BHX, did you ever stop to wonder why that 48% statistic is the way it is? I'll give you a hint: most women are not interested in mainstream or AAA games because of the specific points that Anita is raising. If more games took into account the points you cite in your original post, more women would play "hardcore" video games. Clearly, if we want more women to play video games, we need to make games that don't come across as sexist and objectifying.

Honestly, given the choice between consuming media that is perceived as sexist towards your gender, and media that is not, which would you choose?

Me, I'm equally as concerned with the "last two terms of Obama" remark in the OP. That sends a clear sign to me that the OP may have other agendas, not to mention an "America = the world" view of things.

Every-time I meet discussions like this, I ask myself: "What would Xena do?"

/Serious_mode_on: just design male/female/alien/whaever_gender characters in the right way for a given game. A proper character design could really endorse a game. Forcing stereotypes or "politically correct" (oxymoron!) design of characters without considering the whole game is just stupid.

I would think most reasonable developers would agree with most of her points. Stop over sexualizing women in games and more women will play them and stop harassing women already in the industry and more women will want to make games. It is the very feminist slant with which she presents her arguments is what I think sets people off.

Me, I'm equally as concerned with the "last two terms of Obama" remark in the OP. That sends a clear sign to me that the OP may have other agendas, not to mention an "America = the world" view of things.

pretty much this, putting in little remarks like that is a sure fire way to make me disregard anything a person has to say, they clearly have some type of agenda to push, and will find any means to work it in.

Meh. I still think Anita Sarkeesian should just pay some game developers with all that money she received from Intel to make games that she thinks will bring positive image to women. If 98% of today's games sexualize women, and the other 2% is not, then if she were to make a couple games that's not sexualizing women, she would tilt that balance to 97% and 3%. That's a whole 50% improvement.

Her continuing giving speeches and talks, and criticizing other people's works isn't going to deliver her points more than it already has. To her supporters, she's some sort of crusader against this men-cultured montrosity that is the video game industry, but to the other side, she looks like some whiny mouthful woman who isn't actually a gamer herself, but wanting to change the game industry -- kinda like a politician, and that's not a good thing.

Really, she should just make some freakin games, and prove the other side that games don't have to sexualize women, and they can be successful too. I have played Child of Light. That game is amazing, and the soundtrack is also amazing, and it was composed by a woman.

I think the most important thing is not to have crazy stereotypes be the default option. If you want to have a game that's hyper-sexual, or hyper-violent, or politically slanted - fine. Just make sure it's a conscious choice and you've thought through the effects of your choice. But if every character or scenario you create has all this me-too baggage you're being lazy, you're making the same stuff as everyone else, and you may cop some flack you're not prepared for from critics. And part of this is self-directed, as the project I joined on board has effectively a damsel in distress situation, although luckily no sexual overtones that I'm aware of. ;)

Im with alnite on this one. At least based off what I have seen, nobody gives a damn about all this controversy. It would be far more productive for people who want different games to make different games then asking other people to make different games.

Most Large AAA games will continue to be developed based off what sells. Change wont happen from a person with a megaphone, it needs to be championed from within the company (Which would be agnostic to all this commotion anyway).

Targetting this call to action to Indies and Consumers would be much more effective (as can be evidenced by how much the "gaming community" cared, and how little large developers have). However Im not aware of any Successful indie game that is noticably massagonistic(however thats spelled, i have massages on my mind). So its largely a consumer issue and should be a call to get people to start expecting something different out of games.

The gaming community is a relatively small subset of the mediums full consumer base. So significant commotion within it has a relatively small impact on the bigger picture.

Yelling really loudly at the ocean from a big ass rock for the tide to come in isnt going to make the tide come in any faster.

At least based off what I have seen, nobody gives a damn about all this controversy

Yeah, I'm a white hetero male and games seem fine to me. Therefore nobody cares... or at least, nobody who's not white, hetero and male, but hey... they don't really count.

It would be far more productive for people who want different games to make different games then asking other people to make different games.

Exactly. I don't understand why someone with an opinion doesn't go out and raise the several hundred million required to fund a AAA game for the several years it requires to make.

Change wont happen from a person with a megaphone, it needs to be championed from within the company (Which would be agnostic to all this commotion anyway).

Certainly. It's a shame there's no way to educate someone within a company. If only someone would produce, say, a series of videos for example, showing the unconscious default bias in games towards overly sexualised women. Then maybe devs within those companies might see the videos and try to affect change from within. What a pity that's impossible.

Yelling really loudly at the ocean from a big ass rock for the tide to come in isnt going to make the tide come in any faster.

Man, you are so on the money on this one! I mean, it's not like games are made by humans with the ability to change their minds. You know, like when pointing out injustice didn't end slavery or get women the vote or allow them control of their own bodies or allow same sex couples to marry. All of those things are impossible and people should just STFU about them 'cos it's just not going to happen.

To the OP, it's laughable that in 2015, we still need to have this discussion.

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