Before we accuse Sony of being sexist, you should hear about G.I.R.L.

GameZone's Matt Liebl writes: "Earlier this week, Sony announced the PlayStation 4 -- a crowning achievement that marked the incoming future of gaming. For anyone who watched the event, there was one noticeable absence -- and I'm not talking about the actual PS4 machine. In the two-hour long press conference, there was not one female brought on stage to speak. It hasn't gone unnoticed either."

[brbobcat]

Sexism in gaming does exist, but not at the PS4 event

[DragonKnight]

"Sexism in gaming does exist."

How so?

[Blaze929]

"there was not one female brought on stage to speak."
...not, seeing the problem here. Should we call Sony racist too? Didn't notice a single black person, or Mexican, or German, there were no live pets either! There were not even any children!!!!! oh the ag-o-neeeee

[SilentNegotiator]

They were mostly middle age or aging people anyway....they're CEOs and executives that started in a different era. You can't blame people for being born in the "wrong" time.

And regardless of culture changes and women having rather equal opportunity, they're still the minority of the work force and that is not the fault of TEH MAN KEEPIN EM DOWN. Ignoring gender differences isn't going to make them go away...there will always be some GENERAL differences.

[Qrphe]

When I first read the title first Patricia Hernandez came to mind. It would have been another "rape culture" article in the end.

[Megaton]

What are they supposed to pull some token female off the street to satisfy your urge to see a skirt on stage? Does the fact that a woman is at the helm of Naughty Dog, arguably Sony's most accomplished developer, not satisfy this shallow desire of yours enough? Only sexist people notice stuff like this. People who can't live without being offended by something totally meaningless on a daily basis.

[clintagious650]

Lmao the things journalist will complain about lol.

[andrewsqual]

It would be more sexist to get terrible female actresses like at Xbox Conferences that makes the entire sex look like air heads.

[Smashbro29]

I really don't see the issue here, I'm sure if a woman was in a high enough position or one of the featured devs she'd be up on stage.

[fOrlOnhOpe57]

That has to be the biggest pile of crap Ive ever read from an excuse of a journalist. He should really find another profession.
How about working in Dairy farming? Im sure he could find plenty of REAL shit to shovel...

[HonestDragon]

The only problem I see here is that Matt Liebl is insinuating that there is a problem.

"Here we are today, two days after the announcement of the PlayStation 4; rather than celebrating the arrival of a new console, we find ourselves enamored with the fact that no female developers were brought on stage -- a seemingly sexist move on behalf of Sony."

Uh, what rock are you living under to come up with this after a press conference for what's next with a company? Seriously, who else brought up sexism as a subject from the press conference? I haven't seen those articles.

"Let it be known, in no way am I saying Sony should be forgiven simply because they offer a scholarship."

Forgiven for what? They didn't choose who the developers wanted to have be their representatives at the press conference. You're implying that because there were no female presenters that the whole event was sexist. That statement is sexist from a writer who is trying too hard to bring up a subject that has no bearings on the topic at hand.

"We shouldn't view this scholarship as an even trade. There's a much larger problem in the gaming industry regarding sexism and glass ceilings. It's a problem I'm not ready, nor equipped to tackle appropriately. That's because it's bigger than me; it's bigger than you; it's even bigger than Sony."

Then why comment on it at all? Why bother bringing this up if you feel that you are ill equipped to handle it? Why insinuate sexism? There was nothing sexist going on at the conference. Sony had nothing to do with who came to the event among the developers who had a portion of it. Stop trying to make it seem like there is something to what you're saying because there is nothing to it at all.

[DragonKnight]

Kotaku started this actually. In their "Good, Bad, and Ugly" article, the lack of a woman at the event was part of their assessment of Sony's event, and it wasn't in the good section I can tell you that. Blame Kotaku for starting this B.S.

[HonestDragon]

Oh, without a doubt. I can't take Kotaku seriously at all anyway. I found that article, too. I find that the writer is trying to open up a can of worms that does not need a crowbar taken to it.

"Noticing this fact isn't a call for affirmative action, and it's not about getting enraged about sexism."

"It's about opening up an conversation as to why this happens at events like the PS4 unveil..."

It's like, why? This was one press conference. The companies chose who they wanted to be presenters. This was not a sexist thing. It just so happened that there were a lot of male members there.

I'm sure that E3 and the Tokyo Game Show (bigger and annual events) will have many female presenters in one capacity or the other. Plus, the countless conventions that occur will have many video game companies showing off their upcoming projects. There are lot of female head-honchos that will be taking the stage at these events. I think that people are scraping for something else to talk about aside from specs and games from the PS4, but this "sexist" idea is coming from forced negativity.

[Hicken]

Pretty pathetic article. I didn't see any women on either of the teams at the Super Bowl; the NFL is obviously sexist.

If a woman needed to be up there- not because she was a woman, but because her position within Sony or one of the featured devs/publishers required her presence- then she would have been there.

Love how people wasted NO time turning non-issues into egregious problems for Sony.