzCdVaE9gFp2KVxOAFD51Eb1FBU6jesVywTKzDXY/s1600/stephantesshort.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
If you think that's a one-off, you should see the sheer number of comments belittling the anti-feminist women by telling them how uneducated they are. Especially last month. Meanwhile, would you like to read my favourite reason why a woman was against feminism?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jt-zXSHV_8lNA2ns3gepw7dUnvAqOVzZXtGZBB_acN22iwVCYJQnRVk5D0Z3_zpTLKI6h3r3p4g3sdzO5k2Oqdw9yxSWdQQUvHKd2hxSid_ZtT2fZXMGw7wLoWGWleN1uIIvFyV2gNE/s1600/zqwaf.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jt-zXSHV_8lNA2ns3gepw7dUnvAqOVzZXtGZBB_acN22iwVCYJQnRVk5D0Z3_zpTLKI6h3r3p4g3sdzO5k2Oqdw9yxSWdQQUvHKd2hxSid_ZtT2fZXMGw7wLoWGWleN1uIIvFyV2gNE/s1600/zqwaf.PNG" height="393" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This speaks for itself. I'm not going to elaborate on it. I'll end this section here.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Discussion Forums</b></u><br />
<br />
I'll keep this last section much shorter than the others. Discussion forums are places that shouldn't have had any involvement in the Zoë Quinn debacle, other than allowing their members to discuss it and moderating appropriately (no doxxing, no threats, no insults if the forum is the type of place that doesn't allow that, etc.). It's a gaming topic so it has its place on gaming forums.<br />
<br />
Some places took exception to that. Amongst some communities, discussions started when a Youtube game reviewer named TotalBiscuit (or The Cynical Brit) <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s4nmr1">wrote a blog post</a> about the situation, expression his confusion about the situation and decrying both Quinn for using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millenium_Copyright_Act">DMCA</a>) to take down a video by a Youtuber called MundaneMatt and game journalists for nepotism. The DMCA gives users the right to claim copyright infringement and can be used to remove copyrighted material from Youtube. The problem was that MundaneMatt only used a single, publicly-available image from <i>Depression Quest</i> in his video, so it was theorised that Quinn (or someone else) abused the use of the DMCA to censor material she disliked and didn't want to be spread. You can see this in Internet Aristocrat's video. This could certainly be backed up by an e-mail from Quinn that was screengrabbed (see her reply at the bottom) ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGIUm-bpvGEtUW0xaS0U2JrKoBxcKn7SiuNv5dM6_ug3kVgVbU5fmgkIqL3B9Zz51EaziFfnOUWmDRv8hIVnQlCavdTNHeAxXNWdoa6u6MwCzHc4rRqjxti6n3tAZRvhyRXvswhOQLSU/s1600/ZoeQuinnEmail.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGIUm-bpvGEtUW0xaS0U2JrKoBxcKn7SiuNv5dM6_ug3kVgVbU5fmgkIqL3B9Zz51EaziFfnOUWmDRv8hIVnQlCavdTNHeAxXNWdoa6u6MwCzHc4rRqjxti6n3tAZRvhyRXvswhOQLSU/s1600/ZoeQuinnEmail.PNG" height="195" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
... Which she immediately claimed was the result of her e-mail being hacked.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHZgBOeVSjt9-t9Icbkn6qpNVijeRngMk1Vt8UqgsQHEP-9KPREBL6zt9pjdKCa6igaQxLfHvo8WKVOOxL7wzTEjQmacqJLndAXNfMZv2yOECwzD50p-CJYpSUUbuZvH0x_sROM8njLg/s1600/ZoeQuinnEmailResponse.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHZgBOeVSjt9-t9Icbkn6qpNVijeRngMk1Vt8UqgsQHEP-9KPREBL6zt9pjdKCa6igaQxLfHvo8WKVOOxL7wzTEjQmacqJLndAXNfMZv2yOECwzD50p-CJYpSUUbuZvH0x_sROM8njLg/s1600/ZoeQuinnEmailResponse.PNG" height="640" width="547" /></a></div>
TotalBiscuit's blog post became a talking point on Reddit, with its own thread on /r/gaming. This makes sense, since not only was Quinn a figure in the games industry but TotalBiscuit's has a popular Youtube channel where he reviews games, with over 1.7 million subscribers.<br />
<br />
So a thread was created about everything TotalBiscuit wrote about in his blog post, rather than specifically about Quinn, but every single comment in the entire thread was deleted. <i>Over 21,000 of them</i>:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWvqqGQkFKzZNbzUb4PCvhz7k8r8fZ2KQ5m3BWJTy40B_FiHTUN_hU4KFxFcsJuV4fKy2nWgHFmb8Tp3oTYXMa1cK9FuV-wtaQi8pYic0redU96Yzu-GU9jdTAfqp7Qq7zk1VGNEbcXk/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWvqqGQkFKzZNbzUb4PCvhz7k8r8fZ2KQ5m3BWJTy40B_FiHTUN_hU4KFxFcsJuV4fKy2nWgHFmb8Tp3oTYXMa1cK9FuV-wtaQi8pYic0redU96Yzu-GU9jdTAfqp7Qq7zk1VGNEbcXk/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit4.PNG" height="295" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Reddit has rules that prohibit the doxxing of individuals -- giving out their addresses, telephone numbers, etc. -- which is the excuse they used for deleting every new comment in the thread as soon as it was posted. It's obvious that not all 21,000 were doxxing Zoë Quinn. In fact, when I first came across that topic -- when they had about 17,000 comments -- every new comment was a copy-and-paste round-up of links and information about "Zoegate" as they took to naming it. No doxxing, just links and screenshots. That thread is where I got most of my information about this topic when I was starting to learn about it. Since then, the thread has been deleted entirely.<br />
<br />
How did this happen? Well, these screenshots paint a link between the senior moderator of /r/gaming and Zoë Quinn:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPSWSkdekTTDY7MmkPiuzH05NMDFNXfknDrzufv8fGZ8AN5i5Lnt8Ju-cJ6FAfUf-w0RXz3ZnTJGtL68qXpxv9acouQx3_pk2U9Mdnv21D_Gp8YIRuvQl4kcE82T5J4d4NQhdoidIVBQ/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPSWSkdekTTDY7MmkPiuzH05NMDFNXfknDrzufv8fGZ8AN5i5Lnt8Ju-cJ6FAfUf-w0RXz3ZnTJGtL68qXpxv9acouQx3_pk2U9Mdnv21D_Gp8YIRuvQl4kcE82T5J4d4NQhdoidIVBQ/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit.bmp" height="372" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click to enlarge.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then, when someone mentioned this fairly concrete evidence of personal bias in a private message to <i>another</i> moderator: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVevJcWwEGXyj3bZEN8q5Fm3FMu0G3nH5jB7ShATJY77JbPdpqFX27_e8HNb1Icexvncnvk2GG-U1p3o_lTPL1Ju6ofylxUobOE7puHmGbF_sTzNZauI5eArMZ1b0SDVsPjxUNT17rbE/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVevJcWwEGXyj3bZEN8q5Fm3FMu0G3nH5jB7ShATJY77JbPdpqFX27_e8HNb1Icexvncnvk2GG-U1p3o_lTPL1Ju6ofylxUobOE7puHmGbF_sTzNZauI5eArMZ1b0SDVsPjxUNT17rbE/s1600/ZoeQuinnReddit2.png" height="372" width="640" /></a></div>
... They were told to fuck off.<br />
<br />
It's the same story on <a href="http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=878576">NeoGAF</a>. In this case, it wasn't even a request as extreme as removing someone's moderator status. No, this was two people simply asking the moderators for the opportunity to <i>discuss</i> a gaming issue on a games forum. Read the requests yourself to see how reasonable they are. The responses, on the other hand, act as if the requests are the most outlandish and sexist things the moderator has ever read and he only gives sarcastic responses:<br />
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<br />
It apparently didn't occur to either of the moderators on either site that if they had just let their members <i>discuss</i> this issue, it probably would've blown over by now. Instead, they inadvertantly stirred the pot even further. By censoring perfectly legitimate discussion and abusing moderator privileges, didn't they realise that they were turning this into a much bigger issue than it would've been otherwise? Moderators are supposed to keep the peace. Instead, this type of silencing and censorship is closer to the internet version of a police state (albeit one used to cover up a really boring scandal).<br />
<br />
This entire affair is one of the biggest examples of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streisand_effect">the Streisand effect</a> I've ever seen. How can it be described, other than an example of how greed, selfishness, stupidity, censorship and a sense of victimhood can cause a more-or-less uninteresting story to become a full-blown scandal? It's too early to see how Quinn will come out of this -- my bet is that she'll probably be fine, if not even more successful than she was before -- but there's a <a href="http://gamesjournalismintegrity.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> suggesting a PAX protest against a lack of integrity from games journalists. It'll be interesting to see if anything comes of that. Unfortunately, the owner of that Tumblr left an update today saying they plan on closing it down due to harassment so here's the relevant information:<br />
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And they suggest you spread <a href="http://i.imgur.com/pad9Vbp.jpg">this</a> image around every single forum you know.<br />
<br />
In closing, I think we're all agreed that gamers deserve a higher standard from game journalists than what they've been given. Hopefully, game journalists can get over feeling sorry for themselves and start being more interested in issues more important to gamers. The gulf between gamers and the press in incredibly wide right now and the actions over the past week have only made that chasm wider. It's my impression that game journalists believe they have some "ownership" over gaming. It's their sandbox and they'll get angry at anyone else trying to play in it. They may be developers designing female characters in ways they dislike, female devs who don't toe the line when it comes to "women in gaming" conversations or straight white guys for daring to be straight white guys. The accusations that sometimes crop up about gaming being a "boy's club" are blatantly false. It's a game journalist's club. It's fuelled by their self-interest. From the articles that are published or not published based on personal bias to accepting gifts from publishers to sway opinion. This is unacceptable.<br />
<br />
Instead of my usual closing, I'll just say thanks for reading and leave a comment below. I'm interested in reading your opinions on this.<br />
<br />
<b>Update:</b> Internet Aristocrat posted a second part to his Quinnspiracy Theory video, featuring a lot of new information that's been gathered over the past week. You can watch it here:<br />
<br />
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<br />The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-23741978340576446492014-08-09T20:12:00.000+01:002014-08-09T20:12:47.649+01:00The Do's and Don'ts of Genital Mutilation in Games (with Outlast: Whistleblower)Apologies for the lack of updates lately. I mentioned in my last blog post that I've been working on a short game for when I go back to college and it's been pretty much non-stop work on that, learning as I go. It's the kind of thing that I would love to be able to share with my readers but with people like Mike Bithell (hi Mike!), creator of <i>Thomas Was Alone</i>, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/a-quick-update.html">slinging insults at people who disagree with feminism</a>, I think it's best that I keep that type of thing away from prying eyes. It might be needed for a portfolio one day and, with people like Mike in the industry who aren't willing to listen to differing opinions, I feel like posting screenshots here could come back to haunt me.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm a bit behind on this but <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> was the DLC prequel/sequel for <i>Outlast</i> that was released in May. As with the main game, the goal is for the player to make their way through an asylum while avoiding psychopaths who want to kill them. One of these psychopaths is Eddie Gluskin, also known as "The Groom". The Groom has an insane obsession with finding a bride and he sees all his victims as women, even if they're male. One of the ways he tortures and kills his prisoners -- all male in the game, although he apparently had a history of killing women prior to entering the asylum -- is by violently removing their genitals and surgically-modifying their bodies to give them breasts. Some of this "procedure" is seen in-game and is very graphic (but I won't show any screenshots here):<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhSgo6D9a85sNrdPNhw9Csp8OGW6fAvbUmNN6M5-yNweq5lqmKIr1zwiTViATkOv_qVIaHjylhu3VcSjF5meJHZjSuCxOYfQ76-mWZ8wkP-vze4NR1t1mcVZRSyYbtWFZKEI-E0TkK_g/s1600/outlastgroom.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhSgo6D9a85sNrdPNhw9Csp8OGW6fAvbUmNN6M5-yNweq5lqmKIr1zwiTViATkOv_qVIaHjylhu3VcSjF5meJHZjSuCxOYfQ76-mWZ8wkP-vze4NR1t1mcVZRSyYbtWFZKEI-E0TkK_g/s1600/outlastgroom.PNG" height="360" width="640" /></a> The reason why I'm bringing up <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> a few months after it's been released rather than closer to the time is because the genital mutilation is handled about as tastefully as a genital mutilation theme in a violent game can be handled, in that it's clear that the Groom mutilates men but unless you find out all the backstory, it's actually ambiguous to whether any of his victims are female; there's a Female Ward and the breasts and genitals of each victim are often obscured <i>enough</i> for it to be possible that the Groom murdered women as well as men.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until I came across <a href="http://www.continue-play.com/review/outlast-whistleblower-dlc-review/">this review</a> (Continue-Play.com) a couple of weeks ago, which states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Just as it was in Outlast, there are no women in Whistleblower.
We’re actually pleased; we’re unsure of how we would handle some of the
more controversial scenes if they depicted women as well as men. But if
you search hard enough within Mount Massive, you may just find what we
did – a single case file explaining why women are not present, despite
the female ward that was seen in Outlast. Well played, Red Barrels. Well played."</i></blockquote>
I took a look at the <i>Outlast</i> Wiki after reading this and found that there were indeed a bunch of notes in the game that explained that the only inmates (is that the right term? I'd say they were prisoners more than they were patients) of the asylum were male. This is most explicit in a document called "<a href="http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/Gender_Selection_in_Mount_Massive_Contractors">Gender Selection in Mount Massive Contractors</a>" but others, specifically about the Groom's victims, can be read <a href="http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/What_Fresh_Hell">here</a>, <a href="http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/An_Unwilling_Bride">here</a> and <a href="http://outlast.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Beard%27s_Wives">here</a>. I can remember reading most of these but I must've glossed over or misinterpreted some aspects of either the notes or game environment that led me to believe the Groom's victims were both male or female.<br />
<br />
Just in case this entire blog will be taken out of context, I have to clarify that I'm not arguing, "<i>why</i> doesn't this game feature the brutal mutilation of women's genitals!?" For one thing, I actually didn't have a problem with <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> only featuring violence against men, for reasons I'll come to later on. The double standard of violence against men being considered "acceptable" when the reverse would not be seems to be present<br />
<br />
Since the Continue-Play review mentioned how pleased they were that <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> didn't feature any women, I took a look at a few other reviews. To their credit, most reviewers took the content very seriously, expressing the kind of revulsion you'd expect. Others, like Jim Sterling for <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/11411-Outlast-Whistleblower-Review-A-Crazy-Little-Thing">The Escapist</a>, took the opportunity to make light of the idea:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="description">Our plucky little tattler
soon finds himself a video camera, because that's the conceit of the
game, and tries to escape with his limbs - and penis - intact. Oh lord,
the penis.</span></i><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="description">"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="description">[...]</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="description"><span id="intelliTXT" itemprop="description">"<i>... suffice to say that men everywhere will be shuddering every time they recall this particular bad guy's scenes.</i>"</span></span> </blockquote>
<br />
While <a href="http://www.gamefront.com/outlast-the-whistleblower-dlc-review/2/">GameFront</a>'s Phil Hornshaw's attempts at examining the thought process behind the developer's decision to feature the Groom made me cringe more than the genital mutilation did in the game itself:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>In fact, I found the whole section personally uncomfortable on a lot
of levels, which is probably the point (it is, after all, a horror
story). At this point, I’m torn on the depiction; there are degrees to
the idea of presenting a character inflicting this sort of violence on
people that feels insensitive to the fact that similarly awful violence
is inflicted on people in the real world — especially on women. (Outlast
contains no women, a point which is noted in a story aside if you find
the right file hidden in The Whistleblower.) Even more than just, you
know, murder, this is a deeply horrific thing that feels like it’s being exploited for a shock moment.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>At the same time, my own very visceral reaction to the scene — as a
male in a country where such a thing is very likely never to happen to
me — may well be the point Red Barrels had in mind. The language and
imagery used, at least under the immediate surface of blood and death,
screams at a presentation of violence against women to be experienced by
a male character. And while that’s not to suggest that violence against
women must be portrayed in a male way in order to make it “understood”
by male players and male characters, nonetheless, the scene presents a
very particular kind of menace not often experienced by male players,
and which was created by an all-male team at Red Barrels. There’s a
predatory man searching for a defenseless character, cooing about love
and marriage, bent on rape, torture and murder; it’s a kind of fear that
women may be familiar with, but men are infinitely less so. Whether
that’s exploited purely for novelty and shock, or something deeper, is
tough to say.</i>"</blockquote>
There are a bunch of things I would like to tell Phil Hornshaw about real-life violence towards men, from the customary practice of male circumcision in the West and men being more likely to be the victims of violent crime to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men?cat=society&type=article">sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> and <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/08/in-kenya-forced-male-circumcision-and-a-struggle-for-justice/242757/">forced circumcision in Kenya</a> (note that those articles <i>don't</i> feature pictures but do have graphic descriptions of sexual violence against men. The disturbing idea of sexual violence causing male victims to "lose" their manhood is also a theme that crops up in <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i>, although obviously it's altered to fit a survival horror game and isn't as tragic or depressing as the real-life experiences). However, it's not only the ignorance of the issues themselves that bother me. I feel like Hornshaw's review dumbs-down a lot of real-life issues. I understand that he specified "as a male in this country" when talking about genital mutilation but does he also think that women can relate to the idea of being hunted by "predatory men bent on rape, torture and murder"?<br />
<br />
If those <i>are</i> the reasons why Red Barrels -- the developer of <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> -- then it's similar to the problem that <i><a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-rape-double-standard.html">Far Cry 3</a></i> had; diminishing a real-life problem for men for the sake of imitating one for women in fiction. That may not be the case but Hornshaw apparently finds it tricky to see men portrayed as victims because they're male. Just like Jeffrey Yohalem for <i>Far Cry 3</i>, men being victims has to be representative of violence against women.<br />
<br />
Personally, I think the genital mutilation in <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> is certainly shocking but not really something to be frustrated over. That would be a bit like watching an episode of <i>Jackass</i> and complaining about the "gross-out" nature of some of the stunts. There are all kinds of shocking things to see in <i>Outlast</i>, including naked, still-living people who look as if they've been sewn back together but without any genitals intact. It could certainly be argued that complaining about the violent content is completely different to complaining about the double standard -- the genital mutilation of men in <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> while women are unlikely to receive this kind of graphic mistreatment in games -- and if that's the stance you take on it, I understand.<br />
<br />
However, in my opinion, it's clear that the double standard itself is to blame here rather than Red Barrels themselves. Look at the response of the reviewers, breathing collective sighs of relief, cracking jokes or trying to justify the genital mutilation <i>just</i> because men are the victims. Even though Red Barrels exploited this double standard, they were developing downloadable content for an already-shockingly violent game and I think to blame them just for adding <i>more</i> shockingly violent content would be a bit like -- if I can use the <i>Jackass</i> analogy again -- criticising <i>Jackass: The Movie</i> for going further than the television show.<br />
<br />
The thing is, maybe Red Barrels <i>were</i> just playing it safe, as the Continue-Play.com review hinted at. Hypothetically, assume that someone like Jack Thompson re-emerges and picks <i>Outlast: Whistleblower</i> as a target of his anger, criticising it for violence against women. Maybe he assumes that the victims are all female or, like me, thinks that there's a mix of male and female victims but sees it as anti-woman rather than pro-equality. If this controversy was to crop up, Red Barrels have plenty of in-game documents as a defence against accusations of violence against women, which would make the whole controversy disappear (in a perfect world; in reality, logic doesn't mean anything to people with a vendetta against video games).<br />
<br />
It's frustrating that the genital mutilation of men isn't considered a controversy but, again, the real-life double standard is the problem.<br />
<br />
You can send me an e-mail at themalesofgames@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter @themalesofgames -- I'm starting to regret that long Twitter handle now -- or leave a comment below. The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-4731076990087726902014-07-17T19:05:00.000+01:002014-07-17T19:05:03.121+01:00Why Fallout: New Vegas is an Awesome Game for Gender EqualityI know I wasn't the best at sticking to a schedule before I went to college but it feels like I'm falling behind on writing this blog more than usual. I'm trying to catch up on the games, films and television shows I've missed while at college but I'm also working on a short game for when I go back to college, so it looks like I've done something over the summer. Finding time to write as well as do all of that can be tricky.<br />
<br />
Today's blog came to mind a couple of weeks after reading a comment on <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/e3-2014-rainbow-six-sexism-far-from-it.html#comment-form">my post</a> about the reaction to the <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i> stage demo at E3. It took a while but the comment, by <b>Jazzby Bass</b>, made me think about the different ways male and female sex workers were portrayed in <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i>. The latest Tropes Vs Women video had just been posted, so that was a topic of conversation:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<span id="bc_0_7b+seedF9DgD" kind="d"><i>Oddly enough, my biggest beef with
the video is Fallout: New Vegas, even though there's all of two seconds
of it in the entire half hour.<br /><br />I haven't played some of the game
she's using as ammo, but FNV man. Showing off a female hooker for two
