Essay:Sexism in Video Gaming

It is unlikely that anyone would deny the mere existence of sexism in video gaming. It can be found in the gaming community itself. A large part of the community is quite immature, with words like 'rape' being thrown around like it just means 'defeat' and groups of people gaining a sense of superiority just based on which platform they game on, but inherent immaturity shouldn't excuse treating someone differently in a hurtful way just because of their gender, which is what happens in sexism. The existence of any sexism at all related to such a popular medium is not what we are concerned about, though. The real question that interests us is: How prevalent or severe is sexism within the community and the industry, and what forms does it take? Well, according to prominent gaming critic Adam Sessler, 2012 has been a particularly jarring year concerning that as he talks about in this video: #1ReasonWhy - Sexism in the Video Game Industry (SESSLER'S SOMETHING).

In general, it seems to be more difficult to be a woman in any position within the games industry than a man. Women with public faces statistically seem to get more harassing messages than men in the same position, there seems to be a pay gap between women and men and in general there is a bit of a barrier to entry. The fact that some male gamers treat female gamers “differently” should be apparent to any who have enjoyed the medium to a moderate degree. Girls in gaming nowadays have the distinction to be called girl gamers (or, arguably worse, gamer girls). As they become an integral part of the gaming community, though, one can hope that people will come to the mindset that a gamer is a gamer and we can all love and play the same thing without having to deal with term-bound preconceptions. Sexual harassment-related actions like that one time in that one part of the gaming community need to be widely condemned and some mindsets need to especially change regarding that.

The most immediately off-putting and instantly recognizable sexism-related issue is the unwarranted amount of hate speech from an unusually loud portion of the online community towards any feminist notions people dare to bring up. Sheltered by their anonymity and driven by a sense of righteousness, these individuals feel it is an entirely appropriate reaction to feminist examinations and view points of gaming culture.

Sexism is also propagated throughout the medium of video games. For example, women have a significant presence as sexually arousing decoration in the form of background NPCs or promotional material and are underrepresented in more active roles.

As is often the case, there are so many thought-terminating clichés brought to bear upon the opposition that it is difficult to get people to think about proposed issues and patiently discuss them. Below, however, is an attempt to do just that.

Positive examples
Now for the obligatory section of positive examples so that this article doesn't just seem like whining:


 * Most refined RPGs tend to be pretty equal in terms of gender representation and treatment.
 * Competitive multiplayer games don't place as much emphasis (or even any) on plot, so are largely exempt from above points about plot tropes.
 * A lot of games let you customize every little detail about your character, including gender. Needless to say, gender inequality in terms of protagonists falls flat on its face as an issue here. There are also other games that let you pick between a cast of male or female characters.
 * In a lot of games you have a silent protagonist, which makes it easier for players to insert themselves, making character immersion a non-issue, regardless of what gender the player or the in-game character is.
 * Alyx Vance in Half-Life, Shodan in System Shock, Chell and Glados in Portal, Samus Aran in various Metroid games, Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Jade in Beyond Good & Evil, Amy in Zanzarah, Alice in Alice (3D platformer), etc., etc.

So you see, there are a lot of examples involving positive development or unaffected areas in gaming, so why not have an optimistic attitude! If we care enough, we could even reduce our reliance on objectifying tropes like the damsel in distress and also grow and mature as a community in terms of gender-related issues. Believe it or not, inclusivity synergizes well with creativity.

Conclusion
Let us embrace everyone and live happily ever after! I guess that's easier said than done and there is a fair amount of gnashing of teeth and occasional discourse to go through beforehand.

I will leave you with one last line of thought. Some might be wondering: "So, should I shun every game where I detect sexism?" Ultimately, of course, that is up to you, but consider this: Is Super Mario Bros. a bad game because it exhibits the damsel in distress? If a game is fun to play or has other merits, surely that deserves to be recognized. Sexism isn't an all-defining issue, but it deserves recognition as well. This is a bit of a tautology, but it makes a good point: Everything should be given its due.