The Current Trend Of Criticism Towards Gaming

GamerGate! SJW! Misogyny! Feminists!

Video Games as an entertainment platform has had a constant barrage of hurdles since Pong. There was of course the violence issue, which has now had time to be studied to the point that it shows a DECREASE of violence among kids and not an increase.

There was the "video games are not art" argument that you could still say is ongoing among some groups.

Now we are at the point where Misogyny is the topic and the back and forth with that.

Now what I want to discuss is a solution. Something that isn't being talked about. Not a true solution. On one side, people want developers to be more sensitive or aware of the characters and tropes they are perpetuating the games they make.

On the other side, gamers fear that certain games are under attack. That it's always been this way and it shouldn't change.

In my opinion, both side are wrong. Telling developers to change or be more sensitive to certain tropes is no different, at all, from telling game makers a game is too violent. You are limiting the freedom and artistic choice of said developers and artists. This doesn't mean you have to buy thier games.

The other side is guilty of the same crime. They don't want anything to change, which also prevents freedom of developers and artistic expression. And again, those gamers do not have to support those games.

The real discussion and solution is no different in any other art form that has emerged for the past 100 years. Movie making was a mans world for a while. Not so much anymore. We have our action blockbusters with women in sexy outfits and unnecessary sex scenes. You also have now plenty of movies that clearly have strong female characters etc. The point is they are free to make whatever they want to cater to whatever audience they want.

Music. Same deal. Rock and Roll for a while was a male dominated space. Then Heart came along.

The point I am making is that the problem isn't in the content IN games. The problem is the wage and involvement of women developers in MAKING games. There is absolutely no excuse for wage difference if a woman has the same qualifications. This is what needs to be addressed. Also, nothing, at all, is stopping a studio forming to make the same games we see with a different tone. Where are the studios with female owners? If it's because publishers wouldn't take them seriously, why isn't THAT the issue being addressed?

You aren't going to change anyone's mind one way or the other diccecting every trope that pops up in a video game you don't like. You are free to do so of course, but it won't change anything. Real change is only going to happen when we address the issues of publisher and developer diversity.

There is plenty, plenty of market space to make money from any type of game. It's up to developers to prove it.