130°

Feminist Game Critic On Her Online Attackers: They Cast Me ‘in the Role of the Villain’

The woman behind Feminist Frequency hasn't been shy about sharing stories of the harassment she's gotten while trying to create Tropes vs. Women in Video Games. Anita Sarkeesian's goal of examining how women get portrayed in video games won her lots of enemies but, according to her, they thought of themselves as heroes.

In this TEDxWomen talk, Sarkeesian discusses how the harassment she's been weathering got framed as a game by her attackers, with her as the final boss. Getting her to end her efforts would be beating the game. Things didn't work out like that, though, and the furor wound up helping her more than it hurt.

Neckbear4155d ago Show
Jinkies4155d ago

Jeez I hate Feminists...funny thing is you do something to treat them equal and it's "You can't do that I'm a girl"

4155d ago
ShaunCameron4155d ago (Edited 4155d ago )

Kudos. To simply put it, feminism is not about gender equality. How can there be gender equality when men and women were never equal? Feminism is about reverse discrimination rooted in envy, resentment and petty grievances. It follows the philosophy of affirmative action and wealth redistribution. Take from one and give to the other under the pretense of social justice. In feminism it's handicap the man and empower the woman.

Feminists don't want equality. They just wanna rig the playing field so that they benefit and men suffer. The truth is women cannot compete with men on a truly equal playing field.

Now as far as this feminist game critic goes, she's just being typical. Portraying herself as an "innocent victim" so some white knights and simps will come and defend her hoping to score brownie points. Because as per usual, it's everybody except the woman's fault even if she was the author of her own distress.

Jaybronee4155d ago

You sir...have above average intelligence. Bubbles....

rezzah4154d ago

Not all feminists are females.

Besides what it is all about, what most do not see, is oppression.

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iamnsuperman4155d ago

Eh....I was with you for about half of it until you said men wanted gaming to be a boys club. Then your talking about an informal reward system? what are you talking about. I think, like many, you have read way to much into a hate campaign against you. The internet is the internet. Where both male and female can abuse other users because their responsibility is diffused by the fact its anonymous and their name isn't is associated with their comments. Some males don't agree with you, some like to troll. Its the internet not because they are trying to suppress women. I don't mind a reasonable argument on the over sexualisation of women in gaming(hey its needed) but what you have done it blown a minority and suggested its the majority of gamers and also created some very weak links in what happened to you.

SolidSystem4155d ago

Agreed, I have more problems with some of her arguments, assumptions, and her stereotype of men in gaming.

I find it rather amusing someone fighting for "Equality for Women" is so quick to put all men in the same bucket and generalize them as a gender.

InTheLab4155d ago (Edited 4155d ago )

Most of what she says is right on the money but some of it is taken a bit too far. Like how she jumped on Legos for catering to what they know is there primary demographic. Can the same be said of gaming?

But the real issue I have with her mission is that I do not like pick and choose activism. I believe it all falls under Civil Rights. I am not gay, but I am offended by gay jokes like the Mw2 fight for grenade spam ads. I am Black and I am offended by constant depictions of Blacks and minorities as the bad guys ex: blacks= thugs, gangsters, pimps, Hispanics= day labor, gangsters, etc..but...I simply do not possess the ability to see offense at everything I look at. I only reserve that for the worst offenders. I do sometimes wonder if she can't sit back and enjoy something, or does she see her work in everything?

Now, the other side of this is the fact that amongst the majority, there is an unwritten rule that states "If it does not affect ME, then YOU should stfu". That is how the majority of gamers feel and it is the reason why there is such a huge uproar whenever someone that is different brings up an issue that is meaningful to them, but not two f***s are given by the average white male age 15 to 35 that make up the bulk of gamers in the US.

edit: Those earrings of hers are a distration...had to point that out.

SolidSystem4155d ago (Edited 4155d ago )

I started hating this woman after Her lego video.

honestly my only response was "if you feel legos are sexist.... then buy your daughter the fire fighter set. no one made you get the pink set."

edit:

isnt it also kinda sexist that boys didnt get a lego house or a place to cook? can men not also want to be chefs or do house work? Lego is trying to force being "manly" on boys instead of opening their minds. I mean, lego men eat too.... so how could lego city not have some where for them to eat?! (Her sort of logic works in reverse too)

InTheLab4155d ago

Her logic sort works in reverse...but on a personal note..

