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[Neonivek]

Leaving this here.

It just falls under the same old "Attributing traits to gender that simply do not exist", just the same old sexism in a different coat of paint. Similar to the "We need to make men more manly by introducing kids to sports", because sports are apparently inherently masculine.

There is a deeper reason then the ones the article gives as to why the "Gaming community is so obsessed with masculine narratives", and by deeper I mean simpler. How else without fundamentally changing the game?

But that is just my opinion on it.

There are few things I accept as masculine and feminine... and I actually consider Macho and Masculine, Effeminate and Feminine... to be unrelated.

Performance of masculinity requires the rejection of femininity in games as well

For example this... There is no inherent contradiction here.

In fact one of the major criticisms to the Silent Hill Movie was that they replaced the male protagonist with a female one, which was seen as a way to tell the audience that a father couldn't be as maternal, loving, or driven as a mother could. In this case the movie was siting the contradiction.

Even the opposite holds true, many characters have remained feminine without anything this article would consider masculine, be a contradiction of her character. It is only recently where "woman" has meant weakness (Thank you Other M and Tomb Raider)

I should read it closer and more thuroghly but I am exhausted and wanted to catch up to this thread while giving this a reference point. But that is my loose thoughts after reading a few lines... well the highlights... and two paragraphs.

[Rolan7]

Even the opposite holds true, many characters have remained feminine without anything this article would consider masculine, be a contradiction of her character. It is only recently where "woman" has meant weakness (Thank you Other M and Tomb Raider)

Agreed on Other M, but I don't think Lara's weakness had anything to do with being a woman.  She was just a young academic who'd never been in a life or death situation.  She was like that electronics guy who has a crush on her, except apparently a lot tougher or more desperate to survive and fight for her friends.

Women have been weak in games since Donkey Kong and earlier though.  Almost always helpless damsels, being rescued or relegated to healing.  I think it's actually less common these days...  Maybe because it's lazy writing, and people are tired of it.  Still happens a lot though, particularly in lazy but safe AAA games.

Edit: I didn't actually read the article because I couldn't follow the first paragraph, it was heavily relying on a term I'm not familiar with.  I skimmed two of the PDFs off to the right though and thought they made some interesting points.

[EnigmaticHat]

Masculinity loses its status and many of the related perks, if gamers allow games where conquest and conflict, objectification of women, and rugged male protagonists are not prominent to be accepted in the gaming space. …if they allow games that are not about male performance to stand.

The masculine performers don’t reflect that well on why they feel threatened, but lash out in response nonetheless. They scream fake geek, collusion, corruption, SJW agenda, whenever any non-masculine performance or performer gets any traction or whenever their devices to perform masculinity are criticized.

How do games like Beyond Good and Evil, Mirror's Edge or Thief fit into that narrative. Mirror's Edge / Beyond good and Evil have a female protagonist, and aren't violent. Thief on the expert difficulty emphasizes non-violent solutions. I'd say games like those challenge what the author is talking about. I've never seen anyone attack games like that for not being macho enough, in fact they're widely praised. Almost all the troll attacks have been reactionary - in defense of particular games they like, rather than attacking specific games for being non-macho.

There are really countless games that go against what he is saying that have widespread praise, and are not being torn down, which really invalidates everything he's saying. The idea that the misogynist trolls go around trying to stomp out games that don't fit the cis white male protag violence agenda doesn't seen to be in line with reality.

I think that the first paragraph you quoted was an overreach on the part of the author.  However, the previous paragraph was absolutely dead spot on, and the second paragraph you quoted is essentially out of context without that one.  The article as a whole still works in my opinion, as the concept of masculinity is hugely prevalent in gaming, to the point where progressive games like the Bioware's recent offerings are mainly analyzed in terms of their differences from the rest of the genre.  I will give you that there is not an angry horde of gamers going around quashing non-masculine games, but there IS a horde of angry gamers trying to silence female voices in the gaming community, which is what the second paragraph you quoted was talking about.

There are few things I accept as masculine and feminine... and I actually consider Macho and Masculine, Effeminate and Feminine... to be unrelated.

"Masculine" and "feminine" are being used to refer to cultural constructions rather than the actual physical meaning of gender.  The author was talking about what those words normally considered to mean (which is a huge argument, but one with some decently solid answers) rather than what you consider them to mean.

There is a deeper reason then the ones the article gives as to why the "Gaming community is so obsessed with masculine narratives", and by deeper I mean simpler. How else without fundamentally changing the game?

Yes, by definition if the games were different they would be different.  The question is why people care.  Games fundamentally changed when gaming switched to 3D.  That does not make the gamers of that time "obsessed with 2D".  Clearly there is something more than simple resistance to change when it comes to gamers and masculinity.

Performance of masculinity requires the rejection of femininity in games as well

For example this... There is no inherent contradiction here.

