I read a post over on the F-Bomb today, talking about one feminist’s addiction to the social game It Girl. Immediately it struck a chord with me, as I have been known to play the same game myself. It’s actually one of my favorite Facebook games that has been released to date.
From a feminist standpoint, it’s pretty much trash. It’s targeted directly to a female demographic (which also happens to be the majority of people who play social games on Facebook) and is focused on fashion. You create your skinny, trendy, beautiful avatar and you purchase clothing for her. The game’s objective is to deck your avatar out with unique high scoring outfits for every ‘occasion’ and then participate in parties and showdowns where your fashion is stacked up against the other characters in the game. We’ve actually wrote about this game here before in regards to its blatant heteronormativity.
The problem is, it’s a good social game as far as the mechanics goes. Could it have a completely different theme and work just as well? Probably. I’m a social game developer by day and I feel that It Girl is simply a well-designed game. It keeps my interested, is rather fun, and has almost motivated me to spend money. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a well made game.
I’m sure you have games like this too, right? Where the feminist side of you raises bright red flags and the gamer inside you fights to ignore them so you can keep on playing. For some this might be Mass Effect, a problematic series that does many things right (but also many things wrong). Or maybe it’s L.A. Noire, a brilliant tech demo displaying the future of using character emotions that also treats women as throwaway victims.
I don’t personally think there is anything inherently wrong with enjoying a form of entertainment that may be problematic. We see this in movies and music frequently. While watching the movie Avatar, I struggled with the fact that I found it such a beautifully immersive film while also recognizing how racist and ableist the plot was at its core. I’ve been known to bob my head during the occasional Chris Brown song before realizing that it’s one of his. I think it’s an important trait of a feminist to be able to recognize feminist problems within a game that they are actually enjoying playing.
On the flip side, I feel dirty. I feel like I shouldn’t be supporting said game with my money or time. I feel like I should be taking a stand in an effort to show developers that some people are not willing to play games that are misogynist, racist, ableist, and heteronormative. But then I keep on playing….because I don’t have many options for games that are safe. The way the game industry works means that I have to deal with potentially triggering and/or problematic issues if I want to play games at all. Sad, but unfortunately true.
Of course the answer to this blog’s title is “no”. It’s actually important for us feminists to continue playing these games. If we don’t, then we’re confirming to game developers that women don’t play games, that gay people and their allies don’t play games, that people of color don’t play games. We are playing right in to their master plan. Perhaps it’s better for us to play them and feel passionate about them and then talk about the problems in a public space. Perhaps we can better encourage a shift and a change in problematic games if we point out the positives in addition to the flaws.
What say you, readers? Do you love a particular game despite its problems?
I don’t know if it makes someone a better or worse feminist for liking certain media. I would rather say that it is a matter of how much BS you can endure or blend out to enjoy media.
We have to keep in mind, however, that every sold copy, every movie ticket and every access to a webgame is a vote of confidence for what the creator have done.
I’m generally of the opinion that if feminists didn’t enjoy problematic media, we’d never see or participate in any media at all. For all the strides that gaming (and film, and TV, and so on) have made in the last [x many] years, they’re all products of our society and our society has a long way yet to go.
I think the way to be a “bad feminist” is to claim that something you love simply can’t or doesn’t have any problems, -because- it’s a thing you love. Willfully blind fangirl syndrome, or somesuch. But how will anything get better if we don’t individually and collectively participate while saying, “I really like X, Y, and Z about this game, but it has big problems in 1, 2, and 3 and with those fixed, it would be better still”?
If you view “feminist” and “literary critic” as similar, then yeah. There are times you want enlightenment, and there are times you want to not think too much and be entertained, kind of like how you want a filet mignon and when you want a burger from the shake shack. I don’t find anything in particular wrong with this attitude — I’d think you’d get burned out if you never took a break from activism, social justice and being intensely aware of every inequity.
It also helps express real disappointment when a game is actually fun, compelling or whatever. You hold things you enjoy to a higher standard, don’t you?
In the spirit of this blog post, please take kindly to me basically comparing feminism to entertainment. You know how it’s meant, just try not to think about it too hard.
You can love something even though it has problems …
You can be aware of and point out those problems …
But if the problems make you feel unwanted or unsafe, and are repeated despite your patient feedback, there may come a time to let that something go.
