Sexist Tropes In Video Games

[The Neo Nerd]

I was watching this video the other day on the sexist trope of the Damsel in Distress in video games.

[youtube]X6p5AZp7r_Q[/youtube]
Damsel in Distress: Part 1 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games - YouTube

What do you guys think about it.

I agree that the damsel in distress trope is sexist and may be damaging to the way women are viewed. It depicts women as fragile creatures, completely useless and in need of a male to save them.

However i do disagree that it is such a big deal in video games. Being a male gamer i have no real attraction to games that incorporate this trope. Honestly, the games story line is secondary to the gameplay and in some cases the story line can get in the way of the action (see Max Payne III for an example of this). There are also a number of popular game with strong female protagonists Tomb Raider, Fable, World of Warcraft.

So is this trope harmful to women? (i feel the need to include the sexual objectification of even the most empowered female characters. Skimpy clothes, suggestive poses etc)

Or are they just holding up a mirror to the society that they come from?

Or, considering that the majority of gamers are males is just the most effective to appeal to this audience.

 

[Koldo]

What do you guys think about it.

Cliches are cliches.

I agree that the damsel in distress trope is sexist and may be damaging to the way women are viewed. It depicts women as fragile creatures, completely useless and in need of a male to save them.

It depicts some women as fragile creatures, completely helpless and in need of help to save them.

However i do disagree that it is such a big deal in video games. Being a male gamer i have no real attraction to games that incorporate this trope. Honestly, the games story line is secondary to the gameplay and in some cases the story line can get in the way of the action (see Max Payne III for an example of this). There are also a number of popular game with strong female protagonists Tomb Raider, Fable, World of Warcraft.

So is this trope harmful to women? (i feel the need to include the sexual objectification of even the most empowered female characters. Skimpy clothes, suggestive poses etc)

In my opinion, not particularly.

Or are they just holding up a mirror to the society that they come from?

Or, considering that the majority of gamers are males is just the most effective to appeal to this audience.

Both.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Showing Princess Zelda as a damsel in distress makes me wonder if she has really played the series or how well she actually researched things before grabbing onto things to say? And of course if you are going to feature an iconic female video game character in your video, you may want to make sure she is being used in the correct context, because she has never been portrayed as a fragile or weak character in need of rescuing, save for the time Ganon had her under spell that kept her asleep.

Or are they just holding up a mirror to the society that they come from?

Or, considering that the majority of gamers are males is just the most effective to appeal to this audience.

Add in that it's also fairly traditional, the damsel in distress being rescued by a knight in shinning armor, and you have a combination of reasons. But if you didn't have such scenarios, then what else would Mario spend his time jumping on? It's not always a good thing, as with pretty much anything there can be too much of something, but there are alot of women video game characters who are very strong, powerful, and of course at times the main character. Jill Valentine is an example of another damsel who is technically in distress, but of a damsel who kicked some *** over it. And then there is my favorite, Samus. I get her point, but it's almost like pointing out the bad examples of Christians when there are also good ones, and most of them really aren't either.

 

[Le Neigeden d'antan]

She sounds like another oversensitive, whiny feminist to me.

 

[dawny0826]

I was watching this video the other day on the sexist trope of the Damsel in Distress in video games.

[youtube]X6p5AZp7r_Q[/youtube]
Damsel in Distress: Part 1 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games - YouTube

What do you guys think about it.

I agree that the damsel in distress trope is sexist and may be damaging to the way women are viewed. It depicts women as fragile creatures, completely useless and in need of a male to save them.

However i do disagree that it is such a big deal in video games. Being a male gamer i have no real attraction to games that incorporate this trope. Honestly, the games story line is secondary to the gameplay and in some cases the story line can get in the way of the action (see Max Payne III for an example of this). There are also a number of popular game with strong female protagonists Tomb Raider, Fable, World of Warcraft.

So is this trope harmful to women? (i feel the need to include the sexual objectification of even the most empowered female characters. Skimpy clothes, suggestive poses etc)

Or are they just holding up a mirror to the society that they come from?

Or, considering that the majority of gamers are males is just the most effective to appeal to this audience.

I liked the video. I think she's fair.

Is this trope harmful to women? When there's violence involved, I think there's the potential for problem. I certainly think that these tropes have been reflective of society and I think the assumed primary market continues to be a male audience.

