Video Games Aren’t Fully responsible
There was an article that had a reference to the video game Portal which immediately caught my attention. The article was a bit about the other side of video game culture that isn’t really seen in the topic of sexism in the industry. The article, by Emily V. Gordon, has changed how I view the topic of sexism and gaming culture.
It’s an Industry Like Any Other
Emily V. Gordon writes in her article that gamers should start taking this culture that we love more seriously, because it is involved more in culture and entertainment now. She writes about how gaming is a multi-million industry, like many other industries such as TV or movies. Some games have huge budgets, while others have a much smaller budget like those in the movie industry. I didn’t think of this because I never saw it was a industry but something that I enjoyed doing. The article showed me that people should realize that like any other company in an industry, gaming companies produce games that consumers will favor.
Not All the Same
Gordon also wrote about how not all games are the same. Some of the more well known games like COD (Call of Duty) and Halo have many similar tropes in them. And they sometimes have stereotypes on how they perceive each gender. But there are those games, usually indie titles, have story behind them that are amazing. And these games sometimes make each gender unique in their own way without making one seem lesser than the other.
Yeah There’s That, But Look At This
Even though many of the more popular video games have the women in them more stereotypical and dressed in clothing/armor that wouldn’t really protect them from harm, depending on the type of game, gamers still play them. And we try and make excuses for them because we like to play them. Gordon writes in her article about how us gamers do this a lot.
“OK, so no woman would actually fight in a thong and two triangles over her nipples — but at least she kicks ass!” We desperately, passionately love the games we love, and we spend hours and hours on them, so we can sometimes get a little defensive when people (specifically people who don’t play video games) attack this thing we’ve devoted so much of our lives to.”
I also am at fault to do this too. If there are mechanics in the game that are good or the storyline is amazing I will make up excuses when asked to as why I play the game. If it entertains me I’ll try to find reasons why it’s good and defend them from others (usually those who don’t play video games). Gordon has also stated that she is at fault of doing this herself without realizing it. But as she said, we make excuses for the games we are passionate about.
Want to Make a Truce?
Gordon doesn’t ask for change in her article, but for a truce. She doesn’t believe that “the entire industry [needs] to be fixed, because it’s not broken”. That the sexism is not on purpose, but it is because “as video games expand and evolve, that evolution means that not every game will reflect the world as you wish to see it.” I understand what she is trying to say and it change how I view the subject of sexism in the industry. It reminded me on how games sometimes have ideas that they want people to take away after they play them, but each person understands those meanings differently. Just like how songs have meanings that people interpret in their own ways, some video games are interpreted in different ways.
Gordon also writes about how she appreciates what critics are doing, but she doesn’t agree every “sexist element of gaming needs to be eradicated immediately.” I can kind of see what she is trying to say. She writes how if she doesn’t like what the game is presenting, she doesn’t want to waste time putting the developers out of business. I agree with this because creating games is how the developers and those who work for them make a living. For that to be taken away is a bit much.
“Protesting misogyny in gaming by not playing video games is misogyny working.” If we stop playing games then those who wanted that in being end up winning in the end. If you are a gamer then challenges like these are what you face in games. Challenges are what fuel us to keep going in video games, that’s what makes playing games enjoyable. Video games taught us to keep trying, even if it seems impossible. So by putting what we have learned from video games and challenges it helps us fight the tone and attitude that was set set in the industry.