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Err, no? Reblogging is pretty much like retweeting on twitter or sharing on facebook. It's not like you have to reblog things to get enjoyment out of your tumblr. A lot of people I know just use their tumblr to be in contact with creators (I've personally asked Warren Ellis and Kieron Gillen random shit fairly often) or just to post about their life or their artistic work.
>Reblog
>Add text.
Seems pretty easy to me.
it also lets you share random creative shit you've done
or if you're me, things like this
Look, the point isn't that all of tumblr is actually horrible, but that it's unremarkable at best (although actually I really do dislike it because it has a slight negative influence on websites I actually do visit by encouraging 500px wide image and such, but that's obviously beside the point and kind of minor anyway) and it happens to be notable elsewhere in the internet for the part that is pretty horrible and it's obvious that that's what I was talking about and really the point isn't tumblr as much as it is that Crimson keeps posting what amounts to EXTREME RAGE AT EVERYTHING whenever the topic of sexism in video games comes up and it in turn makes me mad.
(nevermind. I'm sorry for getting upset and generally being a jerk just now)
It is OK.
...just how the fuck did a thread about sexism in gaming turn into a flamewar about something completely unrelated to sexism in gaming?
Also, realistic Sailor Moon is...intriguing.
Anyway, back on topic:
I've felt a mixture of surprise, incredulity, disappointment, and slight discomfort when I see a game that features a female protagonist whose development staff consists entirely of males, except possibly one female who voiced the character. Anyone else feel this way?
Generally, but sometimes it's forced upon the devteam and sometimes it turns out okay.
For instance I don't think there were any women on the Portal devteam except for Glados' va.
Well I know why it happens. A large majority of people interested in videogame design and/or knowledgeable of programming are male, so it comes as no surprise after I think about it.
It's a vicious cycle really.
Computers/video games being stereotypically "for men" > game industry is male dominated > they create games made to appeal to men > back to start.
^^ It's not just that. It also helps a lot that women tend to be discriminated a lot in STEM fields.
ETA: And that when women become prominent game designers, they're often harassed, like that person involved with AssCreed.
@Lazuli:
Actually, there was at least one: Kim Swift, I believe. She left Valve, though, I think.
Ellen McLain, Kim Swift, and Alésia Glidewell (who was the model for Chell).
I am incorrect.
Bayonetta is supposed to male wanking material IIRC
I'm excited for Bayonetta 2.
Relinking the how-to-enjoy-problematic-stuff: http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/how-to-be-a-fan-of-problematic-things/
In my opinion, you can't really get around objectification of at least some sort, because let's face it, it will always be someone's naïve fantasy(there are probably masochists who get off to S.C.U.M. Manifesto). It reminds of an article I once read about a 'feminist' pornographer, whose whole schtick revolved around putting more emphasis on cliché romantic aspects(more foreplay, an fire in the hearth and tasty wine). While it breaks open a mostly vanilla hetero-oriented market, it was still formulated as a universal 'this is what women want'. Likewise, if one would be inclined to make a feminist protag whose main trait is espousing viewpoints, you'll still end up with a terribly flat personality that looks more like a lazy pastiche than anything empowering. Maybe it's because I've already read up a bit on the subject, but I like games in which feminism as sort of a given that doesn't need to be espoused upon(Skies of Arcadia, f. ex.: no obligatory romance, protag gets flak anytime he does anything skeezy, party always has 50/50 gender balance, passes the Bechdel Test).
And in the end, those are the examples I'm interested in: the Sarkeesian school of summarizing sexist stuff is too Captain Obvious for my tastes, and the moment it chose "avoid portraying it at all" instead of "portray it with the respect and gravity the subject deserves", the pessimism turned me off completely.
There are basically two ways to go about with making this sort of thing better.
The first is to call attention to it and try to make people understand why it's so important. The second is to generate a vision of the world where such a problem is already dealt with.
Thing is, I think we often misunderstand to whom we should be using these approaches.
The former should go to the older ones, that they could speak of it and understand why something is wrong. The latter should go to the young, that the mere thought of doing such a thing would not emerge.
Bayonetta was a parody of over-sexualization. She was basically a female dante and the game takes the whole sexiness and absurdness of the plot to a satirical level.
and Bayonetta was supposed to be sexually intimidating, a lot of the fetishistic imagery was meant to be either tongue in cheek or mildly disturbing, but not for titillation. I hate to use the word deconstruction, but nothing was being played straight in terms of plot and characterization.
Of course given that no-one actually played Bayonetta, people instead made up what it was about based on what little they saw of it.
I played Bayonetta.
I quite liked it, actually. Its aesthetics were both pleasing and disturbing.
Bayonetta went platinum in 4 months. People most definitely played it.