seconds while conveniently forgetting there are male
prostitutes(Santiago and Old Ben), and even a robot one.<br /><br />[...]<br /><br />My
thoughts are it's not exclusively women and even the prostitutes in
general aren't portrayed as sex objects in the first place. Old Ben even
says it himself with his line that he quit because he felt like a piece
of meat. These are, to some degree or another, fleshed out characters
that even voice their thoughts on the very subject.</i>"</span></blockquote>
It should be said that I still haven't watched the "Women as Background Decoration" video and still have no plans to. After all, as Jazzby Bass says, there's all of two seconds of it in the entire half hour. However, one thing I did do was hop over to the Feminist Frequency website to find the video's transcript and see where and when <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> was mentioned. One of the two gigolos mentioned in the comment above -- Santiago and Old Ben -- <i>were</i> actually mentioned by Anita. See for yourself:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>There do exist a handful of games which include a few male gigolos, though they are extremely rare… </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Clip: Dragon Age: Origins</b><br />
</i>“Here they are. Aren’t they beautiful? Remember, thirty silver up front.” <i><br /></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Clip: Fallout: New Vegas</b><br />
</i>“Santiago is here to please, my prarie flower. Just a few caps and I’m yours.” <i><br /></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>…and more often than not, the design and characterization is played for laughs. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Clip: Fable II</b><br />
</i>“I’m even nicer without these all clothes on.” <i><br /></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Clip: Fallout: New Vegas</b><br />
</i>“I wouldn’t mind takin’ a bite of you.”"</blockquote>
I intend for this blog to be about <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> and <i>not</i> the Tropes Vs Women videos but, completely unintentionally, the point about male sexuality being played for laughs was something I wrote about in <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/fewer-tifas-or-more-sephiroths-video.html">my last blog post, a couple of weeks ago</a>. Remarkable coincidence.<br />
<br />
There was a paragraph in the transcript after those quotes that gave a bunch of reasons why portrayals of male sex workers, <i>of course</i>, cannot compare to female ones but like I said, it's not a Tropes Vs Women blog. It was actually pretty insulting towards female sex workers though, implicitly stating that they help to diminish women's role in our culture. Have to love how pro-woman Anita is.<br />
<br />
The more I thought about the portrayal of sex workers<i> </i>in <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i>, the more I felt like the game didn't belong in any video called "Women as Background Decoration". Even ignoring Anita's penchant for arguing "female examples are bad, male examples don't count", it's an example of how ignoring context can give a completely imbalanced and factually-incorrect view of a game. Which is nothing new for Anita.<br />
<br />
There are two characters from <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> that I thought were great examples of how to do things right and they are Beatrix Russell and Old Ben:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSx9u9Fb_IPnI8rmDxpqFIGWlARiKh66cW2KCIC4vZgAsQZbxZ_KHdVt8WGSvTZ9EmFrUJYvX_1voRFrJ3Otjc7E1j7UOsBMumzQy6tjzUnQ7ekUV0xY0R_WGYJHOuFKO9OARoeBKaKw/s1600/zbeatrixandben.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSx9u9Fb_IPnI8rmDxpqFIGWlARiKh66cW2KCIC4vZgAsQZbxZ_KHdVt8WGSvTZ9EmFrUJYvX_1voRFrJ3Otjc7E1j7UOsBMumzQy6tjzUnQ7ekUV0xY0R_WGYJHOuFKO9OARoeBKaKw/s1600/zbeatrixandben.PNG" height="640" width="436" /></a></div>
<br />
These two characters are tied to a quest that involves recruiting three escorts for a casino; a smooth talker, a ghoul -- which is a type of mutant in the <i>Fallout</i> series, the result of being exposed to radiation over a long period of time. They take on a decaying, corpse-like appearance, as can be seen in Beatrix' picture above -- in a cowboy outfit and a robot capable of performing sexual acts. Beatrix is the only ghoul who qualifies whereas Ben is one of two "smooth talkers" that can be hired for the job. Both of these characters break stereotypes about male and female attitudes towards sex.<br />
<br />
Starting with Beatrix, she's very open to the idea of working at the casino as a dominatrix because, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=fX1x11g8tk4#t=113">as she puts it</a>, "who doesn't enjoy a little pinch and squeal every once in a while?" However, she also makes sure to point out that she doesn't want to be "owned" by anyone and one of the ways the player can convince her is by telling Beatrix that she can be independent. Beatrix goes on to dictate her <i>own</i> terms -- choosing her own customers, getting to enjoy herself by being "a little rough" with them, receiving a fair cut of the money and a discount on drinks -- and then agrees to work as an escort.<br />
<br />
Beatrix breaks the stereotype about women not enjoying sex or being more prudish than men but is also an <i>excellent</i> example of how positively sex workers can be portrayed. She is completely independent, isn't forced into sex work and there is more to her character than just sex. In fact, she works as a guard for a different faction when the player first meets her.<br />
<br />
Old Ben's storyline is simpler but just as relevant; he says he's done "a bit of everything", from courier to butcher to gun-for-hire and one of the jobs he mentions is working as an escort. However, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=FNigxvbnVMY#t=180">he says that</a> he had to quit this job after a while due to feeling like a piece of meat. When attempting to hire him for the quest, he mentions that his first time doing the job left him feeling empty inside.<br />
<br />
While Beatrix breaks stereotypes about women not enjoying sex, I feel like Ben breaks stereotypes about the assumption that men cannot be objectified and the idea that "guys are only after one thing". It's clear that he views his time as an escort negatively rather than positively.<br />
<br />
I don't know whether Anita focused on these two examples or not but if so, it's clear that they aren't "background decoration". If not, while there <i>are</i> examples of strippers in <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> who only add to the atmosphere -- such as at the Gamorrah casino -- there are male, female and even ghoul strippers. As with the escorts, it isn't limited to women.<br />
<br />
The point is that <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> is a game that <i>should</i> please everyone when it comes to gender issues, shouldn't it? It breaks down stereotypes for both sexes rather than enforces them. Everyone who is interested in equal treatment of the sexes should be pleased with <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i>, from sex-positive feminists to men's rights activists. However, it seems like even the <i>inclusion</i> of sex workers in <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> is enough to warrant it a place in the "Women as Background Decoration" video.<br />
<br />
It's one thing when a feminist critic of gaming neglects to mention examples that would damage their argument. It's another to use games with examples that are the exact <i>opposite</i> of their argument as examples that <i>support</i> their argument.<br />
<br />
What we have here is a game that is <i>progressive</i> but is being branded as <i>regressive</i>.<br />
<br />
This bothers me quite a lot because I don't want to see any more hand-wringing from developers about things they could've or should've done better when in reality, they haven't done anything wrong. This was the case last year, <a href="http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1077">with Anthony Burch of Gearbox Software</a> sheepishly stating that Anita was right to include <i>Borderlands 2</i> in her second Damsels In Distress video (even though the player could use a female character, thereby invalidating Anita's argument about men committing violence against women). It wouldn't be right for anyone from Obsidian Entertainment to do the same when not only did they not do anything wrong, they actually did something <i>right</i> and are now facing a backlash from a sex-negative feminist for their inclusion in the first place.<br />
<br />
One more kind of unrelated thing before I finish. There's a Tumblr and Facebook group called Women Against Feminism -- which posts pictures of women holding signs about why they choose not to be feminists -- that received quite a bit of attention from some not-quite-mainstream sites over the last few days, such as <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means">BuzzFeed</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/07/14/women-against-feminism-tumblr-facebook-_n_5585163.html?ir=UK+Lifestyle">the Huffington Post</a>. What I found most hilarious was the article on <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/14/women-against-feminism-show-how-bad-arguments-against-feminism-really-are/">Raw Story</a> by Amanda Marcotte, who seemed <i>certain</i> that the only reason any of the women pictured could be against feminism was because of some <i>eeeviiil</i> men behind the camera, <i>forcing</i> the women to say they disliked feminism! That's noted feminist, Amanda Marcotte, saying that these women are both (A) incapable of setting up a tripod or taking a selfie and (B) incapable of being intelligent, independent human beings who can form their own thoughts and opinions about feminism. <i>Men</i> must be forcing them to write bad things about feminism!<br />
<br />
The upshot of all of this is that a <i>lot</i> more women have discovered Women Against Feminism and the group's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WomenAgainstFeminism?fref=nf">Facebook page</a> has received a lot more submissions from other women who don't identify as feminists. It's similar to the Streisand Effect in many ways; although the group hasn't been censored, attempts to point and laugh at them has only given them more publicity. I have nothing but respect and praise for the women who submitted their pictures. It's brave of them to do that at any time but it takes a special kind of courage to do so only a few days after a handful of sites showed their scorn for Women Against Feminism.<br />
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You can now follow me on Twitter @themalesofgames, send an e-mail to themalesofgames@gmail.com or leave a comment below.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-32250683443886716802014-07-02T18:23:00.002+01:002014-07-02T18:23:35.726+01:00"Fewer Tifas or More Sephiroths" - The Video (and some stuff about Tropes Vs Women)Even though my pageviews always spike whenever I write about Anita Sarkeesian's videos, I've decided to follow in the footsteps of other Feminist Frequency critics and not watch the video. The fact is that at this stage, even if I <i>did</i> watch it, I would just be making the same arguments that I have for her previous four videos. Lack of context when providing examples. Cherry-picking examples. Not acknowledging male examples of the same issue, only focusing on women. Claiming something without evidence -- damsels in distress being considered property, for example -- and making further arguments based on that assumption.<br />
<br />
However, I would like to thank <b>beste36</b> and <b>gwadahunter2222</b> for their comments about Anita's latest video on my last blog. It's interesting to hear that Anita <a href="http://elevatorgate.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/does-prostituted-women-have-connotations-femfreqvideo-games/">managed to offend sex workers</a> and supporters of sex workers by referring to them as "prostituted women" (while giving male sex workers the courtesy of being referred to as "gigolos"). This criticism isn't specific to Feminist Frequency but anti-feminists often criticise feminism for portraying women as being unequal to men; saying "women need help, such as specific programs to get into STEM fields" while someone who considered men and women equal would say "women make their own choices to stay out of STEM fields and are more than capable of making their own decisions to enter or not".<br />
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This is what Anita did by using the term "prostituted women" instead of "sex workers". She deprived women of their agency and portrayed them as helpless objects rather than capable adults. The thing is, Anita does this <i>a lot</i> -- before her Damsels in Distress videos, I had always heard "objectification" used in conjunction with sexualisation; Anita was the first person I'd heard posit the theory that female characters are basically objects to be taken and "won" back, rather than fully-rounded characters that the protagonist cares about because he/she does not want to see them <i>harmed</i> -- but she picked the wrong industry to do it with this time.<br />
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The reasons why are clear; Anita is a sex-negative feminist, <a href="http://www.feministfrequency.com/2011/05/link-round-up-feminist-critiques-of-slutwalk/">having criticised the "SlutWalk" marches in Toronto</a> and describing herself as feeling alienated from feminism for embracing the word "slut". She's also been criticised by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDtyrK1butI">sex-positive feminists on Youtube</a>. The problem, which Anita seems to have missed, is that sex workers have received an <i>extremely</i> bad rap over the years, with the struggle to have sex work recognised as a legitimate occupation, as a <i>legal</i> occupation, the problems with higher rates of violence in such a career, the problems with non-consensual sex (rape) being recognised by law when you're in a career that provides <i>consensual</i> sex to clients and just the general stigma of earning money through sex work in the first place. For that matter, an issue discussed in feminist circles is how female sexuality is often not recognised, supported or taken seriously (which I would argue is not the case), with straight male sexuality being "the norm".<br />
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With all this in mind, it's no wonder there was a backlash against a prominent feminist like Anita Sarkeesian portraying sex workers as the very objects and victims they fight <i>against</i> being stereotyped and stigmatised as. Although I'm afraid I have some bad news for everyone who is annoyed with Anita for referring to sex workers as "prostituted women"; your criticism will never be acknowledged by Anita, in the same way that she has not responded to any criticism directed at her since she's leapt into the spotlight. You're now part of the group that goes completely ignored by Anita unless she needs a reason to talk about how abusive people are being.<br />
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The <i>other</i> thing I learned about Anita's latest video from my last blog's comments section was that she made the following statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>[NPC women's] status as disposable objects is reinforced by the fact
that in most games discarded bodies will simply vanish into thin air a
short time after being killed.</i>"</blockquote>
Yeah.<br />
<br />
There are some occasions when watching the Tropes Vs Women series when I haven't played a certain game (this happened a lot with <i>Mario</i> and <i>Legend of Zelda</i> games) and need to read some other people's explanations to know how and why Anita is incorrect. However, this is one of those things that <i>everyone</i> has seen in games and <i>everyone</i> knows is not specific to women. It is the one thing in all of Anita's videos that <i>every single person</i> watching can point at and say, "I know that's complete nonsense". To say that disappearing bodies reinforces women's status as disposable objects is verifiably, demonstrably false by doing nothing more than observing the same thing happening to men. Unless Anita has magically come across a game where it <i>only</i> happens to women.<br />
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Weirdly, this is probably one of the few occasions where even non-gamers can understand the problem; understanding why bodies disappear in games is very, very simple. I've actually just finished writing a couple of essays detailing, amongst other things, why this happens but here's the TL;DR version, only three sentences long (and I'll explain it in greater detail if anyone cares that much): you know how, at E3, many developers were pushing the fact that their games will run in "1080p, 60 frames per second (fps)"? Well, if there are a lot of things on-screen at once, that can slow the game down. Making bodies disappear helps the game to run smoother and reach that 60fps framerate because there's less stuff on the screen.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, <i>and it happens to both men and women</i>. Okay, that was a fourth sentence.<br />
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Without a new Tropes Vs Women video to watch, I decided to watch another video that I've been putting off for about a month, ever since I discovered it existed. At the end of March, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/fewer-tifas-or-more-sephiroths-male.html">I wrote about</a> a talk at the Game Developers Conference called "Fewer Tifas or More Sephiroths: Male Sexualisation in Games" by Michelle Clough. At the time, I don't believe the video of Clough's presentation was online but <a href="http://gdcvault.com/play/1020520/Fewer-Tifas-or-More-Sephiroths">it is now</a> and I believe it has been for a while. If you're not interested in watching it, you can read Michelle Clough's notes for the speech <a href="http://michelle-clough.com/2014/03/25/post-gdc-2014-week-final-speech-notes-for-fewer-tifas-or-more-sephiroths-male-sexualization-in-games/">here</a> -- sorry, no transcript as far as I know -- and the slideshow is posted on its own <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/MichelleClough/gdc-2014-fewer-tifas-or-more-sephiroths-male-sexualization-in-games">here</a>. If you're just interested in skimming through it, that could be the best option.<br />
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Back in March, I assumed the best of Clough's talk and gave her the benefit of the doubt. After watching it? Well, if I had to sum it up in a word, that word would be "entitled".<br />
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Looking back at the first blog post I wrote about this, prior to having seen the presentation, a lot of my initial assumptions about the talk haven't changed (the "male power fantasy" argument -- although more frequently referred to as "male gaze" here, "power fantasy" does get name-checked at the end -- the idea that Clough's talk didn't rise <i>much</i> higher than "I want more of these character types in games just because I like 'em" and I still object to the idea that androgynous male characters are rare). However, my position on quite a few things <i>have</i> changed after seeing the talk and, I'm disappointed to say that most of them have changed for the worse.<br />
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There <i>were</i> some things I liked about the talk, albeit only a couple. I liked the way Clough compared various types of male heroes from different cultures to their modern counterparts. I felt as if that dug a little deeper than most. I also think Clough gave a good explanation of "male gaze", being more comprehensive and logical than other people I've heard discuss the issue. Having said that, I ended up disliking Clough's take on both for the simple reason that I wasn't convinced by either one.<br />
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When discussing European examples of gallant male heroes, for example, Clough compared the dapper Mr. Darcy from <i>Pride & Prejudice</i> to the suave and sophisticated James Bond as an example of a male character of a similar archetype in the present day. The thing is though, this one example isn't especially representative of European male heroes as a whole and even Bond himself has undergone many reinventions over the years. Plus, I found it interesting that Pierce Brosnan was the Bond chosen for Clough's example. Speaking as a British citizen, the biggest "fangirling" (for lack of a better term) over Bond in recent memory was Daniel Craig's scene in <i>Casino Royale</i> where he emerges from the sea in a pair of tight swimming trunks. Yet Craig's Bond is definitely in the running for the most rugged, placing him further from Mr. Darcy and closer to action heroes from American culture. However, Clough doesn't expand beyond male characters from Westerns, even though there are plenty of male characters from modern films -- or at least the eighties -- who fit the mould. This <i>could</i> be due to a lack of time, as Clough went on to rush her talk towards the end, but it still wasn't as comprehensive as it could be.<br />
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I'd also like to say that when it comes to film, the UK's male protagonists again stray from the romanticised and elegant image of Mr. Darcy that Clough displayed during the presentation; if there's one genre that UK film has excelled in over the last few decades, it's the crime genre. It's also the genre that Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone and Jason Statham got their starts in, thanks largely to the presence of "celebrity criminals" in the UK such as the Kray Twins. Could they be dapper at times? Sure. Were they even <i>close</i> to Mr. Darcy? Far from it. I understand that Clough was discussing European courtly narratives as a whole but I'm failing to see the parallel between those and male characters in the present day. Bond (and Mr. Darcy) could be the exceptions rather than the rules. It's only a minor thing and isn't actually about any sexualised male characters in games but it bothered me slightly.<br />
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As for not being convinced by Clough's explanation of male gaze, it's the same criticism that I had with some of Anita Sarkeesian's arguments; I have to take Clough's word for it being the case but I don't see a guarantee that it (A) exists, (B) is the reason why certain "rugged" male characters are designed the way they are and (C) is the reason why certain situations, either involving sexualised women, or "awkward or comedic" non-sexualised naked men exist. And once again, I have to take someone else's word for it that I want to <i>be</i> these rugged male characters and any attraction straight women or gay men may have to them is accidental (Clough's words).<br />
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This is just my interpretation but what bothered me about this -- and the talk in general -- is the undertone that Clough's opinions and love of bishonen characters is "right" and to choose to create characters that don't appeal to her is "wrong". When you have sections called "who's doing it right?", it gives the impression that there's only one "correct" way of making sexually-appealing male characters. The same goes for when dimissing Max Payne as a brooding character done poorly while praising <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>'s Vincent Valentine as a brooding character done well, while I would say the two characters are the other way around (although to Clough's credit she <i>did</i> use an image of <i>Max Payne 3</i>, which I've never played ... although after watching the first ten minutes on Youtube, <i>that</i> particular incarnation was one I could've done without seeing. What happened to all of Max's metaphors and similes? What happened to him making his peace with his family's deaths at the end of <i>Max Payne 2</i>?).<br />
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The problem with this assertion is that, obviously, there <i>are</i> women who find rugged male characters attractive and plenty of male gamers who don't relate to them at all. The opposite can obviously apply to bishonen characters, with not all female gamers being as enamored of them as Clough and it goes without saying that men can play as them without thinking twice about it. A female commenter on my last blog about Clough's talk actually said, "I never found the Sephiroth or Marluxia type of bishounen appealing.