Also applies to “someones.”
I think advertisers are going to justify their sexist assumptions regardless of what we do. A widespread boycott of sexist games? “Well women aren’t our target audience/they don’t buy games anyway”. Buy them despite problematic elements? “Well women are buying are games even though they’re sexist so clearly they like these sexist assumptions!”
Anyway it’s definitely okay to enjoy something despite extensive problems, though I think it’s dangerous to tell people who /don’t/ enjoy problematic media that they’re being bad feminists as well (which this article I don’t think is doing, I should clarify)
A far more effective way to try to persuade developers would be to create visible criticism of sexist elements, which, oh hey it’s what this blog is for. Though even that can be discounted, obviously. :\
I see feminist issues as one of many dimensions of a game. Other qualities can compensate for flaws, and they often have to. What distinguishes feminist issues is that my tolerance has a more abupt cutoff point that I don’t have for graphics or story. There’s only so much sexism I can take, even if the game is otherwise great. I can overlook lesser flaws by being aware of them and knowing how they work and affect me.
I think the upcoming Arkam City will be a perfect example of this, I think.
For me I really only think of someone as a “bad feminist” if they buy a game that is VERY filled with misogyny, abelism and such. Like if someone were to buy Duke Nukem Forever… yeah they’d be a bad feminist in my eyes.
I’d say any game that when you look at it and buy it you say “This is definitely supporting misogyny, abelism and bigotry.” Versus a game that “Well, it’s got some good in it, and the developer seems open. They at least tried.”
For me, I tend to avoid game that I can’t play a woman in, which leaves money over for games like Pokemon, Monster Tale, and a few others that fly under the radar of being a bit more progressive than DNF or even Bioware.
(Yup Monster Tale came out and nobody wrote about how awesome a game it is with a female protagonist.)
I think that’s actually what’s wrong with the whole “vote with your money” mentality. It’s a typical American way of thinking. It is something that is very deep rooted in your culture, a very extremist view of the world. You even see it in your political system. The truth of the matter is: most things are in this grey area in between.
This also holds true for games: No game is perfect, and no game is all bad. As you said the game is fun, it’s well made, it just does not follow your exact views of the world, and I think in all that is fine. In fact, recognizing these flaws and giving voice to them, may even lead to someone picking them up and fixing them.
As such I think it is more the role of critics of all kinds to review games, and really give their thoughts. Give criticism in blogs like this one, so that the next time someone goes to research about how a new game should be, they stumble upon these resources and take them into account.
In the end, just blatantly saying “no” to a good game, is pretty much the same as throwing a healthy baby out with the bathing water. Nothing will ever be perfect, but we will still strife for it.
I believe Extra Credits did a talk about this recently… Believe it’s in this one somewhere: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/3587-Game-Reviews . They have a lot of good videos anyway, so I can definitely recommend watching all of them. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2868-True-Female-Characters for example.
- SG_01
Gameplay Programmer
Most people support things that are problematic. It’s important to recognize and talk about and criticize these things. But judging people, for whatever reason? No thanks.
YES!
I know it’s ridiculous to feel like a “bad feminist” but it is a little strange that one of the only games I’ll play on a regular basis (I’m really just a casual gamer) is Soul Caliber 2. I LOVE this game, and I LOVE playing Ivy, despite the fact that she basically wears ass/boob floss for clothes. It’s ridiculous, but I have so much fun playing her!
I also had some fun with Bayonetta, though I cringed every cut scene.
Bad feminist? Maybe. Guilty feminist? Yeah …
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Playing DA2 again, with its ableism issues, has definitely got this on my mind. It’s a good example of lots of hits and lots of misses.
I’ve given up on some games and/or felt buyer’s remorse because I couldn’t stomach their problems. But I don’t value whether I buy or play a game as influence over the creators’ awareness of what they put into games.
