Sexism on the gaming scene: a woman’s perspective

Posted by Audrey Wells.
First posted on 16 December 1999. Last updated on 21 February 2007.
Articles  »  Features

It seems that there is much heated discussion about sexism on the gaming scene these days. Though many people may not even care or pay attention to gender equality (or lack thereof), others work themselves into raging fits over the issue. In my opinion, it is important to remember that there are all types of people and all kinds of tastes.

It has been once a popular idea that women do not play…

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Good

I think “sexism” is a moot point to bring up in games. Yes women are usaully scantily clad but “male characters” are often made to appeal to teen girl fantasies. Game guys are always well muscled in videogames or have the efeminite goth features that are all the craze right now. Are you implying characters such as Sephiroth,Testament, and any final fantasy lead hero are not designed to be attractive to the female gender? Worse these “male depictions” build up equally impossible expectations for the “average real guy” to live up to. I know star struck dillusional women that always expect their boy friends to be completly perfect and aesthetically pleasing in every way.

However the point of games is they are “fantasies”. We are not supposed to use them as a tool to measure attractive traits in real people. We are supposed to use them to have fun and as a short spurt of escapism. Is it a crime to make characters sexaully appealing? Last time I checked erotic musings are a healthy part of the human psyche.

All I’m saying is if you are going to say games are “sexist” against women you have to go one step further and say they are sexist against guys too. Whereas most women cannot have the bust size of Laura Croft most guys cannot look like Sephiroth no matter how much they dye their hair and shop at hot topic for angsty goth apparel.

United States By BrokenHierophant • On 04 February 2008 • From Asheville NC USA

Good

No we do not play cuz we’re confused or we want to be her you idiot
we play it cuz we like her and she makes us feel strong about ourself and she is hard core and awesome and we wish we’ve tha guts to gress like her in tha game!

United States By mags • On 03 August 2007 • From Somewhere

Well.. I have to agree and disagree to this… Yes, Lara is a sex symbol, and that shouldn’t have been… Yes it’s aimed toward the male gamers.... But the part I have to argue on is this: I know more women that play tomb raider than men just because Lara is smokin hot.... In my area, I haven’t met one single woman that doesn’t like Lara, because she has guts, she’s got a great body, and they know she’s not real. They play either because they are sexually confused, or because they want to be her. - an unknown game modeler.

United States By Game object modeler • On 19 March 2006 • From can't tell you

I agree, it took nintendo about two years after the first pokemon game to bring out an option where you can play as a girl. But like in tomb raider she is where very short clothes! I mean come on. I think I will study in game designing and come up with a game that is not so male orientated. My favourite games are all like that; spyro, zelda, Jet Set Radio Future! They all suck. damm them damm them damm them. that is all I have to say. Thank you for helping us to see what needs to be done to further womans equality. But in 40 years time that will be no worry as scientists are finding that maybe women might rule the world! become a complete women based society! as ment are dying otu (evil luagh) haahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha whoops rambled on

Great Britain (UK) By ****** • On 25 April 2004 • From Felixstowe/England

I`ve read similar articles before but its funny how no one mentions that back in the day people who played games were mostly men and mostly mocked,geek etc, so i guess its a case of you reap what you sow.
As for big boobs lara its not like there hasn`t been any male characters who are,how should i put it, physicaly superior to the average male.

Interesting site though

Europe By Jesus Christicles • On 06 January 2004 • From Somewhere

I know she’s written this quite some time ago, but Audrey Well’s article about sexism in computer games is today as true and interesting as it was in 1999.
Sabine

By Sabine • On 09 August 2002 • From Aotearoa/NZ

I agree with you, but...it won’t sell games until woman gamers make their presence known. Female game programmers are probably the answer.

By Anonymous • On 05 November 2001 • From Somewhere

I heartily agree! As a male, I quickly noticed that Lara Croft was going to be used as a sex object to attract young teen boys. I hated that she was going to be used that way. At first I thought there would have been some potential, but alas Eidos failed in this.

BTW, Didn’t Lara look that way from the very first game? That’s how I remember it…

I enjoy strong female leads in games and await for when the industry wakes up to this and includes better examples.

jchristl.zdnetonebox@com

By Joe Christl • On 09 February 2000 • From Pittsburgh

Hear, hear! Couldn’t agree with you more.

But you know, you have to provide a better
argument than breast size and Eidos’ rather
ignorant about-face on it’s legendary but now
somewhat tawdry heroine if you want to draw a
crowd. Gabriel Knight has been around for a
very long time now, relative to the history of
the industry, but other games just coming up
are forced into a very cynical ring to compete
for operating capital, and in the age of the
backlash against the political correctness
movement, sex is once again a media darling.
Being a rather sexually oriented male, I
appreciate being given so many little toys to
appeal to my basic interest in members of the
opposite sex, but the real problem is, I am in
the extreme minority of people I know who has
no problems reconciling this with my basic lack
of interest in crass solicitation through sex.
My only interest in the Tomb Raider games would
be for the sake of the adventure, if the
is interesting enough. Personally, I just find
it hard to identify games that are really for
true sleuths and taut thriller junkies, and
tend to avoid anything that comes in a glossy
box, which is everything, good or bad, because
there really isn’t much in the games that
didn’t seem better on the cover.
Perhaps the answer isn’t to draw attention to
the sexual differences in these two games, or
any others that fit just as nicely, but to
really focus on whether these sexier games are
providing anything in the way of genuine
entertainment, for those of us who look at
digitally enhanced boobs the same way we do
slicone enhanced boobs and other fascinating
but souless forms of modern architecture.
You could sell Gabriel Knight to me easily if
you just get me upfront with, ‘Yeah, she’s got
a nice body, but what do you talk about after
the first night together? Here’s a game that
will keep you interested long after the first
orgasm with that other game.”

Just tell me there’s a real story, and that
it reads well when you play it, and I’m in.
Sexy sales is a symptom, but is it of a
disease, or a reaction to an unappealing
alternative? Can’t win an argument by refusing
to meet you opponent head on, and Lara isn’t
going away until somebody proves she’s dull
after the first date, and that ‘you should have
gotten the other girl’s number instead’.
Otherwise, we’ll just sit forlornly by the
phone waiting for Lara to call again.

By Lee Edward McIlmoyle • On 02 February 2000 • From Canada

Great article on sexism in adventure gaming. This is an issue that has irked me since the trashy jigglefest that was The 11th Hour.

By Jennifer Q. Public • On 13 January 2000 • From The Heavens, I Hope