Like maybe when I was 14." She also mentioned stumbling across some <i>Call Of Duty</i> yaoi once. If you have time, go to Google or DeviantArt and search for "call of duty yaoi". It exists!<br />
<br />
It should be clear by now that there's no one <i>big</i> problem I had with Michelle Clough's presentation but a lot of small ones. For example, in my previous blog, I objected to Clough thinking that androgynous male characters were rare. Now that I've seen it, I've learned that the issue wasn't with sexualised being rare but them not being in any "core" games. To me, this led to a very muddled argument; firstly, Clough praised characters such as Thane (and others) in <i>Mass Effect</i>, which I would describe as a "core game". Secondly, she would go on to say "make sure sexualised characters are right for <i>your game</i>", before showing a mock-up of a <i>Call Of Duty</i> cover with a bunch of shirtless, muscular guys on the box, indicating an example of a game where it <i>wouldn't</i> be appropriate. I understand that <i>Call Of Duty</i> isn't the only "core" game out there but I would've been interested in hearing some suggestions from Clough. Thirdly, <i>Final Fantasy VII</i> was referred back to many times throughout the talk but the thing is ... the <i>Final Fantasy</i> series is still out there and still features androgynous characters. It's not exactly the fault of the developer that it's no longer the "core" series that it once was, so even though Clough is correct in that respect, it's also not through lack of trying that <i>Final Fantasy</i> isn't as popular as it used to be (or any game series for that matter; I'm sure most developers would give an arm and a leg for their games to be considered a "core" series like <i>CoD</i> or <i>Assassin's Creed</i>). So what point is being made by mentioning the lack of "core" games featuring sexualised male characters? Is someone to blame? Is it an example of how unfairly female characters have it in games, just because Square-Enix haven't been able to achieve the same success that they used to?<br />
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I don't want to ramble too much about this, particularly since it turns out I have as many criticisms as I do with the average Anita Sarkeesian video, but one final thing I noticed that disappointed me was how the slides on sexualised male characters were talked about with a light-hearted attitude while the rare occasions when sexualised female characters were the topic of conversation, Clough adopted a more serious tone; slides about Male Gaze,<b> </b>why sexualisation can be good while objectification is bad (focusing entirely on female characters, of course), comparing a male Starcraft character to a female one and comparing a shot of Jacob's buttocks in <i>Mass Effect 2</i> to one of Miranda's were all treated as serious issues. Talking about male video game characters was the opportunity for Clough to crack some jokes and get a few chuckles from the audience.<br />
<br />
My issue with that wasn't that jokes were being made at the expense of male characters. Having a funny presentation isn't the problem. It doesn't even bother me that the first talk about sexualised male characters <i>ever</i> wasn't taken seriously. Hell, <i>you</i> try condensing a subject down into twenty-five minutes when it's <i>never</i> been spoken about in such a prominent venue. It's not enough time to cover everything.<br />
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What bothers me is that it was purely from a feminist point-of-view. By that, I mean that Clough's stance wasn't one we haven't seen before. The idea of sexualised men was still a joke, in spite of Clough finding them appealing. In fact, it was considered a good thing, with Clough believing sexualised male characters could attract more women and gay men to gaming. Meanwhile, Clough reserved a modicum of seriousness when talking about female characters and I'd say the only time she mentioned them positively was in passing, when discussing how sexualised characters had to have traits other than their attractive appearance. Even then, it was glossed over, focusing on both Sephiroth <i>and</i> Tifa from <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>, rather than just Tifa.<br />
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I don't want it to seem like I'm against Clough having a feminist point-of-view just because it's a <i>feminist</i> point-of-view and give the impression that I'm foaming at the mouth with rage over it. I dislike it because it's a standpoint that seems dead-set against the idea that men can be portrayed negatively. One perfect example of it is when Michelle Clough mentions that when it comes to male nudity in games, it is always portrayed as "awkward or comedic". Hey, you'll get no argument on that from me. Where Clough and I differ, however, is where Clough sees the prominence of comedic nude male characters in games as being unequal treatment for women, as there were plenty of sexualised female characters but a lack of male ones, I see it as being unfair treatment of men.<br />
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This doesn't apply as much in games as it does in films, television shows and even real life but it's very rare for male sexuality to be treated as anything close to desirable, including in shows aimed at women; men are constantly portrayed as bumbling comedy figures when it comes to romance, someone for the down-to-earth female characters to roll their eyes at. Women are always portrayed as the desirable, effortlessly sexy party who useless male characters want to (and fail to) be with. Take a look at this advert from Wowcher in the UK for an example (which also portrays violence against men as comedy):<br />
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Or how about this advert for "Mullerlight Greek Style Luscious Lemon" yoghurt, which <i>does</i> show a male character as being desirable ... before he stumbles and the female main character (and narrator) laughs at his stupidity? I apologise but for some reason, the video isn't showing up when I try to embed it. Here's the link:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0eTpFdt5jE">Müllerlight Greek Style Luscious Lemon Lifeguard</a><br />
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Then there's Harpic White & Shine, a lavatory cleaner. In this advert, a suave man in a white suit walks through some mist while words like "Dazzling", "Brilliant" and "Wow!" appear on the screen ... then he looks dejected as it turns out the words were referring to the lavatory cleaner and not him:<br />
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The reason I'm showing all of these television commercials is because Clough used a quote to make it seem as if the only reason why male sexuality is used as comedy is because "man is reluctant to gaze at his exhibitionist like". It's because of Male Gaze, in other words. However, these television commercials are all aimed at women; its "heroes" are female, the voiceover artists are female and hapless male figures are the butt of the joke. None of these adverts have anything to do with Male Gaze, so why does Clough believe that <i>must</i> be the case in games?<br />
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The funny thing is that treating male sexuality as comedy is actually the <i>least</i> offensive way of expressing a lack of desirability for men. When male sexuality is portrayed as being disgusting or even <i>dangerous</i>, it stops being comedy and actually creeps into prejudice; we end up with campaigns like "teach men not to rape", which is about as sexist as it gets and I'm not willing to go into it any further than that. This blog's long enough.<br />
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Finally, and this is a bit of a nitpick, but using Jin Kazama from <i>Tekken</i> as an example of a "power fantasy" when it comes to shirtless scenes? Literally <i>any</i> other shirtless <i>Tekken</i> character would've been a better option for Clough to pick if she wanted to make the "power fantasy" argument. Aside from Hwoarang, I'd say Jin fits Clough's criteria for a sexualised male character better than anyone else on the roster. He even has the same broodiness that Clough likes, which Namco Bandai plays up when Jin is the object of Ling Xiaoyu's affections:<br />
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Even though that ending turns out to be a dream, it's not <i>that</i> far from Jin's regular attitude.<br />
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I also have to point out something that I mentioned all the way back in September 2012; that Jin is one of several characters created to be a younger, better-looking successor to an existing character.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvyTsJr8EvqI4SKjnzMGMi7qEsk91af_lFO9sJVbWorW6cdz28n4JgekueCB_LZ9-2SzdRNsa79ALsJRab_QQwngwlK7Rnpz3whBOo9sV56Ders2l3kQ9xbQsrFcH-atMPPxQjfy4BKc/s1600/replacements.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvyTsJr8EvqI4SKjnzMGMi7qEsk91af_lFO9sJVbWorW6cdz28n4JgekueCB_LZ9-2SzdRNsa79ALsJRab_QQwngwlK7Rnpz3whBOo9sV56Ders2l3kQ9xbQsrFcH-atMPPxQjfy4BKc/s1600/replacements.png" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
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So like I said, it's nitpicking but I don't agree that Jin is close to a male power fantasy at all, particularly due to the standards that are usually used by feminists (Kratos and Marcus Fenix, for example).<br />
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Overall, and to summarise my problem with Michelle Clough's talk, in my previous blog on the presentation I gave her the benefit of the doubt because the topic of men being sexualised was <i>never</i> acknowledged. Now that I've watched the talk, I don't feel like it offered anything new at all. It didn't offer another side to the issue of sexualised characters, it just bolstered the position of the side that already controls the conversation on sexualisation (and other gender issues). And in spite of the fact that Clough was strapped for time, I have an unpleasant feeling that even if the presentation was twice as long, we wouldn't see sexualised male characters taken seriously (except to point out how good it is for straight women and gay men).<br />
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... The presentation was still more watchable than Tropes Vs Women though ...<br />
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In other news, I finally took the plunge and joined Twitter. You can see my feed in the sidebar and I'm always happy for more followers.</div>
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You can also leave comments below or send me an e-mail at themalesofgames@gmail.com.</div>
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The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-47829411463481239122014-06-16T03:14:00.000+01:002014-06-16T03:14:20.595+01:00E3 2014: "Rainbow Six: Sexism"? Far from it.My first year of game development at college has come to an end and, although I haven't yet received my grades for the entire year, they're expected to be first-rate (although I don't wish to sound as if I'm bragging; if they're good, it's because I agonised over the work every day rather than because I'm necessarily more intelligent than the other students. I noticed that an insane level of commitment seemed to be a trend with the mature students). I can't say that I'm any closer to entering the games industry than when I started but it's only one year of college, so it isn't unexpected that I haven't come out of it "industry-ready".<br />
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Enrolling on a game development course also didn't give me the opportunity to discuss sexism as much as I had hoped. I think I had around three conversations about it in the entire year but other than that, as you'd probably expect, most people -- male and female -- didn't care about gender issues in games. Which is fine and completely understandable; in spite of all the articles about gender issues in games online, it has to be said that it is <i>not</i> an issue that the majority of gamers care about. A few people <i>did</i> seem interested in how Wil Wheaton spearheaded a movement that ended with Destructoid writer Ryan Perez being fired though, so that's something.<br />
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E3 took place last week and I really enjoyed it. I didn't have much interest in any of the current-gen consoles but with <i>Bloodborne</i>, <i>Mortal Kombat X</i> and <i>No Man's Sky</i> being the games that made a big impression on me, I suspect I'll buy a PS4 at some point (probably next year). Oh, and the <i>Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain</i> trailer blew me away.<br />
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Anyway, speaking of E3 and articles about gender issues, I suppose it was too much to hope for to think that E3 might pass without an accusation of sexism being aimed at someone or something. Off the top of my head, "scandals" I can recall include a lack of female presenters, a lack of games featuring female <i>characters</i> and, in case anyone has forgotten, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-microsoft-rape-joke-at-e3.html">the "rape" joke during the Killer Instinct presentation</a> last year.<br />
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I followed the conferences on Gamespot and on June 10th, before the event was even finished, Tom McShea took it upon himself to write an editorial called "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-disturbing-representation-of-women-in-the-rainbow-six-siege-e3-demo/1100-6420266/">The Disturbing Representation of Women in the <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i> E3 Demo</a>". Tom's big problem? In the stage demo for <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i>, a female character was a hostage. That's it. That's the entire issue. You can watch the demo at the link above but here's a Youtube version if you prefer:<br />
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Before I go into Tom McShea's article, what <i>I</i> took away from E3 with regards to gender issues was how many <i>positive</i> portrayals of female characters there were. All of them got their share of the spotlight. I'm sure I'm going to forget some but we had <i>Bayonetta 2</i>. <i>Mirror's Edge 2</i>. <i>Alien: Isolation</i>.<i> Infamous: First Light</i>.<i> Rise of the Tomb Raider</i>. <i>Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris</i>. Plus, think of the games that had a mix of male and female characters, like <i>Mortal Kombat X</i>. <i>Fable Legends</i>. <i>The Sims 4</i>. <i>Hyrule Warriors</i>. If the predecessors of <i>Bloodborne</i>, <i>Dragon Age: Inquisition</i> and <i>Mass Effect 4</i> are anything to go by, they'll all have the option to play as male or female characters too. Hell, it seemed like <i>most</i> games had a choice of male and female characters, from <i>Broforce</i> to the <i>Dead Rising 3</i> DLC. In fact, would you like to know another game that had a positive female portrayal in the stage demo? <b><i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i></b>!<br />
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In case you didn't watch the video above, the demo -- which features the disclaimer "the following is pre-alpha footage captured from a multiplayer match" but is very blatantly staged -- features five online players trying to rescue the female hostage from their five opponents. Of the five players whose voices we hear, one of them -- playing as a sniper -- is female. She is portrayed as being just as capable as the male players on her team.<br />
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The point is that E3's representations of female characters should've been cause for celebration (or, if you're part of the "they shouldn't be praised for doing what's expected of them" crowd, at least it shouldn't have been cause for criticism). Yet Tom McShea, being a glass half-empty kind of chap, focused on the one example from the show that featured a woman in a damsel-in-distress role and argued:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>It was their decision to have a woman presented as an object, something
to be fought over--to be won--so that's the message that was hammered
home. So I can only look at the reality of this demonstration and wonder
why it's once again a woman placed in such a sad position.</i>"</blockquote>
The main reasons I still visit Gamespot are (A) habit and (B) the majority of people who post comments seem to be sensible and rational. In this case, I was impressed with how this excerpt from a comment by "tonkins22" got to the heart of the matter:<br />
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"<i>Sexism in games needs to be tackled, and deserves a billion-word
discussion. But you can't use a non-example as your launchpad into that
point, or it makes the argument itself look thin, which is bad for the
cause. The author is writing an article about a serious forest fire and tries to get your attention by panicking about a lit match.</i>"</blockquote>
This is the central problem with McShea's article. It's a perfect example of making a mountain out of a molehill. McShea refers to women in games as "prizes", "rewards", "objects", "plot points" and "second-class citizens" throughout his editorial but the main thrust of his argument is based on this lone female hostage from <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i>. There is no evidence that she is any of those things and the rescue team in the video are intending to <i>rescue</i> this hostage, not <i>claim</i> her in any way. That's McShea's own interpretation. He's the only one seeing her as an object rather than a human being. It's little wonder that the Gamespot members collectively roll their eyes at this when there is a positive female portrayal <i>in the same video</i>, many positive female portrayals in other games at E3 and there will be male hostages in <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i> too.<br />
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Speaking of male hostages, McShea notably didn't mention <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-direct/2300-6419204/">Huey Emmerich being taken hostage and tortured</a> in the <i>Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain</i> trailer (from 2:20 to 2:40 in that video). Both <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d60v1OErEY&feature=player_detailpage#t=285">the protagonist and his "plus one" are taken hostage</a> in the <i>Far Cry 4</i> villain trailer (from 4:45 until the very end in that video). None of those three male characters are shown as being anything other than helpless, much like the female hostage in the <i>Rainbow Six: Siege</i> demo. However, McShea insists that "it's once again a woman placed in such a sad position". He even mentions <i>Far Cry 4</i> in the final paragraph, using it as an example of "white male protagonists [being] placed front and center" (which is wrong because ... ?) without mentioning that the white male protagonist in question gets a bag placed over his head before being taken captive.<br />
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It's disappointing that this type of blatant misrepresentation of the facts has become so commonplace but that's what happens when people are desperate to promote an agenda that doesn't have any grounding in reality. There <i>are</i> gender issues that should be talked about and the portrayal of women in games is by no means perfect -- as tonkins22 said, "sexism in games needs to be tackled, and deserves a billion-word
discussion" -- but McShea took what should've been a success for women in games and turned it into a failure.<br />
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Then again, this is the same person who wrote "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-santa-barbara-killer-is-a-product-of-our-culture-and-we-shouldn-t-hide-from-that-fact/1100-6419904/">The Santa Barbara Killer Is a Product of Our Culture, and We Shouldn't Hide From That Fact</a>".<br />
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(When I began writing this part, I didn't plan on it being as long as it became. If you just care about gaming, you can stop reading now because this is related to real life.)</div>
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Hopefully, I won't go into this <i>too</i> much because it seems like I've discussed nothing else since it happened at the end of May. For those who don't know, on May 23rd a college student named Elliot Rodger murdered four men and two women and injured thirteen others. There were many reasons behind it; Rodger was a misanthrope. He loathed men, describing them as "obnoxious brutes" and left forum comments fantasising about a virus wiping out every man on earth except him so he could have his pick of the women. He loathed women too, referring to "blonde sluts" and fantasising about wiping all of <i>them</i> out too while sitting in a tower and watching at all. Rodger was also a racist, recoiling at interracial couples and showing disgust towards full-Asian men (Rodger himself was half-white, half-Asian and referred to himself as Eurasian several times. Three of the six victims were also Asian and, given that they were the three who were stabbed in his apartment rather than shot, these were apparently the predetermined murders).<br />
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It should also be mentioned that Rodger suffered from a mental illness. At times online, I've seen people react to that point with aggression, thinking that just pointing it out means he's being held up as an example of <i>all</i> sufferers of mental illness but that isn't the case any more than he's an example of all virgins or half-Asians. The point is that without acknowledging that Rodger suffered from a mental illness, the severity and significance of mental illness cannot be understood.<br />
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The reason I'm bringing this up isn't just because of Tom McShea's article on the subject. In fact, if Tom's editorial is the first you've read about the Isla Vista killings, you might be confused about why he's focusing so much on misogyny and violence against women. The fact is that in this case, McShea was just following in the footsteps of over a dozen other, more mainstream news sites that ignored every single motivating factor in the murders ... <i>except</i> for Rodger's hatred of women (although the blog itself was about how misinformation can be spread and perpetuated, the women of Honey Badger Radio have a decent list of around <a href="http://blog.honeybadgerbrigade.com/uncategorized/feminist-media-bias-or-how-man-boobz-caused-a-media-circus/">fifteen sites</a> that focused specifically on violence against women. As they mention at the end, they're only a fraction of the total number).<br />
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Without wanting this to turn into a rant, the most disgusting aspect of the Santa Barbara killings if you followed the coverage was how it instantly and blatantly it became an event to promote an agenda ... and it wasn't just to raise awareness about violence against women. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/anne-theriault-/elliot-rodger-shooting_b_5386818.html">Men's rights activists were blamed</a>, even though Elliot Rodger wasn't an MRA. <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/05/27/white_guy_killer_syndrome_elliot_rodgers_deadly_privileged_rage/">White men were blamed</a>, even though Elliot Rodger wasn't white. In the Huffington Post article I just linked to, feminist blogger Anne Theriault actually states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>We have no evidence yet that he suffered from any kind of mental illness
or was under any sort of treatment. Immediately claiming that with no
proof to back that fact up leads to the further stigmatization of the
mentally ill, and contributes to the (incorrect) assumption that mental
illness equals violence, and vice versa.</i>"</blockquote>
This is in spite of the fact that <a href="http://gma.yahoo.com/suspect-uc-santa-barbara-shooting-identified-family-171001175--abc-news-topstories.html">the day before</a>, Rodger's own father (speaking through an attorney) stated, "the 22-year-old <b>was being treated by multiple therapists</b> and was a student at Santa Barbara City College".<br />
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Phrases like "male entitlement", "male privilege" and "male rage" all became commonplace, effectively painting all men with the same Elliot Rodger-shaped brush. If you have the time, you can go through the Honey Badger Radio list of articles and find the number of pieces that use the phrase "six <i>people </i>were killed" before launching into a rant about Rodger's misogyny, entitlement and violence against women rather than say "four men and two women". That isn't a coincidence. Feminist bloggers and journalists leapt on the opportunity to use the deaths of a tragedy <i>where more men were killed than women</i> to promote awareness about an unrelated viewpoint.<br />
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I want to make it clear that I'm not just disappointed about the deaths of the four young men being used (or, more accurately, ignored) to further an agenda that <i>attacked</i> men on a regular basis. <i>None</i> of the six, including the two women, deserved to have their deaths used in this manner. They were people. Their deaths were not something to be politicised for personal gain. It's safe to say that over the last month, feminism reached full Jack Thompson territory.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbebLqkmTrLdRSW7ZcHMACDmRuHG4dqr__82y8_HcoOU3mM-DlTdSpx6dOwdNuJ1u2-HASzCX0Y5XziaUYzwrNL4Wipt4-WigoyMaJpLC-AD5H5ao9xVApZnLjDEwQYY-Whnu7ZG0zrod/s1600/NEVER+MISS+AN+OPPORTUNITY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbebLqkmTrLdRSW7ZcHMACDmRuHG4dqr__82y8_HcoOU3mM-DlTdSpx6dOwdNuJ1u2-HASzCX0Y5XziaUYzwrNL4Wipt4-WigoyMaJpLC-AD5H5ao9xVApZnLjDEwQYY-Whnu7ZG0zrod/s1600/NEVER+MISS+AN+OPPORTUNITY.jpg" height="400" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Credit to <a href="http://europa-phoenix.blogspot.fr/">Europa-Phoenix</a>. This comparison went through my mind over the course of the last month too.</i></td></tr>
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One reason I'm bringing this up is because mass shootings in the U.S. have affected me in a few different ways. When the 2012 Aurora cinema shooting happened, I was so unbelievably shaken that I intentionally (and probably selfishly) avoided reading <i>anything</i> about the Sandy Hook shooting when it occurred in case it affected me in a similar way.<br />
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Something that I've tried to keep up on this blog -- which I've admittedly been back and forth on at different times -- is avoiding using "feminists" as a blanket term. Sometimes I haven't used it at all, other times I've tried to soften the blow by saying "some feminists" or "the feminist argument", to try to communicate that I'm not blaming the movement as a whole. I've always been swayed by the "not all feminists are like that" (NAFALT) argument that comes up repeatedly when men's rights activists point out some of the ways that feminism has had a hand in the poor treatment of men.<br />
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Now? Well, as you might've noticed over the last half-dozen paragraphs or so, I'm not particularly concerned about sparing the feelings of the NAFALT crowd any more. While I reacted to the Aurora shooting with horror, I ended up reacting to the Isla Vista killings with anger and not <i>just</i> directed at Rodger. Some of the most despicable people -- making the most unpleasant, untruthful arguments -- came crawling out of the woodwork and every one of them was a feminist ... and too few feminists responded to these articles with anger, disappointment or disgust. The quiet, half-hearted opposition on forums and in comments sections doesn't do much to combat the loud dogmatism of feminist journalists like <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2014/05/lets-call-isla-vista-killings-what-they-were-misogynist-extremism">Laurie Penny</a>, dismissing violence against men while telling me that I'm "part of the problem" ... for saying that not all men are like Elliot Rodger because that dismisses violence against women. Somehow.<br />
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On the plus side, she makes Tom McShea look like a saint.<br />
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Okay, so I had a lot more to say on this issue than I thought but it's probably better that I got all of this off my chest <i>here</i> and not just in the comments section of a news article. This may be primarily a games blog but a few occasions have been set aside to talk about men's issues in general. It annoys me that this <i>shouldn't</i> have been a men's rights issue -- Rodger wasn't even remotely related to the men's rights movement but that didn't stop Anne Theriault and others from branding him one -- but it became one, so it's worth being brought up.<br />
