Anita Sarkeesian, Female Stereotypes in Videogames, and You

Feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian received both wildly inflammatory criticism and massive support as a result of her campaign against common female stereotypes in video games. Here's a fair and balanced look at her agenda.

[ZoidsRaven]

I never could understand this double standard about sexism in video games.

It's "sexism" and a "bad portrayal" of women in video games when a female character is not wearing a lot.
http://www.iphonebrand.com/...

But not "sexism" or a "bad portrayal" of men when a male character does not wear much?
http://gowfactorfiction.hos...
http://static.gamesradar.co...

It's "sexism" and a "bad portrayal" of women in video games when a female character is wearing tight clothes.
http://images.wikia.com/mas...
http://images2.wikia.nocook...

But not "sexism" or a "bad portrayal" of men when a male character is seen wearing tight clothes?
http://img.gamespot.com/gam...
http://s3.ecetia.com/files/...
http://www.fightersgenerati...
-----------------

It's "sexism" and a "bad portrayal" of women when the woman does it but when the male does it, it's all good.
That's like saying "Women should only wear this and should only act like that.".
Why the h#ll would people (like Anita Sarkeesian) talk about equality when they want to restrict what female character(s) say, do and wear?
Male characters are not restricted, so why should female characters be?
Video games got male sterotype too, are male characters restricted to avoid them? NO. Is it a problem? NO.
http://holygrenade.com/2012...

For political correctness has NO place in gaming. Disagree?
Then you might not like the following.
Pokemon: You catch animals and make them do battle.
God of War: Need I say a thing?
Uncharted 2/3/GA: Drake steals things (mostly when he needs to but you get the point).
Street Fighter: Fighting is "wrong".
And the list goes on and on.

If people really feel this way about gaming, make your own games.
That scam artist (Anita Sarkeesian) got $158,917 so she can "research" (LMFAO XD) sexism in video gaming (even though she can just look up Wiki pages and walkthroughs for FREE). You mean to tell me she can't use some of her funds to at least learn how to make games?

FIN... 7_7

[Tameel1]

To be fair none of those male characters you posted (except maybe Snake) are deliberately made with the intention of being "sexy" for a female audience. There's obviously a difference between the look/portrayal of someone like Catwoman or Soul Calibur's Ivy and the look/portrayal of someone like Voldo. I doubt the creators were trying to make female fap material when they created Voldo's design.

I don't know if I would call it "sexist" but I do think it is sad that there are so many female game characters who are made with the intention of being sexy for male audiences first, with their story/personality coming up a distant second. It's sad that so many game designers seem to think us gamers are just a bunch of hormone charged teenagers who think with their penises and only buy things with big boobs in them. I would rather have more characters like Elena from Uncharted or Alyx from Half-Life in games. There is more to being sexy than big boobs, small waists and a bunch of upskirt shots.

Not that characters like Catwoman or Ivy don't have their place in gaming but why ARE they so common? Is this really what designers think us gamers want in a female character? Why can't as much effort go into female characters' personalities and stories as males? And why aren't there more fap worthy male characters for female gamers? Sure Kratos and Voldo might be under dressed but lets face it.....they aren't exactly the gaming equivalent of Brad Pitt or George Clooney.

And not that I really agree with Anita Sarkeesian's project, but how is she a "Scam artist"? She has been very open with what her project is about and hasn't "scammed" anybody out of their money. The people who have donated money towards her know exactly where it's going. Personally I respect her for at least doing what she wants to do despite the amount of hatred and death threats she has recieved because of it. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment just because they have an unpopular opinion.

[ZoidsRaven]

1) So it's "sexism" and/or a "bad portrayal" of women in video games if the female character is "made with the intention of being sexy"? You must tell me how that works. You can't say you don't see the double standard in this.... If that's the case, no woman should waer swimsuits, no woman should wear makeup, no woman should wear short skits and no woman should get their hair done. Let's make that the law peeps, we don't want any "bad portrayal" of women..../s Restricting what female characters say, wear and do is not the solution...... Or do you know that anymore?

2) "It's sad that so many game designers seem to think us gamers are just a bunch of hormone charged teenagers who think with their penises and only buy things with big boobs in them."

Most teenagers who go around shooting off the term "hardcore gamer" are exactly that. Devs are not in the wrong for targeting them. Because that is where (unfortunately) the money is. If you want political correctness in games so bad, complain about Pokemon. It's telling kids that it's ok to make animals fight each other./s Complain about violent video game shooters. It's telling kids the wrong message about guns./s Complain about fighting games. Kids should not be told that fighting is ok./s

In this gen of on-disk-DLC and other crap that is killing fun for gaming, game devs have more important things to think about than political correctness.

