Of "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games" - and the internet

Firefreak on 16/6/2012 at 19:38

A video that I came across today morning on my Google+ stream made me aware of a topic of which I didn't know the scale and scope before. But it let me read several articles, videos and panel recordings throughout the day - and make a pledge for a kickstarter project.

The video I started with is from Jay Smooth, called "(http://www.animalnewyork.com/2012/ill-doctrine-all-these-sexist-gamer-dudes-are-some-shook-ones/) Ill Doctrine: All These Sexist Gamer Dudes Are Some Shook Ones" (3m 50s), who points out misogynist internet trolls that were causing trouble because of a kickstarter project this week.

The mentioned project is "(http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games) Tropes vs. Women in Video Games", started by Anita Sarkeesian who runs the site "(http://www.feministfrequency.com/) Feminist Frequency".

Quote:

This video project will explore, analyze and deconstruct some of the most common tropes and stereotypes of female characters in games. The series will highlight the larger recurring patterns and conventions used within the gaming industry rather than just focusing on the worst offenders.

The project is a video games specific continuation of her (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJUxqkcnKA&list=PLBBDFEC9F5893C4AF&feature=plcp) movie related videos

The (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games/posts) updates page of the project links to several articles and other pages regarding the harassment stuff. These links can keep you occupied - and in my case, read up much more, sometimes shocked and shaking my head.

I came in just in time to chip in some money to the now over 2700% backed project - to take a stance as well.

My surfing around the net about all of that also let me find the site "(http://fatuglyorslutty.com/) Fat, Ugly or Slutty?", where the contributors try to make fun out of the online sexism of gamers. Posted there was also the recording of a (http://fatuglyorslutty.com/2012/04/20/pax-east-2012-panel/) panel at Pax East (~50m) - At least their "(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzYxLlO55ew) STUPID" video (3m 40s) is worth seeing as well.
Another lengthy, but informative article, with further links, is also "(http://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/rape-culture-in-gaming/) Rape Culture in Gaming".

I'm bringing all of this here to both raise awareness and ask around to what extent you were/are aware of the problems of online-games sexism in general - and this particular instance of misogyny?

Shadow on 16/6/2012 at 19:41

What problems

Firefreak on 16/6/2012 at 19:53

(edited and clarified a bit, but more words here)
I primarily mean sexism by the online players. Sites such as "Fat, Ugly or Slutty" show that this is not something you come across then and again, but happens all the time for female gamers.

I'm shocked about several points actually;
For one about the apparent coordinated trolling just because of an idea to do videos about portraying women in games.
Second about the widespread sexism found during online play.
And third about the not necessarily gaming related sexism that is still publicly present in male dominated communities, such as at the various tech presentations.

Muzman on 16/6/2012 at 19:59

The reaction to this has been kind of astonishing really..
I must have seen it when she first released it, linked somewhere not game related. My reaction was basically - oh, her (I've seen that stuff before); a kickstarter for a feminist lit analysis, hmm, interesting. I wonder how it will do. Gamers will surely sneer and deride somewhat. There'll be a small fuss when they find out about this, if they do. But y'know, they can't help themselves some of them.--

A couple of days later: Holeeeee shit. The tone is about what I was expecting, but the volume...? Wow. Good work gamers.
They're never going to really convince everyone that there's no special gamer problem with women or feminism when this kind of thing happens and gets worse every single time.
It seems like people weren't going to let this go the same way as 'Hey Baby' and other controversies, which is kinda cool. How much money has her little, fairly academic, project got now?
The whole thing is just... I dunno, something.

demagogue on 16/6/2012 at 21:01

Gamers are philistines. Game companies cater to them.
She's pulling the same critique that pomos have been arguing for the last like 50 years.
In the Internet age everybody argues / trolls every opinion under the sun.
It's a wonder people still get worked up about anything, but much less something this astoundingly predictable.
What more is there really to say about it?
That's my gut reaction to the whole thing.

june gloom on 16/6/2012 at 21:16

I wish I could be surprised by it. But the fact of the matter is, gaming has traditionally been guys making stuff for guys based on guy fantasies. It's why games like Gears of War exist. It's why we have 30 years of scantily clad women on fantasy game box art. It's why the notion of a "strong" female character is often Vasquezian in its execution, and it's why Vasquez always dies.

In other words, gaming culture is a sausage festival -- especially PC gaming, since that's not as accessible as consoles.

