Blizzard Dev Offers Apology for Response to Sexualization Question

[TsunamiWombat]

Nathan Grayson and his social-justice self-hating anti-male bullshit is why I stopped reading Rock Paper Shotgun. The publication became more about his self aggrandizing click-bait then reporting on actual PC gaming news. Kudo's to Blizzard for it's answer and shame on them for their retraction. When Grayson tried to spring the same bullshit on CD Projekt, they torpedo'd it with "We making videogames, son. Why do YOU see sexism here?" and never mentioned it again.

This is not the logical discourse sexuality in culture needs. This is making the sexuality discourse into a HOT BUTTON TOPIC and using it as ammunition to fuel a personal agenda. Grayson is single handedly dragging RPS into the shitter.

 

[Louzerman102]

Why pick on blizzard? Their female characters are usually very strong women.

For the same reason Vanillaware and George Kamitani are sexist despite having a female protagonist in every one of their 8 games. Its an emotional argument in the moment that ignores the history of the company/medium.

 

[Clovus]

I know how to deal with this! have all female game characters from now on all wear burqas exclusively that way no one will be offended by them being underdressed. After all there were complaints of Lara Croft being underdressed on some sites so better safe than sorry.

The important thing is to make sure that all the female characters are handled in the same way depending on what you think about women. Either they are defined by being sexual, or they are defined by being a temptation to men. Try to avoid having your female characters have various interesting traits. That's definitely what RPS was asking for.

Or, maybe you're not understanding the issue at all.

 

[stonemaskstoryteller]

It would be interesting to see more female characters that are designed around their personality.
All political/social/gender issues aside, It's just getting boring seeing the same portable boobs-on-legs characters.

 

[Weaver]

Yet we never see RPS grill Mariel Cartwright (lead artist for Skullgirls) on why she keeps making such sexist character designs. http://kinucakes.tumblr.com/

This is her person tumblr by the way, so you can't claim these images were made under instruction from her boss either. This is just the kind of characters she likes to draw.

 

[Kururu999]

No, it was a terrible response. He acted like you have to be making a political statement in order to not have ridiculous female characters. He also basically said, "Well, this is a video game, so it doesn't matter", as if video games were just throwaway non-culture.

Video games are the most important new form of popular culture. It is a big problem if that culture continues to perpetuate a demeaning view of women.

Explain this mindset to me. If you were to replace video games with books or movies that argument would be absurdly broad. There is no overarching 'book culture' and there is no overarching 'movie culture'. If you take games as seriously as the number of times you used the word culture seems to imply, you'd realize there are many different kinds of games. So yes, some games are just throwaway "non-culture", and Rock Privilege Cisscum needed to get knocked off its high horse.

 

[Karnesdorff]

Yeah, I have no trouble with having female characters in heels and corsets around. But it would be nice to see some that didn't have that since it seems in many games the female half the world population is entirely made up of the largest collection of Victoria's Secret models you've ever seen.

On this issue, firstly, the we're not sending a message...em, you kinda are, it's unavoidable. You act a certain way, or do a certain thing or make a certain choice, you send a message, everyone does. I also have to say that, if the only way you can think of to make 'cool-looking' female characters is to give them outfits that make them all look like they'd feel at home spinning around a pole...perhaps you're not thinking hard enough?

K.

 

[Smooth Operator]

What the hell... now people need to apologize every time they don't play into someones agenda?
How about we grill them on the problems of gun control and abortion next time, also throw some religion in there just for fun.

 

[JarinArenos]

Why pick on blizzard? Their female characters are usually very strong women.

For the same reason Vanillaware and George Kamitani are sexist despite having a female protagonist in every one of their 8 games. Its an emotional argument in the moment that ignores the history of the company/medium.

Ah yes, the 'tradition' argument. That's always been such a popular one in the US Southern states.

But no, the problem is not the sole fault of any one company. The problem isn't that sexed-up female characters exist. What cannot be repeated enough (because people making arguments 'defending the industry' keep ignoring it)... is this. The problem is when there is almost nothing except sexed-up female characters.

I don't have a problem with the concept of idealized player characters. That's intrinsic in the concept of escapist entertainment. At least guys tend to have more than one ideal to choose from, though. You get your clever male archetypes, your beefy ones, your sneaky/agile types... Women get "sexy" and... full stop. Yes, there's a couple exceptions, and I think things are starting to improve on this front. But only because there's attention being paid to the issue.

So no, it's not Blizzard's sole fault here. But asking one of the biggest game developers out there about its overarching character designs in the context of the wider gaming community is entirely fair.

Also, I find it rather disturbing that the most common response here is damning RPS for daring to question the golden gods.

 

[Clovus]

No, it was a terrible response. He acted like you have to be making a political statement in order to not have ridiculous female characters. He also basically said, "Well, this is a video game, so it doesn't matter", as if video games were just throwaway non-culture.

Video games are the most important new form of popular culture. It is a big problem if that culture continues to perpetuate a demeaning view of women.

Explain this mindset to me. If you were to replace video games with books or movies that argument would be absurdly broad. There is no overarching 'book culture' and there is no overarching 'movie culture'. If you take games as seriously as the number of times you used the word culture seems to imply, you'd realize there are many different kinds of games. So yes, some games are just throwaway "non-culture", and Rock Privilege Cisscum needed to get knocked off its high horse.

