Poll: Sexism and Games

[brtt150]

Okay, my main query is whether or not you think sexism in the gaming industry/community is worse than it is in other industries/communities. Is it about the same? Is it better?

 

[ed_phelan]

I think the interactive nature of gaming makes those feelings come to the surface a lot more. Someone calling a woman a **** in a movie theater, for example, likely didn't do it because of the movie. Meanwhile gaming, specifically (but not exclusively) online gaming puts you directly in contact with other people. So a sexist asshole is much more likely to interact with women in game and has more opportunities to show his sexist asshole tendencies. Plus it's way easier to be a "gamer" than a "movie buff" or something. All you need is an xbox or a smart phone to be a "gamer". The bar is set pretty low, which lets the riff-raff in.

As far as the production side of the issue goes? That I'd wager is about as bad as any other male-dominated industry, perhaps exacerbated by those with infantile attitudes that tend to be drawn towards the escapism brought from gaming.

Good post.

I think to be fair you could easily level the sexism criticism at most of the movie industry today. For every big name Hollywood actress you care to name, there are ten men who'll command far higher fees. Action movies in particular still rely heavily on burly hardmen to play the starring role whilst women only ever appear as a side interest.

Bond movies are particularly sexist, and even though they've modernised the franchise, they'll never get away from the fact that it's a big man in a man's world. (warning: Skyfall spoiler alert) I mean even the woman in charge at MI6 has been replaced by a man now.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It's really about the same, but being the new whipping boy means any and all discrepancies will get the game dragged through the streets with strong encouragement to throw stone at it.
We have after all reached a point where a game even allowing harm to come to women being condemned as a heinous crime against humanity... everyone else getting butchered however is cool, also cool in all other mediums.

 

[ed_phelan]

Oh you're definitely right there. I somehow doubt it's a coincidence that, in the history of the Academy Awards, only one woman has ever won best director.

As far as Skyfall (More spoilers), it was especially bad that, after making it very explaining that Severine was a child sex slave, Bond sneaks up on her in the shower and immediately has sex with her. And then later she's killed to make him mad and the most he can offer is a quip about wasting scotch...

Spot on. But it's Bond. Different rules...

 

[Sea Sponge]

Have these people on twitter existed in the real world? Look at what Grey from critical miss (re-tweeted by MoiveBob) is saying on Twitter:

Wooster via MovieBob
"During the civil rights movement there was a ton of people who said, "the answer is somewhere in the middle." Do you know what we call those people now? Racists."

This is straight shitposting. Talk about an unreasonable, dramatic opinion "If you disagree with me in any way you're a fucking racist". This is a stupid way of having the debate. All we get is loud drama, it's no better or worse than the world at large.

To be fair though movie bob is, and always has been, a bit of a dick.

He flaps his irrelevant gums and makes noise but it never makes much sense. All his barking seems to do is make people inwardly cringe and wonder how he manages to stay employed.

As for the topic at hand.

It's no different than any other industry.

Movies, books, TV and some music could all be accused of sexism. The difference is people in the gaming industry have the loudest mouths and make the most noise about it.

 

[go-10]

nope, comic books and anime beat it by a landslide

 

[JoJo]

I haven't seen much evidence that gaming is more sexist than any other industry aimed primarily at boys and young men, though there are certainly issues that need attention, I think these are more general society-wide problems than gaming specific.

I don't think crucifying traditional 'Gamers' like certain prominent people have in recent days is the right way forward in dealing with these issues. Insulting people doesn't convert them to your position, it only riles them up and entrenches them further against you, and it's particularly distasteful when people are using the classic fat/virgin/disability-shaming slurs against opponents supposedly in the name of equality.