My wife bought my two boys a kitchen set and a shopping cart (amongst other things) for Xmas.

I just about died...lol

But then I thought more about it and realized how silly that is because I do all of the cooking in the house. So I built them a kitchen with no objection. But just because I'm a man and somewhat closed minded on such things, I bought them a nice grill set to go with that kitchen, and we'll be pushing each other around in that little shopping cart...hehe

SolidSystem4155d ago

fair enough,

i'm just pointing out everything she points out as sexist against girls is also sexist against boys.

look at how men are portraid in the media, especially the white middle aged man (usually a loser moron). The cover of romance novels is a sex object man with his abs and hair.

I'm certainly nothing like Marcus Fenix from gears, and even Drake the "everyman" is glorified and gets all the ladies.

if shes really against sexism, shouldn't she attack it from all fronts?

ZombieKiller4155d ago

Why D long face pussycat?! It people like this that make people like Borat a hero to me. Pull the stick out of your ass and live your life. More importantly, let others do the same. I don't care about your feminist group, PLEASE stay off of my gaming console. Yes, its for boys, yes there are pigs all over the internets, and YES WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE...and yes, I will say whatever it takes to keep you away.

cleft54155d ago (Edited 4155d ago )

As a real man, I don't want you or those like you on my consoles. So speak for yourself because I assure you that you don't speak for most men.

sdozzo4155d ago

Easy with the minority blast. Wouldn't want people getting upset.

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200°

Why Games, Politics and Podcasts Don't Mix

Boogie2988 recently appeared on the H3 Podcast, and before long the conversation turned to social issues and politics. Unfortunately for Boogie, the internet took exception and he once again found out that no good can come of this.

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dispatches.cheatcc.com
-Foxtrot2128d ago

I like how Twitter took a 13 second CUT of an answer which made him look bad yet everyone rolled with it.

coolbeans2128d ago (Edited 2128d ago )

I mean...let's not pretend those clips are just devoid of context. He's literally doubled down on his argument of gays should wait to receive equal rights under the law until the country was just more comfortable with it. And, even if in the abstract, trying to tie 'videogame feminism' of Sarkeesian to what some violent alt-righter did in Charlottesville by PLOWING into a group of peaceful protestors is straight-up loony. Who cares if the interviewers just rolled with it? Doesn't defeat how absurd he sounded in some of those highlights.

NewMonday2128d ago

His bad analogy doesn't erase the fact Anita Sarkeesian is part of the problem, her ridiculous positions and assaults on anyone who disagrees with here feeds the Alt-Right, many of them are famous because of her.

coolbeans2128d ago (Edited 2128d ago )

By this logic who isn't part of the problem that has some kind of a public platform? This implicates basically any "SJW" channels as well, just b/c certain figureheads of that movement constantly produce response videos to the worst ones. "Oh if certain people just stayed silent they wouldn't inflame this destructive, opposing ideology." Having a more milquetoast composure didn't do much for her when she simply announced the Tropes v. Women In Videogames series, so I'm not so sure how much would've changed had she stayed that course.

Friendly reminder: the optics of this aren't really in your favor. Still trying to parse blame on someone who's just been unfairly connected to the traumatic death of another person? It's true you acknowledge that boogie made bad analogy; however, hand-waving that part away and then subsequently going "but..." isn't the best approach. It's kinda despicable.

NewMonday2128d ago

"Oh if certain people just stayed silent they wouldn't inflame this destructive, opposing ideology"

see this is the problem, I didn't say anything like that, but you shove me into it as to put pressure on me. why would you do that? can we argue within the boundaries of our comments please.

"By this logic who isn't part of the problem that has some kind of a public platform?"

Anita Sarkeesian is consistently bad, Boogie is no Alt-right nut but she turned him into an antagonist because she attacked him for disagreeing with her, and her followers constantly target him since then.

respectable discourse is not much to ask and will help her cause and ignoring it hurts

Cueil2127d ago

no... he's saying you need to take this in steps... you don't convince people on your point of view by shoving it down their throats... Only a person who is to emotionally attach to the problem can't see that.

coolbeans2127d ago

@NewMonday

-What are you talking about? My "Oh if..." rebuttal is taking the inverse of what you just stated previously.

