A FOURM ENTRY: “DRAFTING” IDEAS ABOUT WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES

Hello everyone, I would like to inform you all that I have enjoyed playing videogames with instances of
objectifying and hypersexualizing women. Does that mean that I enjoy objectifying and hypersexualizing
women? Well, I have also played videogames where I have killed people in violent and gruesome ways.
Does that mean the I enjoy killing people in violent and gruesome ways? Could such admissions mean
that I have a total and absolute disregard for both women and human life? Should I hand in my teaching
certificate?

It is here where I once felt I should tell you what a good man I am, and how much I respect women and
human life. After confessing to playing such games, wouldn’t I need to redeem myself in such a
manner?

But, here is precisely where I don’t think that I should have to preface my writing, and argument, by
providing evidence as to what kind of person I am because, a compelling argument supporting video
games for mature people is totally irrelevant to how one lives their real life. I may be a creep, or a
reasonable and responsible citizen, and neither of these should have any bearing on whether I, and
other mature individuals, should, or shouldn’t, enjoy such video games. The fact is, as I will argue,
mature video games do not necessarily always turn good people into bad people and bad people into
worse people (although, admittedly, this may be possible for unstable and/or immature gamers).

I must admit, after viewing Anita Sarkeesian’s video “Tropes Versus Women in Video Games”, I
immediately felt guilty for playing such games because Sarkeesian’s work made it seem as if games for
mature audiences were solely about objectifying and sexualizing women. The images, examples, and
discussion were unrelenting. However, I firmly believe that this YouTube video does not accurately
reflect the number and frequency of such instances of objectification as it is not as prevalent and all
encompassing as depicted. Still, there is no denying that if something is wrong it is still wrong in either
small or large doses. But, by focusing on the prevalence of such objectification Sarkeesain makes it
appear that this is the primary goal of many games for mature players. This is simply not the case, or
there would be a multitude of games solely devoted to the objectification of women and nothing else;
apparently, there isn’t a big market for this as I could find very few examples of such games (the “Leisure
Suit Larry” series being such an example).

Sarkeesian misses the boat on the most significant reason as to why people play action video games (the
overwhelming majority of her example’s came from this genre): these gamers want to experience power
and not solely power over women but power over absolutely everything, including men (male
characters are ridiculed, scorned, hurt and killed at a rate that is significantly higher to those of their
female counterparts in such games). If we believe Donald Norman in “The Psychology of Everyday
Things” in the assumption that all design lends to an affordance provided by the object, design in action
video games is such that it is built to afford the gamer with the feeling of complete and absolute power.
Everything serves this purpose. Everything in the game environment is a prop towards helping the
player exercise and feel power (often, including the power to walk away). Environments are
destructible, buildings collapse, airplanes explode; money is easy and prevalent, status can be bought,
ostentatious displays of wealth can be had; weapons are many and potent, they kickback, create
deafening noises; means of transportation are ridiculously fast, they easily outrun police cars, and drive
over formidable obstacles; all characters are fodder for expressions of might, hoards of enemies are
defeated single-handedly, powerful bosses fall in recognition of vulnerabilities, and perhaps rather
sadly, women, that may seemingly never show any interest in young men, are now at the gamer’s mercy
instead of the other way around (as a high school teacher I have seen many examples of how cruel
young women can be to their male counterparts and -vice-versa). People are often mean to each other
in their pursuit of power and this is not a gender specific trait.

