Twitter vs. Female Protagonists in Video Games.

http://femfreq.tumblr.com/post/52673540142/twitter-vs-female-protagonists-in-video-games

So it appears the head of a feminist group made a critical tweet after seeing Xbox One's debut at E3. She criticized Xbox One for not having any leading female protagonists in any of their 1st generation of games for the new console. It could be a coincidence or not, but it's only the first gen and not the last and I'm certain we'll be seeing a lot more games produced with female playable protagonists. While I don't normally have problems with feminist agendas I feel like her argument is just a little trumped up. I think most of the twitter backlash was juvenile and ignorant but a few of them brought up some cogent points albeit rather rudely. It is an unfortunate fact that the gaming industry's customer base is still primarily dominated by straight male gamers. In order to turn a profit these companies continue to market primarily to that demographic. Plus I can think of many titles off the top of my head that have had iconic (or at least playable) female protagonists like Metroid, Bioshock, Bloodrayne, Resident Evil, Bayonetta, Portal 1&2, KOTOR 1&2, Fable 2&3 the list goes on. What do you think?

She has a point. While you can list games that have female protagonists, that's a very short list when you compare it to the list of games with male protagonists. The last generation especially has seen very little in the way of female protagonists that are not ridiculously sexualized and whose primary purpose is to titillate a straight male audience.

Additionally, a number of developers have been starting to come out with stories that indicate a rather deep level of sexism in the game industry. Many publishers are hesitant to develop games with a female protagonist because they believe they don't sell well. However, this attitude means they market them less, which means they sell less, creating a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy. Also, Ken Levine of Irrational Games revealed that they were pressured to leave the protagonist Elizabeth off the cover of Infinite (despite it really being HER story) because focus groups showed a cover with just the male protagonist Booker DeWitt was more appealing. Naughty Dog then said they had to really fight to get their female protagonist on the cover of their game, The Last of Us, for the same reason.

However, I'd argue that her complaint is more indicative of a larger problem in both Microsoft's presser and AAA game development at large: an ever-increasing level of homogenization. From brown-grey 'gritty' color palettes to very similar-looking grizzled male protagonists with dark hair and facial scruff, the big-budget games are all starting to look alike as they chase that Call of Duty money (which they won't get, because a lot of those players only play CoD and nothing else). As AAA development becomes more and more expensive, these games are pressured to play it increasingly safe, sticking to focus group results and copying what best-selling games are doing. The lack of strong, female protagonists in these games is one symptom of this homogenization.

Coincidentally, it's why I've been increasingly shying away from AAA games, especially on consoles. There is less and less that interests me as these games become increasingly more like a game I don't enjoy playing and feature characters I don't relate to.

http://femfreq.tumblr.com/

You have points Chem and so did she and while XboxOne has already been digging it's own grave of late with that stupid constant internet connection requirement I don't know that this first wave of new console games is necessarily a good indicator for such a judgment on her part.

http://femfreq.tumblr.com/

Other platforms and game companies yesterday and today premiered titles with female protagonists. She's also stating that over 40% of gamers are now female. It this is true and there's a market I'll happily change my tune. It's not that I don't support what they're asking for, I just think it's unrealistic to expect any gaming company to possibly alienate their largest demographic on an argument that basically says "it's not fair." They're not going to do anything unless they reward can outweigh the risk. I also read an article that stated that over 60% of casual gamers were now female. Big game and console companies claim there just isn't a market according to their focus groups. Maybe they're lying and playing it safe by trying to hold on to their original customer base which is a dick move to be sure.

As for sexism well I think we'll be seeing a lot of that in games and it's really par for the course at this point. I mean your game characters can actually have sex and reproduce and hire prostitutes and it's been like that for years now. I remember the hullabaloo over Bayonetta because she'd routinely turn naked (because her body suit was actually made out of her own hair) depending on what powers you were using and no it wasn't a glitch. But in her defense she was also a glasses-wearing single Mom :P

If there is is a demographic then it's either foolish and/or cowardly for these companies not to exploit it but there seems to be a lot of conflicting data out there right now that needs to be either proven or disproven and above all brought to light. As a long-time gamer I've never minded playing a female character, in games that had a gender choice I'd normally play both just to see how the storyline would play out. I think the storylines for Kotor 1&2 was far better if Revan was a woman, makes a lot more sense especially in part 2.

The thing about being a minority is that you should have the ability to talk about under-representation/misrepresentation in the media, even if that media is not primarily marketed to you. The other thing about being a minority is that more often than not, things aren't marketed to you.

I will say this, though. Fear the 'non cis-male' market. I am using this term other than 'female' because it encompasses other gender minorities... and I really can't talk as a woman (though I can talk as a person perceived to be a woman) but I CAN talk as a gender minority. Cis-males are males who were designated male at birth and continue to identify as such.