It’s hard to say generally, though; it’s game-by-game, issue-by-issue. I’m sure I’ve been all over, from playing a game despite its deep flaws to throwing another out for less egregious ones (I say that as if they don’t intersect and can be compared >< ). All I know is that I appreciate places that provide discussions and people who take part.
video games are a bit different then other media. in many games the game-play and the narrative is very disconnected, so there are games with very questionable content but awesome game mechanics. for me personally i think Soul Calibur 4, Resident Evil 5 and Bayonetta are very fun to play and i can separate the racist and sexist character design from the compelling game play. still when a cutscene starts i thought if i really should give money to people who make such games.
its the equivalent to listen to a great song with questionable lyrics.
i don’t have a good solution for this. the right thing to do would be to support just certain indy games, but i love many of the current AAA titles so it helps to complain a lot about certain issues. PR people are scared of negative feedback, especially but not exclusive from paying customers. And game developers often don’t think about consequences for certain design decisions and they need to be reminded as often as possible. but at some point i need to draw a line : i probably like the game-play of Mortal Combat or Metriod other M but i just cant play such a game.
also the question of supporting certain games goes beyond the contend of the game.
should i buy a game non offending contend but very offending marketing ?
should i buy a game where i know about the horrible working conditions in the studio?
(i had a really bad feeling when buying red dead redemption for instance)
should i buy a game from a studio where 95% percent of the developers are white and male?
I think it’s complicated, I can’t draw any conclusion really… for example Portal 2, I adore this game. When I play it ( probably due to my privilege) I pretty much ignore any problematic aspects and I’m have great fun. Does that mean I dismiss these issues or I turn myself into some stalwart defender of P2 from criticism. No, I acknowledge these problems and definitely no going to try to silence those voicing them and yet… I think money spent on Portal 2 are my best gaming expenses in years, even though I’m aware that some issues in this game might be problematic or even hurtful for other people, that’s tough situation…
It’s going on in reverse too, for example, here on TBH there were a lot of praise for “Choice of..” games for doing things right, and despite I generally digs indie games I just couldn’t get into them, just couldn’t.
i know its a bit off topic. put i would be interested in the issues you have with portal 2.
and i fell the same about the “Choice of..” games, i really liked the gender switch approach of the pirate game but i really cant enjoy pure text based games.
I found the main girl character in Heavy Rain to be tough to take with her “damaged yet strong” stereotype and the obvious inevitable hookup between her and the main guy. Also, the fact that there was a male butt shown in the first few minutes of the game, which immediately projected to me that there would be boobs later on. Which there were.
Definitely agree that it can be a problem: I have discovered I adore sandboxy TPS games (the GTA series being a prime example, though I played LA Noire the other night and it almost made me cry for wanting a PS3 instead of my stack of PS2s!). Sadly, what there are for these types of game is, pretty uniformly, misogynist, racist, anti-trans, ableist, anti-fat, and so many other reactionary elements that it’s just…gah.
But it’s also so much damn FUN to play. Granted, I don’t do the things the games are usually called out (rightly) for, such as killing bystanders, or robbing sex workers, et c.. But trying the missions, and exploring the world, is just So. Much. Fun.
So, I play them, but I critique them, too. And after every one, I write a letter to Rockstar, politely pointing out the ways in which they could easily make the games just as fun, but with somewhat less bigotry.
As mentioned above, if we didn’t allow ourselves problematic media, none of us would ever listen to or watch anything but Joan Baez and Judy Small, right? Each of whom has her place, but it’d be a boring life with such a small pool of media.
American feminism is influenced by Christianity. As a sin stains the soul and makes you a sinner, the act of enjoying something non-feminist makes you feel like a non-feminist.
You can also see this mentality when dealing with race. If you point out that someone has said something that’s racially insensitive, they’ll interpret that as you calling them a racist, and “being racist” means they might as well be part of the KKK.
The idea that a single offense is a defining aspect and that all negative aspects are equal is part of Christianity. If I sleep with someone who’s not my spouse, I’m an adulterer. If I’m an adulterer, I’m going to hell. Never matter if I only cheated once or if I had a long term affair and neglected my spouse for years, it’s all the same hell.
And then there’s confession. To be forgiven for a sin, you need to confess (this might be to a priest, a congregations, or simply to god). In SJ circles, this has taken the form of the real apology vs the non-apology. It’s not enough to say sorry, you have to say sorry in a way that acknowledge you’ve sinned.
At the end of the day, nothing in life is perfect. I would be very surprised if a video game that featured human characters was produced that wasn’t offensive to someone, somewhere. As others have already mentioned, if you set your standards too high, you’d never enjoy anything at all.
