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The Border House is a blog for gamers. It's a blog for those who are feminist, queer, disabled, people of color, transgender, poor, gay, lesbian, and others who belong to marginalized groups, as well as allies. Our goal is to bring thoughtful analysis to gaming with a feminist viewpoint and up-to-date news on games, virtual worlds, and social media.Discussion Policy
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Tag Archives: violence
Blaming [INSERT CHOICE OF ENTERTAINMENT HERE] Solves Nothing
After the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut, politicians, the NRA, and others started pointing fingers at the violence in entertainment, especially video games. We have to accept that we do live in a violent culture, and we can’t deny that … Continue reading
Missing the Point? An Examination of Reaction to Newtown
The following is a guest post from Dakin “Chilly” Lecakes: Chilly has been playing videogames since their beginning as a commercial product. He has a longtime perspective on gaming and tries to add a voice of sanity to the diverse … Continue reading
Weekly DLC: News Roundup
This week, the gun violence debate continues as industry folks and enthusiasts alike wonder how and when to participate in national policy discussions. We’ve also got some Gabe Newell, a retrospective on a weird Star Trek episode about virtual reality … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged BioWare, David Gaider, free to play, guns, Joe Biden, news roundup, Steam, transgender, violence
1 Comment
Lara Croft Reboot: Vulnerability Galore!
Trigger warnings: rape, violence against women. Tomb Raider holds a fond place in my heart as a cultural icon, if only for the sexual awakening I shared with many other teen girls when I found myself infatuated with Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft. … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games
Tagged chivalry, female protagonists, gender, lara croft, rape, rape culture, tomb raider, violence, vulnerability, women
80 Comments
On Taking Seeing Sexism For Granted
Brendan over at Critical Damage has an excellent article (TW: discussion of sexual violence and rape) about the implicit and complicit participation of video games in rape culture. It was sparked by a video trailer for Hitman: Absolution that is a complete sexist … Continue reading
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged hitman: absolution, rape culture, sexism, violence, we're still having this conversation!?
25 Comments
Gender Wars and Gendered Slurs
TW: Gendered slurs. Please note, I have not played Dead Island, and have no immediate plans to do such. From what I have heard, there is much to be discussed in the game as regards stereotypes surrounding the playable characters, … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games, PC Games
Tagged character design, Dead Island, female characters, game industry, gender, Techland, violence
60 Comments
“Did she just money-shot herself with his neck-blood?”
(Alternate title: The conflation of violence and sex in video games, how it manifests in the ‘femme fatale’ character trope, and how this conflation works to serve patriarchal fantasies of women and violence: a male perspective.) Women in … Continue reading
Posted in Console Games
Tagged blood, femme fatale, masculinity, men, sex, violence, women
48 Comments
Can a violent fighter be a good caregiver?
Kazuma Kiryu is an ex-Yakuza member and the protagonist of Yakuza 3. He is a strong fighter, and when challenged doles out numerous beatings to thugs on the streets of Ryukyu and Kamurocho. He can and does use almost anything … Continue reading
Two recent gaming related deaths [trigger warnings]
Every so often, a gaming-related death makes the news and there is a public outcry vs. gamers defending their hobby. There were two in the news this week. A 22-year-old woman from Jacksonville, Florida, recently pleaded guilty to killing her … Continue reading
Posted in Casual Games, MMORPGs, Virtual Worlds
Tagged FarmVille, murder, rape, violence, World of Warcraft
18 Comments
Actually Breaking It Down: Penny Arcade’s Rape Comic
Trigger Warning: This post contains both triggers of rape and using it as a device for humor. Personally, I did not find the comic triggering (and thank unicorns for that–all I would need at six in the morning). That does … Continue reading
Posted in Web
Tagged Latoya Peterson, Mass Effect 2, Penny Arcade, rape, rape culture, Shakesville, trigger, violence
34 Comments