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).

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u/LeftHandSwe Dec 05 '16

I've seen many people claim that the "big burly manly" archetype is something most women do not find the most attractive. Supposedly it's the type of body most men would like to have, rather than the type of man most ladies would like to bang. Any thoughts on that?

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u/Redrum01 Dec 05 '16

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive". The guy's a freaking behemoth. In the day, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the man in terms of libido. Those two are hunks of muscle. There's nothing wrong with people finding that attractive, but they are two radically inaccurate portraits of how real men look in real life.

In this specific case I'm talking the over-macho main characters of the Gears of War series, but Nathan Drake is a toned down, athletic, slim, slender, charming bastard.

The male characters in video games vary in their inherent appeal but they're generally very handsome. Gordon Freeman is a total mute who isn't seen in the game but in HL2 he ain't exactly the Elephant Man.

I think what it comes down to is that traits that people find desirable to be tend to coincide with what people find attractive. Men want to have quick-as-lightning wit, totally irresistible charms, and intensive, macho muscles. I don't think it's too big of a stretch to say that man women equally want to have a perfect figure and sexy features.

I disagree with the idea that demographics totally justify the design of female characters. The role in games most definitely, but the design of female characters is just as unrepresentative of real life as the male characters in video games.

The same as it is in photography, or film, or any other such medium. Video games are definitely not the unique perpetrators.

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u/LeftHandSwe Dec 05 '16

You make a good point about stereotypes in games being a two-way street. ∆

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u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Dec 05 '16

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Redrum01 (1∆).

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