I've read the first and second articles as they came up, and the third I hadn't seen yet so thanks for putting it there. It was a very interesting read.
I'm curious how many people have just sat back and watched this whole thing unfold without actually sticking their neck out and voicing an opinion on the matter out of fear of backlash from one side or the other. I stick myself in that bucket frankly, because every time I turn around the issue's ballooned more and more to encompass a wider swath of individuals in everyone's accusatory statements and finger-pointing. Hopefully this thread can bring more of those types out of the background.
I'm one of those folks that loves to play games, is inclusive of everyone I've ever played games with, and can't stand oppressive antics no matter who it's directed at. But somehow that middling opinion seems to be reviled out in the social media battlegrounds.
I'm in the same boat as you. I've commented here or there but for the most part I've kept my mouth shut in threads where I felt like I had a hell of a lot to say. This sort of thing gets me all worked up, and when I get all worked up I tend to get banned.
I believe that both sides have valid points. Here are some facts that I believe to be true. If I'm wrong about any of them, feel free to correct me.
- Women are often objectified and sexualized (or worse) in this industry.
- The majority of the market commonly referred to as "core gamers" is male.
- The majority of professional games journalists live and work in California and overwhelmingly lean left on political matters.
- The majority of human male "gamers" are not actually misogynists with a personal vendetta against female inclusion. Rather, they're simply indifferent towards the plight of women because they are not women and are therefore unaffected by situation.
Fact #4 is basically the root of this entire issue. The liberal-leaning "social justice warriors" of the Internet call those who don't share their views misogynists (or worse) because they complain about all of the recent feminist coverage by the games media. The complainers then feel attacked and are offended by being labeled something they don't identify with, so they lash out even more. Then the other side responds in kind. Rinse and repeat. Shit escalates, and now we have #gamersgate or whatever the fuck.
Some people in this thread will likely be crying about the horrible threats that a select few misguided individuals have made to prominent industry feminists. Here's where my opinion is likely going to deviate from the majority of GAF. I too condemn the actions of these individuals and find their behavior sickening. That said, I'm also not surprised by their behavior at all. Let me be clear: they shouldn't have threatened Anita Sarkeesian. Nobody is denying that. However — and this is probably going to ruffle some feathers — Anita Sarkeesian probably shouldn't be making those videos in the first place.
Ah! I'm a misogynist! No. I'm not a misogynist at all. That's the problem. I'm not a misogynist and I've never known anyone who was. I literally learned the word "misogynist" from Kotaku. I like playing video games, I read "enthusiast press" websites and post on forums like NeoGAF to discuss video games. I've never belittled a woman or held any prejudices simply because someone was female. To be honest I sometimes get in arguments with my wife because
she's a goddamn misogynist, but that's a topic for another discussion.
Here's the thing. Going back to my Fact #1, yes, there are issues in this industry. The reason why you see gamers throwing such a fit is because there are issues in
every industry. Even the ones that explicitly target and cater to women.
Especially the ones that explicitly target and cater to women. Why are video games now ground zero for misogyny in popular culture? What about professional cheerleaders, UFC models, female recording artists who appear almost fully nude in their videos, or females as "background decoration" in every summer blockbuster that has ever existed? Male gamers feel unfairly targeted by this coverage because it makes them out to be the villain of the community they crew up supporting —and for many, this is likely the only community where they've ever felt accepted and valued. So they lash out. Again, I don't condone their actions. But I understand their motivations.
So here we are. If you have beliefs similar to mine then you hold your fucking tongue in these discussions because if you don't support each and every feminist ideal that exists then you're labeled a misogynist. The games media calls you the enemy. In reality, I'm not the enemy. I'm the guy who enables the games media to receive a motherfucking paycheck. Unfortunately for me, I also happen to be a white male.