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Hope you all had a happy Father's Day! Feel free to comment or e-mail me at themalesofgames@gmail.com.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-42886545788765259562014-05-13T02:45:00.000+01:002014-12-31T16:58:30.274+00:00What am I supposed to do about "Gaming While Male"?I'll be keeping this one short, although I'd like to start updating more regularly again. Practically all work I'm busy with should be completed by the end of the month and I'd like to get back to the more regular updates that I used to produce, pre-college games development course. I feel less involved with gender issues in the games industry and could do with being more active. I have to admit, I feel a twinge of envy when I visit <a href="http://victorsopinion.blogspot.co.uk/">Vicsor's site</a> and see how involved he is with some cool, creative people on Twitter, like <a href="http://www.deviever.com/">devi ever</a> and even Tamara Smith (<a href="http://cowkitty.net/">cowkitty</a>), back when the whole Anita Sarkeesian art theft issue broke. Not being a fan of Twitter, I'll have to make do with updating this blog more frequently.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, Jonathan McIntosh -- producer of Anita Sarkeesian's Feminist Frequency video series -- wrote an article for Polygon magazine titled "Playing with privilege: the invisible benefits of gaming while male". I'm not going to link to <i>that</i> particular article because, if you've ever seen a "male privilege checklist" article anywhere online, it's basically the same regurgitated information, only tailored to gaming. It's pointless to argue against McIntosh's points because, just like the ones seen in male privilege checklists, they're written based on assumptions and beliefs rather than evidence. I could provide every counter-argument in the world but it's clear that anyone who writes something like ...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I can be relatively sure my thoughts about video games won’t be
dismissed or attacked based solely on my tone of voice, even if I speak
in an aggressive, obnoxious, crude or flippant manner."</i></blockquote>
... Isn't interested in facts.<br />
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I wasn't <i>that</i> interested in writing about this topic at all until I came across McIntosh's article mentioned on <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/04/27/306853264/gaming-while-male-a-privilege-few-men-recognize">NPR</a>. At the top of the page is a picture of Nathan Drake from <i>Uncharted</i> -- which isn't mentioned in the article at all -- with the following caption:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Nathan Drake (foreground) is the lead protagonist of the Uncharted
series of games for the Sony PS3. His character is just one in a long
line of games where the dominant figure is a white male action hero."</i></blockquote>
If you're anything like me, the first thought that crossed my mind was "so?" and I'm still not sure what point Steve Mullis, the writer of that article, is trying to make. Is it a criticism of <i>all</i> games with white men in the leading role? If so, what's wrong with white men as action heroes or being the "dominant figure"? And if someone <i>does</i> think there's something wrong with it, again, so what? The developer does not have any responsibility to cater to a demanding audience -- regardless of the entitled Jason Schreiers and <i>Tomodachi Life</i> same-sex relationship campaigners of the world -- because their personal tastes are irrelevant to the project.<br />
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That one screenshot got me thinking about how <i>I</i> felt about "Gaming While Male" and, right off the bat, I'll say that I loathe the term (much like I did when I first read "Interneting While Female" from Anita Sarkeesian). The reason being that it's obviously derived from the term "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_While_Black">Driving While Black</a>".<br />
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For those of you who don't know "Driving While Black" is a term for the racial profiling of black motorists by police officers, pulling them over based on the colour of their skin alone. Discrimination under the law based on skin colour is obviously a hugely serious issue, which is why I <i>hate</i> terms that trivialise it like "Interneting While Female". Sorry for stating the obvious but black drivers also cannot change their skin colour to avoid the "crime" of "Driving While Black". There's nothing they can do to avoid it, which is why it's such a despicable act of discrimination.<br />
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So ... what am I supposed to do about "Gaming While Male"? Just like "Driving While Black", it's not something I can easily change, nor should I have to. Inadvertently, it feels like Jonathan McIntosh has made male gamers out to be victims; in this scenario, male gamers are the driver while McIntosh is the bigoted cop, tapping on the window and ready to give us an earful about a characteristic we can't change.<br />
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Now, McIntosh doesn't want to perform an arrest. All he wants is for male gamers to "become aware" of their privilege. Part of the problem with this issue -- once again, apart from McIntosh's arguments being based on feelings rather than facts -- is the same problem with every single "privilege" argument out there;<b> denigrating the "dominant" group for their "privilege" does not help the "unprivileged" group in any way</b>. What does it accomplish, except for some brief catharsis of the "I sure told them!" variety for the person making the argument? If McIntosh and others who make the privilege argument spent half as much time helping the "unprivileged" as they do disparaging the "privileged", equality in gaming could probably be achieved within a week ...<br />
<br />
McIntosh touched upon the idea of men being "blissfully unaware" of their privilege or knowing about it but failing to understand it. However, maybe McIntosh would like to read "<a href="http://time.com/85933/why-ill-never-apologize-for-my-white-male-privilege/">Why I'll Never Apologise for My White Male Privilege</a>" by Tal Fortgang, published in TIME magazine. It's an excellent piece, with Fortgang facing the idea of "privilege" throughout his ancestry, basically facing proponents of privilege theory on their own terms. If McIntosh reads that piece, maybe he'll consider the idea that not only are men aware of privilege theory and understand it perfectly but just refuse to accept it. And with good reason.<br />
<br />
In other news, the BBC recently aired a documentary called "Blurred Lines: The New Battle of the Sexes", which I watched in its entirety. If it covered <i>any</i> new ground with regards to gender issues then I would be happy to write about it extensively here but, as it happens, it was all the typical go-to non-issues for gender issues online nowadays; a lack of women on bank notes in the UK, rape jokes in stand-up comedy and, yes, Anita Sarkeesian. She did a few minutes, basically repeating everything from her TEDxWomen talk, her Conference talk, her CNN interview, etc. At this point, it feels like Anita has become a parody of <i>herself</i>. I'm just going to link to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg6ONsfpjPw">a Youtube response</a> by a woman named Vipersword100, who perfectly sums up the issues with Anita's portion of the documentary.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-76796677974409809122014-04-20T18:27:00.000+01:002014-04-20T18:27:59.586+01:00Comparing 2002 to 2014: How Have Things Changed?<b>This blog post features spoilers for <i>The Wolf Among Us</i> and <i>Metal Gear Solid 2</i>.</b> <br />
<br />
I apologise for not updating more regularly but, as you'll know by now, it's mainly due to college work building up at inopportune moments. The final five weeks are coming up soon and I sense that the assignments are all going to be crammed in at once. Plus, if that wasn't enough, I've been avoiding gaming sites like the plague because I was intentionally trying to stay away from <i>any</i> information about <i>Dark Souls II</i>, wanting to go in completely blind, so if any major news about gender issues in gaming cropped up, I haven't heard about it. I know Anita Sarkeesian accepted her GDC Ambassador award but I haven't watched her speech, and don't intend to.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm <i>finally</i> able to finish this blog post that I started writing in early January. There'll be a few places where I write things like "lately" and "last week" but it's outdated in a few places. I even linked to the Penny-Arcade report at one point, which is no longer available. However, the majority of it was written today (and focuses on books from over ten years ago anyway), so it's not particularly important that it's a few months old:<br />
<br />
Lately,
I've had to scour a bunch of books on gaming as part of a written
assignment, hoping to find anything that would help me with a
hypothetical game proposal (e.g. - info on target audiences, costs,
number of people in the development team, etc.). I found a few
interesting perspectives from women working within the industry. Nothing
groundbreaking but also not the typical opinions we read on gaming
sites.<br />
<br />
<u>Marketing</u><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Additionally, as you’re proofreading, keep your audience in mind. Does the press release appeal to your audience? While your ultimate audience is the person reading the news, your first audience is the gaming press. Who are these people? Well, they’re males— mostly. When asked about the male/female ratio of game reviewers at Gamespot, Andrew Park noted that, “currently it’s infinity, which is what you get when you divide by zero.” While the age range of the gaming press is typically viewed as very young, Park reports the average age of Gamespot reviewers as mid-20s to early 30s. Aishoshi of IGN sees an age range of 16 to mid-50s. He also notes the male to female ratio as “about five males to one female over the course of our existence.” Take a glance down the editor photos in a PC Gamer and you’ll see a row of seven white, male faces and, at least at the time this article was written, one female face.</i><br />
<br />
<i>So, what
does all that mean in terms of your press release? Not to say that these
guys aren’t in touch with their feminine side, but your best bet will
be to focus on the “dude!” elements of your story. How many levels? How
many Mechs? How many weapons? Any intense bands on the soundtrack? While
the number of female gamers appears to be growing, like it or not,
until more women join the ranks of the gaming media, you should probably
focus on the guy-appealing aspects of your game.</i>"</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Beverly Cambron, <i>Secrets Of The Game Business</i> (2002) </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Last week, I was reading a blog over at <a href="http://victorsopinion.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-diverse-cast-of-characters.html#comment-form">Vicsor's Opinion</a> about female representation in games and Vicsor brought up a game that I'd completely forgotten about over the last few months; <i>Remember Me</i>, the game that was at the centre of a Penny Arcade report about games starring female protagonists supposedly only being granted 40% of the marketing budget of a game starring a male protagonist. I don't think I mentioned that at the time but, if that's the case, it's pretty despicable that a publisher would actually designate more funding to games with male heroes. Yes, that <i>is</i> a significant case of women being held back in the games industry and everyone suffers because of it; we receive fewer interesting, varied protagonists and it shows a low opinion of the audience. Although I think it'd be interesting to see the budget breakdown of a game like <i>Tomb Raider (2013)</i>, to see exactly <i>how</i> it can star a female character but <a href="http://www.vg247.com/2013/03/27/analyst-tomb-raider-cost-100-million-needs-10-million-sales-to-succeed/">need over five million sales to succeed</a>. Although that's obviously the exception rather than the rule.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Vicsor's blog was in a similar vein. He took a look at the different
representations of male and female characters and I like that we share
the same opinions on varied characters. However, Vicsor did something
that I can't believe so few others have thought to do, me included; look
at the game sales. Although we'd need to look at more sales figures to see if there was a correlation, it <i>did</i> establish that in spite of the Penny Arcade report raising its stature, <i>Remember Me</i> still failed to sell. In spite of the criticism directed at cynical marketing teams, people didn't<i> </i>buy <i>Remember Me</i> to avoid turning the "people don't buy games with female protagonists" belief into a self-fulfilling prophecy.<br />
<br />
The marketing and sales figures for games starring female protagonists is a chicken-and-egg situation; does a lack of marketing cause them to have low sales or do low sales lead publishers to give them a smaller marketing budget?<br />
<br />
Beverly Cambron's quote above doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know but it's interesting to know that developers write press releases for the sake of the reviewers as well as the mainstream audience. It makes me wonder if and how marketing for games has changed since 2002. Part of me thinks that, with diversity and gender issues in gaming becoming a bigger issue, this kind of cynical stereotyping of audiences would've died down ... but with the prevalence of the "stubbled male protagonist, face-pointing-down, eyes-pointing-up" pose on box art, it feels like the opposite. As Cambron's quote above shows, this isn't an accident; it's clear that marketing teams <i>know</i> they're pandering to some "dudebro" audience and stereotyping gamers (particularly male ones) as a marketing tactic. Ken Levine said much the same thing when defending the box art for <i>Bioshock Infinite</i>, saying that the design was made following visits to "<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/12/10/kevin-levine-explains-that-bioshocks-bland-cover-is-for-frathouse-appeal/">frathouses and places like that</a>". The reason behind this is the same one that was directed at Anita Sarkeesian about why certain female portrayals and plot devices exist; because the games industry is a business, with developers intending to make money. It might be unfortunate but if something works, why change it? In fact, if the cover of <i>Bioshock Infinite</i> and other games are anything to go by, it must've been a marketing tactic that was so successful that developers begun to emphasise the "'dude!' elements" a lot more.<br />
<br />
I have to admit, part of me also wanted to include the Beverly Cambron quote as a response to the people who used to tell me, "don't you know that negative male portrayals are made <i>by </i>men?!" as if that somehow made it justifiable. It's unrealistic to assume any situation in gaming we currently dislike is the fault of either sex specifically.<br />
<br />
Currently, according to Beverly's Twitter feed, "My game industry days are (happily) over".<br />
<br />
<u>Portrayals & Character Design</u><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>There are stereotypes that people in the past have gone with that we have moved away from now. I don’t know that it’s necessarily because we’re trying to appeal more to the female market, or whether we’re just growing up as an industry. In a role-playing game now you wouldn’t want to have a halfnaked barbarian girl be your reward for some victory or whatever. We try to keep really blatant sexism out of it. I think that’s come because we’re more grown up as an industry, but it may be because Stormfront in particular is very sensitive to gender issues. We always have been, from when the company started.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Still, we always try to make the player characters in games, the protagonists, feel heroic and be of heroic proportions. In other words, if I’m playing a game and I as a woman decide to play a male character, I don’t necessarily want to see a weedy, weak-looking guy. I want to play a big barbarian. And if I’m playing a female character, I want to play a very attractive, strong, dynamic-looking woman. I think no matter what gender a player character is, you want their representation on-screen to be heroic, to be superhuman. I don’t mean like Superman, but more idealized than a real human would be.</i><br />
<br />
<i>In game stories these days, stereotypes are being broken down a lot more. There aren’t just weak women and strong men. There are also strong women and weak men. There are evil women, there are evil men. It’s a lot more even. There are a lot more women in gaming now, more women players. So it may just be an evolution of the culture that we’re reflecting as well. I’ve read some figures that seem to indicate women players tend to dislike complex interfaces, and so it may be part of the broader movement towards making simpler interfaces that’s brought in a larger female audience.</i>"</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Sarah Stocker, <i>Swords and Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games</i> (2002) </div>
<br /></div>
I think Sarah Stocker gets to the heart of what "escapism" is with these paragraphs. She describes exactly why we can (or <i>should</i>) accept exaggerated portrayals in games, in much the same way we do with comic book characters. I've heard female gamers on Youtube make the same comments about how characters of both sexes are exaggerated but it's refreshing to read these views from a woman actually working within the games industry. <br />
<br />
I've been incredibly critical of the "male power fantasy" argument made by feminist critics in the past -- the idea that women in games are exaggerated because of sexism and objectification but men in games are exaggerated because "men want to look like that" -- and it's interesting to read Stocker's perspective on it. Unlike me, she supports the "power fantasy" argument but also states that it isn't gender-specific.<br />
<br />
The theory that stereotypes are being broken down more and more is an interesting one. Remember that the above paragraphs were written in 2002 and, after a quick look at the games released in <i>2001</i> on Wikipedia, I can see why Sarah Stocker would make that claim. To be fair, I don't know when Stocker's piece for the book was written -- it could've been long before 2002, depending on how long it took for the book to be published -- but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2001_video_games">in 2001</a>, we had prominent games such as:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Max Payne</i> - Female antagonist.</li>
<li><i>Jak & Daxter</i> - Male <i>and</i> female antagonist, featured a female mechanic as a supporting character.</li>
<li><i>Half-Life: Decay</i> - The PS2 version of <i>Half-Life</i>, featuring an extra co-op mode where both playable characters were female.</li>
<li><i>Grand Theft Auto 3 -</i> Female antagonist, "heroic" female criminals (such as Asuka, who provides the player with missions).</li>
<li><i>Onimusha: Warlords</i> - Playable male and female characters, evil male and female characters, male and female damsels in distress.</li>
<li><i>Virtua Fighter 4</i> - Introduced female character Vanessa Lewis, with an unconventional muscular design.</li>
<li><i>Ico</i> - Certainly broke stereotypes about protagonists and damsels in distress, making the player care about the characters involved.</li>
<li><i>Serious Sam</i> - <i>Parodied</i> traditional stereotypes about big, strong, "manly" male heroes.</li>
<li><i>Alien Vs Predator 2</i> - Heroic male and female marines, female secondary antagonist in the marine storyline and, as in all Alien games, the Alien Queen is an antagonist.</li>
<li><i>Fatal Frame/Project Zero</i> - Female hero, female antagonist, male damsel in distress.</li>
<li><i>Final Fantasy X</i> - Several female protagonists, a female antagonist (Yunalesca), practically everyone is a damsel in distress at some point.</li>
</ul>
I'd also add <i>Metal Gear Solid 2</i> to the list, since I think Olga, Fortune and Emma Emmerich are all strong female characters in their own way but that's more of a judgment call; they all die by the end of the game and I'm sure people would take issue with Olga being sexualised at the start of of the game (even though, y'know, the end of the game features the player controlling a naked Raiden). Oh, and there's also <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni_%28video_game%29">Oni</a></i>, which has a female protagonist but I've never played it (so maybe she's portrayed horribly. Let me know in the comments if you've played <i>Oni</i>). I just thought I'd bring it up because that game looks <i>awesome</i> and I'm tempted to try it out ...<br />
<br />
Anyway, what we should take away from all of this -- as well as the depression that comes from knowing we might never see a gaming year as good as 2001 again in our lifetimes -- is that Sarah Stocker's comments about stereotypes being broken is understandable because of the games on offer in 2001. I'm sure that people could just as easily point to <i>Dead Or Alive 3</i> as an example of the opposite but that particular series skew the statistics regardless of the year we're looking at. As an example, if we look at the games released ten years later, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:2011_video_games&pageuntil=Escape+from+Thunder+Island#mw-pages">in 2011</a>, a <i>Dead Or Alive</i> game appears on the list again. It's fair to say that DOA is a series that is never going to break any stereotypes.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to pretend that I've played as many games on the 2011 list as I have on the 2001 list but, from what I can see, I don't see as many stereotypes being broken. When it comes to gender issues, <i>L.A. Noire</i>, <i>Final Fantasy XIII-2</i> and <i>Batman: Arkham City</i> seem to be reasonably by-the-numbers when it comes to stereotypical portrayals when it came to male heroes and villains -- sometimes remarkably, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/arkham-city-sexism.html">in the case of Arkham City</a> -- but <i>Dragon Age II</i> and <i>Uncharted 3</i> both featured female antagonists. The thing is, all of these games featured strong female characters (except perhaps <i>L.A. Noire</i>, from what I can recall), so that's certainly a quality that has stuck since Stocker's remarks in 2002.<br />
<br />
However, when it comes to male portrayals, am I the only one who feels like things feel stagnant? The portrayals of female characters in <i>Arkham City</i> are very different from those in <i>Final Fantasy XIII-2</i>, which are just as different from those in <i>Dragon Age II</i>. With the exception of Nathan Drake -- a favourite protagonist of mine for being a character that doesn't take
himself too seriously, which is a rare quality in the days where the "Stubble
McBadass" archetype looms over the games industry (to use a term from
Michelle Clough) -- I feel like stereotypes for men have become more entrenched rather than broken down. 2011 was also the year when we saw <i>Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3</i> released, just to hammer the point home. The women are varied, the men are similar.<br />
<br />
I don't want it to seem like I'm cherry-picking my examples here and this is by no means a comprehensive list or study; like I said, I haven't played as many games from 2011 and I'm sure that if we looked at the 2001 list, we could see plenty of examples of male protagonists that are incredibly similar to the ones picked from 2011. Unfortunately, it does feel like stereotypes are the order of the day for male characters. Why? Possibly due to a lack of a push for varied male characters as there has been for female ones or maybe it's for the same reasons that Beverly Cambron focused on the "'dude!' elements" and Ken Levine appealed to frathouse gamers; they're the characters that sell games. I find it hard to believe that having a few more male characters in the vein of <i>Ico</i> and a few less in the vein of gravelly-voiced Cole McGrath of <i>Infamous</i> would be the worst thing in the world. Although considering the difference in how those games performed, sales-wise, I may be wrong ...<br />
<br />
As an example of how male stereotypes are still alive and well in the games industry, let's take a look at a series that is ongoing right now; <i>The Wolf Among Us</i> from Telltale Games, developer of <i>The Walking Dead</i>. Similar to <i>TWD</i>, <i>The Wolf Among Us</i> is released in different "episodes" and, as of the latest episode, there's only one female villain but <i>every</i> single adult male human character is a scumbag in one way or another. Whereas the women are level-headed, independent, strong-willed and often victimised, the men are pimps, thugs, torturers, murderers, perverts, thieves and stalkers. Again, it feels like stereotypes have been broken down for women -- who are often portrayed as just trying to make a living -- while the men are just brutish or slimy, fighting each other rather than getting things done. The women are mature, the men are neanderthals.<br />
<br />
One final thing about that Sarah Stocker quote. This last part:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>I’ve read some figures that seem to indicate women players tend to
dislike complex interfaces, and so it may be part of the broader
movement towards making simpler interfaces that’s brought in a larger
female audience.</i>"</blockquote>
I only included this due to the long-standing rumour that Anita Sarkeesian felt "<a href="http://i.imgur.com/i8rQ1cn.jpg">a lot of female did not get into [<i>Mirror's Edge</i>] due to its difficult control scheme</a>". I certainly <i>don't</i> believe that difficult controls will prevent any gamer, male or female, from playing a game -- <a href="http://www.pixlbit.com/blog/3096/tell_me_you_didnt_just_say_that_an_open_letter_to_anita_sarkeesian">and I'm not the only one</a> -- and I think it's insulting towards female gamers to suggest that it is. However, I've pasted Sarah Stocker's quote about interfaces anyway, just because I thought it was relevant. I should also point out that it's not clear whether Anita did or didn't say that line about the controls in <i>Mirror's Edge</i>; due to the fact that she doesn't allow people to film her talks about gaming (only the talks about harassment), we have to rely on second-hand information and then wait for Anita's inevitable "don't believe everything you read online" tweet. <br />
<br />
Sarah Stocker is formerly of Stormfront Studios and, as far as I can tell, currently works as a senior producer for Sony Computer Entertainment America.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Even though I haven't written anything for a month, I still read everyone's comments. I've had some very interesting ones lately, even though I haven't responded to them, so thank you for commenting. It's much appreciated. Feel free to do the same below or e-mail me at themalesofgames@gmail.com</div>
The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-25426596196410869492014-03-21T00:22:00.002+00:002015-02-04T23:56:08.589+00:00"Fewer Tifas or More Sephiroths? Male Sexualization in Games"<span id="goog_349881588"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_349881589"></span>I know it's been another month without any activity and, unfortunately, I currently only have time to write another short post. Maybe I'll write a longer one over Easter.<br />
<br />
The Game Developers Conference is currently taking place and on Reddit, I came across <a href="http://schedule.gdconf.com/session-id/827463">a link to a Game Developer's Conference talk</a> called, "Fewer Tifas or More Sephiroths? Male Sexualization in Games". The description of it is short, so I'll just copy and paste the entire thing:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="session-description-text" itemprop="description">
<i>"Sexualized
female characters are hotly debated in the industry, but their
counterparts, sexualized male characters are rarely discussed, and even
more rarely written! This talk examines desirable men in video games,
how they contrast with current male character trends, and how they can
create a more welcoming atmosphere for straight women, gay men and
others. Attendees will learn how (and why) to move beyond "male gaze"
when writing male characters while avoiding "equal objectification."
