Guerilla said:
I like how first you deny that she claims that videogames are responsible for sexism and misogyny and then go on to defend that ridiculous position. So we're back in the Jack Thomson days discussing this bullshit again, huh? Well I will not participate in this ridiculous discussion, videogames do not affect people's behavior end of story. Anyway, for the proof:
You might want to re-read my post then. I'm not denying what you claim she claims, actually. Propagating negative stereotypes reinforces those stereotypes in popular culture and mainstream consciousness. Propagating positive characterizations reinforces the converse. I didn't even know that was a controversial assertion.
Our difference of opinion appears to be in terms of degree, I think.
(Note, I am not saying "sexism in videogames will make people do things.")
Hell, I'm not even that big of a fan of Anita Sarkeesian. You're the one who brought her up, not me.
Now, on the assumption that you actually want a constructive conversation as opposed to the two of us feigning exasperation maybe I'll just state my own opinions on the matter so you won't feel the need to shadowbox a series of false assumptions.
I consider myself a feminist, and to me that simply means gender equality. I don't think women are better or deserve more than men (I'm a man myself.) Just equal.
I feel like there has been a lot of positive change in video game content of late, and that's at least partially due to more varied cast of content creators making videogames. I think more women and minorities making and playing games is a good thing. (And that doesn't mean I don't think white straight males making games is a bad thing, either - I am a straight white male and would like to make games at some point myself.)
But better doesn't mean "done," I feel. In my mind, perfection in all things is something worth striving for, and examining games with a critical eye from many viewpoints is one avenue towards that platonic (and therefore unachievable) goal.
As a three-dimensional human being with more than one quality, I enjoy viewing games with a critical eye and more than one focus. For example, I think one thing that videogame narrative often struggle with is pacing, and that's something I always keep an eye out while I'm playing a more story-based game (particularly RPGs and adventure games.)
One goal of critical analysis in media is to raise awareness of the issues that you care about. This doesn't need to mean political or activist causes, either. As my above example, if I was a professional critic I could write about games that failed or succeeded in a notable manner in terms of proper pacing and narrative structure. I would do so through an examination of past games by way of illustration and applying and constructing proper terminology to give others the tools to properly discuss these issues in an intelligible manner.
(For another example if I really cared about the guns in my games feeling authentic I would wish to raise awareness about that issue and provide the terms and metrics by which I measured how authentic and accurate in-game guns were. ie "I really wish the gun would do this when I fired it, and here are some other considerations that if you don't take into account already, then maybe you should in the future.")
So, if positive portrayal of women in video games is something I care about, how would I go about that? By raising awareness and education about the issue and providing relevant terminology to the discussion at large in order to give developers and fans the tools to move forward.
From a feminist standpoint we have someone who has attempted to do that. I don't find the videos particularly engaging and I think she stretches some points too far; and in other cases I think she's proving a hypothesis regardless of where the research my lead.
But everyone's so up each others' asses about what kind of person she is and what viewpoints she might or might not have that any interesting discussion to be had goes by the wayside.
What I also think gets lost in the mix is, as I'd said earlier, mistaking the trees as the forest.
Let's go back to the gun example. Maybe I've found a game that has really bad sound effects for their guns. But otherwise it's a great game. Just because it has the one flaw in an area that I care about doesn't mean I think the whole game is crap, necessarily (though if they're
so awful it might be a distractingly negative quality.)
I think this issue is in a Catch 22, really. I feel we're at a point where I don't see many games coming out today that are in and of themselves offensive from a feminist point of view. If a game falls short in terms of characterization I feel it's more likely a matter of ignorance on the developer's part or a general failing than a deliberate attempt to sabotage.
The issue isn't the tree, it's the forest. I think there ought to be more evergreens in the forest, and maybe not so many ferns. But that doesn't mean I think every fern is evil.
But... you can't really point to pervasive issues without pointing out examples and using existing games to draw from. But if I were to pick a game to illustrate a point, that doesn't mean I think the game itself is innately evil for having that failing.