Gender in Games
Gender in games, as well as gender in any form of media is a very hot and controversial subject. It creates a lot of animosity between people of different opinions and it has been at the centre of many video game industry, as well as, political talks.
Ever since the late 18th century, when feminism was born, there have been many discussions and debates, about what Feminism means, what it should mean, and what can and should be done about it. There have been both men and women involved in this, even though, the name of it, Feminism, might suggest differently.
Feminism is described by the Oxford dictionary as: "the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.
The issue of rights for women, first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late 18th century. In Britain it was not until the emergence of the suffragette movement in the late 19th century that there was significant political change. A ‘second wave’ of feminism arose in the 1960s, with an emphasis on unity and sisterhood; seminal figures included Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer"
(http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/feminism?q=feminism)
However, instead of finding demographic data, I have come across a very interesting article about an experiment done at Stanford University School of Medicine By Allan Reiss and his colleagues on the different way a man's brain reacts and creates a pseudo-addiction to the conquering, territorial based videogames, in comparison to women's brains.
Reiss said this research also suggests that males have neural circuitry that makes them more liable than women to feel rewarded by a computer game with a territorial component and then more motivated to continue game-playing behavior. Based on this, he said, it makes sense that males are more prone to getting hooked on video games than females.
“Most of the computer games that are really popular with males are territory- and aggression-type games,” he pointed out.
(http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/february/videobrain.html)
Here's a link to the entire article as well, as I found it quite interesting.Stanford University School of Medicine experiment
So, in other words, men's brains respond slightly different to games, compared to women's ones. This is just a matter of fact, it is how the brain works. I am in total agreement with women having equal rights to men, however, I think it is probably time to recognise the fact that men and women are different and should act upon it as well. This is, by no means to suggest, that women are inferior and should not be allocated certain roles in media, and by media, I am referring to videogames, as well as, movies and other forms of related forms of mass communication. These are all very powerful means and extremely capable of influencing and changing mentalities... And this makes me ask a very big question: Why is Gender and issue in videogames???
Along the years, there have been many movies where the protagonist was a female, and not just any females, but truly strong, extremely influencing characters.
I can mention a few:
- The Alien series, who gave us Ellen Ripley - the woman who is a survivor, warrior, saint and mother all in one." Carolyn Petit, editor of GamespotUK, said, in the article titled: Fear of a woman Warrior (Feb 22 2013), that: " Any reasonable understanding and appreciation of what made Aliens a great film acknowledges the important role of women in it." (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/fear-of-a-woman-warrior-6404142/). And this is very true. Ellen Ripley is just the superlative of any team leader, she is, as a "genderless" human being, what anyone can dream of becoming, when aspiring to lead a mission, she is a role model for both male and female audiences.
- The Terminator series, created Sarah Connor - "the legend of Earth's post-apocalyptic future. " (http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-100-greatest-female-characters/sarah-connor). Sarah Connor is a strong female, perfectly capable of looking after herself and fending off any type of enemy, both humanoid and robotic.
- Another very famous, strong character was Mrs Robinson from the 1967 film The Graduate. She " doesn't so much seduce Benjamin Braddock as bend him to her will." said Filmsite.org's Tim Dirks. (http://movies.amctv.com/movie-guide/50-greatest-female-movie-characters.php).
- Strong female characters have had a presence even in fairy tales, and I have to mention Belle here, from Beauty and the Beast. She is the one that changes everything, she has taken her life in her own hands, has decided to exchange her freedom for her dad's safety and in the end, she is the one that "makes everything better", as because of her, the Beast manages to break the spell, and thanks to her, everyone in the castle is back to their normal happy selves.
- Closer to nowadays, we have Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, from the movie with the same name, an air stewardess who ends up getting involved in drug trafficking, only to become the ultimate winner/survivor of a big ploy to bring the whole network down.
- And I shouldn't forget to mention, probably the most influential videogame/movie female character: Toby Guard's Lara Croft, from the game Tomb Raider. The game was created in 1995 by UK developer Core Design , and since then, Lara Croft was awarded a Guiness World Record for the "most successful human video game heroine" (Guy Cocker (2006-04-07). "Lara Croft earns Guinness World Record". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-08-30.)
So, all these mentioned, I don't think there should be such a big issue with female characters in video games. It is clear that there have been some benchmark ones created, that people enjoyed and still do, after even nearly half a century (Mrs Robinson - The Graduate-1967). I know one of the biggest and most debated subject, is, why, in most games, female roles are limited to damsels in distress, or weak secondary characters. I think, that it would be impossible for male and female to have the same level of importance when it comes to the roles they play in games, as it is the case with everyday life.
My intention here, is not to go against the feminists, but to bring a little reality into this subject. Ever since life started, there were men and women and they all had different roles. Both were just as important, as each other, as without either of them, life wouldn't have carried on, societies wouldn't have formed and evolved into what we know them to be today. Recently, I have noticed quite a few instances, in which men were being objectified, and this, I'm guessing, just to show that this is a possibility. I don't believe this is the way equality between genders should be manifested, and because this is displayed on national television, which is an extremely influential media, large groups of people will think it is ok to behave that way. Why do we not stop all this and start respecting each other and show that women are as strong as men when it comes to character as well.
Many industry articles mention the fact that the main reason for not creating female protagonists in video games is because the majority of players are male and the games wouldn't sell. Chris Perna, art director at Epic Games, told OXM, "If you look at what sells, it's tough to justify [a female Gears of War protagonist]." (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/fear-of-a-woman-warrior-6404142/). So, an economic strategic decision, was taken by this big video game company, one might think. However, Entertainment Software Association has made a study on 1200 American households in 2011 and came up with this result: "Forty-two percent of all players are women and women over 18 years of age are one of the industry's fastest growing demographics." (ESA. "Game Player Data".)
So, the previous two statements are very conflicting, and we could ask ourselves: did Epic Games not do any market research? Do they not take into account market research? ...
The answer lays in my first reference article - the study done at Stanford University: male audience get more addicted to videogames, they are the ones that create repeat custom, they are basically the ones buying the majority of videogames, with or without female protagonists. I haven't yet heard, of any male video gamer who didn't enjoy playing as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, because she was a female main character...
As a conclusion, I would say that gender issues in video games, are such a controversial subject, only because it is made to be, not because it is a genuine problem. Games are meant to be a way of escaping reality for a short while, a way of fulfilling each individual's idea of Utopia, so if some guys like to play FPS games and shoot everything they encounter, they should be free to do it. Other might want to explore and expand their brains by solving puzzles which life doesn't always throw at them, so they should have the freedom to solve any sort of puzzles in games, as ridiculous or or interesting as the mass audience might think they are. Others on the other hand, might like to explore new worlds, and try new things, things that might be tabu in our society, or things that are unreachable to them in real life. That's why games were invented, as a means for escapism, and they should be able to cater for every single need. I think the most vehement critics might be surprised when talking to video game players, to find out that the biggest feminists play games where they chose an avatar looking as ideal as a woman can look, which I personally find it to be very hypocritical. But then again, there will alway be controversies, and to be honest, without these controversies, the gaming industry would probably not have the place it has today.
Rhonda Farr once said: "Publicity, darling. Just publicity. Any kind is better than none at all." ([1933 R. Chandler in Black Mask Dec. 26]
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