Acid for Blood

Parkour and Gender

I'm still playing Mirror's Edge. Free time has not been so readily available. Another reason for my slow progress is that I'm masochistically attempting to complete the game without firing a weapon. I also really suck at platformers, and a first-person platformer is even more difficult for me. Mirror's Edge is not nearly as frustrating a platformer as Castlevania: The Adventure for the GameBoy, which is one of the most difficult, frustrating, and unforgiving platformers I have ever played, but Mirror's Edge at times skirts the same level of frustration. I'm sticking with it because I really like the game.

The design team of Mirror's Edge drew a lot of inspiration from practitioners of parkour, an activity which stresses practicality and efficiency, and challenges traceuses (women) and traceurs (men) to get from one point to another in the quickest and most efficient way possible.

Today, I read an article called, "Parkour: Issues of Gender" which discusses gender issues in parkour culture. The article begins by stating that parkour culture, which is a gender-neutral activity and espouses a philosophy of universality, is male-dominated and has become masculinised:

...the image of Parkour has heavily coincided with conceptions of Western masculine heteronormative behaviour. While the media is largely at fault for this, the Parkour community has also played a role.

...it is important to note that almost all male bodies portrayed in the mass media of Parkour have been spectacularized. 

It is often said that competition is a natural and inherent trait to the human species, and one can find intense competitiveness when looking at anything from football to dance to placement in a symphony. While this is true, direct competition is culturally engendered as masculine, despite the sex of the parties involved.

The article then goes on to discuss participation in parkour by women, in a section that echoes many an industry article regarding how many women work in the videogame industry:

It goes without saying that because few women get involved in the discipline, even fewer step up to play a leadership role. Yes, there are a few scattered here and there, who work largely under the radar for whatever reason. Ultimately, without female representation, less women will be inclined to become involved.

It discusses the differences between male and female bodies and how this may affect interest in parkour by women. Many women interested in parkour erroneously believe that they will build up muscle mass equivalent to men if they get involved in the activity; they are concerned about looking too masculine. Objectification of women in parkour culture, also something that we experience in the games industry (and everywhere else, really) was also touched upon:

Traceuse or not, women are rendered cultural spectacles. So much of “femininity” is derived in appearance, in making up what is “femininity.” It is when we see this that we understand that gender is a cultural fiction, because a woman must assert her femininity on the outside.

Quite simply, when it is spectacularized, the value of Parkour as a whole is diminished. All we do and all we have worked for, in a single instant, is trivialized into obscurity and meaningless cultural babble.

The concern for traceuses is that they will be initially and immediately spectacularized, and in a completely different manner than traceurs. This is often, in popular culture, referred to as “objectification.”

The author states that parkour is an activity for both sexes, all genders, all people, and for it to have such a masculine culture and to be so male-dominated goes against those principles, therefore practitioners should have more awareness of gender issues gender equality within the discipline.

I thought the article was quite interesting and a good read.

It's interesting that DICE decided to go with a female protagonist in Mirror's Edge, given that parkour culture is so male-dominated, but not so surprising considering their goal:

We’ve spent time in developing Faith. And the important thing for us was that she was human, that she was more real. 

We really wanted to get away from the typical portrayal of women in games, that they’re all just kind of tits and ass in a steel bikini. We wanted her to look athletic and fit and strong [enough] that she could do the things that she’s doing.

I for one am glad that DICE chose to have a female lead in the game, and made the decision to depict Faith in a more realistic and far less sexualised and objectified way as compared to other female videogame protagonists. Hurrah for DICE!

[Read via Iris Gaming Network]

C*nt (the Game): Gynophobia and Misogyny

Warning: Some of the linked content and possibly some words in this post are not safe for work (NSFW, in case you didn't know).

Vexation

After I started my new job a couple of months ago, I was going to respond immediately to the bigoted, ignorant, and narrow-minded views of several people in various gaming communities. Since then I've been busy at work and at home, and frankly I haven't been in much of a mood to blog, nor have I been able to gather the mental focus to sit down and organise my thoughts on this topic until now.