We'll also discuss non-Western male idealization, traditional media
presenting men as fan service, and games that "get it right," to compile
a useful toolbox for writers and designers.</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="session-description-text" itemprop="description">
<i>Takeaway</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="session-description-text" itemprop="description">
<i>Attendees
will take away a greater understanding of how to approach writing more
desirable male characters, and why. Developers will have greater
awareness of how "gaze" affects character construction and design, and
writers will leave with practical, sex-positive tips and resources for
making male characters appealing to wider audiences."</i></div>
</blockquote>
If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you'll remember that I brought up <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/my-struggles-with-sexualised-males.html">how I had issues with sexualised male characters</a> when I was a teenager. Regardless of whether you thought my issues were justified or not, you'll notice that the summary of the talk above speaks about male sexualisation in a way that would never be considered acceptable for female ones outside of an internet forum. The summary treats sexualised male characters as a positive in games.<br />
<br />
According to the GDC page, there's a video recording of the talk but as far as I can tell, it isn't available online. I could only find two real pieces of information about the talk; the first is <a href="http://www.famitsu.com/news/201403/19050175.html">a Famitsu article</a>, which features photos of each PowerPoint slide and gives the impression that the speaker, Michelle Clough, is actually very fair-minded about the subject (although if anyone can translate the article better than Bing Translator can, I'd be interested in reading the details about it). The second <a href="http://michelle-clough.com/2014/03/15/gdc-narrative-summit-male-sexualization-in-games/">is directly from Clough's site</a> and gives the exact opposite impression.<br />
<br />
I don't want to make any assumptions about Clough's talk because those two sites seem to contrast each other; the photos in Famitsu's article suggests that Clough is sex-positive for both men and women rather than only being in favour of male sexualisation while her own site is very one-sided. Judging from the PowerPoint presentation alone, the talk itself seems to deal more with facts while the GDC summary and Clough's site both deal more with feelings. Come to your own conclusions about what the talk was actually like because at the moment, we just don't know.<br />
<br />
As a result, the only aspect of this that can be properly examined is the way it is presented on the GDC site and on Clough's own website. I have plenty of objections to Clough presenting male sexualisation as, "[a way to] create a more welcoming atmosphere for straight women, gay men and others". I can't imagine someone being given the stage at a GDC conference to defend sexualised female characters with "hey, straight guys and lesbians like 'em!". When the world of gaming journalism has cast female gamers as a demographic to be helped and straight male gamers as an entitled, socially-awkward group who harasses anyone who isn't a straight male gamer like them, I can't see that argument convincing anyone. If anything, it would be taken as an example of male gamers being unwelcoming towards female ones, whereas praising the sexualisation of male characters is not treated the same way.<br />
<br />
Likewise, I object to Clough's assertion that androgynous male characters are rare. Even in the PowerPoint presentation, she doesn't seem to stray outside of the <i>Final Fantasy</i> series except to show a piece of fanart (I assume) of Nero from <i>Devil May Cry 4</i>. It's not that Clough is wrong -- in fact, she's dead-on -- but if the way she briefly writes about "China, Korea and Japan" on her blog is anything to go by, it sounds as if she has a better grasp on Eastern games than most. I would've thought she would cast her net a bit wider when it came to selecting characters. Plus, I think Clough is a bit too dismissive of "the common Stubble McBadass archetype", as she calls it. It feels a bit too much like she's falling back on the idea that this archetype automatically appeals to straight men (which is not necessarily true) and nobody else (which is not necessarily true either). There's a good chance that young male gamers feel as self-conscious about those character archetypes as I did about bishonen characters in my teens.<br />
<br />
I <i>don't</i> want it to sound like I have anything against Michelle Clough because, for all I know, her talk may have been completely fair about the sexualisation of both men and women. If anything, I have nothing but praise for acknowledging the fact that women are <i>not</i> the only sex who can be sexualised, contrary to popular opinion and the silly "male power fantasy" argument. I'd be very interesting in hearing more from her on the subject. It's simply the promotion of the talk that bothers me; with every single discussion about sexualisation in games being about how negatively-portrayed women are, it's difficult not to collectively roll our eyes and scoff when the <i>one</i> time the issue of sexualised men is brought up on a significant stage, it's about how <i>positive</i> it can be.<br />
<br />
And not a male opinion in sight. That's part of the problem. Not that Clough shouldn't be allowed to speak but it's a men's issue. I think hearing how male gamers feel about it <i>might</i> be worthwhile.<br />
<br />
Overall, I'm just disappointed in the GDC. Like I said, I can't imagine a talk like this ever taking place with the sexes reversed, especially if a male speaker wrote on his website, "I may have wanted an excuse to cram a slideshow full of Lara Croft pictures" and "how we can use sexualised women to greater advantage".<br />
<br />
Also, I came across a few links on Reddit a while ago that <i>should</i> put the unproven "male power fantasy" claim to rest (although I know they won't). These articles feature some very interesting facts about how often men and boys suffer from body image issues<i></i>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/06/body-image-concerns-men-more-than-women">Body image concerns more men than women, research finds</a> - The Guardian<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_349881586"></span><span id="goog_349881587"></span><a href="http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1697083/boys-want-to-look-fit-to-be-happy/">Boys want to look fit to be happy</a> - The Sydney Morning Herald<br />
<br />
That second one, in particular, struck a chord with me; it mentions that "by the age of <i>eight </i>children already had definite body ideals, which are
influenced by their peers, the media and gender stereotypes". The article goes on to say this is largely due to the influence of sports figures but, given that I was never interested in sports but gaming (particularly <i>Final Fantasy</i>) as a strong influence when I was around the same age, much of the article still managed to resonate with me. I also came across <a href="http://i.imgur.com/R9G3uaF.png">this infographic</a> about eating disorders amongst men (I apologise for not knowing the original creator but if you leave a comment or send me an e-mail at themalesofgames@gmail.com, I'll be sure to credit you).<br />
<br />
With these facts in mind, it's pretty clear that "muscular male characters are a male power fantasy" is a myth, existing solely to dismiss the issues of one sex while campaigning for the issues of the other. So regardless of Michelle Clough's love of sexualised male characters, I think the GDC, the gaming press and the industry needs to grow up and start telling the other side of the story.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-57172093218352731662014-02-16T02:59:00.001+00:002014-02-16T16:59:16.048+00:00A Quick UpdateI haven't created any new posts in a while so, just so everyone doesn't think I've disappeared off the face of the earth, I thought I'd give an update on what's going on. The short answer is "college work" but the bigger issue is the amount that has been heaped onto the entire games course for the end of February is remarkable. Basically, this happened because a lot of deadlines extended due to everyone being behind on a 2D game project. As great as that sounds, it quickly became an issue when all the students realised that now, assignment deadlines for every class except <i>two</i> are due in the same week. Still, I got to try out the Oculus Rift yesterday, so it's not all bad.<br />
<br />
So what have I missed in the time that I haven't been blogging? Actually, before Christmas, I watched <i>Indie Game: The Movie</i> for college and was a lot more interested in it than I thought I'd be. For those of who haven't seen or heard of the film, it's a documentary that follows three indie games during different stages of development: <i>Super Meat Boy</i>, <i>Fez</i> and <i>Braid</i>. Early on in the documentary, Phil Fish (developer of <i>Fez</i>) and Jonathan Blow (developer of <i>Braid</i>) talk candidly about the abuse they received from the online community. I'd recommend the film even <i>without</i> that part but it stood out to me because of how often gaming sites promote the idea that online abuse is something that only affects women. <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/15/4622252/plague-of-game-dev-harassment-erodes-industry-spurs-support-groups">This 2013 article</a> from Polygon goes into online harassment in more detail, including other developers and harassment against women.<br />
<br />
Around the same time, there was the <a href="http://indiestatik.com/2013/12/13/female-game-developers/">harassment of Zoe Quinn</a> over her game, <i>Depression Quest</i>, that she put on Steam Greenlight. Much like with Anita Sarkeesian, I have to say that the abuse she received was horrible. However, what immediately sprung to mind when I saw several articles claiming the usual harassment against female developers was <i>Indie Game: The Movie</i> and comments telling Phil Fish to "kill himself". Judging by the format, the comments also came from 4chan (or one of its similarly-unpleasant sister forums, like 7chan and 420chan); as we know, 4chan isn't known for being a welcoming place. Plus, <i>Depression Quest</i> is largely text-based; it's described as "interactive fiction" more than a game so I would've been surprised if there <i>wasn't</i> a backlash of some sort.<br />
<br />
It sounds a lot like I'm defending this behaviour but in actuality, I just want to get two points across; there were circumstances surrounding the abuse unrelated to Quinn's gender and that women are not always the only ones affected. Oh, but actually <i>giving her abusive phone calls</i>? I've had abusive phone calls before, so that really annoys me. Hopefully, Quinn actually reported this and didn't just change her number because it bothers me that people -- even trolls -- would resort to criminal behaviour because they didn't like a game (if that <i>is</i> why it was happening; supposedly, the phone calls were erotic in nature, so I think this goes far beyond your typical internet troll).<br />
<br />
What else? Oh yeah, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gdc-awards-to-honor-feminist-frequency-creator-riot-games-founders/1100-6417669/">Anita Sarkeesian is receiving a Game Developer's Choice Award</a>!<br />
<br />
I wasn't going to go into this too much. I've reached a point where I'm somewhat "over" Anita Sarkeesian, so I was just going to write "click Gamespot's 'Top Comments' button to see how I feel about this" and then more-or-less move on. However, I checked my e-mail and noticed that a reader had sent me a link to this report on another site, <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-02-11-anita-sarkeesian-riot-games-cofounders-receiving-gdc-awards">GamesIndustry.biz</a>, which is a site where industry professionals (or those studying to get a job in the industry) post comments under their real names. Specifically, the e-mailer directed me to a commenter, whose name I won't write here for his own sake, who had left a comment that has since been edited but had been suspended and was told -- by a producer at BioWare, no less -- "don't expect any of us to be racing to snap you up when you've finished [studying games design]".<br />
<br />
Here's his original comment:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Anonymous rape and death threats on twitter are utterly meaningless and I
expect a very high percentage of them are just trolls, if all these
women just ignored these trolls then they would stop but they don't,
what they do is play the victim "ohh look at me im getting all these
death and rape threats over twitter poor me my life is hard!" I have no
idea why they do this (I would love to know if they are attention whores
or just very naive). Then of course video game sites/SJW blogs pick up
on it (because real journalism is to hard) and it turns into a shitstorm
which just amplifies the trolling towards that person.</i>"</blockquote>
The thing is, it seems like the e-mailer wanted me to defend this person but I have to say, I don't find him particularly sympathetic. Now, I <i>get</i> what he was trying to say. Having said that, there are right ways and wrong ways to discuss it and throwing around terms like "attention whores" is a <i>wrong</i> way. Is saying a game developer won't hire him after he graduates fair? Almost certainly not but hey, at this point in time, who can blame the BioWare producer for writing that?<br />
<br />
So I'm not interested in defending this person's post but there are <i>a lot</i> of very reasonable comments on that GamesIndustry.biz article that are being unfairly criticised. There's the typical "too many white guys" comments, dismissing people's arguments based on their sex and colour of their skin (even though there wouldn't actually be much of a discussion without them in that comments section). One critic of Anita's writes "I now have about 20 tweets about me as a woman hater", even though his "edgiest" comments involved referring to Anita as a "troublemaker" and recommending that people report sexism to the authorities instead of complaining about it online. In fact, that same person gave an excellent rebuttal to the "too many white guys" commenters:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>There is an appropriate word to describe people who make sweeping
statements and generalisations based on just gender and colour, and I'm
guessing he won't like it when he figures out what it might be</i>"</blockquote>
What bothers me the most about all this is the assumption that criticising Anita Sarkeesian's views is comparable to promoting sexism. Obviously, it's no surprise. It isn't the first time that opposing a feminist viewpoint has been treated as unacceptable and it won't be the last. Having said that, these opinions are about as reasonable as it gets without outright <i>agreeing</i> with the opposite viewpoint.<br />
<br />
With so many perfectly reasonable comments being so heavily scrutinised, I'm not willing to post in the GamesIndustry.biz comments section. For one thing, I <i>am</i> interested in entering the games industry at some point. Technically, I could join, either with the title "Blogger" or "Studying Game Design". I used to have my real name in the sidebar of this very blog but removed it when I realised that, as passionate as I am about men's rights, my anti-feminist viewpoints may be frowned upon by people who automatically <i>assume</i> that criticism of feminism is the same thing as sexism. Plus, the conversation has stopped over there and I would likely be repeating arguments I've made here.<br />
<br />
So I'll say what I'd like to say here, rather than there; I'm sure this won't sway a single person but for anyone who thinks that any of the critics of Anita Sarkeesian or feminism in general in that GamesIndustry.biz thread are against equality, you're incorrect. Those critics are as in favour of equality as you are but are more realistic in how it's being lobbied for and would prefer to see it done <i>properly</i> -- with more inclusivity and fewer faulty arguments -- than a video series that is very easy to pick apart by someone who does not face up to the criticism received.<br />
<br />
A big issue that I've had in mind for a while now is the praise Anita receives for "creating a discussion" around gender issues in games. However, I don't see how on earth she can be credited with that when she is so intent on shutting down any criticism against her and her supporters seem all-too-happy. The thing about a discussion is there has to be "back-and-forth". Arguments from both sides. With Anita, there is only "forth". No "back".<br />
<br />
The fact is that there are some severely closed-minded attitudes on display in that comments section, many of them <i>not</i> coming from the "attention whores" commenter I quoted above. The thing is, you have Mike Bithell -- developer of <i>Thomas Was Alone</i> -- writing comments that include statements like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Young men looking to get into industry: Leave your phobias and gamer bro
bullshit off of sites read by future employers. Ideally, grow out of
it. Sooner or later you're going to have to step away from the computer
and into an environment filled with human beings. Human beings of
beautiful variation and awesome differences. It's not scary, it rocks.
And you will be so embarrassed by the silly little opinions you had on
feminist theory in your late teens.</i>"</blockquote>
This is ignorant of every single criticism against Anita that was posted and the ad hominem attacks -- insisting that all of her critics are teenagers, male, "gamer bros", fearful of variation, computer-obsessives and carrying nothing but "silly little opinions" -- come across as defensive. I think it shows that Bithell doesn't really have an appropriate response to the criticisms against Sarkeesian, so he has to sling insults against the people making them instead. It hasn't occurred to Bithel -- or it has and he's dismissed the idea -- that other people could have formed their opinions of feminism due to <i>greater</i> knowledge and study of the movement and not less.<br />
<br />
<b>Edited 16th February 2014:</b> Interestingly, Mike Bithell linked to my blog on Twitter. Here's what he wrote (and two other tweets that I assume are directed at me):<br />
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<br />
What Mike calls "selective quoting", I call "relevant quoting". People are free to check out Mike's full comment on the website I linked to and at no point did I indicate that the above quote <i>was</i> Mike's full comment. However, that's the part where Mike so clearly displays his unwillingness to accept any information that doesn't fit his set-in-stone worldview. Case in point: "college aged chap" and "teenage pursuit". Not that I particularly care about someone getting my age wrong but I can only assume that Mike <i>is </i>as egotistical as he joked about and scrolled right past the "About Me" to find his own name.<br />
<br />
The fact is that up until my late teens, I probably would've called myself a feminist. I didn't have a concept of what "men's rights activism" was and, except for negative portrayals of men in US sitcoms -- hardly something worth campaigning against -- there weren't any "men's issues" that I was aware of. Then I became aware of things such as a lack of domestic violence shelters for men in the UK. I visited Refuge's website -- Refuge is the name of a series of women's shelters in the UK -- and saw constant references to abusers as "he" and victims as "she", which I thought not only undermined male victims but also female victims in same-sex relationships. I became a frequenter of Glenn Sacks' site (Mike, he's not a teenager) and, in recent years, Karen Straughan -- GirlWritesWhat on Youtube -- has been my favoured source for news about men's rights activism (again, Mike, not a teenager. Or male. Or straight. Or a "gamer bro").<br />
<br />
I find the thing that Mike, for all his fun jabs at this blog on Twitter, is capable of but actually <i>unwilling</i> to understand is that people who disagree with Anita Sarkeesian <i>can</i> still be supportive of equality. Better portrayals in games, less online abuse, equal marketing budgets regardless of the sex of the protagonist, etc, etc. I've even agreed with Anita on occasion. I suppose only glancing at a few paragraphs doesn't communicate that very well. However, I, and other gamers like me, have our own issues with game content and the industry that is ignored and belittled when we try to bring it up.We care about accuracy in our arguments and fair treatment for gamers regardless of race, sex, sexuality, religious beliefs and disability. The <i>problem</i> is that this sometimes involves saying phrases like, "you know, men have exaggerated body types in games too". This isn't saying that women <i>don't</i> have exaggerated body types and it doesn't do anything to diminish the argument that they are but, when this is brought up, we're accused of "derailing" the issue.<br />
<br />
In other words, wanting both sexes to receive equal treatment goes against the grain of "women are victims, men are not". Yet that's all we're interested in; equal treatment. This blog's been in existence for a year and a half now and there's a plethora of posts that say the exact same thing, on a variety of different issues (and if you <i>would</i> like to see the logical arguments I've written against Anita's views, they can be found <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/damsels-in-distress-part-1-feminist.html">here</a>, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/damsel-in-distress-part-2-tropes-vs.html">here</a>, <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/damsel-in-distress-part-3-tropes-vs.html">here</a> and <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ms-male-character-tropes-vs-women-in.html">here</a>). However, to quote one of Mike Bithell's own tweets, "I'm not sure idiots like this really care though :)"<br />
<br />
<b>End of Edit.</b> <br />
<br />
The short version of this is "Anita Sarkeesian receives an award that some people think she didn't deserve. Their reasonable viewpoints are met with dismissiveness based on their race and sex, as well as belittling insults and accusations of bigotry".<br />
<br />
I've written about ten more paragraphs on that than I would like to and what was <i>intended</i> to be a short, not-too-serious blog post has turned into a lengthy one that has made me incredibly irritable. So I'll try to finish on the light-hearted note that I had originally planned; Anita herself retweeted something from a fan of hers yesterday:<br />
<br />
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"So what's the big deal?" you ask. Well let's just say that this isn't the first time that Feminist Frequency has been used in an assignment for a class:<br />
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(Screencapped, rather than copied & pasted, just in case of programs and websites that check to see if assignments have been copied online. It's <i>mine</i> but I just don't want to have to go over it with my tutor.)</div>
<br />
Yep, I used Anita's misrepresentation and failure to cite sources as an example of the difference between primary and secondary research. Better yet, for that particular assignment, I got a <i>Distinction</i> grade. So a big thank you to Vicsor, for uncovering all the stolen videos in the first place and an even <i>bigger</i> thank you to Anita Sarkeesian! Without you, I don't think I'd have been able to come up with a gaming-related example.<br />
<br />
Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at themalesofgames@gmail.com. I still visit frequently, even if I haven't been able to post as often.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-4418544196532822762014-01-18T19:01:00.000+00:002014-01-18T19:01:52.288+00:00Game Revolution Asks the Right QuestionsSorry I haven't updated in a while. This was meant to be posted a few days ago but I was suddenly hit with an influx of work. Actually, I still have a half-finished blog post featuring quotes that I found while writing assignments but that one's taking some effort to get back into, since I'd basically be rehashing some stuff I did for college only a month ago.<br />
<br />
This one will be short but it's also something I find very interesting; there's a huge gap between the number of male enemies we slaughter in games compared to female enemies, which I've <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/men-are-expendable-gender.html">written about before</a>. Specifically, this was about the number of generic, cannon fodder mooks that players slaughter in their hundreds without giving it a moment's thought, rather than named villains and villainesses. The majority of these enemies are male, or at least are male in appearance.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, it seems like a gaming journalist has been thinking along the same lines as me; a few days ago, Nicholas Tan of Game Revolution uploaded an article he wrote titled "<a href="http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/can-women-be-video-game-enemies-en-masse">Can Women Be Video Game Enemies En Masse?</a>"<br />
<br />
I don't want to nitpick too much because I think it's a good article. It's the kind of article that <i>needs</i> to be seen more on mainstream gaming sites, something that is thought-provoking and acknowledges that equality for women in gaming isn't all about stomping out online abuse and reducing breast size. You also have to acknowledge that men are unfairly portrayed too and equality works both ways; unless you take the hit and have women killed as often as men (give or take; I'm not asking for a 50/50 split. That would be ridiculous), things will be unequal.<br />
<br />
Even so, while the article gives a good overview and I <i>hope</i> will be enough to start a discussion, it isn't as in-depth as I would like. It would've been nice to see some more examples from games, since the only one focused on is <i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> (as an example of a game that gets it right). There are screenshots of <i>Final Fight </i>and <i>Final Fantasy VIII </i>but the author doesn't elaborate on either one. The picture of <i>FFVIII</i>'s Edea raises questions, since she isn't specifically a female enemy to be killed "en masse", in the same way that Roxy and Poison from <i>Final Fight</i> are. Not that <i>FFVIII</i> isn't guilty of a lack of female enemies but I think Nicholas Tan could've provided context about why it was included.<br />
<br />
Having said that, the author hits the nail on the head with two statements about why we don't see more female enemies in games. After writing about how enemies are more likely to be male in games designed to be realistic, Tan says the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="manifestoContent">"</span><i><span class="manifestoContent">Now since most video games are not meant
to be absolutely realistic, it's unnecessary that they need to follow
this rule. I've blasted the heads off numerous female raiders in <strong>Fallout: New Vegas</strong>. But it's a rule that carries over, if but subconsciously, from video game developers who are predominantly men.</span></i><span class="manifestoContent">"</span></blockquote>
Apart from the "predominately men" part -- I haven't seen anything to suggest that either sex would be more or less willing to female enemies -- but the lack of female enemies in unrealistic games <i>is</i> due to real-world gender norms. Think of it this way; developers can introduce any number of fantastical elements into a fictional world, such as magic and monsters, but they can only do so much when it comes to subverting gender roles. If they do, it will only be to elevate the role of women and reduce the role of men; for those of you who have played the <i>Shivering Isles</i> expansion for<i> The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion</i>, think about the gender roles of the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers. Both are armies where the highest ranks are made up of women while males don't rise above being grunts.<br />
<br />
So that's one of the reasons why we don't see women making up the majority of enemies in games and the second quote I'd like to use from Tan's article shows why we probably <i>won't</i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<span class="manifestoContent"><em>Then of course, could you imagine a game
where a male protagonist goes around murdering women and exclusively
women and not just demons like harpies and hagravens? Even if the
gameplay is groundbreaking and the story is told with an attention to
context, it will become easy prey for the mainstream press. I mean, talk
about making yourself a target and bad marketing. At best, the game
would be considered a joke and be turned into an infamous meme. (Perhaps
such a game would need a female protagonist killing a whole lot of other women to work.)</em>"</span></blockquote>
Not much to say about that, other than it's correct. There's no chance of a game featuring a male protagonist massacring an all-female army being released and <i>not </i>becoming a target for the gaming press (or the mainstream, as Tan points out). Back when <i>Resident Evil 5</i> received its first trailer, it faced controversy for featuring a white protagonist -- Chris Redfield -- gunning down black enemies, as the game is set in Africa. With gender issues being a major topic on gaming news sites, is there any way a game like the one described could exist and face a similar controversy? Is there any way it could <i>not</i> become the gaming community's whipping boy (or girl, if you prefer)?<br />
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<br />
As good as the rest of the Nicholas Tan article is, it ends on a silly note:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<span class="manifestoContent"><i>That said, a video game where women are
the primary antagonists would be an interesting experiment, so long as
it's handled well (say, a devilish male scientist creates a virus that
targets women because he thought it was THIS BIG but she said it was
only <span style="font-size: 10px;">this big</span>).</i>"</span></blockquote>
It's a reference to penis size, in case you don't get the joke.<br />
<br />
I realise I'm overanalysing this but there are four things wrong with that idea:<br />
<br />
1) It paints the male scientist as the bad guy. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, since games with all-male enemies have had female antagonists (such as <i>Final Fantasy VIII</i> again) but I think Tan could've used a better example.<br />
<br />
2) I don't see how that could be considered "handled well". Surely, the best way to handle a game with women as the primary enemies would be to avoid referencing it at all. We don't acknowledge men as the primary enemies being "the norm", so why reference the female enemies as being out of the ordinary?<br />
<br />
3) It doesn't put the female enemies in control of their own actions. Having a virus that makes them evil is a lot different than the women <i>choosing</i> to be evil (or at least members of the evil army, whether it's because they were intimidated into joining, they signed up because they needed money, etc.). There's already criticism from feminist circles about female characters lacking "agency"; being active participants in the game's story, rather than passive ones. So if the game is going for true equality, the women have to <i>choose</i> to be the bad guys.<br />
<br />
4) The male scientist lashed out at women because a woman said he had a small penis? Really? That's like Lara Croft's quest beginning because a guy said she was fat.<br />
<br />
I don't want it to sound like I'm criticising Nicholas Tan or the article here. Instead, let's pretend we're playing "Fantasy Video Game Storyline Writer" and coming up with our own ideas for how predominately female enemies would work instead. <i>That's </i>more along the lines of what I'm criticising rather than the article itself.<br />
<br />
Like I said, I've overanalysing but there are more sensible reasons to have a character gunning down hundreds upon hundreds of men rather than hundreds upon hundreds of women. That could just be part of the fictional universe's mythology rather than for any reason for it occurring in storyline.<br />
<br />
So if you haven't read the article, go and read it and feel free to praise Nicholas Tan for writing about a subject we don't often hear about on gaming sites. I hope it receives more exposure and makes a few more mainstream gamers think outside the box.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-91684528841249933582014-01-05T03:00:00.002+00:002014-01-05T03:15:23.617+00:00The Good & Bad of Remember Me<b>This blog post will contain spoilers for <i>Remember Me</i>.</b><br />
<br />
<i>Remember Me</i> has been available to download for free on PlayStation Plus for a while and, as luck would have it, I had a code for a free month-long trial of Plus that had to be used before 2014. I was interested in downloading the game partly because I think it would give me something to write about on this blog. It's a series that has been at the centre of a controversy about female protagonists, after all, so it seems like a game I should write about. I barely knew anything about it, so what if it was a game as misandric as <i>Heavenly Sword</i>? Or at the very least, what if the sites reporting on the lower marketing budget for games starring female protagonists were only giving half the story and there were other reasons behind the lower budget for the game?<br />
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The only thing I found out was how undeserving <i>Remember Me</i> was to be involved in such a controversy; it's actually a very good game and it's disappointing that the lower marketing budget articles overshadowed it to an extent. The main thing I took away from it -- and the big reason why I couldn't title this blog "The Sexism of <i>Remember Me</i>", like I tend to when I examine games for sexism -- is because it gets a lot more right than it does wrong. I sincerely hope that more games starring female protagonists take their cues from <i>Remember Me</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDst1SivPlXsRN03PWeuKFOx5GNQKcRc-4lbrcXOiVDDW1gBWdOEveOIuJ2sxr39MnTfhJF1VXhQ4s134J08wLMIpomEBe86Zsb1Xov6VGSRpLhXyBO-WwPPOg4dTT7xgGQV39rzpdHk/s1600/remembermenilin.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDst1SivPlXsRN03PWeuKFOx5GNQKcRc-4lbrcXOiVDDW1gBWdOEveOIuJ2sxr39MnTfhJF1VXhQ4s134J08wLMIpomEBe86Zsb1Xov6VGSRpLhXyBO-WwPPOg4dTT7xgGQV39rzpdHk/s1600/remembermenilin.PNG" /></a></div>
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In a lot of ways, <i>Remember Me</i> borrows from a lot of other popular series. The combat is straight out of the<i> Batman: Arkham</i> series (albeit with more user-friendly controls and a cool combo-construction system), navigating around the city is exactly like <i>Uncharted</i> and the ending is kind of predictable and anticlimactic too. There are even quick-time events, although thankfully they were <i>very</i> rare. One for each boss fight. The same goes for the main character, Nilin. In my opinion, she was only marginally better than the majority of generic, quippy action heroes we see starring in every other game these days. She was at her best when she showed some real emotions rather than typical one-liners, which didn't seem as prevalent as they are with some other modern protagonists.<br />
