Sexual Harassment in Comics and Video Games

[jimhines]

Related to the ongoing conversation about sexual harassment in SF/F…

From Bitch Magazine, survey data about sexual harassment in comics:

As a comics editor, writer, and fan myself, I got interested in how often people at conventions experience harassment. So earlier this year I conducted a survey on sexual harassment in comics, receiving 3,600

Comments

[mtlawson]

To add onto this, there was the talk that Rob Pardo, now the former Creative Director at Blizzard, gave at MIT. In it, he was asked about hiring women and female developers, and his response touched off a storm in the WoW community. I know several people who cancelled their WoW account over it.

Erasing your audience isn't 'fun': The false choice between diversity and enjoyment

[sara_lakali]

None of this news is encouraging. I've never been to a con of any stripe, and I don't think I'm ever going to go to one unless I'm forced to.

I do remember when DC Online made at least a basic version of their game free to play. When I tried to create a character, no matter which body type I chose (small, average or large) the character's breasts were bigger than her head. I just couldn't get past that, so I ended up not playing.

[gehayi]

I always wonder what the would-be rapists and murderers are so terrified of. Obviously, they're angry as well, but I always feel that it's fear manifesting as anger. I just don't understand why women getting equal representation in video games is so horrifying to them. It makes no SENSE. Their first-person shooters and porn games are still going to exist. Why does the idea of an industry expanding and getting more customers scare them so much?

I wish I could say that I was surprised by the stats on comics, but I'm not. I would have expected them to be higher.

[orlacarey]

Kinda not related - I saw this video and thought of you and your alternate cover art project. http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=gGj6LEN0dr4&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_MOavH-Eivw%26feature%3Dshare

[sunlit_music]

That's such sad and worrying news. :/ *shakes head and sighs* We've got a looong way to go...

Thank you for the informative post and links to these women's heartbreaking experiences, Jim.