Poll: Hitman Absolution hates women

[Erttheking]

You are aware that the use of that counterpoint has never been a "so what, it doesn't matter" so much as it has been "it affects everyone so you can't claim it affecting one gender is somehow more special."

Then how come I never see that "counterpoint" used as a "point"? If you were correct, then men would bring it up when it happens and not wait till a woman points out sexism.

It's like MRAs who never bringing up gender discrimination problems males suffer from, unless they are using it to attack women who bring up misogyny.

Furthermore, when was the last time a video game or movie sexualized a male guard before you were supposed to kill them?

Because men usually suck it up and don't complain.

Bringing up male problems is supposed to put things in perspective for middle-class feminists who complain they are second class citizens.

And that's a BAD thing. The typical sterotype men are expected to live up to is that we "Man up" and I wish we could just leave it in a fucking ditch already.

And for some reason male problems only seem to matter when we try to shut up feminists.

 

[Batou667]

Also, I did mention another piece of advertising (weirdly, the more controversial one - which I was actually fine with) and maybe I would have bought it if the prevailing opinion given to me hadn't been a scream of "BETRAYAL!" That said, the trailer was a massive hype killer and put me in completely the wrong mindset.

I can't recall the other ad, but IIRC it also showcased key features like improvised blunt weapons? I realise you won't be able to reply for the next 3 days, and for what it's worth I think your suspension is bullshit.

You mentioned that a lot of the establishing (the character, the plot thus far) is unnecessary, but I got the feeling that Absolution marked a bit of a departure for the series, almost a soft-reboot, a bit like how Splinter Cell Conviction was a marked change in pace and tone from the previous four games. And as such the game was probably designed as an entry-point into the franchise for people who had missed the previous games on last-gen [*raises hand*].

The Saints are one part of the game that I can't really defend: they are very, very silly. But just to offer a tiny bit of context to people who are outraged by their inclusion:


The backstory fluff, as scant and flimsy as it is (much like the Saints' outfits) suggests that the Saints were skilled, dangerous, but universally dysfunctional young women, many of them coming from exploitative backgrounds - and also suggests that they chose their outfits themselves, to the confusion of others in the agency. Well, so goes the fictional in-game justification. The real-world, meta justification was undoubtedly something along the lines of providing an exciting or sexy aesthetic, and in my opinion this was done probably not maliciously, but with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

I'm basing my opinion on nothing because I don't have an opinion of the game. I have an opinion on PARTS of the game, specifically the tone and portrayal in those parts. Just because I dislike one aspect of a game doesn't mean I hate the entire thing. How can I hate it? I know nothing about it, for all I know it's great. I LOVE Metro Last Light despite how awfully sexist it can be.

Though I will take a look at it and get back to you.

Again, with the greatest of respect, you must have formed at least *some* opinion of the game, because you're here discussing it. Even if you're aware that what you've seen so far are isolated clips that aren't necessarily indicative of the rest of the game, you're still may not be aware of exactly how out-of-context they are. For example, you probably haven't seen many of the plentiful examples of men being depicted as horribly messed-up, or the arguably much more subtle but deep-rooted sexism involved in justifying the deaths of the two main male antagonists' female assistants.

But yeah, please do play the game and form your own opinion.

 

[EternallyBored]

The Saints are one part of the game that I can't really defend: they are very, very silly. But just to offer a tiny bit of context to people who are outraged by their inclusion:


The backstory fluff, as scant and flimsy as it is (much like the Saints' outfits) suggests that the Saints were skilled, dangerous, but universally dysfunctional young women, many of them coming from exploitative backgrounds - and also suggests that they chose their outfits themselves, to the confusion of others in the agency. Well, so goes the fictional in-game justification. The real-world, meta justification was undoubtedly something along the lines of providing an exciting or sexy aesthetic, and in my opinion this was done probably not maliciously, but with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

If I remember right, that backstory fluff was actually added to the game specifically in response to the backlash to the trailer, when it all started blowing up, they mentioned they would be working on the Saints to give them more context within the game. This is pretty much what they came up with, it's why it seems so flimsy, because it was a last second addition in response to people complaining, and the developer realizing that the in-game level wasn't going to make the trailer look any less bizarre and out-of-nowhere.

Still, at least they tried, even if it still was kind of a thematic clusterfuck in the game itself.

 

[Kargathia]

This is further exemplified by the Facebook App [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitman_Absolution#Controversies] they made to promote the game. The app let you identify Facebook friends as targets of assassination, with such identifying traits being "her hairy legs" "her small tits" "his shit hair" and "his tiny penis." You could choose a reason for killing the friend, and send the friend you've killed a personalized video that splices together their pictures on their wall with Agent 47 shooting them. Needless to say, it was taken down the same day, with an apology from IO.