In a lot of ways, the rise of the multiplayer subculture is a driving factor -- trash talk, especially when done anonymously, (http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215554710_iyKKa-L-2.jpg) can lead to some genuinely fucked up comments on the part of the players if allowed to go too far. It's one thing to say "LOL I SCHOOLED U NOOB." It's another thing to say (http://kotaku.com/5914348/three-words-i-said-to-the-man-i-defeated-in-gears-of-war-that-ill-never-say-again) "LOL I RAPED U NOOB." And it's quite something else entirely to do (http://fatuglyorslutty.com/wp-content/uploads/Garry_Garry69.jpg) this.

Part of this is plain legit ignorance on the part of some guys. Some lighter instances of this, and some clueless comments, aren't out of malice. It's just that guys don't have to worry about rape and other problems that women face and therefore don't get why the stuff they're saying is hurtful and stupid and insensitive. You can explain it to them, and they'll often get it. This, however, requires a modicum of intelligence.

Then there's the other guys. Unintelligent manchildren who act with malice aforethought. I think a lot of them simply have not been taught how to behave around women, and so, in a male-dominated culture, they've been more or less taught that this sort of behaviour is okay -- and they're too stupid to teach otherwise. Hence why we have, in an effort to prove that gaming culture isn't misogynist, a bunch of guys threatening rape and murder and calling this woman "an entitled nigger kitchen and hooker." Great job proving your dedication to equality, guys.

Dresden on 16/6/2012 at 23:14

Femnazis gonna femnazi. Women vs Tropes is a masturbatory joke. I could do the exact thing for male characters. Burly hulking space marines! Real marines! Super confident tough guys! I can't live up to any of these standards! Abloo abloo abloo!

Muzman on 16/6/2012 at 23:41

Well trolled sir. Although it is a little obvious when you hit all the cliches at once. You should try and space them out a bit and inject worse spelling and more swearing.

Quote Posted by demagogue

In the Internet age everybody argues / trolls every opinion under the sun.
It's a wonder people still get worked up about anything, but much less something this astoundingly predictable.

Well that's actually the thing for me. Previously the tsunami of trolling and hate seemed to be winning. The push back here seems to have been stronger than before. I mean, the fallout from the previous dust ups surely primed that to some extent, a lot of the journos came ready with their "Games and feminism huh, lets not do this again" tone when just linking to the project (others came in dismayed after the storm already started). Which might have made the assholes even more determined this time around. Either way, this has a different flavour to it.

demagogue on 16/6/2012 at 23:55

Quote Posted by Dresden

Learn to pomo. The first femo response to that we can predict a mile away is: that's the typical deflationary tactic we should expect from people that aren't sensitive to the marginalization of women in society. Males haven't been historically marginalized. It's not about women thinking they're not skinny enough to be video game characters. It's them feeling that they're being treated like second class citizens ... like they're made to feel unwelcome to play games as an equal to the target demographic, and every treatment of a female in a game or the online chatter is a reminder of that (not only made to feel that way, but intentionally so for the purpose of making more profit; so even exploiting the "we don't take kindly to your kind around here" unwelcome mat). Unless you feel the big hulking male character is making you ashamed to be male while playing the game, it's not symmetrical (not to say there aren't other issues with the treatment of masculinity in games too).

I think that'd be the standard femo line. And then without batting an eye we can already feel the indignation of gamers welling up, and know exactly the line we'll get back... WTH, now I'm some kind of rape-friendly misogynist because I like to play video games that happen to have helpless NPCs with big polygon boobs?! There isn't even a real woman involved here. It's fiction... And then the femo comes back with something like it's a reflection of structural misogyny & disregard so embedded you aren't even conscious of its assault on women's place in society... And the gamer is like huh, now I'm being criticized for my unconscious reflexes affecting all of society, are you serious? It's a video game. These women aren't even real! And the femo cocks her eyebrow and says indeed... It's a very old & familiar back-and-forth emo slog at this point. It's worth understanding why both sides want to get worked up, but getting worked up yourself about either side is overrated.

june gloom on 17/6/2012 at 00:44

If we're not supposed to examine the messages and imagery that is in our culture -- advertising, film, video games, whatever, and I'm not just talking female portrayals either -- because a bunch of people in the 1960s did it first, then what the fuck's the point of criticism and analysis?

Why does this shit need to be pointed out? Because we keep asking why it needs to be pointed out.