The Only Winning Move…
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I sympathize with anyone who has ever suffered for trying to be themselves. I have gone from feeling disgusted, to tired, to exhausted with the same-old portrayal of women in games. By the same token, I find hyper-masculine protagonists anything but relatable. I want to see more women and trans people recognized as game developers without the ensuing parade of doubt and hatred. In other words, I don’t want to be ashamed of my identity as a game developer.
But lately, I have become frustrated by the nature of this conversation.
The community has — by necessity — developed a defense mechanism to reject and shame those who stand in the way of progress. Like any healthy immune system, right?
One of the founders of Penny Arcade made a series of ignorant remarks about transgender people. As a result, some fans are defecting and one studio has even decided to forgo their game’s booth at PAX in an act of boycott.
I tend to applaud this kind of approach; it can put power in the hands of the victims over their oppressors. But something is different, here. I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. This could develop into an autoimmune disorder.
While I share the views of most LGBT and feminist game developers, I would not say I’m a part of LGBT or feminist culture. That should be okay. But I am part of gaming culture. We all are, remember?
The word on the street is inclusiveness: when one group opens its arms and embraces another they would normally shut out.
With that in mind, boycotts and shaming are both divisive strategies. They imply “us” and “them”.
Nobody wins.
Far too often are ignorant, good-intentioned people ostracized. This is counterproductive. Things escalate and people choose sides. The line drawn in the sand only gets deeper. Eventually, it forms a chasm.
We need to be more choosy with our reactions. Without becoming humorless automatons, strive for thoughtfulness, not reactionism.
Penny Arcade is a gaming community that consists of all sorts of people. PAX is a convention for gamers and game developers of all kinds. This is by definition gaming culture. By insulating ourselves from PAX, we’re removing our voice from the conversation.
We want everyone to be involved with the conversation, especially those who are ignorant. How else can we expect them to change?