Anyway. Fear the non-cis-male market. The Sims was a blockbuster hit thanks to people outside the target market buying and playing the CRAP out of that game. Animal Crossing? It's selling like hotcakes right now. All the GNC folks (Gender Non-Conforming) are over the moon at this game... our boys can wear SKIRTS! And it's no big deal! Back in Japan, games are marketed to a subgroup called 'fujoshi' - a hardcore group of largely female fans (the name means 'rotten woman') that feature prettyboy male characters for them to swoon over... Kingdom Hearts is a huge thing in part to the fujoshi market both in Japan and abroad. Another, less known option are the dating simulations involving either a single girl and a harem of prettyboys... or a prettyboy and a harem of prettyboys. The market is GIGANTIC and the Japanese industry taps it like you wouldn't believe.

Even in the States, the market is there. You have women and GNC folks playing games. Some people prefer a game where there's some gender choice at character creation. Others would like to see a story told in which the protagonist is female. And others like to play stories about dudes, as long as there are plenty of dudes to slash your protag with. (Femmeslash is typically marketed toward cisguys, and is very hard to get a hold of some that isn't gross.)

My point is... the market is there, they ARE playing games. The types of games non-cismales play are often different. We could speculate the reasons for this, but honestly I need to go to class soon. I will say this, though. The dudebro online-gaming culture is openly hostile to perceived minorities. As a non-cismale person, I KNOW that the majority of games are not targeted towards me. As a GNC person? None of them are. I, for one, applaud people who talk openly about this sort of thing because the backlash from gaming culture at large is brutal and it's the kind of thing that needs to be talked about.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to borrow my friend's 3DS to put my Animal Crossing avatar in a skirt and write awkward Kurland/Slamek slashfic. Except not really, I have to go to class.

I can understand what she's saying even if I disagree with her. They're companies and if they want to remain open they need to make a profit, expecting them to take a risk on making a game that everything they've learned and researched tells them won't make money is insane. This is why other game developers exist so that they can fill niche markets. For instance, I'm a HUGE Paradox Interactive fan because they make the best strategy games on the planet and they market to their audience.

She would be better served highlighting those companies and individuals featuring female protagonists then simply lashing out. Plus, if you want something bad enough you'll go out there and make it. It sucks not being able to play as exactly who you want but you either except it, or you go be the change you want to see.

Okay, I just have one other thing to say. And that is- looking at the linked blog post and all the points being made here.

Keioel: You described her as 'simply lashing out'.

Please, for a moment, look at that link again. I want you to really look at that link again. This ties into something I said to Keston one night.

Feminist Frequency is not lashing out here.

Let's analyze what that post shows. Feminist Frequency posts that there are no female protagonists in the XBox One lineup. Whether or not you think there should be more female protagonists in video games is totally moot.

The key here is the responses. I really really want you to look at those responses. People calling her terrible, ugly words- the B-word. The C-word. People making thinly-veiled rape threats at her. All for expressing her opinion.

Who is lashing out here?

Imagine a general Star Trek forum. A poster mentions that there haven't been any out gay characters in any canon Star Trek series, and that it's high time that the next Star Trek release feature a gay character.

Now, imagine that when people respond, they do not provide responses to our hypothetical poster agreeing or disagreeing with hir original idea. No, instead, they call hir a three-letter word that begins with 'F'. They threaten hir with rape. All this for even having and voicing the idea that there should be gay people in Star Trek.

In this post, the author is highlighting a sinister behavior present in the gaming community- rampant misogyny. One reason why I elected to join Stonewall fleet over others is that I was afraid that I would be harassed and abused once people heard the pitch of my voice. I have heard too many stories from people who play League of Legends, Starcraft, and shooter games of the kind of language that gets thrown at them if they ever make their voice heard on a headset. I have received nothing but the utmost respect from this community and for that I am grateful.

Anita Sarkeesian, the author of this post, generates a lot of ire from many people simply for daring to question the status quo in the gaming world. It is fine to agree or disagree with her point. But, at the same time, please look at that post again and see what is really being shared here. Most of us here (if not all of us) are members of one or more minority groups that have had violent language and acts levied at us to keep us silent. Disagree with her point, yes... but I hope you will defend her right to say it without unwarranted malicious backlash.

I stand by what I said in regards to what she posted, she simply made a comment implying that there would be no female protagonists for an entirely new generation. I understand twitter only gives you 140 characters but we all know that. We also know that humans generally read text in a negative light and shouldn't be surprised if people take offense at something said online because it lacks body language and tone. She has every right to say what she wants in regards to the launch, as she's a critic is kind of her job, but to simply reply negatively as opposed to showcasing other games or characters she would have liked to see is in my mind lashing out.

I did not bother reading the other posts or the responses because I've found some of the vilest human beings on the planet use twitter, it's the same reason I no longer read comments on blogs, news items, or articles. Nor do I like to even comment on other people's facebooks anymore as I'm not interested in getting into an internet argument.