This caused somewhat of an uproar about the fact that a leading female character has to fend of someone trying to sexually assault her, but no-one is really sure of the reason why that is offensive.
Where you offended by this? Why? What exactly is offensive about the idea that a male attempts to rape a female?
There are cries of sexism and inequality, but nobody can really pinpoint the issue, which seems to be for a simple fact - people like to kick up a stink.
Gaming used to be a male-dominated thing, and to a certain extent, it still is. Console and PC gaming is still a predominantly male past-time, and although the percentage of females in this area is rising, it still has the lingering issues of objectifying people.
And I do mean people, not just women. People. It seems that for every big-titted heroine that people protest, everyone seems to forget about the objectification of men in computer games.
My girlfriend brought up fighting games, saying that the women in them are usually all skimpy. I made a point that the men in the game are muscle-bound monsters, also, in some cases, skimpy.
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| Phowar |
Now I'm not offended, I'm well aware that this is supposed to be taken with a pinch of salt, the same way that Batman, Superman, Ryu, Ken, Marcus Fenix, Space Marine Dude and so on are all massive, ripped and an image of masculinity that is, frankly, unattainable for the majority of people who engage in these games.
So Batman has Catwoman, in her catsuit, but she isn't naked, rubbing her fanny in Batman's face, and in games with hyper-stylized characters, it's true the woman are big titted and fat arsed.
But in Gears of War, the women are all fully clad in the same armor, in Space Marine, the lead female wears a standard army uniform and leads the last surviving platoon on the planet to victory (I assume, I'm like an hour into it).
Bayonetta takes the other extreme, the lead female has long legs and goes down to her underoos fairly often, but she kicks ass, kills demons, and not to mention the lead male character in the game is a spineless, whimpering reporter who is in love with her, who is frequently belittled and emasculated by the lead female.
Need I also paint out that for Lara to be assaulted, they used a man, a portrayal of a stereotype that men are sexually aggressive. Where are all the female rapists in computer games? I have never had the desire to rape or sexually assault anyone, but I realize that it isn't supposed to be representative of EVERY male or even human being in the world, it's one character, existing within the (rather bleak) realms of possibility.
So Batman has Catwoman, in her catsuit, but she isn't naked, rubbing her fanny in Batman's face, and in games with hyper-stylized characters, it's true the woman are big titted and fat arsed.
But in Gears of War, the women are all fully clad in the same armor, in Space Marine, the lead female wears a standard army uniform and leads the last surviving platoon on the planet to victory (I assume, I'm like an hour into it).
Bayonetta takes the other extreme, the lead female has long legs and goes down to her underoos fairly often, but she kicks ass, kills demons, and not to mention the lead male character in the game is a spineless, whimpering reporter who is in love with her, who is frequently belittled and emasculated by the lead female.
Need I also paint out that for Lara to be assaulted, they used a man, a portrayal of a stereotype that men are sexually aggressive. Where are all the female rapists in computer games? I have never had the desire to rape or sexually assault anyone, but I realize that it isn't supposed to be representative of EVERY male or even human being in the world, it's one character, existing within the (rather bleak) realms of possibility.
It goes both ways.
That isn't to say ridiculously misogynistic games DON'T exist, of course they do, you just have to look at Tera or Lollipop Chainsaw, but both of those were met with such criticism for the objectification of women that it really shines a light on the issue.
Stupid, childish games are made for children who have never touched a woman in their life, and the minute they mature, they laugh at how pathetic it all is, and therein lies the point, we're not annoyed at the games themselves, we're annoyed at the imbecilic, sexist men that play these games and make comments to women that are ignorant and pathetic in equal measure.
So instead of getting angry at games, which have done, and are (for the most part) doing nothing wrong, how about you instead, as a collective group, publicly chastise every person you see actively being ignorant and discriminative.
Men, sick of being seen as the bad guy? Then stand up and show everyone that you don't agree with people who act like pathetic little virgins, and girls? Chill the fuck out already.
It's really not a big deal, and I'm fairly confident that games will continue to mature and allow us to engage in adult, rational thought, without the objectification of women.
Stupid, childish games are made for children who have never touched a woman in their life, and the minute they mature, they laugh at how pathetic it all is, and therein lies the point, we're not annoyed at the games themselves, we're annoyed at the imbecilic, sexist men that play these games and make comments to women that are ignorant and pathetic in equal measure.
So instead of getting angry at games, which have done, and are (for the most part) doing nothing wrong, how about you instead, as a collective group, publicly chastise every person you see actively being ignorant and discriminative.
Men, sick of being seen as the bad guy? Then stand up and show everyone that you don't agree with people who act like pathetic little virgins, and girls? Chill the fuck out already.
It's really not a big deal, and I'm fairly confident that games will continue to mature and allow us to engage in adult, rational thought, without the objectification of women.
Oh for fuck sake...