When I introduced myself to the Guild Wars community, I did not discuss my personal life or my personal worldviews at all. However, after some Google searching, some people decided to take it upon themselves to bring up issues related to my personal life and ideological beliefs.  Hearsay being what it is, a few even accused me of starting these discussions about my personal life in the first place.

It made me angry that people, who know nothing about be apart from what they found through Google, targeted me with sexist, misogynistic, anti-feminist, racist, and homophobic comments.

It made me angry that people made sexist and objectifying comments about my appearance. Apparently I am supposed to welcome comments from people (I assume they are males) saying that they'd "hit it" or "tap that" because they found me attractive. Comments that reduce me to an object without agency or will are compliments, right?

It also made me angry that people made racist comments. Oh wait, fetishising me because of my race is supposed to be a positive thing as well? Get a clue, people -- it's not acceptable. It's racist and ignorant.

It made me angry that people who don't have any clue about feminism believe that feminists are a threat to their "fun". Following that line of logic, apparently sexism is fun? Eh, not so much. I find it depressing that the most basic tenet of feminism -- equality between the sexes -- should be viewed as a threat to the existing (un)acceptable behaviours in gaming communities.

While I am on the subject of feminism -- I am a feminist. So what? There are games industry women, more famous, more high-profile, and with more widespread influence, than I who identify as feminist. Feminists are out there.

It's irritating to read comments from people who mindlessly swallow all the stereotypes they've heard about feminism. Moreover, the idea that all feminists are ideologically identical is both stupid and ignorant. The main belief that all feminists hold is simply equality between the sexes. That's it. Anything beyond that depends upon the individual.

It made me angry that at least one person did not welcome the fact that I am female. It's a surprising attitude to find in 2008, but it exists. What was almost as surprising as this attitude is the fact that before and after I joined the game, the ratio of female and male Community Managers was identical. Why one would oppose maintaining the same female/male ratio is beyond me; god forbid the ratio ever be equalised at some point in the future.

It made me angry to have people speculate on and make assumptions about my sexual orientation, too. It was not acceptable for people to make the assumption that I am a lesbian, assume that I am out to everyone in my life (including work), and parade these assumptions around as fact -- publicly to the internet. News flash: being a feminist does not mean that one is a lesbian and conducting an interview with a founder of LesbianGamers.com doesn't necessarily mean that one is a lesbian either. One a sidenote, it irritates me that people continue to cling so desperately to their narrow, black and white views of sexuality and sexual orientation, assuming that if someone isn't heterosexual, they must surely be homosexual because nuances in the human condition apparently do not exist.

Furthermore, the homophobia that some people showed, after they assumed that I was a lesbian, was absolutely repulsive and apalling. There was even a comment from a homophobic "concerned parent" who was convinced that I was personally responsible for corrupting their child because some random members of the Guild Wars community decided to speculate on and discuss my sexual orientation.

Another thing that these people didn't think about or probably even care about is: what if I was a lesbian and wasn't out to everyone at work and at home? Did they even care that their comments and discussions could have an impact on my career and personal life? Not everyone in the world is equally tolerant, as evidenced by the "concerned parent" above, and unfortunately gay people often have to choose the terms under which they come out. To rob someone of that choice, regardless of the correctness of the facts, is wrong and thoughtless.

To make things perfectly clear: I am not a lesbian, but I am not not a lesbian. My sexual orientation, whatever it is, isn't something that I'd even consider discussing with the Guild Wars community at large, much less any other random gaming community.

I did know that people would do Google searches on me. I knew they would find articles I'd written, interviews I'd participted in, and so on. My blog is public, and it's not hard to link my handle to my real name. However, just because I expected some of these responses doesn't mean that sexism, homophobia, racism, or all the rest of that shit are remotely acceptable.

Some gamers really need to grow up.

P.S. -- Before someone tells me that I'm being too sensitive or that I'm too uptight and just need to get laid... News flash: I am sexed quite regularly, and yet sexism, racism, homophobia, and all the other bigoted and ignorant attitudes that fester in gaming culture still piss me off.

