Comments | wtf_sexism: Apparently, women are a bad thing.

boundbyash in wtf_sexism

Apparently, women are a bad thing.

May 13, 2010 02:32

I am a fan of Hidden Object and Adventure/puzzle games. At Gamezebo.com they review each game, and provide the Pros and Cons of each as well. Recently, I was trolling the reviews looking for a good game to play when I came across this notation under the "Cons" for a game ( Read more... )

wtf sexism, computer games

Comments 30

aschedjidoi May 13 2010, 18:04:43 UTC

What exactly is "female-focused"? Are they assuming that one game will appeal to all females? Or are they speaking of a more abstract concept? Do they mean that the game is ABOUT females?

Usually, these terms don't actually mean anything, and they get thrown around as if they did. And I'll have to agree with you: why is it a con? Is it bad that a game that "appeals to women" is bad? And why does that sound completely illogical?

tatjna May 13 2010, 18:54:04 UTC

My thoughts exactly.

jadecat May 13 2010, 19:14:03 UTC

Yeah, that's what I was wondering too. Just what makes the game 'female focused'?

(The comment has been removed)

Thread 8

wight1984 May 13 2010, 18:31:32 UTC

I think that makes it very clear that the reviewer (who I think we can agree is likely male) is writing the review with the intended audience of fairly typical/stereotypical males.

So, yeah, the term 'female-focused' is slightly annoying regardless in cultural gender trends in gaming in general but the assumption that anyone interested in reading a gaming review will be male (and thus a game being 'female-focused' is a con) is definitely sexist.

vestigialwords May 13 2010, 18:31:37 UTC

I guess it's the same logic that leads people to believe that books and movies aimed at women (or just not at the 18-24 male demographic) are inferior. I had a teacher in high school call a kid out on that once for complaining about having to read a book that he considered "women's lit." If women can enjoy something that was originally male-focused, why should it matter? My interests are defined by who I am, not by my reproductive organs.

What I hate is then when I am made to feel bad for liking these "female-focused" things. "Guilty Pleasures" they're called. Smoking is a guilty pleasure. Liking a "girly" TV show or game, or whatever, is not.

tonksinger May 14 2010, 16:07:13 UTC

What I hate is then when I am made to feel bad for liking these "female-focused" things. "Guilty Pleasures" they're called. Smoking is a guilty pleasure. Liking a "girly" TV show or game, or whatever, is not.

Thank you. Men never get told that male-focused entertainment like ESPN or GQ should be seen as 'guilty pleasures.' Why should I feel guilty for reading or watching something 'female-focused'? I'll feel guilty if I'm reading Bridget Jones when I should be studying Marxist theory, but not for reading Bridget Jones in and of itself.

vincent_kinneas May 14 2010, 22:40:50 UTC

Randomly enough, the last place I encountered the 'guilty pleasure' monicker was a jacket quote on a Raymond E. Feist novel. I have absolutely no idea why, but I'm fairly sure it's not the kind of thing that usually gets described as 'female-focused' anyway.

lodo_bear May 18 2010, 05:11:12 UTC

What I hate is then when I am made to feel bad for liking these "female-focused" things. "Guilty Pleasures" they're called.
Thoroughly unfair. Take James Bond and Clive Cussler stories. Those are totally guilty pleasures. The forbidden thrill of seeing so much MANLINESS in action is part of the fun. Are Bond and Cussler somehow superior to women's lit now?

Thread 5

iyoichi May 13 2010, 18:35:52 UTC

Sexism and heterosexism are closely tied. Yes. According to them, being female or liking 'female things' are BAD and WRONG and make you LESS MANLY. As though "manly" is the default, norm and acceptable term, and to be a woman or "womanly" is strange, stupid and worthless.

corridor7f May 13 2010, 18:41:06 UTC

Sounds like they mean simplistic or not fast-paced enough when they say that.

I've heard the "hidden-object" type games are thought to be only played by women - something to do w/inborn domestic skills in being able to find your husband's blue socks or something, I suppose... erg.

boundbyash May 13 2010, 21:24:02 UTC

Yes, I'm sure that's why I'm so good at HOGs! LOL. Of course, if these games ARE more popular with women, then the fact that one of them is "female focused" should definitely be a Pro, not a Con.

amun_kai May 13 2010, 22:39:31 UTC

I don't really understand why gender is applied to the subject at all. I mean, it's not like Cooking Mama was a better game than RE4, just because COOKIN' IS FER WOMERNS!

Seriously, fuck Cooking Mama.

aschedjidoi May 13 2010, 23:06:05 UTC

I don't think it should be a pro OR a con. The game's intended audience should be a neutral aspect. Yes, you can frame your judgment of the game by its intended players (i.e. 3-8 year olds, and other groups)... but this shouldn't necessarily make it good OR bad.

If the intended audience is 18-25yr old men, and the game includes things that this demographic enjoys, then it's fine. If the intended audience is 25-30yr old women, and it has aspects that they like... that's fine, too. It's not a "con" if it appeals. To properly review this material, one must look at it from the intended viewpoint.

And of course, what the various demographics enjoy varies wildly based on trends/etc. So it's definitely not a stable form of measurement.