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[Akainu]

several reviews have talked about how the game treats women characters. Although Edge points out that this reflects back on the main characters too so it doesn't come across as the game being misogynistic

So in a game about horrible people the women are also horrible people?

 

[Alienous]

I think she makes a good case for the whole game being it with this paragraph:

But ... the game is a parody. A parody of American society, which is at times very misogynistic.

I don't understand how someone couldn't see that.

you don't think that rockstar put the story forward as a big selling point for this game? i completely disagree.

No, I don't. Bioshock: Infinite and The Last of Us are examples of games that do.

You will not be able to take a narrative that allows the activities GTA games allow, seriously. Can't be done.

 

[Recall]

Why does every little thing turn the video game community crumbling to its knees?

 

[TimeEffect]

What do you guys think of the mysoginy complaint by Gamespot? Too personal? Valid?

 

[Ataraxia]

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V "profoundly misogynistic" and yet still awarding it a 9.0 "Editor’s Choice" score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

EDIT: ^ I don't think it's a valid complaint because the game is still scored so highly.

 

[ShadyJ]

rev3 5/5 (Sessler)

"I can imagine, 200 years from now, like our reading of Dickens, the game will be regarded as a catalog of our contemporary travails, an accelerated reality bearing more truth than just gazing at our own reflection."

Wow Adam... just wow....

 

[CloakedPuppet]

*endless masturbatory gesture*

Seriously how do you people put up with him?

You guys are all so cool. I find it much easier to "put up" with hyperbolic comments from upbeat personalities than cynical malcontents. The latter being a dime a dozen around these parts.

 

[Xanadu]

We see us at the backlash in 2 weeks. Where GAF will hate the game that most people love.

happened with bioshock infinite but not TLOU right?

 

[Burger]

So now a video game, with fictional characters in a fictional setting with a fictional story must realistically portray women?

What about realistically portraying men? Most of the men in this game are stereotypes, and so are the women, why is it we only have to portray women realistically?

Nobody seems concerned the only black people are either gang bangers or drug addicts...

 

[hamchan]

I think she makes a good case for the whole game being it with this paragraph:

I disagree with her though. I think it's always been satirical in the GTA series.

 

[Inferno313]

What do you guys think of the mysoginy complaint by Gamespot? Too personal? Valid?

It's a subjective review. If that's how the reviewer felt while playing it, then it's a valid thing to write about.

 

[Marleyman]

For real though there is alot of mediocrity in the talent of video game reviewing. Its why theres no big names of reviewing, just big mainstream corporate sites. Maybe i should pursue this void as a career...

I think everyone who bitches and moans about reviews should do it themselves; fill the void with your wondrous knowledge of reviewing products. Show those damn reviewers how it is done.

 

[Akainu]

polygon's review was written by a lady too and mentioned how women are shit in this game lol.


maybe it IS a trend!

Which other reviews are written by women?

Chris Plante is a woman?

 

[PureGone]

is this worse than the TLoU thread yet?

Not yet, people are not complaing about scores but are complaing about feminism and misogyny.

 

[Unison]

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V “profoundly misogynistic” and yet still awarding it a 9.0 “Editor’s Choice” score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

So politically muddled.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

I don't care about the identity of the reviewer, as it seems irrelevant to me, but how do you give something that is Deeply offensive 9/10 in the first place?

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V “profoundly misogynistic” and yet still awarding it a 9.0 “Editor’s Choice” score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

Uh... is that really such a big deal? You can take issue with something you really like. I love Blade Runner but the rapey "romance" scene squicks me out. I liked Borderlands 2 but found Tiny Tina borderline offensive. I love Killer Mike's last album but I'm not going to defend his use of "no homo." Fawlty Towers is a fantastic, classic comedy but I wince a little when Basil calls Manuel "a dago twit" for laughs.

They clearly think the game is still worth playing despite having some patchy writing. Is that so crazy?

 

[Kusagari]

Adam Sessler is the biggest joke in games journalism since people actually think he's good.

 

[Recoil]

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V “profoundly misogynistic” and yet still awarding it a 9.0 “Editor’s Choice” score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

You can appreciate a work of art despite its flaws.

I'm not sure how you reach your conclusion of a tacit endorsement of misogyny from this.

 

[Fjordson]

I merely express my opinion and try to observe what's going on, no anger is involved, maybe bitterness about the state of video games journalism and Rockstar so openly abusing the situation. Nothing that would warrant anyone to actively try to discredit my posts every single time at every opportunity though.

That first time was when you said something about "there are hundreds of games on 360 and PS3 better than GTA V". Since the game was not even out yet I took it as a non-serious jab towards the series and gave one back.

I didn't mean any of my quips 100% seriously and did not mean to offend nor was I looking to discredit anything. My apologies.

 

[spekkeh]

Adam, what the fuck.

 

[Marleyman]

So now a video game, with fictional characters in a fictional setting with a fictional story must realistically portray women?

