Skullgirls and Sexism

[DementedSheep]

I don?t think sexist at all, I hate how woman are in video games in genral (tho the issue is exaggerated) but I think going this particularly game is pretty pointless. I think most of this is just down to it being an exaggerated style. It wouldn?t be a problem if wasn?t for the fact we get this shit all the time. Hell they even have 3 female characters who don?t look like they were designed as wank material. Peacock, Bloody Marie and Painwheel (who is more fan disservice than anything else) and they are at least they look like fighters rather than standing there in the typical "look at my ass" pose. I personally don't like the style tho. Still it could be fun.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

When the vast majority of female characters have exaggerated proportions... it is sexist.

You can't honestly tell me that the majority of characters of either sex has remotely correct proportions in most games predating the Dreamcast era. Furthermore I don't see how you can expect realistic proportions from a cartoon inspired aesthetic.

I have already said that I have no problem with Skullgirls. The stuff in that is harmlss.

 

[Smeggs]

Are people complaining it's sexist because it is sexist? No, not really.

Are they complaining because it shows scantily clad women with huge tits and hourglass figures? Yes, more than likely.

I've seen it quite a bit, actually. Somehow people seem to have fallen into the belief that a game or other form of media showing attractive women with attractive figures is sexist. Unless the women are fighting over beauty supplies, sandwich-making, or who gets to fuck Mr. Manly MacManpunch, it isn't sexist. People are far too eager to jump to conclusions and slap things with the race or sexism stamp.

Christ, Cooking Mama was more sexist than this.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Are people complaining it's sexist because it is sexist? No, not really.

Are they complaining because it shows scantily clad women with huge tits and hourglass figures? Yes, more than likely.

I've seen it quite a bit, actually. Somehow people seem to have fallen into the belief that a game or other form of media showing attractive women with attractive figures is sexist. Unless the women are fighting over beauty supplies, sandwich-making, or who gets to fuck Mr. Manly MacManpunch, it isn't sexist. People are far too eager to jump to conclusions and slap things with the race or sexism stamp.

Christ, Cooking Mama was more sexist than this.

...=x How was Cooking Mama sexist? Women cook. Showing/having a woman cooking isn't sexist in any way. Now, if Cooking Mama was like 'This is what all girls must do', then yeah, it'd be sexist. But it's just cooking...

 

[hanzkidz]

I think the main difference between a muscle-y Ryu and a boobatious skull girl is that being a muscular tank makes sense for a fighter, if his sole job is to punch people then being that muscular is beneficial to his job. Having massive boobs and a skimpy outfit doesn't make you a better fighter. So it's not a double standard.

Does having a hat that turns into giant arms makes you a better fighter? does having the ability to deatach your own limbs and use it as a weapon makes you a better fighter? does having the entire nazi gas mask wearing army to back you up makes you a better fighter?

 

[Leoofmoon]

They do relies that sexism is for more then just a visual look...right?

 

[Nalbis]

I don't know about sexist but those characters certainly don't do anything for me, I think I'll stick to Street Fighter...

 

[TheDooD]

Yeah... I don't see why the girl who has RIPPED HER OWN HEAD OFF is wearing a shirt that only covers half her boobs.

Sexist, and that' the long-and-short of it.

Actually, Ms. Fortune has the most reason to be wearing a skimpy outfit, because her body comes apart. It would probably be difficult to take advantage of that if you were wearing clothes that covered the joints, yanno?

I see no sexism.
A tad bit of over the top with the appearances but even then no line is crossed. I'm still waiting for Peach to get cries of sexism for being a pretty,blonde,useless,broad. I guess ladies like being recognized as useless more than sexy?

EDIT:OH WAIT. The MEN were complaining...WHY?
I mean why this game? This is far from new! On top of that Its only considered oversexualized if you notice/look for it. In other words the "DEFENDER'S OF WOMANKIND" are the real perverts.

Sexism is looking down upon a sex not imagining them to be a certain way.

Even in this thread, most of the people complaining are guys. Most of the women are telling them to get over themselves. =x

That's the funny thing GUYS are bitching about girls looking hot. Most of the time you'll get chewed out a room saying some stupid shit like this.

Overall I like the designs, the music and the overall tone of the game because I been apart of the fighting game community and MUGEN community for a while. After seeing many different versions of Shoto clones in MUGEN the basic shit just doesn't really cut it. Also I think some guys are just scared of playing a girl because they're insecure as fuck. Mike Z and his team is trying hard as fuck to make a game as balanced as humanly possible without going back to the days of Karate Champ.

Yet all I see here is OMG tits and curves I'm gonna pass on it because it's sexist. No it's sexist that some people are belittling a game full of girls just because some have curves.

 

[busterbeam]

The reason there aren't many women criticizing the game in this thread is that said women don't post on communities like this. The girl with the pony avatar and the Tumblr links was clearly part of a very large subculture of Internet feminists that actually ARE mostly female, but as of now she's part of a minority in that she actually went outside of. Also the "white knight" argument is ad hominem nonsense that adds nothing to a debate - it's just a way to insult someone for being a guy and defending women, simple as that.

