Sitrep: Lessons in Sexism From the World of Shooters

[RSOblivion]

Well this article is quite close to the mark, though I must admit it fails to take into account certain other factors. For instance publisher pressure on developers to conform to stereotypes for ease of marketing. Male dominated studios who are still aiming at a market of sub-25yr old males when female gamers are easily up to 20-30% of the audience. When making a game most companies are also stuck in method of game creation which results in a mostly story style game which needs the usual generic characters. Something that kinda needs to change...

I would outline some stuff here, but kinda run out of time

[Clontarf[X]]

First off it seems the title of the article is a poor choice. Sexism in shooters? More like male dominance in shooters. Sexism is way more likely to be found in an RPG.

Secondly, wall of text inbound. I make no apologies; I'm feeling creative.

To the nitty gritty, shall we?

There are a few things that do not lend themselves well to internet discussion: Race, religion, and, it seems, sexism. I have not seen one meaningful discourse on this topic lately that hasn’t devolved into unproductive pigheadedness from both sides. The muscle arrows are all, “Yerrr, naked chicks are great, stfu, kitchen’s that way.” The floriated clams are all, “Grrr, any man who so much as entertains the idea of a woman as sexy must burn.” Meanwhile, in Shootersville, everyone’s a shallow winner, baby.

Those topics don't lend themselves well to any kind of discussion, unless that discussion is happening between some objective, intelligent people. It's not just gaming but internet culture in general with the generation after mine (I'm an early 80's baby) and the one after that who idolises and adores this kind of portrayal of men versus women (and it is versus). I was reading another article written by someone who reported on the "gamer male" society apparently **** all over women any chance they got. Throughout history, gaming has generally being a boys past-time. It'll be hard work to change that, though it is changing. You can see this clearly with the rise of the female gamer, who can wrestle with the boys and hold their own. However with the increase in the female gamer population, of course the long-standing culture gains a larger portion of the time in the spotlight, including all it's ugly and inherited design flaws.

What I decided was that these were extreme, probably unattainable ideals – not sexist caricatures. Straight and bisexual males are often visual beings and will ogle attractive females. There is no pussyfooting around this fact, and furthermore there is nothing wrong with it. If it didn’t happen, humanity would stop happening. It’s a biological truism often wrung out to tiresome degrees by all and sundry, no question. Likewise, many a media outlet has decided that the Ultimate Man must be taut and rippling and able to aggressively command each and every situation like a boss.

Unfortunately, they are sexist caricatures. I don't believe that the venture into bisexuality or homosexual relationships in Mass Effect or Dragon Age is part of this though. I believe it's an honest proof of concept by them to say "We're not afraid of tackling the big issues". I've never personally played the game so I don't know the finer details of the backing story or the in-game interaction, but unless it's balls-to-the-wall sexual content, I think they took the mature and more importantly correct approach. I also don't think that the inclusion of this kind of content was a driving force behind any interest in the gaming community, but more of an "Oh, that's different", which I believe is exactly what they wanted to achieve. Although if someone out there gets their rocks off to the idea of homosexual interactions in a game, all power to them I say! And you're also right in mentioning that if we suddenly decided that sexuality, even the perverse kind, was suddenly a social taboo, there'd be a lot less people being born in the world. Sex makes the world go round people, and no matter how uncomfortable it is in all it's shapes and forms, it'll always be there. Only now because we are developing a deeper and keener interest into it is it becoming more of an "oh no, did he/she/it really just do that?". It's a fact of life *shrug*

It must be horrible for some people to realise this, but whether or not that busty female temptress or impossibly chiselled leading man has any meaningful impact on anyone’s worldly perceptions is entirely up to the individual. Maybe that individual is not you, and you have to deal with their perception of you as a man or woman because of it. Hey: Welcome to life since forever. Never forget that the market gives the horde what the horde wants, or it too would cease to exist in a puff of panicky shareholders.

