Sexism in the gaming industry

Posted by Julian Seale.
First posted on 25 April 2007. Last updated on 26 April 2007.
Articles  »  Features

Take your sister out to buy a video game at your nearest game shop. Any game shop will do. When you get there, allow her to pick the video game of her choice. Is she done? After waiting for a full hour, she brushes pass the automatic doors. You arch your eyebrow. What’s that you discover in her hands? Why, nothing at all! You rationalize this store just isn’t the right place, but after traveling…

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Good

But what about characters like the shirtless well built Dante from Devil May Cry 3? It is obivous “male characters” play up the whole “girl’s wet dream” aspects as well. I can’t stand the rabid feminist movement that whines about how Laura croft has a huge chest yet Raiden (pretty boy male character) does cartwheels naked in Metal Gear solid 2.

Games are fiction. They are rarely supposed to be completly realistic. If they were they would not be an escape into fantasy. Secondly for the record Laura Croft “is” a deep character,can hold up well in a tough fight, and is brilliant to boot. Does that not empower women despite her appearance?

What I don’t understand is why I’m reading so many complaints about “sexism” yet everyone is fine with blatant violence. Is erotica more low brow then murder or blowing things up? To put it bluntly a geek with a hard on oogling over a virtual reality bomb shell is not a dangerous threat so why get upset?

All human beings are drawn to sex and violence to some extent. It has been in our instincts since time primordial.

At least in modern times we “pretend” to maime, kill, and destroy within harmless unreal digital worlds instead of going to watch two men fight to the death in a Roman gladitorial arena. 

I sympathize with those who do not like sex or violence in their entertainment but that is why you have the choice to buy Mature-rated games or not to buy them. For every Blood Rayne out there there are equal amounts of Zeldas, Marios, and Spyros.

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

Very Good

Excellent points, but on your DreamFall recommendation, I somewhat preferred the original 1999 ‘The Longest Journey’ for its great music, graphics and involving story.

Canada By Andrew M • On 27 May 2007 • From Toronto, Canada

Very Good

Julian here has a point. There is only a handful of adventure game heros (not to mention action game heros!) to which a female player can relate to. I’m no feminist but sometimes I do wish that all the action heroines wouldn’t be either unnaturally curvy or just plain anorexic-slutty…
But then again, there are such adventure games as Laura Bow, Gabriel Knight, Broken Sword and also Monkey Island, in which women are presented strong and clever, even if in half of them she isn’t given the leading role…

Finland By Rose • On 30 April 2007 • From Vantaa, Finland

hey julian, after you’re done scoring points with the ladies with your sissy rant. why not ‘rationalize’ the govt of thailand for its draconian law that prevent people from criticizing its monarchy?

United States By rommel • On 26 April 2007 • From USA

Fair

Games sell those type of characters because the people that buy the most games want to think of themselves that way.  You can start a dictatorial approach to things, but it will always fail. I know very few women that aren’t sexist.  They’re just female sexist.  Women buy games like the Sims and adventure games. I buy hardly any games at all because I’m not the target audience either.  I’m male, but I’m not an idiot little boy that likes to shoot things and watch them blow up.  Too bad, so sad.  I write, I read, I make 3d models and try to make adventure games.

United States By nobody • On 25 April 2007 • From Somewhere

The article - entirely correctly - highlights April Ryan and Zoe Castillo as exceptional characters. Thing is, they’re exceptional no matter what gender they are. The Longest Journey and Dreamfall both go out of their way to show us the characters, with all their flaws, doubts and hopes. Very few games have managed that feat - I’d love to see that level of characterisation in other games.

Ireland By A Green • On 25 April 2007 • From Dublin, Ireland