Thursday, June 14, 2012

Podcast Episode 37 - Handhelds and Sexism

This week we have a whole lotta discussion! Sonic 4 Episode 2 talk from David, the decline of the handheld market, and a focus on sexism in games, both involving the recent interview with the executive producer of Tomb Raider and the Tropes vs. Women in Gaming Kickstarter firestorm.


The hosts this week:
Eji (Steam name: Krentist the Dentist),  David (PS3: Badgerfone)

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Suggested viewing:
ForeverPandering's response to the Tropes v. Women documentary

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2 comments:

  1. I have to say, the woman you're discussing, Anita Sarkeesian, was invited by Bungie to discuss female representation in gaming with their staff. She's a legitimate and well respected voice.

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    Replies
    1. While it's very cool that Bungie invited her to talk to them, one example doesn't instantly make someone legit and well-respected in the entire industry, though to be fair that's not a bad start.

      As I said in the podcast, the thing that makes me very apprehensive about this documentary series is that it sounds like all it will do is summarize and regurgitate female videogame tropes in a way that brings nothing new to the table. Most people are already aware of these stereotypes, and there needs to be a more constructive and critical angle taken to analyzing these tropes and their effects.

      Something that was a warning sign to me was how she would be adding a section focusing on positive female characters only AFTER her donations went beyond $15k. This should have been something that was included by DEFAULT and adds more support to my belief that she isn't/wasn't planning for a lot of substance with this thing.

      Let me emphasize again that I think a documentary of this subject has a lot of potential, but I don't want to see it squandered on a series that someone could just easily make on youtube with a bunch of googled / wiki quotes in there to try and look half-legitimate. Time will tell, but I don't have a lot of optimism for her project in its current state... but I would be happy to be proven wrong.

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