A fueled paragraph, but you make your point. People chanting the pro-feminism and pro-lgbt slogans do themselves no favours by pointing blame at a developer or game designer just because their interpretation of sexuality might be different to theirs, sometimes to the point of offense. I know a lot of the gaming community is open to ideas and are usually fairly reasonable, but we don't tolerate the almost religious throat-cramming of their agenda. We get it, you want equality, you want to be portrayed in the best possible way, but don't jump on our heads just because we might not understand or agree. I don't agree with the term "rape culture" mentioned by someone earlier in this thread, and by social commentators internet-wide, because this would mean actual rape is occurring. To my knowledge, it isn't. To me it just seems like inflammatory language to again support an agenda. Sexism and an often overly sexist culture, sure. But calling it rape does nothing to help and just labels the community (which remember is still predominantly male) as a horde of sexually fascinated and underdeveloped criminals. Not helping. At all.

Sexuality is a good thing, and hilariously it is the only reason anyone is even around to complain about it. A man tweets his appreciation of a booth babe’s behind. What, you don’t think a million and one ladies aren’t doing the exact same thing over Alexander Skarsgård’s rock-hard abba-dabbas? I say, awesome. Enjoy being not just a person of the world, but also your own person. Everything solved.

Pretty much. Whenever sexuality becomes involved in any kind of art, not just games, the consumption, interpretation and critique will always be the of the flavour that suits the commentator. People need to be aware that while they might have a particular view or value, it's not necessarily shared. So in the example of the person I mentioned earlier who belittled "male gamers" in their review of the sexist nature of the gaming community, for them to cry because they ended up receiving what was nothing other than a torrent of hate and abuse looks to me to be nothing more than a child after being spanked by their parents.

To draw from my own personal experiences while playing games, too true that it is more often than not that a female character with which the player interacts is going to be portrayed disproportionately, sexually and in a sexist manner. Games always have a design element which is going to be targeting the core audience, which still weights in the male gender's favor. Yes, more can be done to portray women in a powerful, influential and not overtly sexual manner, and eventually game design will get to a point where you'll likely have a heterogeneous/heterosexual (it's getting late, I'm not choosing my large fancy words correctly) (or perhaps gay?) couple as the protagonists, each sharing their time in the spotlight equally. And those will be great days for all those who really care about the "equality" agenda. For the rest of us gamers, we just want something that has a good storyline, lasts than the average teenage bedroom romp and has more depth than the sandpit at the local park.

Moving along to some other comments in this thread regarding the interaction and treatment of the female gaming community by the predominantly male pack, it's truly a double-edged sword. I am completely and definitely guilty of giving a fair bit of stick to some females I've been acquainted with throughout my online travels. Infact if the old 3FL #03 crew were still around they could attest to what was simply offensive behaviour by myself and others. It's simply a bully mentality; regardless of your gender, you'll get picked on if a bully senses weakness or fear. Owing mostly to the (SEXISM INBOUND) non-confrontational manner of women, it's easy for them to become the overwhelming victim. It's not right and I can say for myself I'm not proud of how I have behaved in past times and I've since grown to value and cherish women as people for who they are, not what they are, and it's benefited me greatly (;)). And there are plenty of women who can give as good as they get, and can laugh along with the age-old kitchen jokes. Sometimes political correctness is driven to extremes for no reason...

Going back to the title article, I think that FPS's are no longer the best indicator of sexism in the gaming community. I know plenty of women who can headhunt as good as the best of the men, and sometimes better than. True you'll not often see a female character as a protagonist in an FPS, but the people who play them are always a varied bunch. I think somewhere along the line someone got the male dominance of FPS gaming and the sexual design of game development in general mixed up. Why this happened I am not sure, perhaps someone didn't actually really pay that much attention to the subject matter? But by painting VERY broad strokes against gaming, the "male gamers" and portrayal of sexuality in games, there is only more damage being done. If people take issue, then do something proactive about the way gaming is and help.

The short of it is, girls will be girls and boys will be boys, and sometimes girls are boys and boys are both girls and boys.
But that shouldn't matter.
What matters are good games and a good community to go with it.

TL;DR: Sexism sucks, but it's there, and as long as we're human we're always going to love ****, ****, dicks and pussies, and idolise and adore them all the same. Sorry folks. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. Also lolfilter.

[Toby McCasker]

Y'know, I've taken to rewatching The X-Files in their entirety recently, and in doing so I became sort of obsessed on reading up on the series' history. Originally, Fox didn't want a bar of Gillian Anderson for the role of Scully - they wanted someone "with more sex appeal," reportedly. Chris Carter wouldn't budge on the redhead, and obviously she got the role.

