Blog # 7

In an article written by Ryan Perez titled The Misconception of Masculinity in Games explores the misrepresentation of a male character in video games. in the beginning of the article Perez expresses “male characters have become almost entirely dependant on their physical aesthetics and, likewise, tends to dictate the more important aspects of their being.(Para 3)
To a certain point, I agree with Perez in video games the main character is always abnormally fit. The physical appearance of a male protagonist is rarely a representation of the average joe you may see on the street. Although, some of the themes and obstacles that the character faces are very relatable in many ways making it easier for the gamer to relate and or show compassion for the main character.
Perez then suggests that men are violent in nature by stating that “aggressive nature that resides in all men, of course, but it also does a fine job of painting a bad image of masculinity and male nature in general.”
I can’t help but disagree with this statement only because this is an over-generalization of the male gender. Not all men are drawn to violence I for one have never been the type of man to have a “shoot first and ask questions late type of mentality” (para 7)
Perez made some compelling points about the misrepresentation of men in video games to get a better understanding on the topic of the portrayal of sexuality we will explore an article which offers a unique view on the perspective of gender in gaming.
In an interview piece with Yasmin Kafai, Carrie Heeter, Jill Denner, and Jennifer Sun. the participants were asked a series of questions regarding their views on gender and gaming.
In one of the questions asking; “How does it work in the industry? Do you-you get to choose the kind of games you work on?” The interviewees answered absolutely not in this industry you will never make the game of your dreams. you’re more likely to make a hello kitty game for 12-year-old girls.
I found this harsh reality a bit depressing because these graphic designers go to school, put in the work, earn a degree, intern, work their butts off at the internship, and after all that they won’t get to put their learned skills into a game that they’re passionate about. I just assumed once you’ve received your degree that you could put yourself in a position to work on a project that you are interested in.
This interview shed some light on the harsh reality of game design in an “expectation vs. reality” approach, I appreciated it. Next, we’ll take a look at an article published in Polygon, an American video game website that publishes news, culture, reviews, and videos.
An article published by Khee Chan titled Why I’m afraid video games will continue to ‘bury its gays’ In the article Chan explores the unusual success of the video game Life is Strange which follows the two main protagonist and potential lesbians as they work their way through the story. This game’s success was unusual because most of the time main characters on video games are men an not women. Let alone, lesbian women.(para 1)
Chan also talks about “the sins of being queer” where he brings to light characters who take part in love “forbidden by human and divine law” had to be punished or at least be portrayed as dastardly, villains.(para 5)
This is something that is very barbaric in nature. I also understand that this, just like other immoral practices in our countries history will take time for us to eventually overcome.