Perhaps the most decisive means of illustrating power is evident being beyond the reach of the law.
Rules and regulations that seemingly apply to everyone else do not apply to the gamer. If one can defy
laws there is a feeling approximating omnipotence. In attempts to make the gamer feel powerful
developers build many instances where it would be possible to act and behave beyond what is the law,
both physically and socially, into games. This is part of the attraction of GTA V. One can defy the law
and get away with it. One can blow up buildings, steal cars, hijack airplanes, hurt women—and men,
and not be held accountable, as they are seemingly above the law. The players’ proximity to instances
of judicial disobedience are perhaps one of the reasons why so many action games are set in a criminal
element: one wouldn’t have the opportunity to break the law and get away with it to the same degree
in a public school, library, grocery store or similar setting. Also, acting as a criminal affords the gamer
perspective into a world that they don’t normally inhabit, in much the same way as popular TV shows
like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. Within such criminal worlds there aren’t a lot of outstanding
citizens to be found; hence, this may be why we don’t see lots of strong female role models, and a
proliferation of prostitutes, in games such as GTA V. As far as I know there aren’t any strong male or
female role models in this game. Nor, have I ever heard parents, those within the social sciences, or
teachers asking young people to check out any video game for a good role model. Despite Sarkeesian’s
contention that there should be strong female role models, I believe there are no worthy role models,
for young people, to be found within any video game.

As stated everything in most action video games is an object, meant to be used and abused, all as a
means to acquiring and experiencing power. Sarkeesian laments that there are no healthy relationships
between men and women depicted in most video games. The fact is that there are no healthy
relationships at all in the overwhelming majority of action games (again, the principle genre she utilizes
for examples). It is primarily in reality where healthy relationships are created and sustained, as this is
the culture in which they best grow and exist. Video games are not reality and for most players they are
an escape from reality and the absence of power and excitement that exists, for many gamers, therein.
Having, maintaining, viewing and understanding, healthy relationships takes time and work. By
proposing to create or explore accurate instances of healthy relationships in video games, this is perhaps
once again yet another opportunity to experience what so many gamers are trying to escape from,
namely, failure, and the further loss of power.

A more important observation that Sarkeesian should have alluded to instead of, the absences of
healthy relationships between men and women in video games, is related to questions pertaining to if
the players of these games have, or want, such relationships in their real life or if they are oblivious to
such possibilities and why this is so. One would think that enjoying a healthy relationship would be
preferable to expressing anger and hatred in pursuit of power in an unrealistic world and a fleeting
manner.

There is another important consideration to mature video games and their lasting impact on individuals
and society: it is the gamer’s suspension of disbelief. Samuel Coleridge defines this concept as the
ability to ignore the impossible or improbable so as to permit one’s enjoyment, or understanding, of the
work. Most gamers undergo this process upon entering, the video game world. Most capable gamers
recognize that the action gaming world is not real or even accurate as it has been created solely to fulfill
one purpose: make the gamer feel powerful. When we watch superheroes fly off buildings in movies we
don’t cry foul and fake because, we exercise our suspension of disbelief and, we know that the world
depicted in the movie is different from our own and therefore has its own set of rules governing what is
permissible. Likewise, after playing a superhero in a videogame one is not inclined to jump off the
tallest building, in real life, and fly away, nor is one prone to killing someone, or believing women are
just mere objects to satisfy men, after playing a video game for mature audiences: such ideas are not
only unreasonable but preposterous as well.

By no means am I condoning the violent content of video games or the objectification and
hypersexualization of women. All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. And while this
is certainly true, people undoubtedly like to have power, especially those without it. In all of our
readings this week the topic of power was prominent. In Gray’s article, “From Websites to Wal-Mart:
Youth, Identity Work, and the Queering of Boundary Publics in Small Town, USA” queer youth sought
the power to be seen, heard, and have places to fulfill socials needs in their life. In Hauge and Bryon’s
article, “Gender and development in youth media” it discussed relations of power between north and
south hemispheres, men and women, and means of research and responses by the subjects of such
research. While everyone may be in pursuit of power, Sarkeesian is examining symptoms of the disease
rather than the disease itself. The trouble lies in our values, what we see as valid means to power, and
what forms of power we value. Perhaps, power should be defined by social value rather than personal
value. Maybe true power benefits all, and anything else is greed and egocentricity.

As educators, our role is to examine why students may play such games. What is missing from their
lives? And maybe upon examination we might find that power, confidence and excitement are why so
many young men gravitate towards action video games for mature audience. Consequently, the
question that we as educators need to be addressing is how can we supply these needs, by socially
responsible means, within our roles as educators? We also needs to be addressed is healthy roles, and
behavior, for all people.