I am bothered when women are protrayed as stupid sex objects.

Personally, I don't have a problem with the classic story lines and she didn't touch on all of the playable female characters in video games, where girls can play strong girl characters and kick ***.

I don't necessarily accept the damsel in distress trope to be sexist until I see that she's being physically abused and isn't provided the ability to defend herself or she's being protrayed in an overtly sexualized manner.

Overall though, I think that the damsel in distress trope is okay in moderation. Games now, at least, should be targeted towards a more diverse audience. Ultimately, games should be manufactured to meet the damands of fans.

 

[Koldo]

Is this trope harmful to women? When there's violence involved, I think there's the potential for problem.

For what problem?

I am bothered when women are protrayed as stupid sex objects.

Many characters are just stupid (insert word here) objects.
Do you have a problem only when it is the specific case of 'sex'?
Certainly you acknowledge that a single woman character being portreyed as a sex object doesn't correspond to all ( living ) women being portreyed as sex objects. Right?

I don't necessarily accept the damsel in distress trope to be sexist until I see that she's being physically abused and isn't provided the ability to defend herself or she's being protrayed in an overtly sexualized manner.

What's the problem if she is being physically abused and isn't provided the ability to defend herself?

 

[dust1n]

Film and game making markets are generally filled with men, trying to sell images to other men, which is why you see lame male-perspective, uncreative story lines.


I thought her critism of Zelda was fair. She mentions how useful she is and stuff.

 

[dawny0826]

For what problem?

As a whole, it doesn't take much to offend me.

But, I get a little ****** off when women are made to look ridiculous in video games. Stupid...overtly sexy...that rubs me the wrong way. Out of everything that I saw in that video clip, there were only two things that I didn't care much for, and it was the animation piece where there's the ditsy girl, trapped, wearing a ridiculous outfit, making stupid *** facial expressions and floating in some entrapment device.

I also didn't appreciate the piece where the woman was punched in the stomach, and flung over a brute's shoulder, in the process hiking up her skirt and revealing her panties.

I'd feel a little different, if in the next segment, you saw her flinging him over her shoulders, but, that's never the case.

Anyway, that's the jist as to where I'm coming from.

Many characters are just stupid (insert word here) objects.
Do you have a problem only when it is the specific case of 'sex'?
Certainly you acknowledge that a single woman character being portreyed as a sex object doesn't correspond to all ( living ) women being portreyed as sex objects. Right??

No joke. But, it does become a little tiresome when you're watching your male counterpart play video games (as was the case with my ex husband) and it seemed that every video game had an overtly sexy female character. I'm not offended by sex or sexiness, but, when it becomes evident that women are time and time again made out to look like these uber sexy creatures, it does bug me on a variety of levels.

We're not always sexy. If we were going to fight, we likely wouldn't wear spandex or leather bathing suit type get ups with spiked boot things. If I were to fight or if I were kidnapped, you'd probably catch me in my jeans and a tee-shirt. Come on, the sensationalization can irritate after a while. Show me a woman who is larger than a size 0, with breasts that' don't look like they've been surgically altered and a natural reaction to what a kidnapping or a fighting scene would actually look like.

NOT sexy.

What's the problem if she is being physically abused and isn't provided the ability to defend herself?

Because, women are capable of defending themselves in real life and this should be depicted in stupid video games. End of story.

 

[Koldo]

As a whole, it doesn't take much to offend me.

But, I get a little ****** off when women are made to look ridiculous in video games. Stupid...overtly sexy...that rubs me the wrong way. Out of everything that I saw in that video clip, there were only two things that I didn't care much for, and it was the animation piece where there's the ditsy girl, trapped, wearing a ridiculous outfit, making stupid *** facial expressions and floating in some entrapment device.

I agree that part was over the top.

I also didn't appreciate the piece where the woman was punched in the stomach, and flung over a brute's shoulder, in the process hiking up her skirt and revealing her panties.

I'd feel a little different, if in the next segment, you saw her flinging him over her shoulders, but, that's never the ase.

What exactly is wrong with this moment? Other than showing her skirt for absolutely no good reason.

