Flash Game Makes Players Beat Up "Tropes vs. Women" Creator

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Flash Game Makes Players Beat Up "Tropes vs. Women" Creator

Creator calls Anita Sarkeesian's Kickstarter a "scam."

When FeministFrequency writer and videomaker Anita Sarkeesian started a punch her in the face [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vs-women-in-video-games].

"Anita Sarkeesian has not only scammed thousands of people out of over $160,000," writes the game's maker, who goes by the handle of "Bendilin," "but also uses the excuse that she is a woman to get away with whatever she damn well pleases. Any form of constructive criticism, even from fellow women, is either ignored or labelled to be sexist against her."

"She claims to want gender equality in video games, but in reality, she just wants to use the fact that she was born with a vagina to get free money and sympathy from everyone who crosses her path."

There has, in fact, been a ton of reasonable (and not-so-reasonable) discourse in the gaming community recently regarding the treatment of women in and out of games. Some of that discourse agrees with Sarkeesian, and some of it does not, and even criticizes her. Most of it manages to do so without being sexist, even.

But that's besides the point being made here. Kickstarter doesn't hide the amount of money that has been donated. People chose to give to Sarkeesian's project knowing full well that it had wildly outstripped not just the original $6,000 mark but all of its stretch goals. By that very definition, as long as she works on the video series and delivers, calling it a "scam" is a ridiculous stretch even if you disagree with her viewpoints.

What makes this so troubling isn't that people disagree with her viewpoints - which is in itself perfectly reasonable - but that there is a campaign of harassment [http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/internet/2012/07/what-online-harassment-looks] to keep her from expressing her viewpoints in the first place.

Of course, the great irony here is that the vicious response is not only giving Sarkeesian's cause way more publicity than it would have otherwise gotten, but does more to illustrate the problem of misogyny in nerd/gamer culture way more than a video series ever could.

Because seriously, making a videogame about beating a woman in the face for daring to express the point of view that a male-dominated industry doesn't always treat women and female characters like it should, is kind of just making her point for her.

Source: Destructoid [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/598591]

Update: The game has been "blammed" by Newgrounds users, effectively removing it from the site. That's probably for the best.

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Richardplex

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Jun 22, 2011
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Guys, come on now, there is a right way and a wrong way to disagree with this. This is not the former, quit it.
 

Fappy

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Jan 4, 2010
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In before "I don't want to be on this planet anymore" meme.

Seriously though. What the fuck people?
 

Zaydin

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Mar 2, 2009
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Looks like the users on Newgrounds blammed the 'game' into oblivion. Good riddance; bet the people doing things like this wouldn't be so tough if the cops showed up at their door to investigate the threats they've made against Ms. Sarkeesian
 

Zaik

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Jul 20, 2009
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I'm inclined to agree that it was little more than a scam, but I don't really see how you can blame her that there are gullible retards that will throw money at a perceived injustice to feel better about themselves.

Were it not for the legal nonsense involved with kickstarters, I'd probably run a similar scam just to teach dumb people a lesson.
 

Dastardly

Imaginary Friend
Apr 19, 2010
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"Video games are NOT too sexist or violent, and I will beat the bare, bouncing tits off of any woman who disagrees with me to prove it!"

- The Irony-Proof Internet
 

Ghonzor

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Jul 29, 2009
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Welcome to the Internet. We hope you enjoy your stay.

This kind of stuff just makes me sad to be associated with the Internet at all...
 

Phasmal

Sailor Jupiter Woman
Jun 10, 2011
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The worst thing about this is that I'm not at all surprised.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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John Funk said:
Of course, the great irony here is that the vicious response is not only giving Sarkeesian's cause way more publicity than it would have otherwise gotten, but does more to illustrate the problem of misogyny in nerd/gamer culture way more than a video series ever could.

Because seriously, making a videogame about beating a woman in the face for daring to express the point of view that a male-dominated industry doesn't always treat women and female characters like it should, is kind of just making her point for her.
Said it better than I could.

Seriously, why the hell are people so pissed about her making a video series showing that women aren't portrayed in the best light in games?
 

Mister K

This is our story.
Apr 25, 2011
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Can't wait for the news line: "This game was financed by Sarkeesian with the money , she gained from kick-starter campaign. It appears that she did so in order to give herself a more solid position in the world of gaming".
What? You don't believe even in posibility of such thing? Here is a little secret I'll share with you: Humans are bastards and will do anything to achieve their goal.
 

BehattedWanderer

Fell off the Alligator.
Jun 24, 2009
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Holy shit. This is getting ridiculous. I know this is the internet and all, greater hive of scum and villainy and so on, but really now? Christ, what a terrible affliction reason must have, to not show it's head to humanity, lest it get punched in the balls and/or tits.
 

Jorec

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Jul 7, 2010
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Certainly this was a well thought out move by the person who made the flash and not an extremely misogynist knee-jerk reaction.
 

cynicalsaint1

Salvation a la Mode
Apr 1, 2010
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/facepalm

Is this really the culture that I'm supposedly a part of?
You know I really want to be proud of being a geek or whatever.
But more and more, I'm only made able to feel more ashamed of it.
 

Jorec

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Jul 7, 2010
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And the game just got blammed. Good on Newgrounds for not supporting that crap.
 

Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Apr 1, 2009
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
Ugh, haters, they aren't happy unless they go totally off the deep end, really all it does is make them look either really stupid or make the other side look that much better.
 

Jorec

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Jul 7, 2010
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Worgen said:
Ugh, haters, they aren't happy unless they go totally off the deep end, really all it does is make them look either really stupid or make the other side look that much better.
Room for one more?