EDIT: 31 July 2008: Some kindly person has linked this on the forums, and I'm receiving an influx of comments. I don't know why people feel the need to resurrect discussion on a post that I wrote well over a month ago, about stuff that happened nearly four months ago. I have moved on. You should probably do the same.

Fear not. The response that I received from the bigoted members of the community has decidedly not affected the way that I approach my job. I practice the fine art of keeping my personal life separate from my professional life. This may explain why, ya know, I haven't expressed my displeasure about these bigoted members of the community in the forums.

PAX: Cosplay

Phoenix Wright:

Guild Wars Monks:

These Monks won the Guild Wars costume contest. Their prize pack contained a Logitech gaming keyboard and a Logitech gaming mouse. The male Monk wore his costume in response to a dare from Gaile Gray, ArenaNet Community Relations Manager, yesterday.

‘Rape’: More Than a Word

One of my pet peeves of gaming culture (and I guess culture in general, since I've heard non-gamers use the word this way) is how gamers use the word 'rape'. I recently read a blog post which explains that:

To some people rape is just four letters put together to make a monosyllabic sound... To others it is an invisible scar that can be worn for all to see, hidden away beneath layers of camouflage, or in some cases acknowledged but not quick to be shown.

In WoW, on the server I am on, they call Alliance, AC. The C stands for cunt. They are loathe to use this word around others, yet they will shout out how they raped that AC paly or got raped by that AC rogue. (For the record, the word cunt doesn’t bother me.)

When I see those four letters slung about without a care, I get shivers down my spine.

The post continues with a descriptive set of reasonings of why people should be more sensitive to how they use words.

[Read via Jade Reporting]

I Reject the ‘Big Boys’

One of the interesting things about the whole set of issues associated with women gamers is that women, unsurprisingly, have different views on these matters -- if they choose to consider any of this as at all important. Some of them claim that there shouldn't be a ruckus about women and gaming, but they still feel the need to address it at length.

Last week, I was discussing women gamers with a colleague, another woman gamer. She expressed extreme annoyance, a view that I share, towards the Jessica Chobots of the gaming world. These women gamers use their gender as an advantage to get attention and special treatment from male gamers, who dominate gaming culture. This attention-seeking manifests in online gaming, too. I've read that women players will play up the fact that they're women and they get items, gold, and special treatment.

Many women agree that the attention-seeking women gamers make it difficult for the 'genuine' women gamers be treated seriously. Some women gamers think the solution is to try to fit in with the current gaming culture. If we conform, we will be treated 'seriously' and accepted as equals. In other words, if you want to play with the 'big boys' you need to let some things slide.

The problem with this notion, in my opinion, is that it presumes that the way the 'big boys' act is something that we should aspire to, that this culture should be the de facto standard. I don't agree. Why should I conform when I find many of the standards unacceptable?

The idea that I should accept slurs on sexual abilities or sexual orientation in order to be accepted -- common practices in gaming culture (and often in male culture) -- is ludicrous. To be accepted, I have to tolerate people using 'gay' as a pejorative term in order to be accepted by mainstream gaming culture. These women are saying that I have to accept that mainstream gaming culture condones the use of the word 'rape' in ways that don't relate to the act of literal rape. The only peope who use rape in that way and find it cool are probably rapists themselves, or just sadly and mindlessly oblivious. I find this usage offensive, and quite frankly, unacceptable.

I don't want special treatment as a woman. I don't advertise my gender when I play online games. It rarely ever comes up. However, just because I don't want special treatment doesn't mean that I want to be treated like men treat each other. Have you heard how immature guys talk to each other? Quite honestly, it's embarrassing, ridiculous, and stupid. Why would I want to be a part of that? If this means that I'm considered an outsider by other gamers, and even other women gamers, that's fine with me.

