a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by psudo
psudo  ·  3415 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Arkham Knight’s Big Problem: Female Representation [spoilers]

Certainly, though at this point you're probably better informed on it that I am, as I thought the dust had pretty much settled, and like most internet scandals nothing really happened.

And honestly, the fact that I'm coming down on the anti-GG side is surprising, as I don't like the vast majority of their large figureheads. I don't doubt that both sides are doing unethical things and that GG thinks they're protecting gaming, but in the end they're being misogynistic and doing everything right to make sure that gaming stays a small, socially unacceptable niche interest. As far as misbehaving gos on the anti-GG side of things, the fact that doxxing is common as is poorly thought out arguments shouldn't really be a surprise, given the following that Sarkeesian and others draw, aka the Tumblr feminists. These are the people that make SJW a slur and just generally make an ass out of themselves and any movement they think they're trying to help.

So I guess why I'm more pro anti-GG instead of sticking to the GG gamer side is as follows:

  A) Their stated cause is BS. There isn't really this vast conspiracy of buying off video game journalists and the fact that they still claim it's an ethics fight just shows that it's an excuse at this point.

  B) While I think a lot of the complaints about sexism in video games is fairly shallow and especially in Sarkeesian's case is finding evidence to fit a hypothesis there is rampant misogyny in and around video games. Things have definitely come a long way, but there is still a massive amount of work that needs to be done. This goes double for the communities. It's an unfortunate fact that the female portion of gamers is a much smaller percentage of total gamers, but they're very often the most likely to receive both "negative" harassment (what you normally think of) and "positive" harassment ("ZOMG you're a girl?! Wanna go out?! I didn't think girls exist on the internet!" and that sort of thing).
So both sides are filled with horrible people that I don't like, but one is effectively a fight for greater egalitarianism in games, while the other is a fight for the status quo.




captain_nemo  ·  3414 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I absolutely don't know enough about point A to argue it but if I were to venture a guess I'd say you are correct as far as people not buying reviews. Maybe reviewers are helping out friends or certain games with positive reviews for whatever reason/agenda (which seems to be a complaint) and I can understand the complaints and GG if there truly is such lack of ethics in journalism. I personally (and the group of friends I have that game) all look to trailers, gameplay videos and twitch to figure out whether we are interest in a game or not. I read reviews and articles on games when those other sources don't do enough. So that anger I can't really relate to much but I can understand. If the issues is how the journalists and media is painting the culture in a 'more' negative light than the reality (not to say it's some utopia were everyone is welcome and will have a great time, or anything close to equal enjoyment for all participants; male vs female specifically) and they are upset about being represented as what they truly feel they aren't, I can definitely empathize with that more.

As far as point B. I absolutely agree with everything you said. Gamers definitely need to do some more introspection on the culture. It is better, but it still has a lot of room for improvement.

I think you make a great point with this though "but in the end they're being misogynistic and doing everything right to make sure that gaming stays a small, socially unacceptable niche interest." I don't know if I'd say misogyny is the root cause, more of an unfortunate means to keep gaming the special unique hobby of a few people and a place they probably feel they can escape too and feel 'safe' (clearly at the expense of others feeling that way at times).

Lol reading into this stuff is exhausting and also upsetting how some hobby I have equated to just being an escape and a different way to experience and immerse myself in stories and arts is being turned into another political or social battle. So I guess I don't really like either side, but if I had to I'd support whoever is most honest to the art form and allows for the creation of both better games and a better community.