Something wonderful happened on the internet this week. And something horrible happened at the same time.
A Californian blogger, Anita Sarkeesian, launched a Kickstarter project to make a web video series about "tropes vs women in videogames". Following on from her similar series on films, it aimed to look at women as background decoration, Damsels in Distress, the Sexy Sidekick and so on.
Sarkeesian was after $6,000 to cover the cost of researching the topic, playing all kinds of awful games, and producing the videos. Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Even if you don't like the idea - or don't believe that women are poorly represented in games (in which case, you would be wrong) - then isn't it fine for other people to give money to something they believe in?
Hell is Us is a game set in the fictional country of Hadea, where Rémi, a former peacekeeper, returns to find his parents. The game features a blend of future technology, nature, and horror, with a unique atmosphere and design.
Obey, hide or fight the system. It's all in your hands. And remember: "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."
"Ministry of Truth: 1984" is an upcoming political dystopian simulation game developed by Ukrainian studio 'False Memory Dept.'
Spook-A-boo is a silly ghost-hunting game where you and up to 3 friends explore different levels, hunting down ghosts in a game of hide-and-seek.
Sex sells. We all know it. We see women used to "sex up" movies, videogames, books, magazines, music, etc. This is nothing new and to an extent, men are also used to attract women to products, however I certainly don't think it hurts to start a conversation of the portrayal of women in videogames and to examine their roles. In this case she's proposing to look at both positive and negative aspects.
And the backlash she's received is sickening. I've mentioned this before, but I believe that the anonymity of the internet, the "toxic disinhibition" we've see every day hurts gaming and their should be no place for it. There needs to be social repercussions for anti-social behaviours. The type of sick individuals that would threaten this women with death and rape for daring to look at women's roles in games are a cancer on our culture.