I think people who still have an issue with the sexual stuff in Skullgirls should think of it this way; this is a game designed by people who are attracted to women, reflecting a whole bunch of things that the creators like INCLUDING said attraction to women. People's real issue isn't that the portrayal of the girls is misogynistic or that the girls are literally "sex objects", but that the creators aren't going out of their way to actively rebel against the status quo of traditional feminine attractiveness, betraying what they personally like and wish to do with their game in the process. This is, putting it simply, really bad - what you are doing to these artists is akin to vilifying a woman for choosing to have a traditionally "feminine" job. Choosing to do something that happens to adhere to the status quo is not bad. The idea that people who choose to NOT adhere should be oppressed is what people should be fighting against.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

I'm so confused, how is sexism brought up in front about a game when one of the characters looks like a zombie and the other can beat people to death with her own skull. That is just fucking awesome.

People need to lighten up, or stop having double standards. Video games have been doing this for years and it is no different now then some other game that this hasn't been brought up in.

If you want this to stop white knights, you have to take it out the sexism on both genders, not just one. Until you can convince everyone to do such thing, your fucked.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I'm so confused, how is sexism brought up in front about a game when one of the characters looks like a zombie and the other can beat people to death with her own skull. That is just fucking awesome.

People need to lighten up, or stop having double standards. Video games have been doing this for years and it is no different now then some other game that this hasn't been brought up in.

If you want this to stop white knights, you have to take it out the sexism on both genders, not just one. Until you can convince everyone to do such thing, your fucked.

It's not that people need to lighten up so much as they need to learn what words actually mean.

Examples of words commonly misused: Entitled, Sexist, Troll

 

[hanzkidz]

I'm so confused, how is sexism brought up in front about a game when one of the characters looks like a zombie and the other can beat people to death with her own skull. That is just fucking awesome.

People need to lighten up, or stop having double standards. Video games have been doing this for years and it is no different now then some other game that this hasn't been brought up in.

If you want this to stop white knights, you have to take it out the sexism on both genders, not just one. Until you can convince everyone to do such thing, your fucked.

It's not that people need to lighten up so much as they need to learn what words actually mean.

Examples of words commonly misused: Entitled, Sexist, Troll

And don't forget boycott!

 

[kouriichi]

The game is called "Skullgirls" and its sexist that theyre all extremely attractive women?

Is it supposed to be the outfits that are sexist? Ive never heard a complaint about Batman running around with nipples on his latex suit, or spiderman/superman being to revealing with their privates for wearing a SKIN TIGHT body suit.

So what? Its only sexist if women are dressed showing off their figure? Thats sexist. What about the Hulk huh? all of his clothes ripping off when he goes into a fit of rage leaving him in nothing but shredded purple hot-pants? Oh yeah, theres nothing sexual about that. Completely fine in every way.

While were at this whole "sexist" thing, lets touch on the subject of "Romance" novels. So a man cannot sit down at his computer and read a rather "spicy" article or manga without being called a pervert. But a woman can read a "Romance" novel with hardcore sexual themes, and everything is 100% ok?

This whole "sexist" thing is being blown WAAAAAAY out of proportion. Sorry if that was a bit of a rant, but it needs to be said. 80% of "sexism" is crap.

 

[TehCookie]

Real women dress provocatively all the time, it's not sexist. This game doesn't have any "women are inferior" vibe at all.

Now talking about games in general I do find it sexist there are plenty games with fanservice for men and not as many that have fanservice towards women. I'm not sure if it's been said so in this before but a raging steroidbeast is not targeted towards women. You can claim they are sexualized, but at least realize they are sexualized towards men. How about instead of getting rid of sexy things and fanservice, we just add some in for the girl gamers? That way you're even and you get to keep your games. Also I don't mean effeminate JRPG boys, I mean something more like Solid Snake and Dante, which are the only two I can think of that are well done.

 

[The Rascal King]

Sexism? In a fighting game? What an entirely new concept.

Skullgirls doesn't even look that good.

 

[Chemical Alia]

The game's not exactly what I would call sexist, just incredibly tasteless, juvenile and the art style is horrid. It may be a shallow visual design choice that panders to adolescent weeaboos, but it's more offensive to my tastes than to my gender.

 

[Kraj]

Why would it bother people?
I understand from a social mores point of view there are certain steryotypes and archeotypes which could be unhealthy to a young developing mind, "though in my opinion if that developing mind is provided sufficient counter-examples it would be equalized."

However, the bottom line is, this is a game. Built by a private individual. It's a FANTASY. Built by a private, specialized artist. So. What.

Why pull sexism into it? If you like the game play it, at least wait for its release to judge.
What worries me isn't sexism, it's how quickly we accept the jump to make things about sexism.
What worries me aren't the limitations placed on society, but how quick we are to accept and force classify things under those limitations.

tl/dr. Don't start nothing, won't be nothing.