Many games have Sexism on both genders the worst being... which?
The aim here is to research the issues, come up with solutions and look into how the current games are changing, which are changing for the better and should how we currently show men and women, be on the forefront of a directors mind.
First let's ask some questions. Are women being sexualised in games to a point that does affect how they think and feel about themselves or are they so used to it, that it no longer changes how they view themselves, because it's so far away from reality that we just don't connect with it. Or are men, although shown strong and heroic, the ones being affected more? Do video games make the player escape into a world where they are invincible or do they make them feel that's how they should be in reality.
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| http://thenerdfightingfeminist.wordpress.com/tag/girl-darth-vader/ |
Everyone tells women not to listen to media, that they should feel beautiful, be independent but lose weight; most girls have an idea of how their morals should be and how they behave is sourced from different media to men. Men don't have media pressure from the same sources; men don't get told that a lot of work and editing goes into pictures of men in mags. They aren't reassured that they are ok, however there are less mixed messages. After talking to others on my course and looking further into the topic, I really think that many boys get their ideals from games. After all who doesn't want to be the hero of their own life.
What kind of games say be a big, strong, man so you can fight all the evil and know no fear. Well most first person shooters for starters, gangster based or even fantasy and not to forget all super hero based ones, as expected... However how many are to a fantasy point? How many are so beyond the physical truth but done so realistically?
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| http://hdimagesinfo.com/god-of-war-ascension/#.U17befldX58 |
Well how about... Gears of War (2006) God of War Ascension (2013) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) Saints Row (2006) Bulletstorm (2011) Mortal Kombat: Series (1992-2012) Darksiders (2010) Dante's Inferno (2010) Devil May Cry (2013) Karateka (2012) do I really need to go on?
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| http://prototype.wikia.com/wiki/James_Heller |
Not on that one front but yes, because it doesn't end there. It's not as simple as beefy men giving us complexes, it's more complex. Looking at 6 games now Asura's Wrath (2012), Outlaws (1997) Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (2007), Prototype 2 (2012), Inversion(2012)and Dishonored (2012). What do these have in common (other than the aforementioned beefy men?). They all have a trope know as women in refrigerators where the main plot line affecting act of the woman is to die, normally causing a reason for the hero to go and revenge her death. Furthermore in the case of all six of these games, she dies at the start so the men in question can save her daughter, which isn't even that noticeable in the grand scheme of things. However it does tell you as a man or woman where your place is, your job as a woman is to motivate your man and be saved; as a man you must be strong and seek out revenge and save all the women. Not fantastic messages really are they?
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| http://www.metroid-database.com/features/behind2.php |
What if you want a game where you're a strong female and you go out and save the day. Are there games that do this? YES of course there are and it's so important to praise where due, firstly the Metroid series (1986-2010) with the fantastic Samus Aran. It's a true gem as not only is it a strong female lead but it has almost no effect on the game or its popularity. Arguably Samus is one of the first female leads in gaming, she does it so well as it's both a little shock when the helmet is off and gives her more mystery and plot depth. Lara Croft (1996-2013) is an awesome series too with such a strong character and recently is even made more realistic in her reboot. Adding a fresh face, less sex appeal and focus on story telling, the early years of Croft and how she became the woman of earlier games. Other notable titles are Beyond Two Souls and Parasite Eve.
However we'll never see Dinosaur Planet (circa 2000) which would have been a strong female lead but was replaced to be Star Fox Adventures (2002). Not only did Star Fox take the lead role but rescued the original heroine character from captivity; quite sad when you find out it was changed after comments about the female lead and jokes about changing it to Star Fox. Surprisingly I can't imagine the developers found it so amusing after near completion and 2 years of work.
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| http://nsider2.com/2012/06/15/look-back-review-super-princess-peach/ |
Or even looking at the interesting Super Princess Peach (2006) which has the worst of messages for its target market, crying is your super power girls! If that doesn't work why not throw a temper tantrum and get all fired up to get things done. To me this is quite sad because the concept of the game is role reversal and it could have been so good, having Princess Peach rip her dress and save her friends for once. Peach could have even remained delicate but made friends with nearby animals and had a magic wand, using her wits and kindness to win, something more based on her image at least. Instead it's a mood swing based game mechanic and aimed at young girls to play a version of Mario more... Suitable?
Why do companies stick to these clichés and archetypes? For starters it's cheap and easy to use tried and tested formulas and games aren't cheap to make. Although as companies make more story based games and critics judge more on plot and social stigmas, larger companies are changing the tone of character for the better. Of course games like the Guitar Hero series (2005-2010), Minecraft (2009), the ever popular Sims (2000- 2013) and the recent Last of Us (2013), prove gender isn't necessarily important.
As far as I was made aware, if a man can choose to play as a woman in a game, 50% of the time he will. After all it's escapism, it doesn't connect with you, so you can even play a different gender for fun. Wasn't fun the point of video games?
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| http://omgpopforever.com/discussion/6258/name-three-things-about-the-person-above-you/p1 |
Anita Sarkeesian.(2013) Damsel in Distress: Part 2 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toa_vH6xGqs&feature=youtu.be [accessed 25/04/2014].
Anita Sarkeesian.(2013) Damsel in Distress: Part 3 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjImnqH_KwM&feature=youtu.be [accessed 25/04/2014].
Anita Sarkeesian.(2011)#2 Women in Refrigerators (Tropes vs. Women) [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DInYaHVSLr8&list=PLBBDFEC9F5893C4AF [accessed 25/04/2014].
Hurley (2012) Look Back Review: Super Princess Peach [online] Nsider2 Available from: http://nsider2.com/2012/06/15/look-back-review-super-princess-peach/ [accessed 25/04/2014]
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