“STFU and GTFO”

Priceless quote from a commenter on a recent Joystiq post about Gaymer.org (emphasis mine):

I'm sick of hearing about gay gamers and female gamers. When 90% of their audience is straight men, why would any developer care about any of you? I know that trying to segregate yourselves is a lame attempt at getting a bit of love from devs, but it's not going to happen. Oh sure, some indie game company is going to come along and throw a gay romance and whatever it is that women like in there games, into one of their games, and their sales will see a spike from what they'd have been without, but will you ever see Mario having homosexual relations with another man (like Toad)? No. And if you ever did, I'd be willing to give up gaming right then and there. So here is a bit of a reality check from me to you; You are not special, you aren't entitled to anything, and you really need to just STFU and GTFO.

1) If he's going to quit playing videogames just because Mario and Toad get into a relationship, then gaming culture as a whole will probably be better off without him. How childish.

2) Someone seems to be a little over-protective of their heterosexual male gamer "club". He's assuming that 90% of the gaming market is composed of straight males, but that's just not true, at least for the male bit of his assertion. Attitudes like this alienate many gamers who aren't male and who aren't heterosexual. It's just embarrassing behaviour. And people like him wonder why LGBT gamers and women gamers have formed their own online communities when they get treated this way on general gaming sites? Also, he's telling us to "STFU and GTFO". Who is being unwelcoming to whom?

3) LGBT gamers and women gamers don't want special treatment. They want to be treated without the kind of hatred and venom displayed there. The idea that some people have to speak out or even fight in order to be treated with respect is completely foreign to this person, thus he regards it as people seeking special treatment.

4) The comments to the post, as a whole, are actually pretty tame as far as homophobia goes.  I'm not excusing it, of course, I'm just saying that I've seen a lot worse. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

[Read]

OGHC: One Year On

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have recently given Old Grandma Hardcore gifts a plenty:

• From Microsoft: One more year of Xbox Live Gold

 

• From Nintendo: A DS Lite and some games

 

• From Sony: A PSP and a lot of games

These offerings demonstrate that companies recognise Barbara St. Hilaire as a unique and influential voice in the gaming public (at least those on the internet who read blogs). In addition to blogging about Grandma's opinions on the games she plays, Tim has detailed Grandma's progress from hardcore gamer to hardcore gamer/games reviewer (for MTV Overdive) on the Old Grandma Hardcore blog.

It has been interesting to follow Grandma's adventures, particularly since she is one of us. Sure, she's a bit older than the majority of gamers, but at the end of the day, she's an everyday woman who loves playing videogames (a lot). Paradoxically, this is what makes her special.

Tim assures the Old Grandma Hardcore readership that despite the flow of goodies from the games companies, Grandma's commitment to independence remains as strong as ever:

The Big Three War is being fought hard, ladies and gentleman. As usual, these gifts to Grandma come without strings attached; no promises are exchanged, it's just... "Here ya go- you awesome hardcore granny, you!" Grandma and I are honest with you folks, you know that. No matter how well she's treated by the gaming companies of the world, she remains resolve in her ability to provide sincere and occasionally brutal reviews of whatever it is she plays. That being said, god DAMN that was pretty fucking cool!

One year later, Old Grandma Hardcore is just as hardcore, and keeps it as real as ever.

Culture Clash: With Teeth

This month's IGDA Culture Clash article calls for a reform of the ESRB rating system. Amongst Sakey's reccommendations are:

• Don't hold publishers responsible for the actions of modders
• Don't re-rate games so quickly
• Content descriptors should be more prominent than the ratings
• Don't separate sex and violence
• Enforce the ratings
• Enforce policy wisely

In other words, "demonstrate that the industry can police itself".

[Read]

Culture Clash: Academics Anonymous

This month, Matt Sakey writes about the role of the games academic and why scholars are important to the industry:

The fact of the matter is that contemplative navel-gazing has led to some pretty amazing advancements in a wide selection of disciplines, which is exactly why pure scholarship exists. Simple experimentation, research and study often gives rise to discovery. If the only innovations in the world were the ones that people consciously sat down intending to produce, the world would be short quite a few innovations. Understanding and reflection breeds progress and enhancement.

[Read]