Lastly, why would I play such games? These games are a cultural phenomenon. We as teachers can not
understand our students unless we understand their pastimes and what they provide our students. GTA
V has one of the largest production budgets, has the highest critical ratings, had consistently held the
top selling video game status for months, sold over 65 million copies and is the 4th largest selling video
game of all time. Its fabulous, self-effacing, story defies conventional linear narrative structure, with
many subplots and player directed choices, while being told through multiple perspectives. It heralds
the advent of new and emerging texts by creating a stellar example of what is possible. The expanse
and scope of the environments and realistic physics of the game are beyond compare. It is the realm of
today’s greatest, most talented artists and like it or not such experiences are coming at you fast and
furious.

Sources:
Gray, M. 2007. From Websites to Wal-Mart: Youth, Identity Work, and the Queering of Boundary Publics
in Small Town, USA. American Studies International 48(2) p. 5-30.

Hauge, C. & Bryson, M. 2014. Gender and development in youth media. Feminist Media Studies.15(2).
DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2014.919333

Sarkeesian, Anita “Women as Background Decoration: Part 1 – Tropes vs Women in Video Games”
retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZPSrwedvsg
A SUBSEQUENT FORUM ENTRY: “REVISING” IDEAS ABOUT WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES

I have to say, first off, that I hate the word “epiphany”. I once thought that “very” was an unnecessary
word but now I think that over use has made epiphany absolutely meaningless…or even less than
meaningless, because the word actually makes me angry. Every time I see it, I roll my eyes in the back
of my head. Far too often I encounter it in one of my student’s papers, after they have just discovered a
thesaurus. Its too bad, because I had something approximating it, many weeks ago, but could not get
myself to recognize it as such.

In week 7 we watched “Tropes Versus Women in Video Games”. In it Anita Sarkeesian talks passionately
about the objectification and hyper sexualization of women in video games. After watching the video, I
felt guilty. I have always thought of myself as someone who respects all people and the thought of
me—a teacher for God’s sake--not being respectful to women was a hard pill to swallow. So, I wrote my
lengthiest entry into our weekly forum in the hopes that someone would offer me absolution by an
acknowledgement of my justification for playing such games.

I received no bites.

Not one.

And then I read over everyone’s response to “Tropes Versus Women In Video Games” and they were
appalled at the state of modern video games for mature audiences: “How could they?” How could I?

I was certainly in the overwhelming minority in defence of such games.

How could that be?

I felt the scorn and wrath of the entire class on me, but I wasn’t a bad person, was I?

It really bothered me. I asked my own classes about it. I hoped that I could find a sympathetic ear that
was more “attune” to the problem than some marginalized, and outta touch, over sensitive, academics.
And, voila, my students were sympathetic, even the girls!

But, after some time it really didn’t matter. They were just kids.

The people that were upset were adults, smart adults.

Either I was a bad person or I was stupid. How could I be missing the boat on this one?

It’s just a pixelated representation of a woman. WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

And then I thought to myself. What if it was a dog? What if it was a child?

Could I hurt a pixelated representation of dog or child? I couldn’t. The fact is probably nobody could.
Within the conventions of media and entertainment, it is a huge faux pas to hurt animals and children.
One almost never sees it as it has been deemed unacceptable. I haven’t been desensitized to
mistreatment of animals and children as I have rarely seen such violence projected onto such innocent
beings.

I have been desensitized to violence and the hyper sexualization of women.

Why then hadn’t the other women in the course been desensitized to it, then? Why could they not
tolerate it while I could?

Then it occurred to me, that maybe they weren’t desensitized to it. Maybe they see it everyday. Maybe
it was too close to home. And then I remembered my wife, sisters, mother, and female friends telling
me about inappropriate touch, missed job opportunities, abuses of power, and the list goes on, ad
nauseum.

It was very much an epiphany.