Yes, there is, because the conventional definition of masculine includes "not feminine".  Hilary Clinton wears a suit, Obama does not wear a dress if he wants to have a political career.  (sorry for that image, it was the fastest way I could make a rather large point)

[Caz]

Yes, there is, because the conventional definition of masculine includes "not feminine".  Hilary Clinton wears a suit, Obama does not wear a dress if he wants to have a political career.  (sorry for that image, it was the fastest way I could make a rather large point)

Obama in a dress would be pretty hot. I think true equality will come once men aren't ashamed to be seen as feminine. It works the other way around currently, but...

[AlleeCat]

the white dude behind Master Chief's mask!

I could honestly imagine Master Chief being black, but unfortunately, the novels ruined that by describing him as some redheaded white dude. All we know about him from the games is that he kicks a lot of ass and has a deep dudely voice, and then the books ruined it by telling us what he looks like.

Yes, there is, because the conventional definition of masculine includes "not feminine".  Hilary Clinton wears a suit, Obama does not wear a dress if he wants to have a political career.  (sorry for that image, it was the fastest way I could make a rather large point)

Obama in a dress would be pretty hot. I think true equality will come once men aren't ashamed to be seen as feminine. It works the other way around currently, but...

I remember seeing a guy who pulled off a dress really well, actually. He wasn't trans or a drag queen or anything. Just a guy in a dress, and he looked pretty good.

[My Name is Immaterial]

the white dude behind Master Chief's mask!

I could honestly imagine Master Chief being black, but unfortunately, the novels ruined that by describing him as some redheaded white dude. All we know about him from the games is that he kicks a lot of ass and has a deep dudely voice, and then the books ruined it by telling us what he looks like.

But it's words. Not pictures. You get to imagine what the author didn't write.
I'm a confused man. I think I get your point: he could have been anything, the ultimate Gary Stu, but the books codified his background.

Also, Franchise development director Frank O'Connor described John-117 as “an older man, almost painfully pale, almost albino white, with pale blue eyes, reddish hair, close cropped to a skin head, and maybe the last remnants of freckles he had when he was a kid.” However, the wiki page lists him as having brown hair.

[AlleeCat]

Wiki page is false according to pretty much every description of him I've read. He's always a redhead. Someone should get on that.

[Sheb]

I do look pretty nice in a Dirndl, I swear I have a picture somewhere.

[Graknorke]

I will give you that there is not an angry horde of gamers going around quashing non-masculine games, but there IS a horde of angry gamers trying to silence female voices in the gaming community

For example?

[Urist Tilaturist]

Well, my first concern there would be racism more than sexism, though if she's local or disassociated from the western cultural sphere then I think that won't be much of an issue.

From there I personally think the only thing that needs to be done is: avoid reliance on sexual assault or other trauma to build her strength (use other sources of psychological discomfort), avoid needlessly sexual attire (doubly because she's supposed to be 12 O_O), don't have her become too reliant on male characters (or rather, if there is a reliance, make it not overwhelmingly go one way and be more of a partnership)*, and once she's passed the terrified->capable summit, avoid making her seem pitiable if she's injured or dies. Though before that I personally think it makes in-world logical sense for her to not be a super badass, and contrasting prior vulnerability to the sort of action-survival heroine with psychological baggage she's supposed to end up as.

Of course the age makes a lot of these lesser issues in the first place since audiences will already be put off if you either sexualize or brutally murder a kid (which eliminates a lot of the vaguely sexual brutality which might receive tentative criticism). If you're really concerned I'd fly the game by people who've done gender studies or otherwise familiarized themselves with gender in media and might be better equipped to identify potential issues.

* complicated by being a young character at the start, though this could establish some of that "toughness" by having people who offer her help try using her for child-labor or otherwise abusing her in a way that doesn't rely on the first point since it is overplayed, and the point is to escape from that rut.

His premise was to set the game in Somalia or somewhere similar, a rather horrible and unequal place. Let me run through each point with regards to the setting:

Racism: I am not sure why you would be so worried about racism, since I doubt the developer was planning to make caricature black characters as in "Tintin au Congo". Such a game would not appeal to many nowadays. Why would racism be not a risk if she was "disassociated from the western cultural sphere", whatever that means? If you mean that she is a Somali, then that is of course more likely, unless she is the only white survivor of a pirate attack or something like that.

Sexual assault: Being raped does not build anyone's strength, so that is bogus anyway. Rape is common in Somalia, especially of young girls, so the character may have been raped and it is not sexist to portray it.

Needlessly sexual attire: Somali girls, being mostly Muslim, do not wear sexual attire, but if her clothing has been damaged or lost it may reveal more skin than she likes. Obviously she will not be showing off her body on purpose, and will try to find more suitable clothes if she has none, but the damage inflicted on somebody's clothing should not be affected by our squeamish morality!

Reliance on male characters: She's a 12 year old girl in a civil war. If she does not find an older, more experienced mentor, most likely but not certainly male, she will get wrecked hard, even if only by dying of thirst or hunger. Your concerns about this could be solved by making the mentor female. Obviously the partnership between a 12 year old and a 30 year old will not be equal. The mentor can be kind or abusive, but will not see a 12 year old as an equal - would you?