In 1996, FHM voted her "Sexiest Woman in the World." In 1997, People magazine named her one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in World." In 2008, she turned up again as #28 in FHM's "All Time 100 Sexiest Hall of Fame." Ye olde AskMen recently put her at #6 in their Top 7 '90s Sex Symbols list.

In 9 seasons of a show that ran for almost ten years, she was never once utilised for simple titillation. In fact, she was never once presented as anything other than a smart, methodical and super-capable cynic in a power suit.

I thought that was pretty awesome.

[asmodai]

Not in the slightest. I actually find intelligent, complex women more interesting in every sense. And that doesn't mean they can't also be physically attractive, although in my experience the interesting ones don't usually get around in their underwear in public.

And I've worked with a stripper (as security) who had multiple degrees and stripped for fun. A thinking woman who most feminists (male and female) would probably condemn as misguided or pity, who actually likes the attention from a baying crowd of men... Of course the people who thought less of her for her profession never bothered to get to know her.

Your definition of 'interesting' is as subjective as anyone's and all but infers that there is something wrong with getting around in their underwear in public... I thought the whole idea of "equal" rights was women could exercise the same rights (including the right to be a sex object) as men?

Or the stupid nightie from the "dream" sequences from Velvet Assassin:

Ahem, based on the archetype created by a real woman, Mata Hari...

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



Another woman who didn't kowtow to societal norms and did what she wanted (well, prior to getting shot she did).

From the wiki

The idea of an exotic dancer working as a lethal double agent, using her powers of seduction to extract military secrets from her many lovers fired the popular imagination, set the legend and made Mata Hari an enduring archetype of the femme fatale.[16]

In 9 seasons of a show that ran for almost ten years, she was never once utilised for simple titillation. In fact, she was never once presented as anything other than a smart, methodical and super-capable cynic in a power suit.

I thought that was pretty awesome.

Actually, there were a couple of late episodes where she is considerably less clad in dream sequences, first time I realised she had quite a thin aquiline figure rather than having the power suited shoulders. It didn't detract or enhance her character at that point, she had been around so long it was just an extension of it.

But seriously, if you want an example, Sigourney Weaver in those god awful beaver huggers in Alien. Strong woman not afraid to wander around in her jocks who kicks alien butt. The exposure while preparing for hypersleep was not out of place or exploitative...

As for the "rape culture" Amara, give me a break... The rape of a character has barely intruded on to PC gaming compared to movies, TV and books.. L&O:Special Victims ring a bell? The Accused? The Brave One? Deliverance, Oz (plenty of male rape there), any Lustbader novel (male/female/pedo rape/assault abounds there)? Why is it immoral to use it as part of a computer game storyline?

I won't deny that the whole chain mail bikini is over done to death and back, but I'm having a hard (no pun intended) time seeing why a character defining moment for Lara Croft (coupled with a loss of innocence) ie. surviving a sexual assault and killing her attacker, is such a big deal. Is she demeaned because she stood up for herself when attacked? Is it unrealistic for a criminal male captor to try and assault her? Or do you just assume that all male gamers will be fapping while she get's assaulted? =P

Funny how adding some real drama to what has been a fun, but ultimately forgettable, series is causing complaints.

[Lumen Melano]

I think most people are focusing on the wrong thing. It isn't so much about the representation of women in games, it is mainly just the perceived demographic of gamers. As Vencha was saying it is basically that the majority of characters in video games either fulfill a power fantasy or sex fantasy in teenage boys. This is by far the majority of what we have to show for as a medium. It is definitely disappointing.

Because at first I was going to say that this isn't many strong female characters in games until I took a second to think of the "strong" (read: well developed and realised) male characters. It just hasn't happened. Story on the whole in video games is pretty dismal, we don't really have that many to hold up and say that this is what is great about our industry. It is more than likely that we are just too young as a form of entertainment for us to have our "Citizen Kane".

I'm also a little disappointed Toby about the rebuke towards Amara. I would've thought that a response like that would've warranted a thoughtful deconstruction on your view of the sexism in shooters. But it appeared to just be as Clontarf succinctly put, "boys will be boys".

[asmodai]

I think most people are focusing on the wrong thing. It isn't so much about the representation of women in games, it is mainly just the perceived demographic of gamers. As Vencha was saying it is basically that the majority of characters in video games either fulfill a power fantasy or sex fantasy in teenage boys. This is by far the majority of what we have to show for as a medium. It is definitely disappointing.

