gender and media project
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Gender and Media Project
Sex and Gender in video games
By Josh Taub
![Page 2: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Typical female game characters:
![Page 3: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Why is this the dominant representation of women in video games?
Because the largest demographic that plays video games are young men.
These are the type of female characters the typical gamer wants to see
![Page 4: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
However, the audience for video games is rapidly changing.
Women, homosexuals, and other groups that aren’t typically associated with video games are now becoming a substantial part of the video game user base.
![Page 5: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
This shift had led to both calls for more diversity and better representations of women in games…
![Page 6: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
…and to much resistance and backlash by gaming’s original straight-male audience
![Page 7: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
The Anita Sarkeesian Debacle
This women ran a kickstarter campaign to fund a series of videos examining sexism in video games
![Page 8: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
… It did not go well for her
![Page 9: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
The unrelenting harassment and misogyny Sarkeesian faced sparked a newfound interest and debate on the issue of women and feminism in video games
Something of a martyr figure for feminism-minded gamers, the abuse Sarkeesian endured became the quintessential example of the gender issues facing video games.
![Page 10: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Ironically, Sarkeesian’s vocal, hateful detractors ended up inadvertently kicking the video game feminism debate into high gear.
Gender issues and sexism in video games are much more discussed now than they were before the Sarkeesian incident
![Page 11: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
For the record:
There is nothing wrong with straight men enjoying looking at attractive women in entertainment products.
Sexy female video game characters are not an inherently bad thing, and we should not tell people that they aren’t allowed to have something that they enjoy
![Page 12: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The issue is that EVERYBODY should be able to enjoy video games, not just straight white males.
There should be a place for women and other groups in this industry and culture as well. There should be more games and characters that reflect the interests of these audiences, and they should be able to play and enjoy games without fear of harassment or sexism from the community.
It’s not that we need much less of this:
It’s that we need much more of this:
![Page 13: Gender and media project](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062419/55804195d8b42ae32c8b46d1/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Hopefully the day when EVERYONE of all genders and races can enjoy video games will come soon