No joke. But, it does become a little tiresome when you're watching your male counterpart play video games (as was the case with my ex husband) and it seemed that every video game had an overtly sexy female character. I'm not offended by sex or sexiness, but, when it becomes evident that video games are created and women are time and time again made out to look like these uber sexy creatures, it does bug me on a variety of levels.

Uber sexy female characters are an attempt to make up for the lack of other aspects in character design. And an appeal to the masculine public.

Because, women are capable of defending themselves in real life and this should be depicted in stupid video games. End of story.

Except video games are not real life. End of story.

 

[dawny0826]

What exactly is wrong with this moment? Other than showing her skirt for absolutely no good reason.

The tummy/womb area is a place on a woman that shouldn't be messed with. What if she was pregnant? What if she was menstruating? What if she had IBS? How do you think that punch impacted her? Did you ever think about that, huh?

Seriously, it's one thing if violence is part of the actual game play. If people are fighting and you're actively engaged in that, a punch to the stomach isn't anything. It's assumed that there's going to be senseless violence. That's part of the game.

It's an ugly thing to depict alongside a kidnapping. Couldn't they just have picked her up kicking and screaming and flung her over ashoulder. No, they had to punch her in the gut first, making her look even more stupid.

Uber sexy female characters are an attempt to make up for the lack of other aspects in character design. And an appeal to the masculine public..

Rather telling about the "talents" of video game makers, huh?

Except video games are not real life. End of story.

I know. And had I not saw those two segments, I probably wouldn't have commented on this thread at all. But, REAL people play these video games and form opinions of them. I can think that characters are stupid if I want to.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam,

Aw come on miss on the video, if you knew a little more of video games maybe you would know that Zelda actually have her own game when she is the hero ? (Even if it's a s****y game due to the media used, but well)

Things have evolved since the damsel in distress, and things are evolving more. I see two things in the industry;

- Those who still cling to this "fragile sex object" mentality and still use it. (there was a controversy about the last Tomb Raider for example, about a rape scene)

- Those who actually want to change this.

As a gamer and a part of the videogame industry, I never had any sexist comment or anything. And aside from the good ol' games where you save the princess and stuff, I've played much more games when you play a woman, or when womens have power, or when you even have the choice of the gender.
How about all the mass effect, skyrim stuff, not to mention the Megaten series...

And what about, let's say...Clive Barker's Jericho ? The bad guy is genderless, women character are as powerful as their mens counterparts, you play a man that get owned and you finally see joyous gruesome massacre of nearly every character in the game, males and females included. See, equality ! Look at the design of the women characters, do they look like sexy harmless damsels in distress for you ?

There are 3 womens in this picture and they actually look more as deadliest as their male teamates...Does that refrain the males fans to fantaisize about them ? No of course... Oh, do they still look too sexy for you because they have boobies ? (lulz) take a look at "jericho lichthammer" in google pictures. No the kind of sexy woman uh ? Well she is among the popular females character.


Let's take a look at...Hmm, maybe Lucifer's Call ? (SMT III) When one of the females character becomes the complete opposite of the poor fragile woman, and takes over the most powerful fraction of demon, becomes a model of strenght and lead an entire portion of the game leading to her own ending when you join her ?

While talking about SMT, why not Digital Devil Saga, where Argilla is actually a very skilled sniper and very deep character, that fight the terrible curse and refuse to let her go to savagery and canibalism like others ?

Or maybe we can talk about games like Journey where the characters doesn't actually have a gender. Which prove that videogame is not only about that.



On the past videogames have been the perfect terrain for this kind of misoginy, whatever. Now it's not the same AT ALL. Women character have earned quite a space in videogames since those last years, it's a good way to continue. Of course that doesn't mean there is no sexist videogame, it's false. But when before we could say "games are sexists", nowaday we cannot say that anymore. Because for each sexist game, I can give you a "non" sexist game. And THAT, for me, is a big difference.



Not a bad thing to raise some issues but at last, better doing it correctly. She drew more laughting at her than actual questionning, and not become she is a woman raising women issues.

Change is already in motion....But yes, we can hasten it. It's better done when it's more clever.

As for harming womens...Well like I said as a gamer and stuff, no harm to me. No harm to any other womens (gamers and professionnals) I know. So I don't really understand the point... Does she want mens to stop fantaising womens as sex objects ? Because well...It goes along with rule 34 of the internets, you can make a woman character ugly as hell or weird as opposite of sexy, it will always be viewed as a potential sexual object by gamers. Just like comic books, manga, tv serial, whatever...