No, it's a minority of games that are getting undue attention, as usual...

Where was the sexploitation in Doom? Call of Duty? Lego Star Wars? Alice:Madness Returns? Trapped Dead? Farmville? Tetris?

And for the games that do feature overly endowed sex bombs? For every person complaining about it, there's probably a cosplayer who loves dressing up like them...

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=bayon ... 96&bih=429

Liberation can be expressed in many ways.

Because at first I was going to say that this isn't many strong female characters in games until I took a second to think of the "strong" (read: well developed and realised) male characters. It just hasn't happened. Story on the whole in video games is pretty dismal, we don't really have that many to hold up and say that this is what is great about our industry. It is more than likely that we are just too young as a form of entertainment for us to have our "Citizen Kane".

****. There are plenty of games that feature excellent storylines and strong characters if you're willing to get over your preconceptions and prejudice. There are plenty of games that feature strong males and/or females (both leads and support). There are plenty of games where sex is a non issue.

I'm also a little disappointed Toby about the rebuke towards Amara. I would've thought that a response like that would've warranted a thoughtful deconstruction on your view of the sexism in shooters. But it appeared to just be as Clontarf succinctly put, "boys will be boys".

Then see my reply...

When someone cries 'rape culture', they should at least be able to back it up. Reminds me of the ACL pushing for internet filtering based on hyperbole and exaggeration. If you let people get away with hyperbole then you pollute the whole debate...

I would say "where's the harm"? Where's the evidence that entire generations of kids are growing up to be sexist **** because of computer games? Are rape statistics on the rise and is there any proof that games are responsible? Is it the same body of evidence that says violent games make us all hyperviolent which are typically dished as casual correlation rather than scientific fact?

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

Are the parents of these kids completely neglecting to teach their kids that they should treat all people (regardless of sex/race/religion etc) with common courtesy and respect? I'd say that's a far bigger problem then some overinflated **** in a video game...

[Lumen Melano]

Okay Asmodai I think you are missing the point of what I am saying. I am not talking about the overt sexualisation of women in games, I am talking about the safe card in developing a blockbuster. When referencing games you should keep it to the genre of these articles, Sitrep is just about FPSes. Referencing casual and puzzle games aren't relevant here.

As far as first person shooters go, how many push the boundaries in the roles that played by the character or NPC's that interact with the character. FPSes are well and truely dominated by male power fantasys and supported by female characters that exist simply to tittilate. Call of Duty you mentions definitely fulfills that role. Which is fine on its own, but the industry simply has no desire to create a game that doesn't have that same sort of Rambo mentality.

Half Life 2 is probably the pinnacle of this. MIT grad gunning down aliens and solving puzzles while being aided by Alex Vance, a strong, good looking women that isn't once used to provide sexual stimulation.

Again I'll iterate it is fine to have your Call of Duty's, but the genre is saturated in them. There is very little compelling coming out of the genre at the moment.

I certainly am not partaking in some rant about removing sex and sexuality from games and FPSes in particular. But I think we can all say that there is just very little depth in the genre as a whole.

[Toby McCasker]

I'm also a little disappointed Toby about the rebuke towards Amara. I would've thought that a response like that would've warranted a thoughtful deconstruction on your view of the sexism in shooters. But it appeared to just be as Clontarf succinctly put, "boys will be boys".

That right there was a rotunda argument waiting to happen and I think we all know it. Calling "rape culture" red-flagged as much. I will gladly discuss this in as sincere a manner as I can muster (er), but not on those kinds of immovable terms.

Personally speaking, my "male power fantasy" - insofar as I even have one - has nothing to do with what is often forced on me by these games. I'd find it just as galling as a woman of similar disposition coaxed into beating heads as Sonja Blade if I was so inclined. I feel that nobody should be so inclined, but am cognisant of the fact the door does swing both ways (and doesn't even stay ajar long enough to recognise transgender individuals) - a fact which is always totally overlooked by the more vocal side of the debate. It's indicative of a wider issue in gaming, not a battle of the sexes. Said issue, I guess, boils down to DERP SELLS. You and Vencha are spot-on. This is the problem that requires a solution.

