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IGDA Party scantily-clad ladies controversy. 2 board members resign.

U

unbias

Member
Didnt see anywhere, and even though it is polygon, havent found a better article(the one on forbes is missing information, I think).

http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/28/4157266/igda-gdc-party-brenda-romero-resignation

FTA:

The International Game Developers Association is under fire for its GDC 2013 party, which featured scantily clad female dancers, leading game designer Brenda Romero and other members of the organization to resign today.

"I went home last night to work on my Friday GDC talk feeling super uplifted by the turnout and support for the #1ReasonToBe panel," Romero told Polygon in a statement today. "I woke up to DMs, texts and links to news of the IGDA party. It really saddens me. I have been a long-time supporter of the IGDA. However, my silence would have been complicity. I had no choice. And just hours after our panel, too."

According to a report on Forbes, the party, which was sponsored by social and mobile funding outfit YetiZen, featured "at least three girls in white outfits — one was in a skimpy t-shirt one was in this weird furry get-up-dancing" on a stage. The report, from a student developer named Alicia Avril, questioned why the dancers would be present at an IGDA event, given the advocacy-centric nature of the organization.

"Knowing there are such concerned women as members of this group, you'd think that the IGDA would be more thoughtful in their own party and how they're portraying themselves," Avril wrote.

Following the event, at least two IGDA board members have resigned from the organization publicly on Twitter. Brenda Romero, who spoke yesterday on a panel about the challenges women face in the gaming industry, stepped down from her place on the board of the IGDA's Women in Games special interest group.

Before anyone says it is just dancers: it was only female dancers for one, which makes it sexist by essentially calling it a boys party, and 2 it is incredibly unprofessional to sexualize an event like this in the 1st place(so no having male dancers wouldn't have made it better, just not sexist).


So ya, discuss away.

Tweets, since the article has been posted:
IGDCtweets.png

IGDCtweets2.png

Giesquote.png

IGDCtweet3.png
 
P

Patryn

Member
As I recall, the IDGA was the organization that had Tim Langdell on its board for the longest time (EDIT: until 2009).

Didn't exactly have the highest regard for them.
 
I

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
So just add male dancers next time.

I don't want to live in a sexist world, but I also don't want to live in a prudishly uptight world.
 
P

Paul Alexander

Member
IGDA is supposed to be a advocate for the entire industry, but I think this situation illuminates how fractured the industry is in 2013. I think it could benefit from several orgs rising in its place, rather than a single monolithic org that purports to represent everyone.
 
Gold_Loot

Gold_Loot

Member
i-Lo said:
I think the discussion could benefit from pictures depicting the core issues.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I mean, we need to see just how scantly these dancers were. What if it was part of an artistic expresion that they were trying to communicate with thier peers... This is important.
 
J

JDSN

Banned
Paul Alexander said:
great exchange of thoughts between Garnett Lee and Jeff Green (along with a few others chiming in) on Twitter moments ago.
Click to expand...

I love the shameless, strawman "its just the way it is" shit posted by former future Xbox community manager and current 343 media manager Che Choue. Garnett also deserved some of that Jeff Green lashing he got.

oSR6CBT.jpg

inb4: I cant be arsed to understand how to read on twitter!
 
K

Kickass667

Banned
unbias said:
Didnt see anywhere, and even though it is polygon, havent found a better article(the one on forbes is missing information, I think).

http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/28/4157266/igda-gdc-party-brenda-romero-resignation

FTA:

The International Game Developers Association is under fire for its GDC 2013 party, which featured scantily clad female dancers, leading game designer Brenda Romero and other members of the organization to resign today.

"I went home last night to work on my Friday GDC talk feeling super uplifted by the turnout and support for the #1ReasonToBe panel," Romero told Polygon in a statement today. "I woke up to DMs, texts and links to news of the IGDA party. It really saddens me. I have been a long-time supporter of the IGDA. However, my silence would have been complicity. I had no choice. And just hours after our panel, too."

According to a report on Forbes, the party, which was sponsored by social and mobile funding outfit YetiZen, featured "at least three girls in white outfits — one was in a skimpy t-shirt one was in this weird furry get-up-dancing" on a stage. The report, from a student developer named Alicia Avril, questioned why the dancers would be present at an IGDA event, given the advocacy-centric nature of the organization.

"Knowing there are such concerned women as members of this group, you'd think that the IGDA would be more thoughtful in their own party and how they're portraying themselves," Avril wrote.

