Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sexism in the gaming industry
Before I read this atricle I never really looked at video games in this sense. It is true that women are exploited demoralized in video games. The only video game that i can think of that has a woman in power is Tomb Raider but if you take the article into consideration, you can point out numerous things about the game. First you can look at her outfit; short shorts with a shirt that shows alot of clevage. This adds arusal to the game. Another game that degrades women is Grand Theft Auto. In this game they have prostitutes that are walking down the street saying demoralizing things. The game even allows you to pick them up and go to a secluded area to have sex with them. This is one of the most wanted games in America today and in the article it states that games like this are teaching children that this is they way that women are looked upon in real life. Im not trying to be a hipocrit because I play these games too but I do agree with what the article had to say about video games these days.
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2 comments:
All very true and insightful. Often we are positioned in complex ways to the most oppressed and the oppressor; for example, there is much to be learned from your acknowledgement of women and violence against females in gaming, and at the same time your participation in the game itself.
Is emancipation--as a member of an oppressed group (person of color, Black, African-American), and as a member of a privileged group (male) possible?
If so, what would be required in order to step into resistance to oppression of women of color in video games?
MTamez
I am a huge fan of video games, but I'm not sure I can think of any that star a female who is not also a sexual object. Ignoring games aimed at children (Barbie, Hanna Montana, etc.), Tomb Raider is the first that comes to mind--and you already pointed out the sexual exploitation of Laura Croft.
The Resident Evil games work about the same way. When they use a female lead, she is almost always objectified.
Princess Peach from the world of Mario is pretty strong in her own way, but she also constantly gets kidnapped by Bowser and needs Mario and Luigi to rescue her.
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