Well, that's kind of the point though right? Video game culture shouldn't be so homogenized. But, yeah, you're right. There are lots of games that don't have this problem and there are tons of different kinds of games. It's just unfortunate how often stuff like this shows up in video games (especially in AAA), that it is dismissed as irrelevent for gaming, and that the response to it is so vitriolic. Part of the problem is that the community (at least the on-line community) reacts so strongly. Especially since the solution (make more interesting female characters) seems so obviously positive.

When did RPS get "knocked off its high horse"? Blizzard made a pretty thoughtful apology. People can complain that somehow they were forced to do so because a small group of journalists made sad faces or whatever. But would not apologizing have cost them anything? No. Therefore you have to assume that the guy from Blizzard was being sincere.

 

[Vedrenne]

I also have to say that, if the only way you can think of to make 'cool-looking' female characters is to give them outfits that make them all look like they'd feel at home spinning around a pole...perhaps you're not thinking hard enough?

K.

Why pick on blizzard? Their female characters are usually very strong women.

who have a choice of A, B or C pole dancer wear for clothes

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

 

[wizzy555]

Why pick on blizzard? Their female characters are usually very strong women.

who have a choice of A, B or C pole dancer wear for clothes

Eh? Nova's default suit is equivalent to the male ghost counterpart. This is the art for the medic from starcraft 1 http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080310025305/starcraft/images/c/cc/Medic_SC1_Art1.jpg

 

[Karnesdorff]

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

Um, most female WoW player characters once they pick up some gear? Gear that is all enclosing on males and yet somehow little more than a midriff exposing chainmail bikini on a female? And before you say they're not high profile, who do you see more often? A random NPC or the thousands of chars running about?

K.

 

[wizzy555]

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

Um, most female WoW player characters once they pick up some gear? Gear that is all enclosing on males and yet somehow little more than a midriff exposing chainmail bikini on a female? And before you say they're not high profile, who do you see more often? A random NPC or the thousands of chars running about?

K.

They were talking about the moba game, you don't see WoW player characters at all.

 

[Karnesdorff]

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

Um, most female WoW player characters once they pick up some gear? Gear that is all enclosing on males and yet somehow little more than a midriff exposing chainmail bikini on a female? And before you say they're not high profile, who do you see more often? A random NPC or the thousands of chars running about?

K.

They were talking about the moba game, you don't see WoW player characters at all.

And the person I was replying to said 'focusing on Blizzard' not 'focusing on the MOBA game'.

K.

 

[Vedrenne]

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

Um, most female WoW player characters once they pick up some gear? Gear that is all enclosing on males and yet somehow little more than a midriff exposing chainmail bikini on a female? And before you say they're not high profile, who do you see more often? A random NPC or the thousands of chars running about?

K.

So you're pointing to the female PC's? In which case, that isn't a Blizzard design fault, it's the fault of the players for choosing armour sets that show off as much of their character as possible, which by-the-by is not a bad thing, freedom of expression and all that.

I also accept I should have specified Blizzard's main characters who are likely to be designed in HotS.

 

[Baresark]

I literally had to stop reading that site. The rampant and unending accusations of sexism, misogyny, and the like was just out of hand. They constantly vilify members of development teams and publishers for their design decisions. And then you would get the influx of pandering ass kissers who couldn't think for themselves who would just agree with everything a writer said, including when they talked about things they were well out of their depth on.

The way the question was worded was idiotic. It's under the presumption that because a woman is dressed in a scant manner, she is automatically not empowered or only there as an object, which is just stupid. How a character is made or how a person dresses in real life has little to do with empowerment. All the empowerment is in the gameplay. If they create a character who runs around in a bikini with huge breasts and gets one shot, that is pretty much the definition of an unempowered character. They become objects of scorn and dislike. As the guy said, they design characters that look cool. I guess my actual issue is that RPS doesn't report on videogames or the industry, but push an ideology that does nothing but actively seek out events like this and then create problems when someone doesn't feed them the line they want to hear. They are the worst of the worst in this regard.

Here is the thing: They are white knighting for the extreme Feminist movement. That movement is very niche and there are many variations on Feminism that are much more accepted by the media, women, and members of the opposite sex. They are up there with Anita Sarkeesian in that they only acknowledge that extreme Feminism. They walk with a group of people who attack and slutshame women who disagree with them or participate in activities they don't agree with.

That isn't to say they don't get stuff right sometimes though. There have been times they have called stuff out that should be called out, but usually other game media outlets pick up on it. I have seen this on more than one occasion where I read an article that started with or contained the statement, "In a Rock, Paper, Shotgun interview....".

Ugh... I ranted. My issue is that all of this "crying wolf" shit they pull, real bad things happen and when they represent it, it's just another article by a bunch of people who attack everyone for very little, which lessens the impact.

 

[Agente L]

Saying that a game is about empo

Ignoring all other game companies, focusing entirely on Blizzard, name three high-profile characters of theirs who dress like pole dancers. I will grant Sylvannas as half-a-point, out of the goodness of my heart.

Um, most female WoW player characters once they pick up some gear? Gear that is all enclosing on males and yet somehow little more than a midriff exposing chainmail bikini on a female? And before you say they're not high profile, who do you see more often? A random NPC or the thousands of chars running about?

K.

Maybe if you are low level. At higher levels, it's actually prettyhard to find anything above uncommon quality that doesn't cover most (or all) of your body.

Just because a lot of people use/transmog the 5 chainkinis sets that are in game, it doesn't mean all of them are like that.

And if you think there aren't male sets that are also pretty revealing, you are downright wrong. Sure, not as many as female, but the point still stand.