I missed this when it actually happened, but it still beggars belief as to how anyone in their right mind ever could've considered this a good idea.

The Hitman series always has had a very dark sense of silly humour, and I agree that on occasion the combined result of throwaway gags have disturbing implications. Not because the developers hate anyone, but because they failed to take a step back and look at the bigger picture - hardly uncommon in triple A games.

 

[Hithel]

Would it be a shocking concept that H:A depicted women the way it did in order to sell more copies?

Or.. it could be some subtle conspiracy from the developers who hate women and manifesting this by making a number of them deadly and dangerous foes in a game they are making.

I'm going to go with Occam's razor and pick the first option here.

 

[Fox12]

A disc made of plastic can't hate shit. Nor can a bunch of code on said disc.

I think you may need to take things a little less seriously.

[http://www.youtube.com/v/ysT_hI4mTx0?version=3&start=38&end=45&autoplay=0&hl=en_US&rel=0]

The fact is that these games present women in a demeaning way, where their sole purpose is to act as fanservice to male viewers. It's frankly misogynistic smut.

Your really bad at posting links you know that? Links to Youtubes home page. Regardless, basing off someone else who apparently got it working, its the strip club scene? You were killing one of the patrons, and there was even a speech all about how demeaning the strippers find the work and how shit the conditions are in the backroom section, as well as multiple times guards would state how few shits they have for the safety of the girls. If that was turning women into fan service, your an idiot, or are completely abandoned from reality, or much much more likely, didn't play the game. The funniest part is people use the strip club scene and not the Saints, who actually were fan service, and are my biggest complaint of the whole game (in a game that while still fantastic at what it was, betrayed the Hitman series).

Uh. No. It was the scene from Guardians of the Galaxy where Drax takes things far too literally : P

Weird, the link worked perfectly for everyone before, but you're welcome to take another look I suppose.

In that case sorry. I don't understand what is wrong with that link that hates chrome. I'd try on firefox, but eh.

No problem man, haha. It should be fixed now, since it gave me trouble the second time I tried to watch it. I swear it worked before, but oh well.

 

[ACman]

Despite the knee jerk poll response: Yes. Yes it does.




Or at least the world depicted in Hitman is extremely hostile to women. And the women are depicted in a objectifying manner.

The also hates men though. Vitrually everybody in the Himan universe is a vicious and calculating sociopath. But the men aren't strippers or prostitutes.

Hitman depicts a misanthropic view of the world. Part of that misantrhopy is the objectification of women.

 

[Beretta]

Christ, if only half the stuff cited is real the answer is still YES and IO has some terrifying hangups about sex and death.
I feel dirty just having read that summary. I bought a copy used a week ago, and I was getting around to it...but, nah. No thanks. Think I'll pass.
And brush my teeth again.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Because men usually suck it up and don't complain.

Then give me ten examples of it happening. Unless of course it doesn't happen and men are not forced to suck it up.

Bringing up male problems is...

Is a way of attacking feminists and distracting from the problem at hand. This is especially troublesome when the male "problem" is non-existant.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Maybe because the gag of that joke being that the males don't care...

Or maybe the reality is it doesn't happen. When was the last time a strong male character was reduced to a sex objectg just before being killed without a fight?

 

[weirdee]

I attribute this less to purposeful sexism/hate and more to just plain ol ignorance and a wandering scriptwriter(s) that didn't really have a handle on the story to begin with and ends up relying on all these sexist tropes because they don't have anything else in their toolbox. It brings down the rest of the experience, as lauded as it is.

 

[sumanoskae]

I think attributing any coherent ideology to Absolution is an over analysis. The game does in fact feature many women in sexual situations, but from my recollection you aren't under the obligation to kill all of them, nor are all the people you are under the obligation to kill women in sexual situations.

The game is clearly designed with the male gaze in mind, but that sentiment is not synonymous with misogyny.

Furthermore, the game doesn't really make any attempt to connect the sex to the violence, they exist relatively independent of each other.

A similar debate was kicked off by the Kung Fu Super Nun trailer, and I will say the same thing I did then; most of the complaints I hear are the result of an audience projecting sexuality into violence, not the existence of an inherent sexual undertone in the violence itself.

Absolution doesn't humanize any of its characters, it's by no means exclusive to women; the majority of NPC's literally exist as tools or challenges (Objects) for the player. So no, I don't think Hitman: Absolution hates women.