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It's not like the game handles any of these things <i>badly</i>. The combat's pretty good. The climbing is pretty good. The story's pretty good. Although she isn't exceptional, Nilin is a bit more likeable than some other protagonists I could mention. So it does it well but doesn't leap to any new heights on any of those fronts.<br />
<br />
However, maybe the fact that <i>Remember Me</i> doesn't try to reinvent the wheel is part of the reason it works so well. It might not be breaking any new ground but from a gender issues standpoint, it sends the message of "yes, we have a female protagonist. No, it's not a big deal", because it offers as entertaining an experience as the other games next ot it on the shelf.<br />
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It does a good job of removing the issue of gender in several ways; there are evil male characters and evil female ones. Sympathetic men and sympathetic women. The only time Nilin's gender is referenced is when she receives a few sleazy comments from a guy in the slums at the start of the game. Thankfully, that's just a one-off occurrence. Nilin is never thought of as any more or less capable because she's a woman and the game's enemies don't treat her differently than they would any other terrorist (or "Errorist", as memory-hunters like Nilin are referred to in the game).<br />
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If I have one criticism of the game, it's that it falls back into the old pattern of having all-male generic enemies but a mix of male and female Errorists (in the short prison-break scene we see them in, that is). I <i>may</i> be wrong about that; it's possible that some of the Leapers -- mutated humans with deformed faces, kind of like the Splicers from <i>Bioshock</i> -- were female but it was difficult to tell. If pushed for an answer, I'd say the Leapers were all male too.<br />
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There <i>were</i> some named female villains in the game. Three of them, in fact. However, because Nilin is able to alter memories, she is able to enter the memories of two of the women and change significant events in their life in such a way to convince them to become good. It's a trend that none of the people Nilin does this to are full-blown villains. Instead, they're misunderstood and sympathetic individuals (to an extent) who we're led to believe are villains before entering their memories. Nilin alters the memories of two men and two women but, when she's done, there are still plenty of male villains but only one female one. Thankfully, the number of sympathetic characters is more evenly split between the sexes.<br />
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Other than that, there isn't much to say about gender issues in <i>Remember Me</i>, which is actually a good thing; no news is good news, isn't it? If anything, it's just a shame that this was the game at the centre of the marketing budget controversy and not something less deserving of success. Although, in spite of poor sales -- only 300,000 worldwide <a href="http://www.vgchartz.com/gamedb/?name=remember+me">according to VG Chartz</a> -- maybe it's similar to <i>Dragon's Crown</i>; perhaps the controversy helped the game's sales, in spite of how low they are.<br />
<br />
One thing I wish had happened following <i>Remember Me</i>'s release is I wish I had seen discussion about the game outside of boards and threads specifically devoted to it. I'd have liked to have seen it mention in gaming articles too, particularly ones about good female characters. I've probably heard the phrase, "there are hardly any good female protagonists" twenty times more than I have, "Nilin from <i>Remember Me</i> is a pretty good female protagonist" since <i>Remember Me</i>'s release.<br />
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I have some other thoughts on the game, since this blog will be pretty short otherwise; the real areas where it excels are the music and the environments. If I take anything away from <i>Remember Me</i>, it's going to be how <i>unbelievable</i>
the environment artists made the city of Neo-Paris look. Honest-to-God,
it is astounding. It's the kind of futuristic sci-fi environment I've
always wanted to see in a game but never did until now. I loved the little details added to make it seem like a "real" futuristic world, with advertisements for toys, books, television shows and the evil Memorize corporation making Neo-Paris feel like a place with a history. The only other game I can think of that used fictionial brands to build its world so effectively is <i>The World Ends With You </i>on Nintendo DS.<br />
<br />
I'll be interested in seeing if anyone else has played <i>Remember Me</i> and what they thought of it. I'm very pleased I tried it out and I'd recommend it to other people. Hopefully I'll be able to get around to playing <i>Tomb Raider</i> and <i>Mirror's Edge</i> too, to cross those two off the list of games praised for their female protagonists that I still need to experience.<br />
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I've been attempting to bring this up in a couple of blogs now, including one that I have half-written (so it may come up again in the future) but if you haven't already done so, go over to Vicsor's Opinion and read his blog post entitled "<a href="http://victorsopinion.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-diverse-cast-of-characters.html">A Diverse Cast of Characters</a>". It delves into the <i>Remember Me</i> marketing budget controversy -- which now seems to have been removed from Penny-Arcade for some reason, which is why I didn't link to it here -- the actual sales figures and what it's like to be on "the side of the fence" that wants more varied protagonists but disagrees with the arguments made by the more critical and dogmatic supporters of female protagonists.<br />
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Feel free to leave comments below or contact me at themalesofgames@gmail.com.The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-55772695677691404862013-12-18T00:07:00.001+00:002013-12-18T00:07:50.714+00:00Mighty No. 9's Feminist Community Manager Controversy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A sudden upswing in work to do over the holidays means this will
probably be the last blog post until January. I do my best to update
this blog three times a month but that's going to be tricky this month. I also have a completely <i>different</i> blog post half-written but just finding out about this story today made me switch topics. This one's a lot more interesting.<br />
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There's a funded project on Kickstarter by the name of <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9"><i>Mighty No. 9</i></a>, which is being developed by a company called Comcept and billed as a spiritual successor to the <i>Mega Man</i> series. You can see why too; not only are the character designs and gameplay practically identical but it has Keiji Inafune -- director behind <i>Onimusha</i>, <i>Dead Rising</i> and <i>Mega Man</i> itself -- heading up the project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZwOmzIlKinF79njopCyK_iqFkAy1ttTBspJ6RuWrlGuTXeQEJWOq1r5Og-7nfliJtk4IlukUFIg6PmToK4N1e5xdPJjHpeh7HLsawCzMNCDlvQ8P4bi5JAz8MTajy2499nRVLSfH5zk/s1600/beck.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZwOmzIlKinF79njopCyK_iqFkAy1ttTBspJ6RuWrlGuTXeQEJWOq1r5Og-7nfliJtk4IlukUFIg6PmToK4N1e5xdPJjHpeh7HLsawCzMNCDlvQ8P4bi5JAz8MTajy2499nRVLSfH5zk/s400/beck.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
Recently, Comcept appointed a new <i>c</i>ommunity manager called Dina Abou Karam. Her job seems to be to listen to fan feedback and forward it to higher-ups at Comcept. She's also posts blogs and updates on the game, manages the forums and basically acts as a go-between for the fans and developer.<br />
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The trouble is that Dina being appointed raised a whole host of questions amongst the many, many backers of <i>Mighty No. 9</i>. Firstly, Dina presented a piece of fan art of a gender-flipped version of Beck -- the male protagonist of <i>MN9</i> -- and stated:<br />
<br />
"As someone who cares about gender representation in games, please make Call [the game's female character] a playable character, or even better, make Beck a female bot alltogether [sic]! It shouldn't and won't affect gameplay! I started on some Mighty No. 9 Fan Art myself as a way to promote this Kickstarter/express my wish:"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpvvI9peQ318884AON5jv9nRX9mOKYiBb6nJGllIpy1Me_JJOX437mSKADcnVvMK57PmwEjjxIppXf01FgowDd4qeWAioNiYO01iU6AJY_qQiEkQFdpJggks5FKnPph46c5BotERx188/s1600/dinafanart.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpvvI9peQ318884AON5jv9nRX9mOKYiBb6nJGllIpy1Me_JJOX437mSKADcnVvMK57PmwEjjxIppXf01FgowDd4qeWAioNiYO01iU6AJY_qQiEkQFdpJggks5FKnPph46c5BotERx188/s400/dinafanart.PNG" width="372" /></a></div>
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Other than that, Dina tweeted that she was "never a <i>Mega Man</i> player" but she supported <i>MN9</i> because her friends and boyfriend were working on the game. Here's some screenshots of some of the entire situation:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjXD9yzYnH8htjTEdm1FLK7rcsfY-f0XcnmQMa6tGNVwllEq1jrN-Y4tsRUt3lwp9TDk4o1DvjoY7xlvYgMtZfsC4rx1I8N7zeCKz3udW7SrHH-FvBRanpniJsm7oEsFN4dp63oY92jM/s1600/dinatweets.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjXD9yzYnH8htjTEdm1FLK7rcsfY-f0XcnmQMa6tGNVwllEq1jrN-Y4tsRUt3lwp9TDk4o1DvjoY7xlvYgMtZfsC4rx1I8N7zeCKz3udW7SrHH-FvBRanpniJsm7oEsFN4dp63oY92jM/s640/dinatweets.PNG" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The tweets were later deleted.<br />
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So what's the big deal? Well one of the reasons that fans of <i>Mighty No. 9 </i>and the <i>Mega Man</i> series are so frustrated by these developments is because they've been waiting a long time for a new iteration of the <i>Mega Man</i> series (and yes, this counts, albeit in a different form). There hasn't been a new <i>Mega Man</i> game since 2008 and none on a console since 2004. The fans have had to put up with cancellations of games like <i>Mega Man Legends 3</i> and <i>Mega Man Universe</i>. A Western port of the iOS game <i>Rockman X-over</i> was cancelled because of negative feedback.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXDSfUJBCj0">This video</a> -- "Mighty Number Nope: The Dina Disaster" by a Youtuber called InternetAristocrat -- gives a more detailed account of why fans would be frustrated than I can and provides screenshots from the backers-only <i>MN9</i> forum. It goes into detail about the social justice causes Dina is interested in according to her tweets and mentions that she stated her favourite <i>Mega Man </i>game is <i>Mega Man X</i> ... after saying that she wasn't a <i>Mega Man</i> player.<br />
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Basically, it's understandable that the fans would be angry that a non-<i>MM</i> fan made suggestions that Comcept change the game to suit a personal ideology -- and be <i>hired</i> following it -- when that's not what the backers agreed to when they donated. They have a right to be angry over someone being hired who has been forceful when expressing her political viewpoints in association with the game (and the video by InternetAristocrat shows that Dina herself stated that she was hired because her boyfriend worked for Comcept). It's not what they paid for. Nor is it the person they want speaking on behalf of the backers/the Western audience. Here are some of the responses when Dina <a href="http://www.mightyno9.com/en/news20131210">was announced as community manager</a>:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMYmNXWW5UcoCJEP-Fg99mb5wbdFNoxrQC7fORgksMtzPUt8bYSyLTNOz5b0Nj7PHe-4sjpsQNDiSGsq50WCCareg8zv4EhWf2btnVXY2QgNEKofg3iXzrHq4P0FFWxVSTdptwZEF7Jk/s1600/mn9fanresponse.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMYmNXWW5UcoCJEP-Fg99mb5wbdFNoxrQC7fORgksMtzPUt8bYSyLTNOz5b0Nj7PHe-4sjpsQNDiSGsq50WCCareg8zv4EhWf2btnVXY2QgNEKofg3iXzrHq4P0FFWxVSTdptwZEF7Jk/s640/mn9fanresponse.PNG" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I should point out before I go any further that yesterday, Comcept released a statement saying that none of Dina's views actually effect the game in any way. Their statement can be viewed on <a href="http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/19382/article/comcept-addresses-mighty-no-9-community-manager-outrage/">Gameranx</a> -- more on that site later -- but here's the important part:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p2">
"<i>Will the community manager be skewing things the way they would
personally like to see the game? Will the community manager ignore views
that don’t match with their own personal ideals? Will the community
manager lose the community’s desires due to unfamiliarity with the type
of game we are making? Will the community manager be creating their own
robots and levels and programming, or changing the game in any way, from
what the core creative team wants?! A lot of these or similar questions
have been raised.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
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</i><div class="p2">
<i>
<span class="s1">The good news is that the answer, in all cases, is </span><u><span class="s2">no</span></u></i><span class="s1"><i>.</i>"</span></div>
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So all of the comments in this blog are outdated by now, when people weren't sure just <i>how</i> much influence Dina had, but I haven't seen any other updates on the subject since. Not sure what the response has been to Comcept's explanation.<br />
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I've never played a <i>Mega Man</i> game but personally, I think the backers who want a refund are completely justified, even with Comcept's clarification (and as clarifications go, it hits all the right notes).<br />
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There's a good reason why companies keep their business and personal lives separate -- in fact, in InternetAristocrat's video, it's stated that Dina deleted her tweets about never being a <i>Mega Man</i> player for that exact reason -- and the backers donated to this project in good faith. I don't want to sound overdramatic but Dina is an unknown quantity in this situation. It's fine to have feminists on development teams -- in fact, it'd be pretty hard to avoid and ridiculous not to -- and it's even fine to have people on a development team who are not fans of previous games in the series. Lord knows that having developers who <i>are</i> fans of the series doesn't always work; look at the Ninja Theory's <i>DmC</i>. However, that's not what the backers paid for. The Kickstarter page itself says the following [emphasis theirs]:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Every aspect of development—art, level design, music, programming, etc.—is being handled by <b>veteran Japanese game creators with extensive experience in the genre, and with Mega Man in particular</b>, all the way up to and including the project’s leader, Keiji Inafune himself!"</blockquote>
Moreover, this is specifically someone who was hired following a suggestion of her own, game-altering ideas based on a personal, political agenda and who got her foot in the door due to her boyfriend putting in a good word for her in spite of being unfamiliar with the series. There's no real reason for her to be a part of Comcept any more than any of the other thousands (I assume) of bilingual <i>Mighty No. 9 </i>fans out there.<br />
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My issue with this entire controversy is Dina's initial suggestion of, "even better, make Beck a female bot alltogether! It shouldn't and
won't affect gameplay!" It's odd how if you said this about making Lara Croft or Samus male, all you would get is funny looks. Unusually, I've actually heard this suggestion before, about Link from the <i>Legend Of Zelda</i> series. I also heard the exact same thing when Peter Capaldi was announced as the next incarnation of the Doctor in <i>Doctor Who</i>. So why is it that when pushed for a reason <i>why</i> this should happen, the only response I ever see is "why not"?<br />
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If the only reason why you should change a character's gender is "why
not" or "because we can", then there's a problem. You could apply that
to any characteristic and make the same claim. "Why <i>shouldn't</i> the
character be from Paraguay?!" Again, you could also say the same thing
about gender-flipping female characters or making every non-white
character Caucasian. <br />
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The reason "why not" is because these are established characters -- or
at least characters with an appearance more-or-less figured out in the
artist's mindset prior to drawing them on a page -- and even in the case of a character who can change his appearance, such as the Doctor, doesn't it do more to establish new strong female characters rather piggybacking on the success of a one who has been male for half a century? What would that bring to the table except for tokenism?<br />
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Look, there are actually some quite plausible reasons for switching a character's traits during development, such as if the writer adds something to the mythology that would make it awkward for the character to be [insert race/sex/sexuality here]. Or perhaps it conflicts with something that was already there and needs to be changed to suit it. However, regardless of the reasons why, I would think we could all agree that two fans who "care about gender representation" are <i>not</i> a good enough reason to alter the character designer and game director's creative visions.<br />
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Having said all of that, <i>hopefully</i> Comcept's clarification puts a few minds at ease. It's probably the best thing they could've done and maybe it will do the trick.<br />
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Anyway, one of the wonderful things about this entire controversy is that even though the typical parties have come out of the woodwork to express their frustration with the "misogyny" towards Dina -- do me a favour and take a look at the comments pictured above. See any hatred of women? -- mainstream gamers don't seem to share that viewpoint. If you visited the Gameranx article above, you might've noticed that Ian Miles Cheong (yes, <a href="http://iancheong.tumblr.com/post/36869626077/for-the-men-who-still-dont-get-it-by-carol-diehl">that one</a>) disabled comments. It's hard not to believe he didn't do that because of the backlash against his previous article on the subject, the blatantly clickbait-titled "<a href="http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/19333/article/be-respectful-and-considerate---mighty-no-9-kickstarter-explodes-with-misogynist-rage/">Be Respectful and Considerate - Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter Explodes With Misogynist Rage</a>". Some of the comments are very satisfying to read, calling out Cheong for casually, and unprofessionally, making the <i>Mighty No. 9 </i>backers out to be misogynists.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rhVU6J2NflrT5fYbETcXFg7y-bYabrloVArwFuSPhi_mPakbuhrfCDk-hEvgcXct1ES6cxzhelHMbHgGqOcWstMWgtNZo_CtmymLTsCGLj1xXKQ-amQlvX0COlZJvCEguBrJrL0V4M0/s1600/gameranxcomments.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1rhVU6J2NflrT5fYbETcXFg7y-bYabrloVArwFuSPhi_mPakbuhrfCDk-hEvgcXct1ES6cxzhelHMbHgGqOcWstMWgtNZo_CtmymLTsCGLj1xXKQ-amQlvX0COlZJvCEguBrJrL0V4M0/s640/gameranxcomments.PNG" width="324" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And my personal favourite:<br />
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When a game journalist -- even one as biased as Cheong -- actually starts throwing around the term "misogyny" simply because people object to having the rug pulled out from under them on a product they paid for, game journalism really has hit its lowest point. I live in the UK and tracts like Cheong's are quite reminiscent of the snidely aggressive articles we see in the pages of tabloids like the Daily Mail.<br />
<br />
In other words ... it's just a typical day on a gaming news site. Feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at themalesofgames@gmail.comThe Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-81734609246940569552013-12-01T12:15:00.004+00:002013-12-18T00:08:13.667+00:00The Marketing Double StandardIn advertising, much like in sitcoms, it's not uncommon for men to be portrayed as bumbling, useless figures while women are the down-to-earth, intelligent beings who make all the right decisions and often have to clean up whatever mess the man in their life has made. There's an entire series on Youtube called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLi1s0vzOrk">Misandry In The Media</a> that shines a spotlight on commercials featuring stupid, hapless, perverted, irritating male characters and the women who have to put up with them.<br />
<br />
Even though commercials for gaming don't fall back on the same sexist portrayals of men as often as other products do, it <i>does</i> occasionally still crop up. Last year, I mentioned how mind-boggling it was that Ninja Theory used male genital mutilation to advertise <i>Heavenly Sword</i> at E3 2006 (in the appropriately-named "Groin" trailer) in a way that no game developer would ever dream of doing with women:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNqSCJcGakQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Over the last couple of weeks, the double standard has cropped up again. The Xbox One has given us a couple of very clear examples of how acceptable it is to mistreat men while being unacceptable to use negative portrayals of women.<br />
<br />
It started with a light-hearted letter on the Xbox website, supposedly for people to customise and send to their significant others to persuade them to buy an Xbox One. It's only available in the US, so I haven't been able to view the letter itself, but I believe it can be viewed <a href="http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/we-got-your-back">here</a> if you're in the US and want to check it out. For anyone who can't, here's a screenshot:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbF8bNXGFB6MHRH-GBKHxvfjZsZbmSuS1Mq-52R6-hN3D_CJAT4yLLn-SVlVVdUTnbbAfV6UcMNOV8y7YWv2Btwx7BfANgAen-g2gnLblqO1vhringX31M0wzKx2y1cNjb1iwYOfPsryE/s1600/xboxletter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbF8bNXGFB6MHRH-GBKHxvfjZsZbmSuS1Mq-52R6-hN3D_CJAT4yLLn-SVlVVdUTnbbAfV6UcMNOV8y7YWv2Btwx7BfANgAen-g2gnLblqO1vhringX31M0wzKx2y1cNjb1iwYOfPsryE/s640/xboxletter.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Immediately, this letter faced a backlash on Twitter and from journalists, who believed that the letter pandered to stereotypical viewpoints about women; lines like "you'd rather knit than watch me slay zombies" and "did I mention how beautiful you are" indicate that this is supposedly a man speaking to a woman.<br />
<br />
... Except it doesn't. The letter uses completely gender-neutral terms and any words or phrases with green text can be customised with different ones. "Beautiful", for example, can be changed to "handsome" instead. Both the sender and the recipient can be either male or female, in other words, so it's <i>astounding</i> that so many journalists reporting on the letter -- some of whom even acknowledge that the letter is customisable, making their outrage all the more baffling -- immediately believe that this is a man sending the letter to his female partner when it could be addressed to either sex, from someone of either sex:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"What was intended to be a cute, customizable form meant for men to
convince their girlfriends to buy XBox One consoles instead brought
Internet ire to Microsoft."</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Michael Thomas, Digital Journal - "<a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/362964">'Sexist' Xbox One ad forces Microsoft to rewrite</a>"</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Microsoft put together an online letter template to help men ask their significant others for Xbox One consoles — either as a holiday gift or requesting permission to get the system for the household. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>
The ad tries to be cute with the thinking an 'explanation (and a
little sucking up)' will get the woman to budge. But some see the effort
as sexist and enforcing gender stereotypes."</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Samantha Murphy Kelly, Mashable - "<a href="http://mashable.com/2013/11/27/xbox-one-ad-gender-stereotypes/">Microsoft's 'Sexist' Xbox One Ad Stirs Controversy</a>"</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"Microsoft<span data-change="0.53" data-changepercent="1.4095744680851063" data-company-name="Microsoft Corp." data-country="US" data-datetime="Nov. 29, 2013 3:56 PM" data-exchange-iso="XNAS" data-iso="$" data-offset="-5" data-pc="37.600" data-price="38.13" data-ticker-name="MSFT" data-ticker="MSFT" data-volume="21432562.00" data-widget="dj.ticker" id="0.2588945612903846"><span class="tkrChange"></span></span> changed the default language Wednesday on a fill-in-the-blanks form on an Xbox website, which appears to give men talking points to sell women on the merits of the new Xbox One videogame console."</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Shira Ovide, Ian Sherr & Evelyn M. Rusli, Wall Street Journal - "<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/11/27/xbox-changes-wording-of-hey-honey-letter-after-sexism-complaints/">Xbox Changes Wording of ‘Hey Honey’ Letter After Sexism Complaints</a>"</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Microsoft has created the most insanely sexist ad for the Xbox One
after presumably binge-watching Mad Men and missing the point entirely.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<i>Or at least that's the only explanation I can come up with for its comically regressive US web-based ad for Xbox One that assumes its audience is full of males attached to sneering harpies who like to knit, love fitness, and hate video games.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The ad in question suggests that men want an Xbox One, but their
female significant other will chide them for it. To counter this
oppressive, domestic force, Microsoft has written a letter to your
stereotypical shrew explaining the benefits of Xbox One to women who
never lived past 1912."</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Jeffrey Matulef, Eurogamer - "<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-27-microsoft-slammed-for-sexist-xbox-one-ad">Microsoft slammed for sexist Xbox One ad</a>"</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"“Man,” you may have said recently, “I wish my girlfriend/wife/mistress
would let me buy one of those cool new Xbox One consoles.” “If only
there was someone who could talk to her about it for me,” you may have
exclaimed! Well good news, gamer guy: Microsoft has a shamelessly sexist
open letter you can email to the non-gaming lady in your life."</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Luke Hopewell, Gizmodo Australia - "<a href="http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/11/microsoft-will-be-sexist-to-your-girlfriend-for-you-so-you-can-buy-an-xbox-one/">Microsoft Wrote A Sexist Letter To Your Girlfriend So You Can Buy An Xbox One</a>"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Some articles are less reactionary than others but it's hard to believe so many of them take the stance of "it's sexist against women". As marketing campaigns go, I can't see it being particularly successful -- is the customisable letter going to persuade anyone any better than a list of the Xbox One's features would? -- and, honestly, the idea of poking fun at a partner not being interested in gaming is a silly way to sell a games console. Having said that, Microsoft made an effort to make the letter gender-neutral. There's nothing to say that it's not a female gamer sending this to her male partner who would "rather knit than watch me slay zombies" (which I think is too over-the-top to be taken seriously anyway). So it's an example of dumb advertising but Microsoft at least took steps to <i>avoid</i> offending people, something they made clear when they apologised and changed the letter.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If only the same could be said for their "His & Hers" Xbox One commercial:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CU9mZJ8vmdA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
In this video, a man is watching sports on the Xbox One. His girlfriend enters the room, uses the Kinect's voice commands to switch to <i>Dead Rising 3</i>, to the man's protests, and then orders him to get her a beer. He complies but finds that they're out of beer. His girlfriend orders him to go to the store. He does so. The "joke" is that the girlfriend can command her boyfriend as easily as she can with the Xbox One's voice recognition.<br />
<br />
Basically, Microsoft have fallen back on the same sitcom stereotypes that I mentioned at the start of the blog; a useless doormat of a boyfriend with the same "yes dear" attitude that sitcom husbands typically have when confronted by their by-the-numbers "strong, independent" wife. However, and I can't quite believe I'm writing this, the advert has been<i> </i>praised for <i>subverting stereotypes</i>. <br />
<br />
Before I get into that, let's read some of the Youtube comments from that particular video, shall we?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdWDQwiNV_jvL82jb-KcvOFlTM6LRLu1A_ItzGthKbMWHzQxKhfcW9sDO06ueGpC7757KfONlu493f9E9ss_lWw6GyGNwZvvWYUM07oq9RvOdTKeu_vMgcYHWcFH3ZaM-MezmwlRltNE/s1600/xboxcomments1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdWDQwiNV_jvL82jb-KcvOFlTM6LRLu1A_ItzGthKbMWHzQxKhfcW9sDO06ueGpC7757KfONlu493f9E9ss_lWw6GyGNwZvvWYUM07oq9RvOdTKeu_vMgcYHWcFH3ZaM-MezmwlRltNE/s640/xboxcomments1.PNG" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I apologise for that picture being so large that it won't fit on the blog unless resized but basically, the vast majority of comments on that video imply that the only people who dislike the video are stupid, illiterate, fat, ugly, whiny, sexists, virgins, "butthurt", "fucksticks" and/or "dudebros".<br />
<br />
Man, we're so lucky that gaming is a boy's club, aren't we? Who <i>knows</i> what kind of abusive, sexist things would be said about men if it wasn't!<br />
<br />
Basically, their interpretation is that the commercial subverts stereotypes because it's a woman telling a man to get back in the kitchen and get her something, in the same way that women face online abuse by people who tell them to "get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich".<br />
<br />
I'm sure that was the intention, just as I'm sure the commercial was <i>intended</i> to subvert stereotypes. It doesn't work, in as much as the man in this particular relationship is as stereotypical as the majority of men in both sitcoms and advertising but, as is always the case, the woman's portrayal is the important one. The man is irrelevant.<br />
<br />
So let's say that by having a woman tell a man to get back in the kitchen, the commercial attempted to subvert stereotypes. Do Microsoft truly think that making misandric jokes about men is somehow
making a point or striking a blow against sexism
towards women? Or are they just running the risk of normalising "get
back in the kitchen" jokes for the sake of a very petty commercial? By using sexist advertising to market their product, feminist critics of the games industry have lost what little weight the "women are often faced with 'get back in the kitchen' jokes while playing online" argument had; I know for a fact that, when faced with that argument in the future, I'm going to respond with, "so what? Microsoft used that same 'joke' against men to help sell the Xbox One". It's <i>Heavenly Sword</i> all over again. When anyone points to the website <a href="http://fatuglyorslutty.com/">Fat, Ugly or Slutty</a> for examples of the ways women are mistreated online, there's an entire comments section of a Youtube video we can point to for examples of men being described using phrases like "fat little man-dodos", "14-year-old virgins" and "man tears". The commercial hasn't made any strides towards equality. <br />
<br />
For all the misandric comments about "man tears", there are actually very few people criticising the commercial, leading me to suspect that the comments section of the video is heavily-moderated. However, I did manage to find this comment thread:<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrc6zVYWnHVOb8sJGca4wYK8k3wKpAokz1sSkOQdZRkpk-JjEhXpU0hwgQ2Awg9TgvQqo_gCoSdjkUsfX1FVhKw5MoHu1m9EYjz496KENMkou2X_8p42_K1CEm9buH4l-KRB-HIetVHA/s1600/xboxcomments2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrc6zVYWnHVOb8sJGca4wYK8k3wKpAokz1sSkOQdZRkpk-JjEhXpU0hwgQ2Awg9TgvQqo_gCoSdjkUsfX1FVhKw5MoHu1m9EYjz496KENMkou2X_8p42_K1CEm9buH4l-KRB-HIetVHA/s640/xboxcomments2.PNG" width="349" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In <i>this</i> particular comments thread, one feminist Youtuber says that they are offended by the commercial because it doesn't promote gender equality. Others tell them that they are not a feminist.<br />
<br />
I think Julie De Santos hits the nail on the head here, before being quickly dismissed by people claiming she "misses the point". My criticism of this commercial and the Youtube comments honestly has nothing to do with the content but rather the reactions to it; the blatant double standard where an explicitly misandric advertisement is praised while an <i>implicitly</i> misogynistic (if that) letter promoting the Xbox One is decried. Microsoft gave an apology for one but not the other and I'm sure nobody is guessing which one. Where's the consistency? Where's the backlash against the "His & Hers" Xbox One commercial and the comments to it?<br />
<br />
The only article that I could find even <i>mentioning</i> the "His & Hers" advertisement was from <span id="goog_1718066608"></span><span id="goog_1718066609"></span>Gameranx, in a piece that <i>praised</i> the commercial while pointing out how the makers of the customisable letter were guilty of "not getting it".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"</i>[On the customisable letter]<i> However, despite the lack of gender specific pronouns, many have
noticed that the structure still comes off as a stereotype: the ole
"gotta ask the ball and chain" trope that permeates heteronormal
relationships. It's almost as if the initial ad was rejected and key
phrases switched in the interest of not coming off as sexist. A noble
pursuit, to be sure, but one rather clumsily executed in this case. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>
This attempt at gender neutrality seems to follow a new strategy for
Microsoft, who recently released a commercial that adequately challenged
some of the general preconceived notions about the target audience for
the Xbox One. Entitled "His and Hers," the following ad features a woman
gamer who kicks her boyfriend off the couch while he's watching sports
to play a video game. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It almost boggles the mind how a company that came up with the
advertisement above could also be responsible for the former ad copy.