Following the event, at least two IGDA board members have resigned from the organization publicly on Twitter. Brenda Romero, who spoke yesterday on a panel about the challenges women face in the gaming industry, stepped down from her place on the board of the IGDA's Women in Games special interest group.

Before anyone says it is just dancers: it was only female dancers for one, which makes it sexist by essentially calling it a boys party, and 2 it is incredibly unprofessional to sexualize an event like this in the 1st place(so no having male dancers wouldn't have made it better, just not sexist).


So ya, discuss away.

Edit: Can a mod fix my typo please, so it reads: IGDA Party creates a controversy, that causes some in the industry to back out of it.
Click to expand...

So female dancers being PAID and CHOOSING to dance for men who want to have a good time stirs another pointless sexism debate? This isn't feminist, this is misandry.
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Sounds like this was a horrible decision on the IGDA coordinators part.

Other note, while I think the two women who left the board who left have a completely valid reason for doing so they should have sucked it up and stayed on the board and used this incident as an example for change and use that power within an influential organization to lead that front...

Them leaving comes off as a do nothing martyr situation.
 
M

mugurumakensei

Member
Two things I know about the IGDA (or at least the Dallas branch) is they are assholes and the group is more interested in drinking then advancing independent games. They wouldn't even offer funds or speakers to college groups unless there was alcohol provided (at the college groups' expense of course).
 
K

Kimawolf

Member
Kickass667 said:
So female dancers being PAID and CHOOSING to dance for men who want to have a good time stirs another pointless sexism debate? This isn't feminist, this is misandry.
Click to expand...

You have to realize those poor women don't realize what they are doing, and just are confused... It's a party folks, dancers show up at parties, everything isn't some giant sexist, woman beating symbol...

Let's not all be complete prudes about everything please.
 
S

Spy

Member
I don't see the big deal. It was an after party with a few scantily clad women.

People get offended too easily, imo.
 
P

piratepwnsninja

Member
mugurumakensei said:
Two things I know about the IGDA (or at least the Dallas branch) is they are assholes and the group is more interested in drinking then advancing independent games. They wouldn't even offer funds or speakers to college groups unless there was alcohol provided (at the college groups' expense of course).
Click to expand...

That's because it doesn't stand for independent games. It's the INTERNATIONAL Game Developer's Association.
(not deriding the point of the alcohol though)
 
F

faceless007

Member
It does seem shockingly tone-deaf to hold such a party right after a "Women in games" panel.

I'm not clear on who's actually responsible though. It says the IGDA party, but it was also sponsored by Yetizen, Yetizen picked the entertainment?
 
P

Paul Alexander

Member
Gold_Loot said:
Agreed. I mean, we need to see just how scantly these dancers were. What if it was part of an artistic expresion that they were trying to communicate with thier peers... This is important.
Click to expand...

According to Darius Kazemi (board member who resigned in wake of this), there were IGDA member who expressed reservations about YetiZen being hired after last year's event:

It was an IGDA call to use YetiZen again, after they burned us last year. Was not an IGDA call to have specific entertainment
Click to expand...

But I did not speak up about them internally because I did not want to rock the boat with like, 2 weeks left in my term. For that: I'm sorry
Click to expand...


Kickass667 said:
So female dancers being PAID and CHOOSING to dance for men who want to have a good time stirs another pointless sexism debate? This isn't feminist, this is misandry.
Click to expand...

There were women there who wanted to have a good time too; apparently their presence made some folks uncomfortable. Important to keep in mind that this is an organization that purports to represent an entire industry, and this event was held for them. Inclusiveness should hypothetically be a central factor in decision-making.
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Spy said:
I don't see the big deal. It was an after party with a few scantily clad women.

People get offended too easily, imo.
Click to expand...
There is merit in the idea that people need to kind of know shit out in the world isn't fair and you're going to be offended from time to time, but this is an industry event where sexism and women's rights are currently a HUGE topic. A bit more thought into the party planning would have been nice.
 
S

snorggy

Member
Cheerleaders at sporting events. Are women who attend said sporting events uncomfortable with them? Do they feel unwelcome because there are scantily clad women shaking pompoms and doing high kicks? Or do they accept that the cheerleaders are just part of the "experience" ?

Not defending the organizers of the party and I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of women in tech and gaming, but I can't help but feel that people are just hypersensitive about this topic right now and that the incident with the party was grossly overblown as a result.
 
J

JDSN

Banned
faceless007 said:
It does seem shockingly tone-deaf to hold such a party right after a "Women in games" panel.

