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TL;DR - scroll to the bottom
First off: I'm not a huge fan of Kotaku in the first place (yes, they're idiots as it regards PC gaming, I know. I KNOW), but I do peruse it regularly enough to notice a sort-of trend being established over there.
It seemed to start with Duke Nukem and the huge article published before their own review over that games' overt misogyny and 'sexist' content. Then, there was an article calling out the use of the word 'bitch' in the Catwoman sections in Arkham City. Then, another article regarding a panel that discussed male developers and female design stereotypes in games.
Now, they're on about all of the female characters in Arkham City being portrayed as too sexualized. I don't get it. Did they play the first game? If so, where was the outrage about Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn's outfits when Arkham Asylum debuted? Why is it a problem now, in the second game, from the same developer, carrying essentially the same characters over but dressing them differently?
There should be strong positive female role models in games, I agree. The video game industry, comic book industry, and most popcorn action flicks are all big proponents of the 'eye candy' standard for the large majority of their female characters that are put on display in the media that they produce, sure.
I know my viewpoint is flawed, because, I'm male and don't complain about super-attractive female characters that aren't that intellectually deep in my games. That said, my decision to play or enjoy a game isn't based on all of the female characters being equipped with huge ta-ta's and clad in skimpy outfits either. It's not even a bullet point in the reasons I play games, really. It's something that I judge based on the source. I expect female characters to be what they are based on the material. I consider the source.
A game like COD or Battlefield, about shooting everything that moves, and blowing everything to kingdom come isn't going to give me pause if the source material doesn't provide me with a strong heroine with staunch feminist viewpoints as a narrative addition.
A game like Mass Effect, rolling a female Commander Shepard, I expect that woman to be decisive, intelligent, and capable. Anything less would pull you directly out of the story and the world they've built around the character and the experience that got them to that point. Mass Effect may be a dodgy example due to the, um, attributes of certain supporting cast members, but you can sex up everybody on all sides in that game so maybe all is fair there?
I digress
My problem with Kotaku's new found feminist stance in certain articles is that, one, they have a severe double standard at play.
One - a semi-recent example that comes to mind is that they loved 'Shadows of the Damned'. That game was 12 hours of some the most immature dick jokes ever, rapid fire style. The female character in that game was never more than about 50% clothed for most of the game, and only when she wasn't being savagely torn to pieces by demons in brutal and disgusting fashion at multiple points in every chapter. Violence against women is, to me me personally, more offensive, but there wasn't really any mention of that in the review.
Was it 'ok' because of the horror setting at play in that game - Demons, hell, and creepy rape scenario's included. If so, why does the horror genre get a pass?
Two, they seem to lack focus in their message. They call for the industry as a whole to change it's ways across all games, but fail to address the core issues where, in a game like Arkham City, all the people calling Catwoman a 'bitch' are essentially insanely violent felons. Am I to expect all those people to speak eloquently while some willowy chick is bashing their heads into the concrete? Do all felons in the prison system treat women with respect and admiration, while speaking like ivy-league graduates during their incarceration?
Maybe the devs should have toned it down some, I'll find out this weekend when I play it.
Perhaps Kotaku should have called out the games' use of inappropriate amounts of 'bad' language in a T rated game, if it was so appalling, or instead addressed the concern of too-sexy characters and naughty language for the intended target audience. Instead, they went off preaching to the entire audience as adults for a game with material based on comic books, of all things, to suddenly take the high road. Are they supposed to reduce every female two cup sizes, and put all the characters in baggy, non-form fitting clothes.
Last I checked Batman and Robin wear skin tight body suits and have rippling ridiculous amounts muscles that would make a male stripper jealous. Wheres the outrage on perpetuating male body standards there? Are all the writers at Kotaku Abercrombie models who can't relate? (Note: they are not, if you've seen any of them)
I'm thinking, they should consider the source before hitting the soap box with a sledge maul. It smacks of wishy-washy and smells of double standards. Baiting for page views to be the one gaming site that 'takes a stand' for the females in the audience, especially when it's done so transparently, reeks of shallow journalism
I'm curious if anyone else has noticed that trend at play over there? If so, what do you think about it?
_______________________________________________________________________
TL;DR
Kotaku seems to be putting out a wishy-washy double standard in articles addressing the quality of Female characters and strong Feminist values in gaming, and other entertainment industries
Kotaku seems to be guilty of speaking out of both sides of their mouth
thoughts?