Terrified/capable summit: Does not exist. Experienced soldiers are still usually terrified. They just function regardless.

Avoid making pitiable in death: Anyone retching as she slowly bleeds to death from a shot in the stomach looks somewhat pitiable (see the poetry of World War 1). People do not metamorphose as they become competent warriors.

Not being a super badass: She's 12. She can be when she grows up.

Audience being put off: That audience is not ready to face the virtual horrors of civil war. Butchering and raping children is not as rare as it should be in these places, and it is possible that the hero will end up fighting other child soldiers, who may be drugged and raped by their masters. War is hell, repeat until you understand. Besides, vicious slaughter of children never put off DF players.

Gender studies: Those people would reject the nation of Somalia as sexist. They would do the same to the game. This place is close to a hellhole, so judging it by the standards of a decent society will only give a negative verdict.

If that sounded a little harsh, I am sorry.

[Neonivek]

Performance of masculinity requires the rejection of femininity in games as well

For example this... There is no inherent contradiction here.

Yes, there is, because the conventional definition of masculine includes "not feminine".  Hilary Clinton wears a suit, Obama does not wear a dress if he wants to have a political career.  (sorry for that image, it was the fastest way I could make a rather large point)

If you want examples of clothes typically associated with women that men wear now it does exist.

The contradictions between masculine and feminine is something people make up.

Heck why did you list a Suit as Masculine? Wouldn't the fact that Hilary Clinton and Barack Oboma both wear suits mean that it is neutral and people attribute false gender importance to it? And heck go back far enough and there WAS a suit that was exclusively for women anyway the "Power suit".

Are Jeans male clothes? T-shirts? Ear rings? I mean men wear it.

Heck my favorite bit of stupidity in society is that "being emotional" is always attributed as a female trait. YET when you look at the traits typically associated with men, you realize that men are as emotional if not more so in society's eye... What is the difference? How they react to their emotions.

Also you forget the reason why women don't wear dresses is because "Real Women Don't Wear Dresses". Meaning that accepting the article also means you have to accept women are weaker... Why? Because Dresses are something men wear all the time. Robes are dresses for example, Gowns are dresses, Kilts are dresses (well skirts).

Ohh but wait, Women are only weaker because we attribute strength to men and thus because you Have to accept that they are opposites... any strength a man has a woman does not.

So then by the same logic we cannot have anyone do anything. So have a male character talk to someone who is having problems and making them feel better? Well now men are sympathetic and women are cold. Men are caring and women are mean. Mind you the article is a bit more nuanced then I am making it out (Likely, still havn't finished it), but I never understood this obsessive need to make man and women diametric opposites or complimentary opposites.

Heck even "Strong Woman" is not a contradiction even in the classical sense. It is just something constantly misattributed because it makes classical arch typing look worse, and trust me it didn't need the help. Physical strength? Sure. Heck Greek mythology seems to attribute emotional fortitude to men for some reason.

And EVEN then... Even after all that. The classical archetypes were ways of justifying what was currently the status quo for those who wrote it. Which were usually incredibly rich people.

[Helgoland]

I do look pretty nice in a Dirndl, I swear I have a picture somewhere.

Oh Sheb, post it to keep me occupied during those long lonely nights~

[Morrigi]

I will give you that there is not an angry horde of gamers going around quashing non-masculine games, but there IS a horde of angry gamers trying to silence female voices in the gaming community

For example?

Yeah, I can't say I've noticed a "horde of angry gamers". More like a couple of trolls here and there who are assholes to men just as much as they are to women. They're nasty, but they're nasty to everyone.

[Reelya]

The focus of most FPS is multiplayer, where this is not possible. Single player is usually secondary to that. Why should multiplayer be about skills, but single player just about rote memorisation? Single player should be a training ground for multiplayer, getting the player good enough against bots so he will not be too overwhelmed against players.

Yes, most single player FPS are scripted badly.

But single-player campaigns have different parameters - they're meant to tell a story as well as have gameplay. "up against repaer bots" constantly doesn't give a good story flow, there needs to be pacing hence you need to be able to take down enemies in a reasonable amount of time. If every grunt had human-like AI then you would take days fighting your way out of the first room.

And I don't think "anti bot training mode" is an acceptable replacement for current single-player campaigns. That wouldn't suit most people who play single player - they're there for the action, story and exploration. If you make single player just "training mode" for multiplayer, you've lost a fair chunk of your audience. Those modes always suck more than regular single or multiplayer. They have different maps for the mode types for a reason, the gameplay isn't the same even if the game mechanics are.

[Cheeetar]

I will give you that there is not an angry horde of gamers going around quashing non-masculine games, but there IS a horde of angry gamers trying to silence female voices in the gaming community

For example?

It starts with a hashtag and ends with a gate.