I'm not clear on who's actually responsible though. It says the IGDA party, but it was also sponsored by Yetizen, Yetizen picked the entertainment?
Click to expand...

They did, and they did the same exact thing in the second year in a row.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
faceless007 said:
It does seem shockingly tone-deaf to hold such a party right after a "Women in games" panel.

I'm not clear on who's actually responsible though. It says the IGDA party, but it was also sponsored by Yetizen, Yetizen picked the entertainment?
Click to expand...

Exactly. What a baffling decision.
 
P

Paul Alexander

Member
OP, might be prudent to add update that IGDA Chicago Chair Jay Margalus has just announced on Twitter that he is stepping down:

Resigning as IGDA Chicago Chair. C2E2 plans are still on, and will be working on an org that better suits Chicago’s needs.
Click to expand...
 
I

InsaneZero

Member
snorggy said:
Cheerleaders at sporting events. Are women who attend said sporting events uncomfortable with them? Do they feel unwelcome because there are scantily clad women shaking pompoms and doing high kicks? Or do they accept that the cheerleaders are just part of the "experience" ?

Not defending the organizers of the party and I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of women in tech and gaming, but I can't help but feel that people are just hypersensitive about this topic right now and that the incident with the party was grossly overblown as a result.
Click to expand...

What kind of professional event do you go to with paid female dancers?
 
M

mugurumakensei

Member
snorggy said:
Cheerleaders at sporting events. Are women who attend said sporting events uncomfortable with them? Do they feel unwelcome because there are scantily clad women shaking pompoms and doing high kicks? Or do they accept that the cheerleaders are just part of the "experience" ?

Not defending the organizers of the party and I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of women in tech and gaming, but I can't help but feel that people are just hypersensitive about this topic right now and that the incident with the party was grossly overblown as a result.
Click to expand...


This was a party for professionals not a sporting event. The presence of scantily clad women is acceptable based on context. In this context, it is absolutely not acceptable.
 
M

ManUtdRedDevils

Member
The video game industry reminds of South Park. A bad decision or comment gets blown way out of proportion and everyone gathers their pitchforks and torches and yells "rabble rabble rabble!" It's exhausting
 
A

AkuMifune

Banned
I see a recurring trend related to the journalists misbehaving type threads:

Group A). Some of us are sick of the shit the industry does and have finally had enough

Group B.) Some people think this is just the way it is, and it's fine...and people in Group A. are just on a witch hunt.

Garnett, Che and the rest of Group B, GTFO. Enough. It's disgusting. Garnet, usually you've got the pathetic white knight syndrome and espcially with Ariel in the industry I expected better of you. Did you have a hand in these shenanigans? It's the only explanation. Che! You've been gone forever! Please go away again.

Love you Jeff.
 
K

Kickass667

Banned
Paul Alexander said:
There were women there who wanted to have a good time too; apparently their presence made some folks uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

Then they should leave for the night and express their feelings rather than bitch about it like children. If this happened more than once I could understand, but this could of been resolved without the resignations and the SEXISM bullshit.
 
I

i-Lo

Member
mugurumakensei said:
This was a party for professionals not a sporting event. The presence of scantily clad women is acceptable based on context. In this context, it is absolutely not acceptable.
Click to expand...

For me, even cheer leading is at the end of day a product of patriarchal society objectifying women.
 
M

Mesoian

Member
InsaneZero said:
What kind of professional event do you go to with paid female dancers?
Click to expand...

Honestly/Unfortunately? A lot of gaming industry parties.

I suppose the only thing I'm confused about is that these women were chair members. How did they not know that their grand sponsor for this party was going to do the same exact thing they did the year before? In a constantly shifting industry that has to be all inclusive, how does scantly clad paid dancers raise no one's eyebrows in the planning stages? It's bizarre. Furthermore, the people responsible bare no punishment because the people who took offense, left. This wasn't a time for resignations, this was a time to be vocal as hell.

These women leaving the board helped no one. The only thing that will come of this is that the IGDA will be severely weakened and the issues they try to advocate will lose voices.

i-Lo said:
For me, even cheer leading is at the end of day a product of patriarchal society objectifying women.
Click to expand...

Eh...that's a different topic for a different thread.

Kickass667 said:
Then they should leave for the night and express their feelings rather than bitch about it like children. If this happened more than once I could understand, but this could of been resolved without the resignations and the SEXISM bullshit.
Click to expand...

This happened last year too. Same sponsor for the party, who apparently went with the same agency and probably got the same girls. Whoever planned this party fucked up big time.
 
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