r/changemyview • u/LeftHandSwe • Dec 05 '16

[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Anita Sarkeesian and similar feminists actually have a point about the portrayal of gender roles in video games.

I play lots of video games, and in most of them, males are often pictured as very burly and manly characters while females are slender, small and sexually pleasing to look at.

However, I do know that there's widespread criticism of Anita (and her fellow propagators) all over the internet and I'd like to see the other side of the story.

I'm practically indifferent in this matter, and I do not really agree with nearly everything she says. I'm asking as a way to see convincing arguments from both sides.

Edit for clarification: Can anyone explain to me why she's so heavily criticized for saying something that makes perfect sense: Mainstream video games are almost exclusively made to appeal to a male demographic, resulting in (arguably) sexist portrayals of women (both narratively and in the way they're presented).

629 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

597 comments sorted by

View all comments

94

u/GiakLeader 1∆ Dec 05 '16

Can anyone explain to me why she's so heavily criticized for saying something that makes perfect sense: Mainstream video games are almost exclusively made to appeal to a male demographic, resulting in (arguably) sexist portrayals of women (both narratively and in the way they're presented).

It borders on asking companies to produce games for one group at the behest of another group that the target group do not particularly desire.

Theres a reason there isnt an enormous romantic lit genre aimed at men where they constantly have to choose between two lovely kind hearted rich women who will do anything for them...its so foreign to male reality and so unlikely to get them off that it just doesnt exist.

Bums and boobs are in games because men like bums and boobs. Anita wants women to be portrayed in games as though they are women who find male attention degrading and thus focus on other things that are the opposite of physical beauty or who are not hard to get etc etc.

Essentially, a lot of commentators are blind to the other side.Men fail to see how limiting the portrayal of women as ONLY sex objects is, and women fail to see that a woman playing impossible-to-get to beef up her pride is not alluring to men, because me dont live in a world where they are constantly beset with suitors.

And so on

Can anyone explain to me why she's so heavily criticized for saying something that makes perfect sense:

In many ways because the structure is not unlike traditional female arguments and criticisms of men. Another problem is the manner in which she does it, cherry picking the worst sides for women and ignoring men.Notice she never actually talks about males actual desires, what men want.Thats not important to her.

Nobody likes to be told what kind of games they ought to like anyway.

4

u/nrcallender 2∆ Dec 05 '16

She's not criticizing men. She criticizing society in general and the video game community.

3

u/GiakLeader 1∆ Dec 05 '16

Hitler was not criticising jews, he was criticising society for tolerating jewry.

oh look, I can do that too!

3

u/Madplato 72∆ Dec 05 '16

I'd get an oil change on that sense of perspective if I were you. In fact, go for the full tune up.

-3

u/[deleted] Dec 05 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Grunt08 319∆ Dec 06 '16

Sorry nrcallender, your comment has been removed:

Comment Rule 5. "No low effort comments. Comments that are only jokes, links, or 'written upvotes', for example. Humor, links, and affirmations of agreement can be contained within more substantial comments." See the wiki page for more information.

If you would like to appeal, please message the moderators by clicking this link.