Comments on: Gender Portrayal and the Meaning of Game Elements http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/ An Indie Game Developer's somewhat interesting thoughts Mon, 21 May 2012 10:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Year-End Review, Day 2: The Publications | brilli.am/writes http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-57639 Year-End Review, Day 2: The Publications | brilli.am/writes Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:10:17 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-57639 [...] Round Table: Gender & Games. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) and the following deluge of further examinations of the subject (too many to [...] [...] Round Table: Gender & Games. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) and the following deluge of further examinations of the subject (too many to [...]

]]> By: themcp http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55796 themcp Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:53:22 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55796 Well, I think it's a matter of picking a target market and maybe focusing on it too heavily. Somebody in the marketing dept had a hand in deciding how these games would be designed. The gaming industry found out that it could sell games very quickly and reliably by targeting teenage boys and 20something men. The downside is that I think they've let other markets stagnate. They are only just now realizing that they need to develop other potential game buyers if they are going to stay healthy. I was talking with my partner about gaming memories as a kid... I remember our first game machine (Texas Instruments, anybody?). My whole family played those games. I used to come downstairs at night for a drink of water to see my dad or my mom plugging away at TI Invaders or some such. Where are those gaming experiences nowadays? Hard to find, as far as I can see. Well, I think it’s a matter of picking a target market and maybe focusing on it too heavily. Somebody in the marketing dept had a hand in deciding how these games would be designed.

The gaming industry found out that it could sell games very quickly and reliably by targeting teenage boys and 20something men.

The downside is that I think they’ve let other markets stagnate. They are only just now realizing that they need to develop other potential game buyers if they are going to stay healthy.

I was talking with my partner about gaming memories as a kid… I remember our first game machine (Texas Instruments, anybody?). My whole family played those games. I used to come downstairs at night for a drink of water to see my dad or my mom plugging away at TI Invaders or some such.

Where are those gaming experiences nowadays? Hard to find, as far as I can see.

]]> By: GBGames http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55795 GBGames Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:53:00 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55795 themcp: Actually, sex can be threatening for men as well. Still, many people have written to argue that, in general, there is a difference in audience reaction to hyper-sexualized characters. It isn't enough to "even things out" by making hyper-sexualized characters out of both genders. I just wonder why the designers of these games deemed them necessary. themcp: Actually, sex can be threatening for men as well. Still, many people have written to argue that, in general, there is a difference in audience reaction to hyper-sexualized characters. It isn’t enough to “even things out” by making hyper-sexualized characters out of both genders.

I just wonder why the designers of these games deemed them necessary.

]]> By: themcp http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55794 themcp Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:01:19 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55794 Thanks for the great article. I just played Portal and was struck by how gracefully it handled with a lot of the game-related gender *and* story issues that I've been mulling over. For Novack... the difference between idealized female figures and idealized male figures in games is this: For women, sex can be threatening. For men, it never is. Duh. When women look at gaming culture and see a lot of double-D nipple cups... they might find themselves wondering if those representations really do indicate how male gamers see them. And it quite naturally might turn them off from the whole experience. Thanks for the great article. I just played Portal and was struck by how gracefully it handled with a lot of the game-related gender *and* story issues that I’ve been mulling over.

For Novack… the difference between idealized female figures and idealized male figures in games is this: For women, sex can be threatening. For men, it never is. Duh.

When women look at gaming culture and see a lot of double-D nipple cups… they might find themselves wondering if those representations really do indicate how male gamers see them. And it quite naturally might turn them off from the whole experience.

]]> By: GBGames http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55788 GBGames Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:07:43 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55788 Novack, I didn't say anything about what exactly offends women or doesn't offend men; however, there is a difference between tasteful sexual content and content for titillation's sake. I didn't say that sexy was offensive. You can have sexy characters in a game, and it wouldn't be offensive. I'm all for sexy characters. The problem with gender portrayal in games, and other media for that matter, is that it tends to be misogynistic and/or chauvinistic, and it sends a potentially horrible message to the people playing. As for specific examples, do a search on "hyper-sexualized", and you'll find that the term is used in complaints against the content of movies, music, advertising, and other media. The results specific to video games go into examples you can find if you want to read those articles. I didn't want to address the topic of specific examples because I believe that there has been enough written about them by myself and others. My purpose in this post was to ask if such content in games is being put in consciously and for good reason as opposed to being thrown in on a whim with no thought to how it would impact the overall vision for a game. Novack, I didn’t say anything about what exactly offends women or doesn’t offend men; however, there is a difference between tasteful sexual content and content for titillation’s sake. I didn’t say that sexy was offensive. You can have sexy characters in a game, and it wouldn’t be offensive. I’m all for sexy characters. The problem with gender portrayal in games, and other media for that matter, is that it tends to be misogynistic and/or chauvinistic, and it sends a potentially horrible message to the people playing.

As for specific examples, do a search on “hyper-sexualized”, and you’ll find that the term is used in complaints against the content of movies, music, advertising, and other media. The results specific to video games go into examples you can find if you want to read those articles. I didn’t want to address the topic of specific examples because I believe that there has been enough written about them by myself and others. My purpose in this post was to ask if such content in games is being put in consciously and for good reason as opposed to being thrown in on a whim with no thought to how it would impact the overall vision for a game.

]]> By: Novack http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55786 Novack Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:15:07 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55786 I dont get it. Why do you think that a sexy-well defined elf girl its ofensive for a woman, and a warrior with the muscles of Hulk Hogan, the armor of a medieval night and the sword of He-Man, its not to a man? Maybe you should explain a little more what exaclty do you mean by "hyper-sexualized", or even say what game/s are you thinking that shows your point. I dont get it. Why do you think that a sexy-well defined elf girl its ofensive for a woman, and a warrior with the muscles of Hulk Hogan, the armor of a medieval night and the sword of He-Man, its not to a man?

Maybe you should explain a little more what exaclty do you mean by “hyper-sexualized”, or even say what game/s are you thinking that shows your point.

]]> By: Round Table: December ‘07 - UPDATE 12/31 : Man Bytes Blog http://gbgames.com/blog/2007/12/gender-portrayal-and-the-meaning-of-game-elements/comment-page-1/#comment-55784 Round Table: December ‘07 - UPDATE 12/31 : Man Bytes Blog Mon, 31 Dec 2007 10:35:30 +0000 http://gbgames.com/blog/?p=686#comment-55784 [...] of GBGames chimes in with an excellent question about Gender Portrayal and the Meaning of Game Elements. Go and see if you can answer [...] [...] of GBGames chimes in with an excellent question about Gender Portrayal and the Meaning of Game Elements. Go and see if you can answer [...]

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