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[Metalsie]

Let me know when RPGs actually start doing that, and I'll support them.

Don't most? I mean the first RPG video games I think of are the Elder Scrolls and Fallout, neither of which affect stats based on the character's sex.

EDIT: Oh fuck all these ninjas.

no most overly sexualize their women, for starters. But if you look at earlier elder scrolls games, such as morrowind, if you go the house hlaalu route, you can purchase female slaves as wives for your men. And to get hortator, you have to purchase a dunmer female slave to marry the ashlander chieftain of one tribe. It's a very androcentric game.

Oblivion and Skyrim were better, tbh.

Fallout was also done by Bethesda, though it has a history of being neutral on this stuff. Including with sexuality.

The games you are listing are exceptional though, as well as general exceptions to the rule. If you look at most MMOs out there, the clothing, the proportions, everything about women is just demeaning. The entire thing is geared towards gamer males.

Not to mention the overwhelming majority of games that have a male protagonist. And even if you get a powerful female, they devolve into tears when the strong male lead shows up, suddenly unable to help themselves.

edit: just going to ignore the obvious troll account.

Urist, did you really reeeally use WoW as an example? Have you seen the female night elves?

edit: not to mention some of the sexist comments by devs. I got into a debate on an ESO forum about there that ended in a female telling me I was only feminist because I didn't have a man and she "felt sorry for me" christ.

http://comegetthavoodoo.blogspot.com/2014/06/rob-pardo-is-sexist-asshole.html

I see, all you can do is call me a troll when you are in the wrong. Dont ask anyone to take you seriously with that attitude.

[XXXXYYYY]

Because that group are their main consumers. You said women are almost half of gamers, but that is all games, including casual ones. For the titles you mentioned (COD/assassin's creed), men are still the main audience. It's consumer targeting.

Basically this. It's a bullshit feedback loop fueled by money. One group buys a game > Marketing starts to put a larger amount of money to advertising to that group > that group buys the game more >Marketing puts an even larger amount of money to advertising to that group etc.
Over time, this has led to the completely ridiculous ads you sometimes see.
Most of the time, the games don't even do that kind of stuff in the beginning, but then marketing starts saying "Ok, we need this and that to boost sales" [MMO armor. seriously.], and then the game is tarnished by that.

Of course, some gave devs are sexist dicks, but the amount of them (per capita of game devs) should be roughly the same as the amount in a larger population. Often, as far as I can tell, they (the game devs) are forced to do this shit on danger of losing their jobs.

Slowly, they're realizing that they'd make more money if they stopped this crap, and are tuning it back. Still, MMO armor.

Took a while, but still relevant, I think.

[Urist Tilaturist]

None of these cases involve the female PC being blocked or hindered from doing things because of her gender. The game world being full of sexist arseholes does not mean the game is sexist. The stupid female "armour" does, but it does not directly affect the gameplay.

I'll admit that I don't play WoW, partly because of the stupid-looking gear, but it seems to me that gender does not block players from doing things. It is all in the portrayal.

[Dyret]

Even characters like Laura Croft and Samus have, in more recent times, be rewritten to be fragile victims that need the orders of men or mindlessly follow them.

I've heard nothing good about that Metroid game, but I think you're being a bit unfair to the new Tomb Raider. Croft in that game is written as a kid fresh out of university. Everyone comes from somewhere. I can see how the mentor character being male can be unfortunate from a certain point of view, but she spends more time saving him than the other way around, and he's eventually stuffed in the fridge, so it all kind of works out. Besides, the game seems to follow the series standard of having everyone important be a woman otherwise.

[Urist Tilaturist]

Stuffed in the fridge? In some kind of Jeffrey Dahmer type incident, or for cryogenesis?

Again, haven't played the game...

[Putnam]

Stuffed in the fridge? In some kind of Jeffrey Dahmer type incident, or for cryogenesis?

Again, haven't played the game...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Refrigerators

[smeeprocket]

None of these cases involve the female PC being blocked or hindered from doing things because of her gender. The game world being full of sexist arseholes does not mean the game is sexist. The stupid female "armour" does, but it does not directly affect the gameplay.

I'll admit that I don't play WoW, partly because of the stupid-looking gear, but it seems to me that gender does not block players from doing things. It is all in the portrayal.

you're literally just ignoring stuff I posted, and then taking examples of stuff that alienates women gamers (and as I said they are almost half the buyers, so yea, they are buying these games, it's just the industry is male dominated,) and saying it doesn't count. Oh it's okay if women are demeaned and objectified in your game because that doesn't prevent women from playing. wuh?

Putnam: you like comics? Have you heard about Bitch Planet. I am stoked about it's release but I can't aoffrd comics anymore. :/

[Urist Tilaturist]

No, it doesn't prevent women from playing. It might stop them from enjoying it as much, but it doesn't stop them from playing.

If I took over WoW I would put all the female warriors into sensible armour like the men, and put more clothes on most people, but nasty rulers can keep their concubines because that's what nasty rulers do.

[Dyret]

but nasty rulers can keep their concubines because that's what nasty rulers do.

That and getting progressively more derailed so Blizzard can have raid bosses, apparently. I'm glad I stopped caring about the lore after WC3.

[smeeprocket]

No, it doesn't prevent women from playing. It might stop them from enjoying it as much, but it doesn't stop them from playing.

If I took over WoW I would put all the female warriors into sensible armour like the men, and put more clothes on most people, but nasty rulers can keep their concubines because that's what nasty rulers do.

I'm not trying to criticize you before I say this, but...

You, as a male (and there's nothing inherently wrong with that,) aren't really capable of understanding what is going to alienate or make women gamers feel unwelcome.

You are arguing that it is okay that they get less enjoyment from the game, and that nothing changes and we maintain the status quo. If your enjoyment was being prevented by sexism towards your gender in almost all games, wouldn't you want that to change? Shouldn't it change?

It's not just visuals anyway, the article talks about quests and interactions that are also sexist. and this is true of all these games. The objectification is just the start.

[XXXXYYYY]

For a few examples of the shit I was referencing before, view into the spoiler.

Spoiler: Remember these? (NSFW because BS marketing) (will remove if against forum guidelines) (click to show/hide)

That crap sickens me.
"Woo, let's objectify women for sales!"
Fuck. That. Shit.

[barely holding in long angry rant about people]

Stuffed in the fridge? In some kind of Jeffrey Dahmer type incident, or for cryogenesis?

Again, haven't played the game...

As in killed. It's a trope.

[smeeprocket]

Gawd, yea Wartune. Every time I see those ads I rage inside.

[Graknorke]

For a few examples of the shit I was referencing before, view into the spoiler.

Spoiler: Remember these? (NSFW because BS marketing) (will remove if against forum guidelines) (click to show/hide)

I always did wonder which shitty marketing firm advises that this is a good ad. Like, who is that actually going to get to buy their thing.

[smeeprocket]

For a few examples of the shit I was referencing before, view into the spoiler.

Spoiler: Remember these? (NSFW because BS marketing) (will remove if against forum guidelines) (click to show/hide)

I always did wonder which shitty marketing firm advises that this is a good ad. Like, who is that actually going to get to buy their thing.

they were up for awhile and may still be up, so someone is buying into it.

[pisskop]

Hunh?  Those dont operate on the Facebook game principle?

Free to P(l)ay?