But gotta give 'em props for trying."</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Ian Miles Cheong, Gameranx - "<a href="http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/19039/article/is-this-xbox-one-ad-sexist/">Is This Xbox One Ad Sexist?</a>" </div>
<br />
Little wonder that this particular article was written by Gameranx editor-in-chief, Ian Miles Cheong; someone who, back during the #1ReasonWhy movement, posted a link on Twitter to his Tumblr, featuring a <a href="http://iancheong.tumblr.com/post/36869626077/for-the-men-who-still-dont-get-it-by-carol-diehl">very misandric poem by Carol Diehl</a>, which suggested everything from men being unable to know what it's like to be raped to being oblivious to the feeling of having the appearance of their private parts mocked.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRm_3dJo4yGSoq7vOgyhlUkIjIz6TYLQHrt5u0tZ1Vg1PFwt40uA21A4gSlKP5kE6xzcSuIVVzrYBp0TU5J8slD-pAYMMxlbP88r2RBcx4Y2S1d6m_3cQ1XOIEJ_f3jBFca6zAT78ZDXI/s1600/misandrylink.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRm_3dJo4yGSoq7vOgyhlUkIjIz6TYLQHrt5u0tZ1Vg1PFwt40uA21A4gSlKP5kE6xzcSuIVVzrYBp0TU5J8slD-pAYMMxlbP88r2RBcx4Y2S1d6m_3cQ1XOIEJ_f3jBFca6zAT78ZDXI/s1600/misandrylink.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
On occasion, I've defended game journalists for the lack of coverage about certain issues if I feel like they're not significant enough to be covered but this isn't like a few sexist comments on an obscure Facebook page that aren't a big enough issue for journalists to cover. This is an advertisement for a major next-gen console. I would expect <i>some</i> coverage for it beyond Ian Miles Cheong's brief praise. It isn't like I think this issue deserves special treatment but the fact is that a lot less significant gender issues in gaming have been given a lot more coverage because, typically, they involved women as the victims and not men.<br />
<br />
Take Carolyn Petit as an example. Back when <a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/gamespot-high-grand-theft-auto-v-score.html">the backlash occurred</a> over the 9.0 score she awarded to <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i>, some people started up a petition on Change.org called "Gamespot Staff: Fire Carolyn Petit". That particular petition was <a href="https://www.change.org/petitions/gamespot-staff-fire-carolyn-petit">taken down</a> incredibly quickly and <a href="http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/fire-carolyn-petit-fire-carolyn-petit">a new one started up</a> that, as of this writing, has a grand total of <i>46 signatures</i> (and several people only signed it to comment on how stupid it was). It's a far cry from the 22559 comments currently on Gamespot's review of <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> and not what I'd call indicative of any kind of sexism in the gaming community.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56Cs5_jgGH-GWQLJAv6jUBFLSc689LjvrGbLNmGVnxwmA5wiJiniQHbljicJ-S6aXYygMKZ0k0iuKSMyywmCNt7L3qRd2QNgSpfBWuY-NO5OutKLq68QvxmScqwfGWo6buc4GuPCWH_E/s1600/petitpetition.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56Cs5_jgGH-GWQLJAv6jUBFLSc689LjvrGbLNmGVnxwmA5wiJiniQHbljicJ-S6aXYygMKZ0k0iuKSMyywmCNt7L3qRd2QNgSpfBWuY-NO5OutKLq68QvxmScqwfGWo6buc4GuPCWH_E/s640/petitpetition.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left-click for larger view.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So why is it that <i>this</i> particular non-issue was covered by sites such as <a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/index.php/news/read/gamers-petition-for-sacking-of-gamespot-writer-who-criticised-gtav-for-misogyny/0121238">MCV UK</a>, <a href="http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/grand-theft-auto-v-fans-demand-game-reviewer-be-fired-after-less-than-perfect-score/">Las Vegas Guardian Express</a>, <a href="http://www.chaoshour.com/articles/news/gamespot-writer-has-been-asked-to-leave-gamespot-due-to-poor-review-score">Chaos Hour</a> and <a href="http://systemwarsmagazine.com/2013/09/16/report-gamespot-reviewer-gives-gta-v-a-generous-score-readers-want-her-fired/">System Wars Magazine</a>? A couple of months ago, I criticised a video on Youtube by Jamin Warren and PBS Game/Show that compared Anita Sarkeesian to Rosa Parks. In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UrazpEFb9w">that particular video</a>, Warren brought up the petition as a reason why "we need Anita Sarkeesian's feminism". While these aren't sites or videos I regularly read people discussing online, they still covered the subject. That's more than I can say about this.<br />
<br />
Likewise, something I'm fairly sure I've never written about is the "Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian" game that sprang up around the time of her Kickstarter campaign. Some of you may have heard about it, since it's one of the subjects constantly brought up whenever the abuse Anita suffered is mentioned. It's been talked and written about by Anita herself. Basically, it was a game hosted on newgrounds.com where the player clicked on a photograph of Anita repeatedly until her face became more and more bruised. Given that it's had such a long-lasting legacy when the subject of sexism in the gaming community comes up, you wouldn't think it was <a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/campaign-against-misogyny-in-video-games-turns-ugly-1.874849">made by just one person and taken down from Newgrounds within a day</a>. Does it make the motive or feelings behind it any less despicable? No. Is it undeserving of the reputation it received? Yes. I'm not going to link to any sites because I don't particularly want to give them traffic but just type "Beat Up Anita Sarkeesian" into a search engine and you'll find articles on it by the Huffington Post, New Statesmen, Destructoid and more.<br />
<br />
Then there's an article from The Wire, titled "<a href="http://www.thewire.com/technology/2013/07/gamers-cant-handle-new-female-head-xbox/67073/">Gamers Can't Handle the New Female Head at Xbox</a>" by Rebecca Greenfield. Greenfield's justification for this claim? A handful of comments from gamers, several of which aren't even sexist.<br />
<br />
So again, I don't think the "His & Hers" commercial deserves special treatment. However, because of the blatant double standard when it comes to male portrayals, it isn't receiving even <i>basic</i> treatment. Misandric marketing combined with single-minded journalism focused only on politically-correct articles leaves us with a sexist commercial I'll be surprised if anyone covers.<br />
<br />
The odd thing is that the "His & Hers" video posted above was actually a mirror. The one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn5u_RJO7YY">on Xbox's Youtube channel</a> has more views, more comments and yet a lot less sexism in the comments section. I've no idea how that worked out the way it did.<br />
<br />
Finally, although I know that engaging with Youtube commenters is a fool's errand no matter what, there is <i>one</i> from the comments section above that I'd like to mention, from a Youtuber called Nimbose:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"What's funny is that some of the guys who hate this commercial are probably those who tell women 'shut up and get me a sandwich' on a daily basis. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hmn. Looks like someone can't take what they dish out."</i></blockquote>
That final line, about not being able to take what they dish out, is the part I'm interested in. Using that same logic, does that mean it's now open-season on making "get back in the kitchen" jokes, since Microsoft have done it with the Xbox One? It's been "dished out" towards men ... so presumably, male gamers can "dish it out" towards women as they please from now on and female gamers won't be allowed to complain because Microsoft already insulted men in the same way? Or at least any complaints will be met with, "well, it looks like some people can't take what they dish out".<br />
<br />
I'm guessing that won't happen.<br />
<br />
Abusive online comments towards women aren't going to end because a console manufacturer created an advert featuring an insulting portrayal of men. If anything, it'll just encourage more abusive comments and, as long as the "His & Hers" advert goes uncriticised, all the misandric advertising has done is remove any way of defending against the "get back in the kitchen" comments! If nobody steps up to criticise the advert that shows <i>men</i> getting back in the kitchen funny, why would anyone step up to criticise the "get back in the kitchen" jokes aimed at women that the online trolls find funny? If you're willing to promote the sexist advertisting double standard -- criticising the letter, not criticising the commercial -- why would anyone bother to help women?<br />
<br />
Simply put, if nobody criticises the "His & Hers" advertisement in the same way they did the customisable letter ... I don't know how gaming can ever be referred to as "a boy's club" with a straight face and it's clear why blogs like this one need to exist. The Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-71284865834622460312013-11-23T16:24:00.000+00:002013-12-15T17:19:07.066+00:00Ms. Male Character - Tropes Vs. Women in Video GamesThe next Tropes Vs Women video is up, so let's take a look at it:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eYqYLfm1rWA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
In this episode, Anita talks about three particular tropes that she feels are harmful towards women:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DistaffCounterpart">The Distaff Counterpart</a> - A character that is basically the female equivalent of an existing male character.</li>
<li><a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSmurfettePrinciple">The Smurfette Principle</a> - When there is only a single female character in an otherwise all-male cast.</li>
<li><a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TertiarySexualCharacteristics">Tertiary Sexual Characteristics</a> - Female characters have characteristics or items that indicate that they are female -- such as bows in their hair or makeup -- while male characters have none.</li>
</ul>
Funnily enough, I've actually been critical of the Distaff Counterpart on comic book forums before, just because I think it diminishes any real creativity. I think original female characters are more interesting and having unique powers (in the case of superheroes) is a greater incentive for a new audience to pick up the book than simply using a "name" character. In all honesty, that's probably <i>not</i> the case and is just a personal preference because otherwise, why would Distaff Counterparts/legacy characters exist if not to sell more products? That's the reason in comic books and it's more or less stated in Anita's own video that it was also the reason for <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i>.<br />
<br />
However, in spite of the fact that I have a personal distaste for Distaff Counterparts, I find that Anita's representation of them in her video doesn't paint a fair picture. In fact, for once, I feel like I'm being critical of Anita because I want her to do <i>better</i> when critiquing a subject I dislike, rather than being critical of her because I disagree. I've noticed other supporters of better female portrayals in video games take this stance so it's interesting to find myself in the same boat.<br />
<br />
I think several points Anita makes at the end of her video point out one of the pitfalls that she fell into during her damsel in distress videos; either failing or refusing to acknowledge the differences in gaming between retro games and the modern era. In the case of the damsel in distress, it was praising games like <i>The Secret Of Monkey Island</i> without pointing out that games with <i>Monkey Island</i>'s clever writing and narrative were the exception, rather than the rule. Game developers at the time didn't have the luxury of being able to create complex stories in every single game. Using the damsel in distress plot device gave the player a simple and understandable idea of why the character they played as was on their quest.<br />
<br />
In this case, Anita does not acknowledge the reasons behind the female characters she praises being free of "gender signifiers" -- her term for Tertiary Sexual Characteristics, as well as a term that I actually prefer -- and the (usually) retro ones she criticises for having them. Let's use <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i> as an example; unlike <i>TowerFall</i>, <i>Ms. Pac-Man </i>didn't have the freedom to create female characters in a brand new setting. She was created because Midway wanted a follow-up to <i>Pac-Man</i>, which Anita mentioned herself. Therefore, she was limited in the designs that could be used and still remain recognisably part of the <i>Pac-Man</i> universe. Plus, unlike <i>Thomas Was Alone</i> -- another game Anita praised for featuring a positive female character without any gender signifiers -- <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i> didn't have a narrative that would allow for the development of a deep female character, much like Elaine in <i>The Secret Of Monkey Island</i> compared to other, more "regressive", examples<i></i> of the damsel in distress.<br />
<br />
Basically, there were limitations to making a female character in 1982 who was intended to be a successor to the most popular game character in the world (at that time). There's only so much you can change when the character has to be as recognisable as Pac-Man himself <i>and</i> with both the storytelling and graphic limitations of the time period. I don't feel that's highlighted in the video above.<br />
<br />
It's a similar story with other games Anita mentions, such as <i>Ice Climber </i>(1985), <i>Bubble Bobble</i> (1986) and <i>Adventures Of Lolo</i> (1989). Another aspect that stood out to me was the divide between examples used from Japanese games and Western games. When it comes to the heavy focus on Japanese games, I'm not saying that the cultural differences excuse poorer representations of women or any other group. However, to avoid mentioning those cultural differences is to refuse to paint the whole picture. In previous episodes, Anita has singled out Shigeru Miyamoto and, in <i>Pac-Man</i>'s case, it's Toru Iwatani's turn to be painted with the sexist brush. Here's Iwatani's quote that Anita took issue with:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"When you think about things women like, you think about fashion, or
fortune-telling, or food or dating boyfriends. So I decided to theme the
game around “eating” — after eating dinner, women like to have dessert."</i></blockquote>
It's understandable that Anita would dislike the blanket stereotyping but the cultural differences between the West and Japan aren't delved into. In fact, it's glossed over in a sentence by being described as, "Iwatani's regressive personal or cultural notions about women". I can't help but feel like this dumbs down what was, in fact, a major attempt to garner a female audience for video games. Iwatani reached out rather than pushed away. Isn't that something Anita wants?<br />
<br />
And make no mistake, it <i>worked</i>. <i>Pac-Man</i>'s success and popularity amongst female gamers was one of the reasons<i> why</i> a female character was the protagonist in <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i>, according to Midway employee Stan Jarocki.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhHYP1icYa9Bt8wmZfKuM4WKuCLPb7Yyqv5VsJSgdQZ8PEexjKafuiCoj4Uhb-09oNEqQzpiLacKVFdDFsuFfIIxCZ_KSJjvo5hjfPDTlpkQ_MsrIH1osrlybCIJuw4Z4hjvfw70P6WI/s1600/pacman.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhHYP1icYa9Bt8wmZfKuM4WKuCLPb7Yyqv5VsJSgdQZ8PEexjKafuiCoj4Uhb-09oNEqQzpiLacKVFdDFsuFfIIxCZ_KSJjvo5hjfPDTlpkQ_MsrIH1osrlybCIJuw4Z4hjvfw70P6WI/s400/pacman.PNG" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Electronic Games Magazine </i>(May 1982). <i>Left-click for larger view</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"</i>Pac-Man<i> was the first commercial videogame to involve large numbers of women as players," says Jarocki. "It expanded our customer base and made </i>Pac-Man<i> a hit. Now we're producing this new game,</i> Ms. Pac-Man<i>, as our way of thanking all those lady arcaders who have played and enjoyed </i>Pac-Man<i>."</i></blockquote>
In spite of my own feelings about Distaff Counterparts, there is a reason they exist; they work. They can be hugely popular in their own right, earning the ability to stand on their own two feet. To use superheroes as an example, Marvel's Carol Danvers -- better known as Captain Marvel, formerly Ms. Marvel -- is a far more prominent hero than her male predecessor, also known as Captain Marvel. In the case of Ms. Pac-Man, she was as capable as Pac-Man when it came to eating dots and ghosts and in an enormously popular game herself, to the point that she either matches Pac-Man's cultural relevance or is ridiculously close. So to have Ms. Pac-Man so passively dismissed and her contributions diminished with the following quote is only disheartening to see, regardless of Anita's claim that, "it’s entirely possible to be critical of some aspects of a piece of media while still finding other parts valuable or enjoyable":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Ms. Pac-Man’s visual properties are simply an extension of Pac-Man’s
original design; she actually kind of is just Pac-Man with a bow. Her simple narrative reinforces the fact that she really only exists in
relationship to Pac-Man. She is both his love interest and also the
mother of his child."</i></blockquote>
Later on, Anita also provides this statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Ms. Male Characters typically aren’t given their own distinctive
identities and are prevented from being fully realized characters who
exist on their own terms. This has the, perhaps unintended, effect of devaluing these characters
and often relegating them to a subordinate or secondary status inside
their respective media franchises, even when they are, on rare
occasions, given a starring role in a spin-off or sequel."</i></blockquote>
I don't know about anyone else but I feel like the only person devaluing characters such as Ms. Pac-Man is Anita. Prior to that particular quote, Anita was talking about Dixie Kong, star of <i>Donkey Kong Country 3</i> and a playable character in <i>fifteen</i> games, and it's clear that the quote is aimed at characters such as her and Ms. Pac-Man. Dixie Kong was the start of her own title, having to save two male characters who were damsels in distress and why exactly is she receiving criticism? Because she wears pink. Because she has a ponytail. Because she's a Distaff Counterpart to Diddy Kong, according to Anita (which isn't actually true; they have similar designs but only because the two are similar in age, size and, y'know, they're apes. The two do not share abilities or similarities in their design more than that, in the same way the Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man do). So who, exactly, is devaluing the female characters here?<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGCsrw2GvaOrljn6dDnxxu1YPBpZh4qNL9XnLwBLFtTAgNUrJejJ1imlA0Go_6zC8YwH-vjF-vWbsSVqiU8XEM8DvQNsV8SphPcRa87LkFsoXDX9v9Q4S6ec0Efa1-aBNK8rzeuVDDKw/s1600/diddydixie.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGCsrw2GvaOrljn6dDnxxu1YPBpZh4qNL9XnLwBLFtTAgNUrJejJ1imlA0Go_6zC8YwH-vjF-vWbsSVqiU8XEM8DvQNsV8SphPcRa87LkFsoXDX9v9Q4S6ec0Efa1-aBNK8rzeuVDDKw/s1600/diddydixie.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
Truthfully, I'm having a hard time figuring out why, exactly, Anita takes issue with gender signifiers in games. Unless they lead to what she describes as "personality female syndrome" -- a series of characteristics that Anita believes stereotype women, including being, "vain, spoiled, bratty and quick to anger" -- I don't exactly see the issue. I <i>thought</i> I did but then this segment of the video completely threw me off:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Now just to be clear, there’s no inherent problem with the color
pink, makeup, bows or high heels as design elements on their own. And of
course people of all genders may choose to wear any of them from time
to time in the real world and there is nothing necessarily wrong with
that either. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>However, when designers choose to use the Ms. Male Character trope
and its associated visual stereotypes to specifically distinguish female
characters from the rest of the cast in a fictional context, it has a
few negative consequences. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>One repercussion of constantly relying on feminizing signifiers for
character design is that it tends to reinforce a strict binary form of
gender expression. The gender binary is an entirely artificial and
socially constructed division of male and female into two distinctly
separate and opposing classes of human being. The gender binary also
erases the continuum of gender presentations and identities that fall
outside of the rigid masculine/feminine false dichotomy. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And within that strict binary women are “marked” while men get to remain largely “unmarked”."</i></blockquote>
In other words, Anita dislikes signifying a character's sex through certain clothing or accessories because (A) it singles out women as something different from men and (B) it automatically excludes people who don't identify as male or female, or who <i>do</i> but choose not to conform to gendered clothing.<br />
<br />
The main reason this stood out to me is because, as understandable as it is to want more representations of genders outside the "gender binary" -- which simply means "male or female" -- I don't understand why it falls to gaming to show those representations. Gaming <i>can </i>but isn't Anita criticising the "entirely artificial and socially constructed division of male and female into two distinctly separate and opposing classes of human being" actually a criticism of society's attitudes instead?<br />
<br />
Let's use <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i> as an example again. I'm not normally a person who says that Anita needs to provide <i>good</i> examples in addition to negative ones but in this case, I would love to hear an alternative solution to giving the character lipstick and a bow to show that she is a female character. Again, bear these factors in mind:<br />
<ul>
<li>It's 1982 and there are "only a few pixels to work with" (Anita's own words).</li>
<li>The character has to look different from Pac-Man to avoid <i>Ms. Pac-Man</i> seeming like a knock-off.</li>
<li>The character has to look similar enough to show that the game is part of the same series.</li>
</ul>
I think it's <i>reasonable</i>, albeit not ideal, for a character designer to draw on real-life examples of women to create a female character in this case. Given that women are far more likely to wear bows and lipstick than men, it is completely fair for a character designer to use those elements for his/her female character. And that is so obvious that I can't believe I had to write it down.<br />
<br />
On <a href="http://femfreq.tumblr.com/post/67671913832/in-response-to-my-ms-male-character-video-someone">the Feminist Frequency Tumblr</a>, the only solution, if you can call it that, was a gender-flipped version of Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man that shows how the two characters would look if "Pac-Woman" became "Mr. Pac-Woman".<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4DEi9HHLdzFhXJcJfWI9id7WRrftQBFjHKkBtMTloP21dXn7mRQbjc2onh5PVsXxYJDC70Wyl7g4W46hM7LvGmyUL7vABQdljF1PAKWDSX32jFXGlVXgsYnUITymvuwP1lPaKf_BpFk/s1600/pacwoman.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4DEi9HHLdzFhXJcJfWI9id7WRrftQBFjHKkBtMTloP21dXn7mRQbjc2onh5PVsXxYJDC70Wyl7g4W46hM7LvGmyUL7vABQdljF1PAKWDSX32jFXGlVXgsYnUITymvuwP1lPaKf_BpFk/s1600/pacwoman.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
Personally, I don't think it's as "downright absurd" as Anita believes, not least because Pac-Man is a tricky character to take seriously in the first place. He -- or she, if we're talking about Pac-Woman -- is a yellow circle with a mouth. Putting a top hat and bow tie on it doesn't propel this light-hearted, cartoonish character into the realms of absurdity. What little ridiculousness there is only comes from the fact that, if anything, "Mr. Pac-Woman's" clothing looks very outdated. However, this still isn't a solution. It's just a gender flip.<br />