First off: I'm not a huge fan of Kotaku in the first place (yes, they're idiots as it regards PC gaming, I know. I KNOW), but I do peruse it regularly enough to notice a sort-of trend being established over there.
It seemed to start with Duke Nukem and the huge article published before their own review over that games' overt misogyny and 'sexist' content. Then, there was an article calling out the use of the word 'bitch' in the Catwoman sections in Arkham City. Then, another article regarding a panel that discussed male developers and female design stereotypes in games.
Now, they're on about all of the female characters in Arkham City being portrayed as too sexualized. I don't get it. Did they play the first game? If so, where was the outrage about Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn's outfits when Arkham Asylum debuted? Why is it a problem now, in the second game, from the same developer, carrying essentially the same characters over but dressing them differently?
There should be strong positive female role models in games, I agree. The video game industry, comic book industry, and most popcorn action flicks are all big proponents of the 'eye candy' standard for the large majority of their female characters that are put on display in the media that they produce, sure.
I know my viewpoint is flawed, because, I'm male and don't complain about super-attractive female characters that aren't that intellectually deep in my games. That said, my decision to play or enjoy a game isn't based on all of the female characters being equipped with huge ta-ta's and clad in skimpy outfits either. It's not even a bullet point in the reasons I play games, really. It's something that I judge based on the source. I expect female characters to be what they are based on the material. I consider the source.
A game like COD or Battlefield, about shooting everything that moves, and blowing everything to kingdom come isn't going to give me pause if the source material doesn't provide me with a strong heroine with staunch feminist viewpoints as a narrative addition.
A game like Mass Effect, rolling a female Commander Shepard, I expect that woman to be decisive, intelligent, and capable. Anything less would pull you directly out of the story and the world they've built around the character and the experience that got them to that point. Mass Effect may be a dodgy example due to the, um, attributes of certain supporting cast members, but you can sex up everybody on all sides in that game so maybe all is fair there?
I digress
My problem with Kotaku's new found feminist stance in certain articles is that, one, they have a severe double standard at play.
One - a semi-recent example that comes to mind is that they loved 'Shadows of the Damned'. That game was 12 hours of some the most immature dick jokes ever, rapid fire style. The female character in that game was never more than about 50% clothed for most of the game, and only when she wasn't being savagely torn to pieces by demons in brutal and disgusting fashion at multiple points in every chapter. Violence against women is, to me me personally, more offensive, but there wasn't really any mention of that in the review.
Was it 'ok' because of the horror setting at play in that game - Demons, hell, and creepy rape scenario's included. If so, why does the horror genre get a pass?
Two, they seem to lack focus in their message. They call for the industry as a whole to change it's ways across all games, but fail to address the core issues where, in a game like Arkham City, all the people calling Catwoman a 'bitch' are essentially insanely violent felons. Am I to expect all those people to speak eloquently while some willowy chick is bashing their heads into the concrete? Do all felons in the prison system treat women with respect and admiration, while speaking like ivy-league graduates during their incarceration?
Maybe the devs should have toned it down some, I'll find out this weekend when I play it.
Perhaps Kotaku should have called out the games' use of inappropriate amounts of 'bad' language in a T rated game, if it was so appalling, or instead addressed the concern of too-sexy characters and naughty language for the intended target audience. Instead, they went off preaching to the entire audience as adults for a game with material based on comic books, of all things, to suddenly take the high road. Are they supposed to reduce every female two cup sizes, and put all the characters in baggy, non-form fitting clothes.
Last I checked Batman and Robin wear skin tight body suits and have rippling ridiculous amounts muscles that would make a male stripper jealous. Wheres the outrage on perpetuating male body standards there? Are all the writers at Kotaku Abercrombie models who can't relate? (Note: they are not, if you've seen any of them)
I'm thinking, they should consider the source before hitting the soap box with a sledge maul. It smacks of wishy-washy and smells of double standards. Baiting for page views to be the one gaming site that 'takes a stand' for the females in the audience, especially when it's done so transparently, reeks of shallow journalism
I'm curious if anyone else has noticed that trend at play over there? If so, what do you think about it?
_______________________________________________________________________
TL;DR
Kotaku seems to be putting out a wishy-washy double standard in articles addressing the quality of Female characters and strong Feminist values in gaming, and other entertainment industries
Kotaku seems to be guilty of speaking out of both sides of their mouth
thoughts?
