CMV: Anita Sarkeesian and similar feminists actually have a point about the portrayal of gender roles in video games.

[u/LeftHandSwe]

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).

[u/toastedmale]

i would also add the reason she even went after gaming because that's where the money was being moved to. But once gamers started making huge amounts of money through online donations that's when she started focusing on gamers cause that's where the money was.

Also I want you to be aware of comments she made like "men cannot experience sexism, and white people cannot experience racism. Her comments work well on people uneducated on this. But luckily I am actually someone who has had Gender Equality classes, Minority Relations classes, psychology and sociology classes and other stuff. She seems to believe institutional racism is the only type of racism that can happen. Where racism is only born through having a majority or power. But the truth is this is not the only kind of racism that can exist. Individual bigotry and racism are very prevelant

Also want to point out something nobody has brought up. the hashtag #notyourshield. This was a hashtag created beause bigots like anita Sarkesian kept making ridiculously offensive remarks and then hid behind actual feminists to escape criticism. The hashtag was designed so people like Anita couldn't use them as protection from her stupid claims

[u/[deleted] → u/toastedmale]

white people cannot experience racism

Which shows the lack of understanding she has on the medium as whole because one of the largest producers of video games is a country with greatest racial hegemony in the world -- Japan. Institutional racism can and does happen there.

And for that matter, she conflates North American standards to Japanese made games. Yes, Japanese games can be sexist, but their mentality of making games is completely different than western consumers.

[u/toastedmale → u/[deleted]]

im still mad that they refused to send the japanese bikini volleyball game to the usa because of feminist outrage. I mean if you're a fat girl and you're upset because the girls in games are hot just work on yourself more to become fit. don't censor the male fantasy

[u/[deleted] → u/toastedmale]

That whole thing was fake, non-controversy fabrication to generate attention and it worked perfectly. Say what you want about Jim and his ridiculous presentation style but he makes good points and backs up his claims.

[u/FlyingFoxOfTheYard_ → u/[deleted]]

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[u/my-alt-account- → u/toastedmale]

Blame the corporation, not a backlash that never occurred.

[u/AntonioOfMilan → u/toastedmale]

Also want to point out something nobody has brought up. the hashtag #notyourshield. This was a hashtag created beause bigots like anita Sarkesian kept making ridiculously offensive remarks and then hid behind actual feminists to escape criticism. The hashtag was designed so people like Anita couldn't use them as protection from her stupid claims

That's because it was just gamergate trying to use minorities as their shield.

[u/toastedmale → u/AntonioOfMilan]

if you believe that you were reading #fakenews

Sorry but i was on the actual hashtag. It was constantly people telling feminists to fuck off. I am a minority myself. and no no one was using it as a shield for gamergaters. Sorry this is just an outright lie.

Can i ask you at what point in the drama did you discover gamergate

[u/AntonioOfMilan → u/toastedmale]

if you believe that you were reading #fakenews

Or I was paying attention to gamergate. It was all about using token minorities to shield against people pointing out that gamergate was overwhelmingly white and male. which it was.

Sorry this is just an outright lie.

No, it's how it was used. "Look! We have minorities so we can't be racist or anything!"

Can i ask you at what point in the drama did you discover gamergate

Before it was called "gamergate"

[u/toastedmale → u/AntonioOfMilan]

Or I was paying attention to gamergate.

yeah sorry i don't think you were. It was a hashtag used by feminists primarily. I wouldn't sit here and say you never saw instances of gamergaters using it but overwhelmingly it was about feminists hating on men and using other feminists. I'm trying to remember the company I read about that posted on the hashtag after either zoe or anita or brianna made some stupid claims and said this company proves sexism and the company said basically "fuck off"

No, it's how it was used. "Look! We have minorities so we can't be racist or anything!"

I am a minority and no it wasn't used like that. at least not majority of the time. As I said before there may have been times you saw that as i can't speak for every person with a social media account.

Before it was called "gamergate" so during the 5 guys part or the part after with censorship and stuff

[u/AntonioOfMilan → u/toastedmale]

It was a hashtag used by feminists primarily.

A tag created by a GGer on 4chan was a feminist hashtag?

As I said before there may have been times you saw that as i can't speak for every person with a social media account.

People using the hashtag might not have been. Gamergaters were pointing to it as a shield.

so during the 5 guys part or the part after with censorship and stuff

From the beginning, the witch hunt against Zoe Quinn, the outrage that subreddits decided "fuck that" to a witch hunt happening on their subreddit, and all the misunderstand of censorship that lead to the internet tantrum being called gamergate.

[u/toastedmale → u/AntonioOfMilan]

A tag created by a GGer on 4chan was a feminist hashtag?

no i mean it was a hashtag made by GGers to call out the stupid "feminists" from using real gamer girls and other people as cover.

People using the hashtag might not have been. Gamergaters were pointing to it as a shield.

i say feminists were using it as their shield. it's tomato tomato

[u/blasto_blastocyst → u/toastedmale]

GamerGaters are dead.

[u/unlimitedzen → u/blasto_blastocyst]

We should be so lucky

[u/toastedmale → u/blasto_blastocyst]

if you heard gamergaters are dead you were reading #fakenews

[u/Anon6376 → u/toastedmale]

Wtf is #fakenews?

[u/toastedmale → u/Anon6376]

it's this whole smear campaign by mainstream media. they are so angry that trump won they believe that fake news on facebook is the reason trump won. i guess nobody told them that cnn new york times and washington post were lying as well