Female Gamers: Are you tired of being presented with no dignity?

[Tinnerz]

If you're worried about girls thinking they need to look like Lara Croft, I'd be more concerned with the fact that girls are looking up to a video game character instead of, you know, an actual human being.

Why? We've never had a problem with people looking up to fictional characters before: if a kid said they 'looked up' to a hero in movies or literature, we wouldn't have any problem with that--why is it different for video games?

And those are not rhetorical questions: I think they're valid inquiries into the way we feel about different entertainment mediums.

I understand completely what you're saying. I should specify that I'm looking at it from the standpoint of a teenage girl instead of a younger kid. For a little kid who doesn't understand that these characters aren't real beings, I think it's fine and harmless. But for an adolescent girl or someone older, who understands that these are made up, that's when I find it questionable.

Edited to add: I'm also talking about all mediums of entertainment, not just video games.

 

[IceStar100]

Well this went the way of a religous thread. There are a lot of double standers it seemd. It ok for a guy to be buff when most arn't but god forbit a female is eye candy.

When a guy is buff, it sends the message he's large and in charge and exists for himself; when a female is eye candy, it sends the message she's there to fulfill the desires of the viewer and exists for others.

It's not a double standard, because "eye candy" =/= "buff"

Yeah you keep beliving that and Sonny Cirinthos buffness does not make him eye candy to a females who watch him (He's from General Hospital). Or maybe Barbra Gordon who is eye candy but has shown she can be smarter then bats. No she does not take any pride in her body to work out. Yes there is pure eye candy on both sides. There are girls in games who are there for looks. There are guys who are there to be the punching bag for a strong woman. What you have set up is a double stander where women are better then men and not there equals. Where women must all be average and can never be exploded but men can be punching bags and eye candy to draw in females and thats ok.

 

[SultanP]

-snip-
Here's the thing though: the question posed by the OP is about how, although both genders are portrayed in an unrealistic fashion, why is it that for females the unrealistic portrayal is about T&A and revealing clothing?

Now, I think there's a reason for that in terms of how we have an asymmetrical view of the genders which means they are not mirror images for each other in our perception and all kinds of stuff that ties back to larger issues of gender, but you're missing the OPs point: the title of the thread isn't about "being presented unrealistically" it's "being presented with no dignity."

Alright, you've got a point, even though I can't see how it diminishes the dignity of women that there are well endowed women on the cases. Maybe it's just me, but I can't see it being that big a deal. When I see something like that I think "that's nice" and then I move on. It doesn't change my view on women, or whatever people think it might do. So I guess I don't get what the issue is about in the first place.

 

[awsome117]

Eh. It's a video game through and through. As long as people understand this, then things are fine.

 

[Dreey]

I cant say that women were misrepresentet in games like Mass effect, Halo 1 - 3, left 4 dead, half life 2 and metroid which is some of the more well known games out there today. Tomb raider might be a tad misrepresentative, but it's obviously been popular.

But at the same time, isnt complaining about misrepresentation in a videogame kinda silly?
For example Marcus Phenix(gears of war) doesnt look like your average GI Joe either

 

[GirlGamer]

I'm not even a woman and *I'M* tired of women being presented with very little dignity.

Gaming needs more female rolemodels like Alyx Vance.
I cannot think of a single better written female character in any video game to date.

Farah from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time wore revealing clothes, but I liked her. She was flawed, her boobs were a normal size, and she bantered with the Prince in a human way. Alyx and her were quite similar in my eyes.

OT: Yeah. My brother seems to think that he can now refer to women as bitches and c*nts and any other offensive term because that's what they are in games.
I should join this group...

 

[sabaducia]

I found an article floating around the interwebs that says what I'm trying to say, in a concise and more professional manner, here is my favourite part:
The Myth [of girl gamers]
So why does the myth persist? A study done in 2008 by the Entertainment Software Association said that 38% of gamers are of the fairer sex. Locally, according to The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, it is even higher with 46% reported to be female. Why then, even when a gamer discloses her gender, is she immediately pegged as overweight and unattractive? Perhaps even more importantly, why do men hate getting beaten by a girl on their own turf so much?