3) "Why can't as much effort go into female characters' personalities and stories as males?"

You know about Soul Calibur and you still said this?????

"And why aren't there more fap worthy male characters for female gamers? Sure Kratos and Voldo might be under dressed but lets face it.....they aren't exactly the gaming equivalent of Brad Pitt or George Clooney."

............ 7_7
Someone should get their mind out that F'n gutter.
I'm straight, so I can't give you an answer. My best advice to you is to google 'sexy male video game characters' (can't believe I'm having a conversation about this sh!t)....
BTW: If you want more "fap worthy male characters", how is that not a double standard?

4) "And not that I really agree with Anita Sarkeesian's project, but how is she a "Scam artist"?"

I believe I already said why she is one, but let's go deeper.
It's common sense really. She needs money to "research" video games...... WHO THE H#LL FALLS FOR THAT!? My brother did not know a thing about Resident Evil until he Wikied it, now he can tell it's story better than some of the people who have the Resident Evil games. He was (at the time) younger than Anita Sarkeesian is NOW, you mean to tell me that two-faced crook can't do the same? Abysmal..

Thank you for the reply.
FIN... 7_7

[Tameel1]

1. There's a difference between real life women choosing to dress in bathing suits and wear makeup, and (mostly) male game designers creating female characters who wear bathing suits to appeal to a male audience. I really don't see how you don't understand that?
It would be no different than a female game designer giving a male character a bulging package, a handsome face and poses that show off his rippling muscles - Because he's fictional he can't choose what he wears or how he acts. He would just exist to be someone's fictional fap material. Same with the female characters who exist for the same reason. I don't know if I'd call it sexist but it is certainly pathetic to focus on a characters sex appeal and big tits over anything else pertaining to their personality. At least make it an even playing field: Either make BOTH female and male characters ridiculously sexualized, or make neither sexualized. But don't make the male characters well rounded, full of personality, and wear normal everyday clothes....while the females flaunt giant bulbous melons, talk in sex innuendos, and jiggle all over the place. For example just look at the difference between the female characters in Mortal Kombat and the male ones. THAT is a double standard.

2. If recent studies are anything to go by, the average gamer ISN'T a young male teen. Just search N4G itself for the countless articles on the average age of gamers. They are generally 25-30 year old men and 20-25 year old women. So it IS ridiculous for game designers to assume we just need a bunch of boobs and upskirt shots in our games to make us happy. I have nothing against scantily clad female characters existing but a bit of variety wouldn't hurt. Characters like Elena and Alyx Vance shouldn't be the minority. And maybe it's because I am no longer a teen but I feel a tad insulted that so many game devs think I want (or need) to see close ups of gigantic digitized boobs and Japanese teen girls panties in order to enjoy a video game.

3. Once again you are missing my point. Yes there are many attractive male characters in gaming. But there is a difference between a character being attractive and a character being hyper sexualized. Sure there are many attractive male characters (Nathan Drake, Leon S. Kennedy, Tidus from FFX, etc) but let's face it none of them pose in overtly sexual positions or have camera shots that constantly zoom in on their six-packs and shapely asses. Just take a look at Miranda from Mass Effect: a lot of camera shots zoomed in on her shapely ass, but how many times did the camera zoom in on Thane's ass or even Garrus' ass? Come to think of it I can't think of a single time the camera showed them from a low backside angle.

4. And no offence but you're blind if you think there are a lot of male characters who look/act like Ivy or Juliet Starling or the Dead or Alive girls. Like I said there is a difference between a character simply being scantily clad, and a character being scantily clad for the sole purpose of tittilating the opposite gender. Kratos isn't scantily clad for the sole purpose of tittilating female gamers....he is scantily clad to show off his male strength and power. Same goes for Voldo....nobody is going to claim his character designs exists to tittilate women. Even a straight guy can see Voldo isn't designed to be sexually appealing to women. And my mind isn't "in the gutter" just because I said this. Call me when Kratos is given hard pointed nipples like Taki from Soul Calibur, or when Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat swings around a pole and caresses his body while moaning in his victory pose, or when Bayman from Dead or Alive has a package that bulges and jiggles like the female characters' boobs.

[Tameel1]

5. That still doesn't make it a scam. She can use that money for whatever methods of "research" she wants. The point is that the people who gave her their money know where it is going. Therefore it is not a scam. Spending money on something that other people find stupid doesn't mean you were scammed. Why? Because you KNOW what your money is going to......regardless of whether others think it is a waste of cash.

Now if she said she was using people's money for research, but spent it all on pot instead, THEN it would be a scam.