You: "her ridiculous positions and assaults on anyone who disagrees with here feeds the Alt-Right."

Therefore: "...if certain people [such as Sarkeesian] just stayed silent they wouldn't inflame this destructive, opposing ideology." Even if being condescending, that is not an unfair rebuttal to present against your first response, especially when taken in the context of that whole paragraph. Still within the boundaries, just to boundaries you're perhaps uncomfortable with.

-"Boogie is no Alt-right nut but she turned him into an antagonist because she attacked him for disagreeing with her, and her followers constantly target him since then."

I don't condone how she conducted herself after that discussion. But to my recollection: it seems like they had a short spat then things cooled off and they went their separate ways. I know nothing of what harassment and/or criticism he's received from her fans since then; however, considering how he recently made this Anita/Charlottesville connection (EVEN IF just to abstractly discuss the fears of political escalation) on a popular podcast I'd expect her fans to rage. Also, how much responsibility should she have for what her fans do--IF not directly commanded by her to target him? If we're going to go down that rabbit hole, then so too must you acknowledge every other anti-SJW/alt-right/etc. channel for its nastier fans targeting her as well. It's a two-way street in which neither side is sinless.

@Cueil

...you just restated what I said in a different way, and it's still an ignorant take of how equal rights have been historically pursued. Read up on the Stonewall Riots for example. Countless parades and gatherings have happened since then, which has resulted in changes to law. Whether a large cluster of people are still uncomfortable with it or not, it's the principle that should matter. The argument for incrementalism was also something MLK faced from fellow clergyman back then ('we support equal rights for blacks but perhaps you shouldn't rile people up'). I think you'd find his response to that rather enlightening.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 2127d ago
DialgaMarine2128d ago

Games and politics definitely don’t mix. Just make good games. Stop trying to use entertainment as a front to push political agenda.

Omnisonne2128d ago

Agreed. I'm not against devs making whatever they wish though, they are free to create whatever. But if it has that peculiar scent of forced politics to it, I don't want a part of it.

fiveby92128d ago

I agree. Make what you like but don't be surprised that people don't purchase your product. I enjoy video games mostly for escapism. The last thing I am entertained by is some game director pushing their own moral code regardless of whether I agree with it or not. Sure they're free to make social commentary but don't be surprised when customers stay away.

kneon2128d ago

Since the dawn of man, entertainment in all it's forms has been used to push a political agenda, get over it.

RainbowBrite2128d ago

Wow that dude loss a lot of weight

DialgaMarine2128d ago

He’s still going too. It’s crazy to look at some of his older vids, and compare to even now.

Kabaneri2128d ago (Edited 2128d ago )

Yeah he had a stomach reduction surgery, good for him.

calactyte2128d ago

I love how the author of the article says that Boogie shouldn't talk about politics since he runs a youtube channel about video games, whilst simultaneously commenting on Boogie's political commentary on a website about video games. Hypocrisy at its best. Also, yikes, calm down before writing a rebuttal. It was really difficult to follow what he was actually trying to say. I had to read it twice and I still don't know. Also I'll never get those minutes back in my life again.

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100°

The evolution of women in video games continues at E3 2017

Feminist Frequency founder Anita Sarkeesian and managing editor Carolyn Petit break down the gender dynamics in all of the games revealed at E3 2017.

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engadget.com
Cy2499d ago

Imagine not only having this much free time but actually getting idiots to *pay* you to write about crap like this.

ZombieGamerMan2499d ago

I really hope that big nosed cunt and that butt ugly tranny fuck off from games forever

GameBoyColor2499d ago

I'm not a girl gamer, and this is my story. -New article coming winter 2017.

Please be excited and don't forget to crowd fund it so I can pocket that cash right after!

DivineAssault 2499d ago

Poison to the gaming industry..