Here it is in full: http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/GirlGamers.aspx

 

[sabaducia]

@GamerGirl: Yeah I recently got into Sands of Time, and Farah is alright you know. I am willing to comprimise haha. You SHOULD join. You're virtually the namesake...
(I know this isn't quoted properly, sorry! I keep trying to quote/preview but my internet is dying...on it's last legs poor little routermodem)

 

[IceStar100]

I found an article floating around the interwebs that says what I'm trying to say, in a concise and more professional manner: http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/GirlGamers.aspx

If you cannot or will not open the link, here is my favourite part:
The Myth [of girl gamers]
So why does the myth persist? A study done in 2008 by the Entertainment Software Association said that 38% of gamers are of the fairer sex. Locally, according to The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, it is even higher with 46% reported to be female. Why then, even when a gamer discloses her gender, is she immediately pegged as overweight and unattractive? Perhaps even more importantly, why do men hate getting beaten by a girl on their own turf so much?

FYI edit butten or you might get the wrait of the mod.

Anyway yeah I find the average women gets over looked in games. That life people want 10's not 5's

Well this went the way of a religous thread. There are a lot of double standers it seemd. It ok for a guy to be buff when most arn't but god forbit a female is eye candy.

When a guy is buff, it sends the message he's large and in charge and exists for himself; when a female is eye candy, it sends the message she's there to fulfill the desires of the viewer and exists for others.

It's not a double standard, because "eye candy" =/= "buff"

Yeah you keep beliving that and Sonny Cirinthos buffness does not make him eye candy to a females who watch him (He's from General Hospital).

You brought up someone from a soap opera to show how men are treated the same as women?

I can't think of a better example of an exception that proves the rule.

I was using a populer form of female media as game are more for males.

 

[tsolless]

I found an article floating around the interwebs that says what I'm trying to say, in a concise and more professional manner: http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/GirlGamers.aspx

If you cannot or will not open the link, here is my favourite part:
The Myth [of girl gamers]
So why does the myth persist? A study done in 2008 by the Entertainment Software Association said that 38% of gamers are of the fairer sex. Locally, according to The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, it is even higher with 46% reported to be female. Why then, even when a gamer discloses her gender, is she immediately pegged as overweight and unattractive? Perhaps even more importantly, why do men hate getting beaten by a girl on their own turf so much?

FYI edit butten or you might get the wrait of the mod.

Why? He's quoting a study about the male to female percentages...?

 

[IceStar100]

I found an article floating around the interwebs that says what I'm trying to say, in a concise and more professional manner: http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/GirlGamers.aspx

If you cannot or will not open the link, here is my favourite part:
The Myth [of girl gamers]
So why does the myth persist? A study done in 2008 by the Entertainment Software Association said that 38% of gamers are of the fairer sex. Locally, according to The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, it is even higher with 46% reported to be female. Why then, even when a gamer discloses her gender, is she immediately pegged as overweight and unattractive? Perhaps even more importantly, why do men hate getting beaten by a girl on their own turf so much?

FYI edit butten or you might get the wrait of the mod.

Why? He's quoting a study about the male to female percentages...?

the part under that.

Yeah I recently got into Sands of Time, and Farah is alright you know. I am willing to comprimise haha. You SHOULD join. You're virtually the namesake...

 

[Laura.]

I don't really care that much... but I see why some people might be offended.
The day some guy tells me "your boobs are not as huge as Ivy's, therefore you are not hot" I will be pissed. But in the meantime, I put my trust in people to know those are nothing but exaggerations made to squeeze money out of horny teenage boys.

 

[Aura Guardian]

I don't really care that much... but I see why some people might be offended.
The day some guy tells me "your boobs are not as huge as Ivy's, therefore you are not hot" I will be pissed. But in the meantime, I put my trust in people to know those are nothing but exaggerations made to squeeze money out of horny teenage boys.

-shudder shudder- Her boobs/attire are gross. Plus, isn't she 40 in that game?