It doesn’t help that simply being aware of these issues makes it more likely for you to spot problems. Largely thanks to this blog, I play games with a whole new level of critical awareness. While I don’t think I automatically enjoy games less as a result, there is definitely another layer of criticism happening, which can be positive or negative.
It’s important to realise that reducing SJ issues in any medium is a process. This makes playing games and discussing any problems that you find even more vital. While there are clearly cynical marketing types who are happy to exploit and offend in the name of more sales, I believe that the vast majority of game developers are normal people and not rampant bigots. The problems with the games we play are, more often than not, the result of people not knowing any better and can be resolved with dialogue and education.
Two of my favorites despite all their problems are Diablo II and Restricted Area (which is pretty much the cyberpunk version).
Games are rarely perfect. It might make me a little squiffy to think about “girls’ games” sometimes, simply because they’re directed toward women with the exclusion of anyone else. But in the end, just because the subjects are stereotypically labeled “girl,” I think that the game should exist because some people are honestly interested in those female-coded subjects, men and women alike. So IMHO, one can like a game while still seeing a clear need for improvement. In playing and enjoying that game, while drawing attention to the things that need improvement on it, the player proves that yes, they are the consumer of the game, and yes, they aren’t entirely satisfied. That’s the way that games in a series improve, after all. Consumer feedback. I think that to be a “bad feminist,” a player would have to purposely avoid a game they might enjoy just because it is stereotypically female-coded and might have misogynistic undertones. Drawing attention to problems is how to change them.
Absolutely not. In fact, playing a game and then pointing out the problematic elements on public forums such as this is probably the best vehicle for change in an industry so riddled with blind spots to privilege. Completely eschewing a game even though you’d really like to play it only reinforces silly stereotypes about feminism and feminists being opposed to fun and whatnot. It also takes power away from the points you are trying to make about problematic elements of the game, because people will (unfortunately) take your arguments less seriously if you have never played the game you are discussing.
And then there are games like Duke Nukem Forever…
I’ll add another to the list of “you’re allowed to like problematic things”. I will now list the video games I can think of off the top of my head that have no issues regard sexism/racism/ableism/everythingelseIcan’tthinkofism:
1. Pong
2. Tetris
3. ?????
Everything has flaws, be they video games, movies, tv shows, books, comics, etc. A lot of things were created by people with privilege, and it shows, but that doesn’t invalidate the good parts of it. For example, I love Star Trek, particularly the Original Series. But when it comes to sexism, its issues have issues. I can still enjoy it, even with the warts.
I think the other problem with thinking something makes you a “bad feminist” is that it’s coming from the idea that there is one monolithic feminism, and I don’t think there is. We don’t have a high feminist council who can convene and make ex cathedra statements about what is good and bad feminism, nor do we have the hive-mind that anti-feminists seem to think we do. It’s all moving, and the only way to deal with it is to hash it out.
And, despite my earlier assertions about liking things with issues, there have been some things that, after talking it over with people, I stopped liking if the issues were too great. The best example of that was the drow. I initially liked them when I first got into D&D, and didn’t think much about the whole “evil matriarchy” plot. Then, I read some discussions about it on feminist websites, and after that, I couldn’t enjoy them anymore in their canonical state.
This is a tricky issue, especially when it comes to video games. Is Arkanoid a superior game than Mass Effect, simply because it is so abstract that it avoids all of the problematic content? So much of what we love about games is abstract and intangible that I often can’t help but feel that the surface layer of character or story often as not has nothing to do with why I play a game.
Personally i believe there shouldn’t be any judgement on a person because of what game they play. I do tend to judge on how a person reacts if I criticize a problematic portion of it..
I’m willing to play ‘bad’ games, if they interest me. I criticize everything I can think of from a feminist viewpoint – that’s just where my brain is, usually. However, if just thinking about a game disgusts me because they’ve got such issues? Yeah, doesn’t really make me wanna rush to grab a copy. I don’t intentionally avoid problematic games, but generally speaking, the worse it is, the less I want to play it anyways.
What I’m thinking is, everything tends to be more problematic or less, but I don’t think anybody can agree on one thing that is entirely unproblematic. So we’re drawing a line somewhere, and I’m really hesitant of that, because everybody has a different idea of where the line is and it just tends to get messy, which freaks me out just to think of.