<br />
I'm anxious to move on from this topic but I want to mention the idea that women are "marked" and men are "unmarked". I don't think Anita ever actually asked <i>why</i> it is done but she certainly, and probably unintentionally, provided an answer to that question:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"There are a few optional design accessories for men like neckties or
baseball caps but they don’t hold the same significance. They are not
ubiquitous or strictly enforced, and are never really used to “mark” men
as “not female” in larger fictional universes dominated by women."</i></blockquote>
First of all, I find it quite funny that Anita singled out Dixie Kong earlier in the video when both Donkey Kong <i>and</i> Diddy Kong wear a necktie and baseball cap respectively -- again, they're apes. It'd be tricky to tell the sex of those characters without gender signifiers -- but doesn't this quote sum up <i>why</i> gender signifiers aren't used as often for male characters? Certainly not because men are considered the default and women a deviation (which I'll come to later) but because there are so few gender signifiers available for male characters. Traditionally-male clothing is no longer restricted to men. Women are far less likely to receive odd looks if they went out in public in a man's suit than a man would if he did the same in a pink dress, with pigtails and makeup. The reason being that they still <i>are</i> items and fashions predominately associated with women. If Anita wants to take any steps changing society's perceptions on that score, I'll be right alongside her, but it's silly, pointless and actually rather petty to lay the blame of gender signifiers at the feet of video games. That goes for modern games as well as retro games.<br />
<br />
In other words, women are more likely to have gender signifiers because they actually <i>have</i> them. Not because they need to be "marked" and singled-out as something different from "the norm".<br />
<br />
Also, I actually find that turn of phrase bordering on offensive; I'm sure it was completely unintentional but think about other oppressed classes throughout history who <i>have</i> been marked -- literally -- as something different from what their oppressors considered "the norm" or ideal. I feel like it was a very poor choice of words to use when describing how hard female characters have it in <i>video games</i>, of all things.<br />
<br />
One thing that I'm sure had everyone marvelling was Anita's analysis of <i>Mass Effect 3</i>'s advertising. Let's deal with the mistake that even the non-<i>Mass Effect</i> fans probably picked up on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Still, the female version has a dedicated fanbase who frequently refers
to her as “FemShep”. And although this is meant as an affectionate
nickname, it does further highlight her designation as a Ms. Male
Character. She is the one with the qualifier attached to her name. She
is “Female Shepard” whereas the male version simply gets to be,
“Shepard”."</i></blockquote>
This is completely untrue. Although I hate to fall back on phrases that make it sound like Anita makes these kind of research mistakes all the time, this <i>is</i> a typical example of the lack of research that people criticise her videos for. It certainly is astounding that Anita can trawl through obscure mobile games and retro games to find examples but can't spend two minutes on a forum to find out information on a nickname for the main character of a AAA game.<br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, the male version of <i>Mass Effect</i>'s Commander Shepard <i>does</i> have a nickname. Several, in fact; "MaleShep", "ManShep" and "BroShep" are all commonly used while "ShepLoo" and "VanderShep" are both used to refer to Commander Shepard's default male design, named after the Dutch model he was modelled after, Mark Vanderloo.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhyphenhyphenTp9c9mg0qIyqnA44fRK8FAjlKlf4mZ57zhffxzrAtxaXRZqsGm6xCwODsvNpfYiHTHhRuL294eKmn1b4OfEzroGFbJSPP_4JJnC7uAwBnWVlkrfA3geYEsFpHRZKGHSau_hpyhccE/s1600/maleshep.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhyphenhyphenTp9c9mg0qIyqnA44fRK8FAjlKlf4mZ57zhffxzrAtxaXRZqsGm6xCwODsvNpfYiHTHhRuL294eKmn1b4OfEzroGFbJSPP_4JJnC7uAwBnWVlkrfA3geYEsFpHRZKGHSau_hpyhccE/s1600/maleshep.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
That's not all. Prior to this, Anita discussed the marketing of the <i>Mass Effect</i> series:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"In mainstream advertising of the franchise, the male commander is
used almost exclusively. His image is front and center on the box covers
for all releases including the special editions. He is the one featured
in the TV commercials, teasers, trailers, web banners, street posters
and print ads and his face appears on most of the magazine covers. All
of this positions the male Commander Shepard as the default protagonist
of the series.</i>
<br />
<i><i><br /></i></i>
<i>That is how Bioware is selling the Mass Effect experience. Nearly
everything about the advertising campaign explicitly tells players that
Commander Shepard is a man and by extension associates the official
storyline with the male version of the hero. This marketing strategy
contributes to the fact that only 18-20% of players choose the female
option (despite the fact that Jennifer Hale’s voice acting is widely
praised as being far superior)."</i></blockquote>
First of all, although <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/07/19/bioware-says-18-percent-of-mass-effect-players-choose-female-shepard.aspx">the 18-20% statistic is apparently true</a>, there's nothing to say that the marketing strategy is the reason for the 80% of players or so choosing to play as the male version of Shepard. Much like in previous videos, like assuming damsels in distress are considered property rather than people, this is a case of Anita reaching a conclusion that isn't backed up by any factual evidence. One may not neccessarily lead to the other but Anita is arguing as if that is the case.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I take issue with the fact that Jennifer Hale's voice acting was considered "<i>far</i> superior". There are certainly people who make that claim but she also has her detractors (typically on the exact same forums as her supporters. There's always a healthy mix of opinions). I'm as big a fan of Jennifer Hale as the next person, particularly for her performance as Bastila Shan in <i>Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic</i>, but I wasn't a fan of her <i>Mass Effect</i> role. I agree with those who say her vocal performance as Commander Shepard was too butch. Trying too hard to be "badass", to fit a tough space marine persona rather than just a person. Meanwhile, Mark Meer -- the voice actor for the male version of Shepard -- had a voice that fit a wide range of races and facial features, as well as being suitably authoritative. Plus, he was widely praised for upping his performance in <i>Mass Effect 3</i>.<br />
<br />
Then there's the advertising campaign, which focused only on the male version of Commander Shepard. To be more specific, the default male version of Commander Shepard, created using Mark Vanderloo's likeness. I certainly find it unusual and rather silly that BioWare -- creators of <i>Mass Effect</i> -- actually paid for a real person's likeness in a game where a character's facial features can be customised and <i>that</i> was the appearance focused on in all the marketing ... but since that's the case, why does Anita focus on the fact that he's male? Why not mention that non-whites are similarly ruled out or, for that matter, that the character customisation feature isn't shown off as much as it could be and is therefore rather poor marketing for not showing off an aspect of the game? The thing is, when only <i>one</i> of these points are argued -- "women aren't focused on" -- it sounds less like "not everyone is being given an equal share" and more like "it shouldn't be a male character". Something that is equally as exclusionary.<br />
<br />
Plus, it has to be said ... the male Commander Shepard <i>is</i> the default protagonist of the series. "VanderShep" <i>is</i> the version of the character that players see when starting a new game. So criticising the series with the statement, "all
of this positions the male Commander Shepard as the default protagonist
of the series" doesn't make much sense. That's the case. Plus, for all I know -- or for all Anita knows -- having a default protagonist <i>could</i> help sell the game. I wouldn't want to make assumptions about why mainstream audiences bought <i>Mass Effect</i>.<br />
<br />
Anita continues:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"During the advertising of Mass Effect 3, Bioware made a little more
effort to include female Shepard with items like an alternate reversible
slip cover for the game box (which features the male version by
default) as well as a special web only trailer but these gestures feel
like an afterthought or niche specialty marketing and hardly what I
would call a substantial or equitable inclusion."</i></blockquote>
This dismissive attitude when a developer makes a <i>positive</i> change in order to cater to women is reminiscent of <span id="goog_588566972"></span><span id="goog_588566973"></span><a href="http://themalesofgames.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/good-female-characters.html">Carolyn Petit's criticism of female characters being added to <i>Aliens: Colonial Marines</i></a>. All it does is send the message that the developer may as well not even <i>try</i> to cater to a feminist gaming audience because it's impossible to succeed. Much like Petit, Anita is creating a no-win situation by complaining about an effort BioWare made to <i>appeal</i> to feminist gamers in the first place. It also brings to mind the way Anita shrugged off Princess Peach's appearance as a playable character in <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> in her damsel in distress videos because she was only in the game "by accident", since it was a makeover of <i>Doki Doki Panic</i>.<br />
<br />
Finally, when talking about The Smurfette Principle, Anita argues that men are treated as the "default" sex:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"In a male identified society like ours, men are associated and become
synonymous with human beings in general. In other words, male tends to
be seen as the default for the entire species.</i><i>"</i></blockquote>
In all seriousness, there is some truth to this claim. Although it's more of a double-edged sword than is made out.<br />
<br />
Let's use a real life example; political parties are always trying to gain "the female vote" by showing their support for women's issues, such as taking a pro-choice stance on abortion, pledging to stamp out the wage gap and sexism in the workplace, etc. Meanwhile, there's no "male vote". I don't think the phrase "men's issues" will ever come up in a political debate and, if it did, nobody would have a clue what it means. That's part of men being considered the "default" for the entire species. There's no need to cater to men because men are just ... there. The standard. Anything that appeals to society as a whole will be appealing to men because they don't have anything that specifically caters to them ... right?<br />
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In games, we don't care about legions of male enemies being gunned down by the player. In fact, it's not only accepted, it's <i>expected</i> for men to be the expendable gender. Meanwhile, we have <a href="http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1077">developers committing self-flagellation over their portrayals of characters</a>, even positive ones, thanks to criticism from the Tropes Vs Women in Video Games series, while men criticising portrayals that <i>they</i> feel are sexist are told to "<a href="http://www.gamefront.com/misandry-in-videogames-oh-grow-the-f-k-up/">Grow The F**k Up</a>". Because men can't possibly be offended by portrayals because we're the default. Isn't that so?<br />
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So there's something to the idea that men are considered the default but -- and this isn't a knock on Anita -- I wouldn't expect the effects on both sexes to be covered by a video on gender issues in games. It's not an issue at the forefront of the gender issues debate, so it's not something I believe anyone would cover, regardless of their sex or involvement.<br />
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I'm hoping to read more articles on this video from others online but for the moment, that's all I have to say on it. I don't know if I was expecting Anita to change her presenting style for this video but I do know that I was disappointed to see all the flaws present in her previous videos to be back with a vengeance here; the blaming of specific developers, basing arguments off conclusions that she came to without evidence, dismissal of positive and progressive changes for women for rather shallow reasons, etc. On the plus side, she <i>did</i> reference a few examples this time around (although none of the gameplay videos, so it's still up in the air as to whether they were her own content or if they were taken from other Youtubers without permission or credit).<br />
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Anyway, as for what happens next ... I'm buying the <i>Tomb Raider</i> reboot in the near future, so hopefully I'll be able to provide another "The Sexism Of ..." blog post. I know it's a year old now but I don't often get the chance to delve into individual games anymore, so I'm looking forward to it.<br />
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Feel free to leave a comment or write to me at themalesofgames@gmail.comThe Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923004970775434557.post-23128554413479449762013-11-16T00:33:00.001+00:002013-11-16T00:40:44.054+00:00Frost/SarkeesianWell, the college debate was more-or-less a letdown. It's my own fault for building it up so much in my mind.<br />
<br />
There were a few problems. Firstly, I went to two debates; one on Monday and another today. The session on Monday didn't even have what I would describe as a debate; the students actually had to come up with points for <i>both </i>sides of the argument rather than just one and consistently had to back up their arguments with quotes and articles they found online. The problem with this is that it led to very few people expressing their opinions; the one person who mentioned Anita Sarkeesian being a victim of online abuse also happened to be one of the two people who I know for a fact can't stand her. More than anything else, it seemed like a few people knew what the "right" answer was and wanted to stick to it very rigidly for fear of being berated. This course <i>is</i> about preparing students for the games industry, after all, so expressing an opinion that the industry doesn't share could only be bad news. That's the theory, at least.<br />
<br />
Today's debate was quite a lot better on that front. At the very least, there was a side arguing for and against, so it was more like a real debate, and we were allowed to draw on our own experiences (even if none of us did). Luckily, I was on the side that was of the opinion that plenty of female portrayals in games were already positive, arguing <i>against</i> the idea that they were overwhelmingly negative. Unfortunately, having so many people in a class at once, all of whom needed to give an answer at some point, it wasn't as in-depth as it could've been. I still spoke more than most people -- in fact, it was mainly me and one other guy debating with two girls -- but I didn't get to make all the points I wanted to. Plus, the debate only lasted twenty minutes or so. We didn't even mention the industry, instead focusing only on the games.<br />
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Even so, I feel like there was more I could've done if I'd just spoken up. The one point I'm very pleased I made was about Gears Of War (which I haven't played since the first game). One of the girls argued that the series had negative portrayals of women because for the most part, the women were "breeders". One of the few who wasn't was only a soldier because she couldn't have children. I made the point that in a post-apocalyptic environment, it could be argued that it's logical and sensible to keep women out of harm's way, so it makes sense in context. It could be justified by the setting. I <i>wish</i> I had pointed out that the women were being kept safe from battle while it fell to the men to put their lives at risk protecting them. The value of the women's lives was automatically higher than that of the men, so what did that say about men and male characters?<br />
<br />
We <i>were</i> allowed to mention men but the debate was still ridiculously one-sided, including in the PowerPoint presentation our tutor showed at the beginning; we had a ton of examples of negative female portrayals, including trailers on Youtube, mention of #1ReasonWhy with the most cherry-picked sexist responses to the movement that could possibly be found, but only a single slide about male characters. Our tutor seemed open to discussing them but it's clear who the focus was. This <i>was</i> a "Women in Games" debate, after all, rather than "Gender Issues in Games". I wanted to make a point about my own experiences when it came to male character designs but I didn't speak up. Same goes for a few points about Lollipop Chainsaw. I could kick myself for that but I don't suppose it's a big deal in the grand scheme of things; it still wouldn't have been a particularly in-depth discussion and nothing would've been gained from bringing it up.<br />
<br />
Since that was a disappointment, let's talk about something a bit more fun; comparing Anita Sarkeesian to Richard Nixon.<br />
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I've seen the 2008 film Frost/Nixon a few times now and when it aired on one of the BBC channels a few weeks ago here in the UK, I watched it again. I must've had gender issues on my mind because I couldn't help compare the situations of Richard Nixon -- played by Frank Langella -- and Anita Sarkeesian.<br />
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I should point out that although Frost/Nixon is based on a true story, it alters characters and events to make the film more dramatic. Which means that the Richard Nixon I'll be comparing Anita to is actually a fictionalised version. Coincidentally, it's also an opportunistic, money-grubbing version ...<br />
<br />
... Only joking. There <i>is</i> a serious comparison to be made here, honestly. For one thing, it's interesting to examine why, in the face of overwhelming criticism, Nixon agreed to confront his controversy head-on while Anita avoids it at all costs.<br />
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Almost everything I want to say comes from <a href="http://www.anyclip.com/movies/frost-nixon/backstage/#!quotes/">this clip</a>, featuring Nixon and his aide, Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon), talking backstage about why they want the interviews with David Frost (Michael Sheen) to take place. Sorry I can't find the clip on Youtube, so that link will have to do. The background is that Nixon, disgraced by the Watergate scandal, is reduced to public speaking at social functions rather than being involved in politics. It's a role he's very uncomfortable with, as he feels it "reduces the presidency to a series of banal anecdotes" ... but he makes it very clear that he <i>doesn't</i> want to talk about Watergate without good reason to do so.<br />
<br />
This evasion of the controversy -- the <i>main</i> reason everyone was interested in Nixon -- reminds me of the way that the majority of Anita's publicity comes from the abuse she received rather than her web series on video games. The most high-profile and mainstream interviews only mention video games as an afterthought. These include her <a href="http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/12/tedxwomen-talk-on-sexist-harassment-cyber-mobs/">TEDxWomen</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9uLKZmxOw">The Conference</a> talks and her interviews with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNyxq-gqFNU">CNN</a> and <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/women-battle-online-anti-women-hate-manosphere/story?id=20579038">ABC's 20/20</a>. Meanwhile, Anita doesn't allow her talks on video games to be filmed. Yet while Nixon agrees to have a sit-down interview with David Frost, Anita has never confronted her criticism in the same way.<br />
<br />
Just to be clear, I am <i>not</i> saying that Richard Nixon was more moral than Anita Sarkeesian for agreeing to face his critics. He wanted the interview with Frost for the same reason Anita doesn't want an interview with her own David Frost, whoever he or she may be; both Nixon and Anita make their decisions for self-serving reasons. In Nixon's case, he feels a successful interview with Frost will allow him to weave his way back into the political sphere:<br />
<br />
<div class="text_box">
<b>Richard Nixon: </b>Still, now, the fact it's come together, now, that's a good thing, no?<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Jack Brennan: </b>Mr. President, it's fantastic. Frost is just not in your intellectual class, sir. You're gonna be able to dictate terms, rebuild your reputation. If this went well, if enough people saw it, revised their opinion,</div>
<div class="text_box">
you could move back East way, way earlier than we expected.<br />
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<b>Nixon:</b> You think?<br />
<br />
<b>Brennan: </b>I'm certain.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Nixon:</b> It would be so good to go back to where the action is. You know? The hunger in my belly is still there, Jack. I guess it all boils down to Watergate, huh?</div>
<br />
So the entire point of Nixon agreeing to an interview with Frost is because his reputation was damaged and he wanted to restore it. That, if anything, shines a light on <i>why</i> Anita has never had to face her own critics; how many mainstream gaming websites have mentioned that Anita has <i>any</i> flaws that need to be addressed at all? Beyond phrases such as "the Tropes Vs Women in Games series isn't perfect but ... [insert reference to Anita's abuse here]", I can't think of any mention of the issues off the top of my head. Nixon damaged his reputation and needed to do something to repair it. Anita, on the other hand, is not portrayed as a disreputable individual. Her career hasn't suffered any setbacks whatsoever from the cherry-picked and one-sided arguments she presents, the comment-blocking and removing dissenting opinions on Facebook and the use of content that isn't hers without asking permission, referencing or crediting the original uploaders.<br />
<br />
Basically, by closing off every avenue available to help Nixon achieve his goal, he was given an incentive to go down a path he would prefer not to; talking about Watergate. Anita has every avenue open to her and is <i>encouraged</i> to go down every single one, so she has no incentive to face the critics. She doesn't have a David Frost she needs to go face-to-face with.<br />
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In other gender issues news, I have to provide a link to a truly <i>excellent</i> artist called <a href="http://europa-phoenix.blogspot.fr/">Europa-Phoenix</a>, who draws some very impressive artwork about men's rights. His blog has only just started up but it's certainly one to watch. I'll put a link in the sidebar.<br />
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Also, this is my fiftieth blog post! I think it's kind of corny to write lengthy speeches but I'll say that I don't think I could've predicted the blog would survive this long back at the beginning. It only started because I needed to voice an opinion that I didn't think was being voiced elsewhere and honestly, I'd be happy if even a dozen people visited over the last year. This blog has been a good outlet for some of the feelings I have about a lot of things and I'm pleased that I've barely received any hostility for writing them down too. Looking forward to writing more in the future.<br />
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Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at themalesofgames@gmail.comThe Males Of Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11432212119965873799noreply@blogger.com