130°

Feminist Frequency paved the way for a playable female protagonist in Dishonored 2

"Arkane co-creative director Harvey Smith said that it was critic Anita Sarkeesian’s analysis of Dishonored, which she offered through her web series Feminist Frequency, which promoted the studio to re-evaluate how it portrayed women in the series."

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gamecrate.com
UCForce2503d ago (Edited 2503d ago )

This is something I will not agree with this. Anita started a gamergate in 2012 which was small, but until 2014 thing out of control fast when she completely succeeded created the conflict between both sides. I remember correctly she hate her dad because he voted who she hated the most (politics).

-Foxtrot2503d ago (Edited 2503d ago )

GamerGate wasn't created by Anita, it was started as a result for the shit Zoe Quinn had been doing which exposed the corrupt journalism and going ons within the industry. As people dug deeper they found new things out and when the heat was getting too hot the majority of game sites banded together and used Zoe Quinn as a victim to show how GamerGate was about abusing, attacking and mentally crippling women for no reason. Why? Because they didn't want any more snooping and would have rather made gamers in general look bad then accept any responsibility for what they did behind closed doors, they were afraid more things came to light if they dug any more. They thought making all gamers look like misogynistic, sexist, women hating pigs would be better then all their shady stuff coming to light and hurting their reputation, things which could cost them their jobs.

Then when things got going people like Brianna Wu and Anita latched onto it to promote their stuff. Anita to sell her kickstarter shit because she's a con artist and Wu because she probably got a lot of shit off people in her past being transgendered, possibly even being bullied as a child and decided she wanted to go on a mighty crusade to hurt all those evil Cis men.

UCForce2503d ago

Like I said, the whole gamergate have been out of control.

naruga2503d ago (Edited 2503d ago )

and who bought the dishonored 2 ??? with all these shoved to our throats diverse things inside ....i say nobody )i know it went bad in sales -and they blamed other games for it) .....the game proved to be completely forgettable and generic as hell...if you cannt develop a game ...is nt the lack of homosexuals or female protagonisst that hurt the game, is that you r by default incompetent ....also shoving things inside just because Anita says to , you make things worse

UCForce2503d ago (Edited 2503d ago )

Now people know why Dishonored 2 have female protagonist because of Anita Influence. I will say this again, she is the false feminist who doesn't belong to feminists community. She completely ruined their image and reputation.

annoyedgamer2503d ago

Anita is shadow developing alot of games, the new Uncharted and TLOU games come to mind. Something about an angry woman beating up a room full of men without getting so much as a scratch brings them joy. I would love to see their reactions if the genders were reversed.

Aenea2502d ago

Actually, of course that can bring one joy! Don't pretend you don't like the idea of kicking the shit out of people in games either, am sure you do! That's why we watch movies, read books and play games, don't we?

Gameseeker_Frampt2502d ago

and I bet you are all tears when playing as an angry man beating up a room full of men. "I'm sorry guys - this is hurting me more than it is you. This brings me no joy." sob, punch, sob, punch, punch....

-Foxtrot2502d ago

Yeah people like Nadine were a direct result of Neil loving Anita and wanting to please her

Adrian_v012502d ago

Because women can't beat up men?

meka26112502d ago

Not really, there are exceptions, but generally they are weaker than men. I remember seeing one time they had the world's strongest woman go to a bar to do some arm wrestling. She went up against average built guys and everyone of them beat her. It's just biology, and as I said, there are exceptions to the rule.

Adrian_v012502d ago (Edited 2502d ago )

@meka

I also remember the woman with world's biggest/heaviest boobs knocking a guy out while dancing on the dancefloor, with her boob. So that doesn't mean anything.

I'd pay to see average built guys fight female cage fighters. I'm really fascinated by the bubble some of u guys live in.

Noctis2502d ago (Edited 2502d ago )

Your username fits like the glass shoe fit Cinderella, just change "annoyed" to "annoying" Also, was your last sentence sarcasm because i'm pretty sure what you describe is really 99% of movies and games.

In my opinion I would like to see some roles reversed. Eg: Chris Redfield's gladiator skin in RE5 was total fanservice to those attracted to men, I would pay to see more DLC like this, a la Dead or Alive, but with men in skimpy outfits and big bulging pecs.

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