Unfortunately, the solution is somewhat bound to societal change, which is always agonisingly slow. The day a gay kid can go to school and be recognised as gay without anyone even thinking twice about it is the day voice chat on Call of Duty multi will be struck by an awkward silence as their insults become validations instead. Were this game to then include a gay leading character, that would be the ultimate. Conversely the day strippers and rippling male waiters cease to become legitimate avenues of employment will be never, because that is just how it is. For my limited money, this is where the discussion should start - not prior to pretending we aren't all human.

[asmodai]

Okay Asmodai I think you are missing the point of what I am saying. I am not talking about the overt sexualisation of women in games, I am talking about the safe card in developing a blockbuster. When referencing games you should keep it to the genre of these articles, Sitrep is just about FPSes. Referencing casual and puzzle games aren't relevant here.

Umm, the scope of the article was sexism in games, not just shallow FPS retreads. Including Dragon Age which, as I recall, was not a FPS...

As far as first person shooters go, how many push the boundaries in the roles that played by the character or NPC's that interact with the character. FPSes are well and truely dominated by male power fantasys and supported by female characters that exist simply to tittilate. Call of Duty you mentions definitely fulfills that role. Which is fine on its own, but the industry simply has no desire to create a game that doesn't have that same sort of Rambo mentality.

How so? How many women are in COD (particularly the older WWII based ones) as titillation? Define 'push the boundaries'? Have you played 'The Void' by any chance? Pretty boundary pushing imo.

Half Life 2 is probably the pinnacle of this. MIT grad gunning down aliens and solving puzzles while being aided by Alex Vance, a strong, good looking women that isn't once used to provide sexual stimulation.

Chell from Portal also rings a bell.

Again I'll iterate it is fine to have your Call of Duty's, but the genre is saturated in them. There is very little compelling coming out of the genre at the moment.

Not a fan of the later COD range, just mentioning it as a game where sexism is (at least from my POV) absent. And if I actually missed any sexist bits, I'd say they are certainly irrelevant and unmemorable.

I certainly am not partaking in some rant about removing sex and sexuality from games and FPSes in particular. But I think we can all say that there is just very little depth in the genre as a whole.

Depends on the game and what it's trying to accomplish.

Doom, Serious Sam, Bulletstorm, Borderlands, PainKiller etc aren't trying to be tour de forces of literary magnificence, they are fast fun shooters without much thinking. If they made it Serious Sally, would the inclusion of a female protagonist fundamentally alter the game? Do you really want a Serious game that is serious rather than ironic?

More in depth games like Thief, No One Lives Forever, System Shock etc have coherent storylines and good characters which in my mind makes them 'deep'. There certainly are plenty of games that fit that category.

Stuff like Sin (and other Duke Nukem clones) were never meant to be taken seriously, ever, by anyone. Duke is a caricature, a pulp ficton, which few people would want to emulate. I bought DNF and didn't finish it a) because it was a bad game and b) because Duke's persona was not amusing, it was grating.

Do you really think they'll make another game like that or put some thought in to it if they try to resurrect the character another time? The market, and ergo the players themselves, has matured that a screen full of alien t#ts for Duke to slap while making corny jokes is no longer enough to get the job done...

Conversely the day strippers and rippling male waiters cease to become legitimate avenues of employment will be never, because that is just how it is. For my limited money, this is where the discussion should start - not prior to pretending we aren't all human.

It's hard to exploit someone if they don't feel like the are being exploited. Some people strip (or go pro) because they have little choice. Some are working it as a second job or paying of their uni fees or do it just because they like it...

It's even harder to exploit a story character. If they aren't deep enough for people, don't play the game, but most people would be hard pressed to claim there aren't TONNES of other gaming options for players to indulge in these days.

[caitsith01]

I think what the article has missed is the different message the images (Buff man, busty girl) send. When you play as super strong-crazy-stamina BF3 guy you're not playing as a female sex fantasy as seen through the eyes of a man, you're playing as a male powerfantasy as seen by a man. But if you hop on to one of the ladies in Dead or Alive, you're then just playing as a male sex fantasy, through the eyes of a man.

This is pretty much what I said in the first comment...

You ignore the fact that, in many cases, female characters in games are put forward as objects, while male characters in games are put forward as actors. As you note, the unrealistically buff muscle man is always a man of action, able to control situations. Whereas the unrealistically busty/naked female character is almost always a prize, a seductress, in some way there to hint at being a sexual object to be used or claimed or conquered by the player's character.

I generally agree with your post, however.