What about realistically portraying men? Most of the men in this game are stereotypes, and so are the women, why is it we only have to portray women realistically?

Nobody seems concerned the only black people are either gang bangers or drug addicts...

Dead on.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V “profoundly misogynistic” and yet still awarding it a 9.0 “Editor’s Choice” score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

Maybe because she doesn't want to lose her job. Remember when Jeff Gerstmann got fired for giving Kane & Lynch a low score?

 

[oneils]

I don't care about the identity of the reviewer, as it seems irrelevant to me, but how do you give something that is Deeply offensive 9/10 in the first place?

She said it was troubling, not offensive.

 

[Akainu]

Adam Sessler is the biggest joke in games journalism since people actually think he's good.

I knew he was full of crap when he compared no more heroes to Shadow of the Colossus.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

She makes a good point, but I don't like how quickly she dismissed the humor as not being a direct satire. I think the game is making fun of the males in those adds too, at least I did with GTA 4.

That's what I like about the Time Magazine review. It touches upon the issue, but doesn't dismiss the satirical view.

Let’s talk about one last, debatably uncomfortable thing: the game’s portrayal of women. Forget the partial nudity and softcore sex you’ve maybe heard about, both well within the bounds of other art forms and beneath mention here. I mean the way the game often portrays women, from the perspective of adolescent or misogynistic men, as sexual objects. Is Rockstar satirizing the objectification of women, or just objectifying?

I’m reminded of a quote by French novelist André Malraux: “Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” The criminal, murderous, casually cold-blooded protagonists of GTA V are anything but paragons of virtue, but then neither are fictional creations like Anton Chigurh or Tyler Durden or Tony Soprano — characters that speak to the basest aspects of human experience, but aspects nonetheless, even as they repel us.

I’m not claiming there’s something as conceptually high-minded going on here, but satire comes in many guises, among them farce. Is Rockstar’s depiction of women merely exploitative or calculated burlesque? When Franklin sits in a strip club ogling half-naked dancers while chatting by phone with his estranged girlfriend, or Trevor has sex with someone else’s girlfriend in a casual way that makes her out to be little more than a sex doll, is Rockstar going for mere titillation? Or is it making a subtler point, that we aren’t what we think we are?

At least it evokes discussion, which is more than most games achieve.

 

[Captain Pants]

What do you guys think of the mysoginy complaint by Gamespot? Too personal? Valid?

My opinion is uninformed since I haven't played it, but for me, I think you have to look at the game and realize that satire runs deep through the core of it. The game is bombarding you with an exaggerated and distorted view of pop culture. Pop culture has a ton of sex and misogyny, so it makes sense for GTAV to have it too.

 

[sonicmj1]

I think she makes a good case for the whole game being it with this paragraph:

Hard for me to say out of context, but those sound satirical to me. Satire generally doesn't require someone to go out of their way to point out that the exaggeration is wrong.

I can see why that kind of in-game environment might make her feel uncomfortable, though.

 

[SRTtoZ]

I did chuckle at the thought of Carolyn Petit calling GTA V "profoundly misogynistic" and yet still awarding it a 9.0 "Editor’s Choice" score. Isn’t this a tacit endorsement of misogyny? It’s like she’s obligated to point out how offensive the game is but is basically telling us to play it anyway because it’s that good.

EDIT: ^ I don't think it's a valid complaint because the game is still scored so highly.

I agree.

 

[Rengoku]

IGN

"It's actually impossible for us to write a review or even give a score, because there's no human language or numerical value available to actually express how perfect this game is. Through GTA V, the human condition has been elevated to a state of nirvana and we welcome the end of times."

What the hell, that's an actual quote?

 

[mr teaspoon]

LOL all the reviewers are complaining about the violence and the misogyny present in GTA5. All i have to say is "its GTA,what did you expect!"

I promised myself that I'm not going to get sucked into this rabbit hole, so just one comment:

I haven't played GTAV, haven't read any of the story leaks, know next to nothing about it. But as someone who has played almost every installment, I disagree that misogyny is an inextricable part of what makes GTA GTA. They're gangster stories, so I agree that violence is pretty much always going to be there. And gangsters aren't always the most decent human beings, I understand that too. But if GTAVI has double the current map size, 4 times as many things to do and doesn't feature a single woman being called a bitch, nobody is going to say 'this isn't the GTA I know!'

That is all.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

What a joke this is:

This is all conjecture, but I'm going to go out on a limb and sarcastically comment that it's SUCH a shocker that a female/transexual game reviewer couldn't take this game in stride without mentioning misogyny.

The characters in the GTA world are crude, murdering gangsters, and misogyny is what "Carolyn Petit" is concerned about.

Only after googling her did I realize she was actually a he. We get it, you're trying to represent "femininity" and girl power by standing up for your new gender. This fact makes her sensitive journalism even more laughable.

