My thoughts on sexism in games.

I do not follow the work of Anita Sarkeesian. I see no reason to do so. Whatever she has to say, has been said better by others, with more substantial evidence and with solutions that are actually proposed, with no need for falsifying or distorting evidence. Furthermore, it has also been said by people that actually keep the comments section on Youtube open, with ratings enabled. That said, every now and then she, along with many other feminists, says something that makes sense. And today, I want to talk about something that these people are often decrying: sexism in video games.

To be certain, there is, indeed, sexism in not just the gaming industry, but the gamer culture as well. When Anita Sarkeesian announced her video series 'Tropes vs Women', many gamers sent her death threats for daring to make a series about how video games are sexist against women, as well as asking for donations to help fund this series. No matter what position you take on the issue of women and games, this is low. It is awful, and it is not the attitude that anyone, man or woman, should have.

A lot of the time, I feel that we gamers tend to simply yell a lot to drown out the opposition. We sometimes get defensive about our favorite pass time. And when you think about it, why shouldn't we be defensive? This is a hobby that many of us have invested thousands of dollars, and millions of hours in. This is a pass time that does more than entertain us. It makes us feel like champions, like we're worth something. And suddenly, we have these people who make it clear that they have NEVER picked up a controller in their lives, come up and tell us that the games we love are sexist against women and should therefore be changed! Who are these people to come and tell us what to do, what to play, what to like?


However, sometimes we need to stop and listen to what they are saying. And a lot of what they say? It's true. There are indeed less games designed by women than by men. There are indeed less games starring women than there are starring men. A good chunk of female characters in gaming wear costumes that are skimpy, revealing, and impractical, especially compared to their male counterparts.

Hey Rikku, know what would keep you warmer than that scarf? A shirt!

A major problem within the gaming community is our inability to open dialogue. We are so convinced that we're right, that we are the ones with the substantial evidence, that our opponents are wrong, that we give little care to HOW we make our arguments. I am reminded of Jack Thompson and his crusade to censor video games. Some gamers took to arguing using logic and reason. Others, like Tim Buckley, the creator of the webcomic Ctrl Alt Del, well:

That said, however, there is no doubt that our opponents are also as guilty of this as we are. Anita Sarkeesian, for example, has utilized doctored evidence to support her claim of sexism in video games. In an attempt to prevent her videos from being trolled and spammed, she disabled not just ratings, but comments on ALL her videos, but one: the one where she announces her Kickstarter project to gain money to help fund her new series, 'Tropes vs Women'. This has been called, rightly so I may add, an act of censorship and an attack on free speech. Although it may be her own Youtube channel, her series is one that purports to be one that seeks to 'educate' the viewer on the polemic of women being used as objects, instead of characters, in gaming. If this were an educational series, then that would make it Anita's obligation to allow commentary on her series, and not just to allow comments that praise and agree with her, but also to allow comments that disagree with her. But she didn't. She disabled not just the comments, but also the ratings feature. She has defended this action by claiming that she is protecting herself from the trolls and bullies. Considering the death threats, this is something I can understand. Not agree with, simply understand.

Again, what happened to her was horrible and indefensible. Regardless of the fact that Anita has been found out as a liar when it comes to her knowledge of gaming, and a plagiarist who has stolen videos of Let's Players and used them without permission to further her agenda, death threats are not the way to argue with her.

Back on topic. Yes, there is indeed sexism in video games. But there's also a lot of positive female characters in gaming! There may be less games with female protagonists than there are with males, but that does not mean there are too few! GrimGrimoire, Phantom Brave, Mermaid Swamp, Misao, Yume Nikki, Tomb Raider, Metroid, Final Fantasy X and X-2, Final Fantasy XIII, Slayers, Magic Knight Rayearth, Bayonetta, and many many more! And let's not forget the tens of thousands of games where women play strong roles, whether it's as main characters, supporting characters, protagonists, antagonists, or whatever! If I listed them all, I'd never get done with this blog!

Yes, there are plenty of female characters whose designs are...well, sexist. But that does not mean ALL of them are. For example, the game League of Legends has struck a balance between their female character designs. There's the usual, skimpy designs, like Janna:

And Miss Fortune:

But there's also Lux:

And Leona:

And there's Nidalee:

But also Fiora:

Yes, there's sexism in the gaming industry, but it can be surpassed, and we're slowly getting there. The games starring strong women? Not only are they being made, they sell too. Men buy them, and so do women. Yeah they made Scarlet Blade, whose selling point was giant mechs and women in skimpy clothing. Yeah, there's still a long ways to go.

The biggest obstacle, however, is the lack of peace there is between gamers and their opponents, in this case, the feminists. Both believe their positions to not only be logically superior, but also morally so. Both believe themselves to be moral crusaders going against an enemy that seeks to silence and oppress them. Some gamers go so far as to issue death threats towards their feminist critics. And the feminists take these death threats, sent by a vocal and insane minority, and use these as 'proof' that all gamers are just rape apologists, defenders of the oppressive patriarchy that every one of these feminists has sworn up and down they will knock down with their fists.

And so both sides take to the ad hominem. The feminists get called feminazis. The men get called rape apologists. And caught in the middle are the majority, the middle ground. In the middle are the gamers that just want to play their games and are willing to concede that changes can be made, should be made. These are the guys who do not pester the cosplayers who wear skimpy outfits, who say please and thank you, and who are willing to listen. And then there are the female gamers who simply want to play the games they love, who do understand that there is room for improvement in the world of gaming, but who take a step back and realize that a damsel in distress doesn't need to be seen as weak. These people, the girls and the guys, just want to game.

It is not fair for girls to have to be harassed in gaming conventions, to be treated as less than people. Women deserve dignity and respect, and they should not be silenced when they raise their voices against sexism and unfair treatment. Likewise, it is unfair to treat men as if they were defenders of rape and the oppression of women, just because they stand up for their favorite hobby. It is unfair to demonize all men because of the actions of a few boys that clearly need professional help. Likewise, it is wrong to talk down men when addressing sexism in the culture and industry of gaming. I've noticed that Dr Nerdlove has done this, and is one of the few things I disagree with him on.

Gamers and feminists need to have an open, civilized discussion about the sexism in gaming. But this is not happening. It's not happening because people like Anita Sarkeesian and Bhalspawn censor their comments section. It's not happening because gamers respond by making flash games where you get to beat up Anita Sarkeesian to a bloody pulp. It's not happening because feminists are convinced they should yell because no one will listen to them otherwise. It's not happening because the gamers respond to the yelling by pointing out that those who yell do so because they can't debate in a civilized matter. Both sides are so convinced of their moral superiority that they see no reason to budge so much as an inch on this issue. Both sides employ strawmen, and no one is making a call for peace and logical reasoning. This is no way to solve our issues.