[ZoidsRaven]

1) Explain how a video game dev making a woman not wearing much is
"bad portrayal" of women and/or "pathetic"? You just said "It would be no different than a female game designer giving a male character a bulging package, a handsome face and poses that show off his rippling muscles - Because he's fictional he can't choose what he wears or how he acts.", after saying that you should (but still somehow don't) understand that the way a fictional character is dressed should not offend anyone and should not be considered as a "bad portrayal" of women and/or "pathetic". Female video game characters don't "exist to be someone's fictional fap material" (lol talk about really offensive) just because they don't wear much, they got character and backstory just like the male ones. What's really sad and pathetic is this way of thinking in gaming. A male charaater can wear tight/not much clothes and no one will think he is being sexualized but when a woman is, she is being sexualized, offensive and/or pathetic. Nevermind that she has a character, nevermind that she has a backstory and nevermind that she has a good personality. No one would ever say such crap if it was a male character not wearing much (in this case, LESS than the female).
http://gowfactorfiction.hos...
http://videogames.techfresh...
THAT is a double standard.

2) Oh please. 7_7 Read that part of my post again, I didn't say all (nor most) gamers are like that. Just a significant few that devs can make money by appealing to. There IS variety, you're just clearly not looking for it.
Not looking good for you.

3) Wow, really?

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
^Need I say a thing?^

http://www.youtube.com/watc...
^5:05 to 5:35^

Don't make this about how sexualized female characters make you "feel a tad insulted" because that's not what this is about. For I can't say a thing to change the way you feel. What I will say is this: No matter what a character says, does and/or wears, they don't stop be a character and start becoming a piece of sexualized meat. No one should take offence and they should not be considered "bad portrayal" of women and/or "pathetic" if it's fictional. That's like a religious man complaining that a fictional priest is seen in a movie, book and/or (in this case) video game smoking weed. It's fictional, it's not meant to depict anything.

To be continued... 7_7

[ZoidsRaven]

4) "Kratos isn't scantily clad for the sole purpose of tittilating female gamers....he is scantily clad to show off his male strength and power. Same goes for Voldo...."

Hmm.. Let's go back in time. I said:
"Video games got male sterotype too, are male characters restricted to avoid them? NO. Is it a problem? NO.
http://holygrenade.com/2012... "

[From article] "Because of other media, bald or shaved male characters associate with obscene acts of violence or heroism, a strange dichotomy of the male psyche. From movies like American History X portraying bald, ruthless neo-Nazi violence to Bruce Willis in Die Hard, the male persona as represented in media slowly transformed."

I'll say it again. Video games got male sterotype too, are male characters restricted to avoid them? NO. Is it a problem? NO. But it's a problem when women have sterotype(s) in gaming. THAT is a double standard.
So... Because it happens more with women, that means we should just forget about it when it happens to men?
Yes: You just proved my point.
No: Then why bring it up?

"And my mind isn't "in the gutter" just because I said this."
Yeah, right. Is that why you look at characters that don't wear much as "someone's fictional fap material"?

"Call me when Kratos is given hard, pointed nipples like Taki from Soul Calibur or when Bayman from Dead or Alive has a package that bulges and jiggles like the female characters' boobs."
I don't know about that, but Voldo is wearing something that rides up his butt crack (XD)...... That count?

5) ..........wow
Are you really that naive to believe she used all $158,917 on game "research" (LMFAO! XD)? Did you even ask yourself how game "research" is done and why she need that much d@mn money to do it?
It came straight from the horse's ***, that she only needed $6,967.
I'd hate to think you paid her....... Did you? Never mind.
Just stop taking so much offence to crap that is fictional.

We'll see. 7_7

EDIT: @Bellow post: I think it's cute that you think your opinion has something to with ANYTHING..... I think it's cute you think I need to re-read something when you thought I said gamers are just a bunch of hormone charged teenagers.

FIN.... 7_7

[Tameel1]

I've explained my opinion and you're still not getting it (like, AT ALL) so I'm not going to bother replying any more. Try re-reading my comments before attempting to rebuff them with questions I have already answered.

And if you seriously cannot see the difference between male characters like Kratos and Voldo and female characters like Ivy and Juliet Starling......well I don't know what to say to that. And if you think I'm dirty minded because I think fictional characters (like Ivy and Juliet Starling are fictional fap material......well I don't know what to say to that either. It's cute that you think Ivy's giant balloon like tits and Juliet's constant upskirt shots aren't made with the intention of being fap material though. Maybe I'm not the one with my mind in the gutter, maybe you're the one with the mind too innocent to see what the creator's intentions so BLATANTLY are.

I've explained and explained and you're still not getting it so I'm just going to stop now.

[JackB84]

dance my puppets....

[rogimusprime]

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