This type of shit should be bannable . Seriously... Why can't a women pick out something in a game that insults her if it's about her. This isn't a "man" game industry. If I as a woman have a problem with how my sex is portrayed in a game on mere stereotype, I will point it out. This stuff really disgusts me.

 

[Frolow]

This thread is heading bad places.

Phhhft, this is nothing compared to The Last of Us and Uncharted review threads.

 

[Kadayi]

The Lost and the Damned was an example, the story was so dreary and the characters so irredeemable that I didn’t see the point of it.

Agreed. It's hard to feel invested in characters who are pretty much walking cliches and telegraph their motives at any and every given opportunity. The escapist review as well as the Eurogamer & Gamespot ones concern me somewhat with the actual writing of V. One of the big gripes I had with IV was the lack of positives regarding the characters and the largely negative portrayal of the female characters throughout (it's tempting to deploy the M word, but I'll resist) .

Day one when it hits PC still given it looks like they got the other stuff largely right, but at the same time it sounds like they might need to get some fresh writing talent in if they're going to progress beyond where they're at.

 

[Jagxyz]

I almost wish that the game had gotten lower reviews, would make it more bearable to wait for the next gen / pc version.

But now... I think I might have to cave in.

 

[Knoxcore]

I just hope this isn't GTA4 all over again. That game got the best reviews of the year and clearly didn't deserve it.

 

[seldead]

What the hell, that's an actual quote?

I have not read the review but something tells me probably not

 

[UrbanRats]

I think she makes a good case for the whole game being it with this paragraph:

uhm, i think that has always been the case for GTA, and it's what paints the world as such a bleak and disgusting place.
I think that's exactly what makes it so "easy" to act like a psycho in those games.

GTA has always been the exaggerated representation of everything that is wrong, disgusting and revolting about the real world, as seen through the eyes of the medias; in past GTAs, for example, every time you go near a pedestrian, they always had something awful to say, everyone was simply awful, top to bottom.
Yet, i don't see how that isn't satirical, GTA is obvious and eye-rollingly on the nose as it is.

If everyone was painted more realistically or nicer, it would've been impossible to simply run people over like you do in the game.

Again, i see it as something like Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where every character is a monster (though of course GTA isn't as well written nor funny) and some of the worst people you can imagine, but it's not constantly hitting you over the head with how bad it all is, it's meant to be implicit.

 

[chickdigger802]

Polygon's review wasn't written by a woman. IGN's was.

Whoops! They all are the same in my head :X

 

[SRTtoZ]

This type of shit should be bannable . Seriously... Why can't a women pick out something in a game that insults her if it's about her. This isn't a "man" game industry. If I as a woman have a problem with how my sex is portrayed in a game on mere stereotype, I will point it out. This stuff really disgusts me.

Oh lol hes banned. *edited*

 

[chancellor]

The gamespot review seems to make a fair criticism, although I will need to play the game myself to see if the sexism/mysogny in GTA is presented in a way that it is reinforcing a view in society or criticizing it.

 

[SpookyFries]

So does this mean that GTA Online will be reviewed as a separate game?

 

[opticalmace]

This type of shit should be bannable . Seriously... Why can't a women pick out something in a game that insults her if it's about her. This isn't a "man" game industry. If I as a woman have a problem with how my sex is portrayed in a game on mere stereotype, I will point it out. This stuff really disgusts me.

The poster has since been banned.

 

[breakfuss]

If there's one thing I can't stand about the mods here it's that they work too efficiently, lol. I was just about to respond to that idiot @Georgious.

 

[derExperte]

This type of shit should be bannable .

Should? He's long gone.

 

[Recall]

I just hope this isn't GTA4 all over again. That game got the best reviews of the year and clearly didn't deserve it.

There are some truly incredible games that get passed over all the time.

Its Grand Theft Auto they could have shit in the box and it got the same reviews, same for Call of Duty. The brand instantly gets a pass regardless of faults.

But I haven't played GTAV so have no valid point of view.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

So now having an opinion should be bannable? Jesus.

Having a shit, caustic one is, yes.

 

[Marleyman]

So now having an opinion should be bannable? Jesus.

Just about to say this; banning someone for an opinion like that is strange.

 

[Aeana]

This type of shit should be bannable . Seriously... Why can't a women pick out something in a game that insults her if it's about her. This isn't a "man" game industry. If I as a woman have a problem with how my sex is portrayed in a game on mere stereotype, I will point it out. This stuff really disgusts me.

Oh, it's very banworthy. That type of behavior is not even remotely welcome here.

 

[Xater]

That Adam Sessler quote is quite something. lol

 

[CambriaRising]

So now having an opinion should be bannable? Jesus.

The opinion that women shouldn't review games and provide their subjective views/life experiences and how they influence the enjoyment of media just like men are able to do?

Yeah, It should.

Just about to say this; banning someone for an opinion like this would not be a good thing.

You agreed with that poster with a "Right on", so you are just as bad.