How about mens being depicted as sex objetcs ? Because honestly, when I see some male characters and the fandom that goes with it, my god, I find it worse ! xD ahah


Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I've seen her videos before, and I think she does a good job with her delivery on feminist issues in mass media.

This one in particular is relevant, too. I like looking at hot chicks, too, but every now and then I'd like to see some male eye candy for some balance. Can't we get some angles for gamers who like dudes to showcase their pecs and packages?

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

I'd like to see some male eye candy for some balance. Can't we get some angles for gamers who like dudes to showcase their pecs and packages?

Moderator cut: image removed

Like this ? Or more thin ? Or more innocent-looking ? Or more "fiery warrior" ? There is mens for every taste in videogames People just talk less about them...

 

[Koldo]

I've seen her videos before, and I think she does a good job with her delivery on feminist issues in mass media.

This one in particular is relevant, too. I like looking at hot chicks, too, but every now and then I'd like to see some male eye candy for some balance. Can't we get some angles for gamers who like dudes to showcase their pecs and packages?

Isn't this enough pecs...for life?

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Isn't this enough pecs...for life?

Hahah I forgot about Blanka XDD There is worse in Street fighter !

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Where's the clearly defined groin area on male game characters? C'mon, what's the point of me playing a game if I can't discern how big the popsicle is?

 

[Me Myself]

She sounds like another oversensitive, whiny feminist to me.

Showing Princess Zelda as a damsel in distress makes me wonder if she has really played the series or how well she actually researched things before grabbing onto things to say? And of course if you are going to feature an iconic female video game character in your video, you may want to make sure she is being used in the correct context, because she has never been portrayed as a fragile or weak character in need of rescuing, save for the time Ganon had her under spell that kept her asleep.


Add in that it's also fairly traditional, the damsel in distress being rescued by a knight in shinning armor, and you have a combination of reasons. But if you didn't have such scenarios, then what else would Mario spend his time jumping on? It's not always a good thing, as with pretty much anything there can be too much of something, but there are alot of women video game characters who are very strong, powerful, and of course at times the main character. Jill Valentine is an example of another damsel who is technically in distress, but of a damsel who kicked some *** over it. And then there is my favorite, Samus. I get her point, but it's almost like pointing out the bad examples of Christians when there are also good ones, and most of them really aren't either.

Cliches are cliches.



It depicts some women as fragile creatures, completely helpless and in need of help to save them.



In my opinion, not particularly.



Both.

I agree with almost all of that

I've seen her videos before, and I think she does a good job with her delivery on feminist issues in mass media.

This one in particular is relevant, too. I like looking at hot chicks, too, but every now and then I'd like to see some male eye candy for some balance. Can't we get some angles for gamers who like dudes to showcase their pecs and packages?

Maybe there is some underexploited market there? It could also depend on the tastes I assume. A lot of male characters in games are athletic and handsome and most are as much "success objects" as females appear "sex objects" ( I would wonder if more)

My ex was a gamer and most ames she played she drooled for the male protagonist, ghe last one I remember is castlevania, but I know in general she tend to find them very hot. I think she liked kratos too

 

[Me Myself]

Where's the clearly defined groin area on male game characters? C'mon, what's the point of me playing a game if I can't discern how big the popsicle is?

Bare chested male are everywhere and I havent seen a lot of clearly defined groin area on females characters in video games

 

[Koldo]

Where's the clearly defined groin area on male game characters? C'mon, what's the point of me playing a game if I can't discern how big the popsicle is?

You know that while doing sports or high intensity physical activities the popsicle melts down, right?

Plus, there isn't much of a relation between the size of a frozen popsicle and a liquid popsicle.

Plus, not every man carries a popsicle around. We are still talking about popsicles, right?

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Where's the clearly defined groin area on male game characters? C'mon, what's the point of me playing a game if I can't discern how big the popsicle is?

I'm sorry MysticSang'Ha, I have to reveal it...It pains me to say this in front of everyone but...But...There is NO popsicle D:
Videogame character are made...Just like barbie ken.
Modeling a popsicle is not considered useful, and is a loss of tris/polygons

I'm so sorry