Bahamut Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I saw this posted on Hacker News just now: http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/12/2/5143856/no-girls-allowed Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Interesting article, I read the whole thing. Interesting history of the video game industry, and about marketing programs and paradigms. I'm female and I have loved video games since Pong came out (yep, that old). I played on the first NES when it was new, and I also remember going in to work on the weekends specifically to play a forbidden copy of "Leisure Suit Larry." (not because it was sexual, but because it was just a cool game, where you typed what you wanted Larry to do at the C prompt... wow such freedom!) I don't even mind the shooting games, even though they are targeted for males... my problem arises when the story gets black and depressing like the Grand Theft Auto series. Do we really have to have a 30-something guy killing an old lady? Is that what males want? Anyway that is where I draw my line, at gratuitous human on human violence. That's where the fun stops for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I didn't even read it. I'm so sick of people talking so much about the whole thing with females and video games. One of my best friends is a girl and she might possibly be one of the best people to play or talk about video games with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I'm so sick of people talking so much about the whole thing with females and video games. One of my best friends is a girl and she might possibly be one of the best people to play or talk about video games with. Very much this. Video games are not a guy-only sport anymore and the shift towards proper representation for females is going on. This subject is getting tired, and I would like it if modern feminism would stop focusing so much on how virtual women are portrayed on a screen and focus more on the flesh and blood women who need real help today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 flesh and blood women who need real help today. Flesh and blood everybody needs help today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygecko Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I didn't even read it. I'm so sick of people talking so much about the whole thing with females and video games. One of my best friends is a girl and she might possibly be one of the best people to play or talk about video games with Then why even bother participating in the thread if you don't want to talk about it? I see these lines being thrown around in gender discussions so often it's starting to piss me off. I don't know what it is that triggers people to suddenly act in such unrational manners when this subject is brought up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 well I was wondering what "No Girls Allowed" even meant in this context. listen, this is how it works with me. I am curious about just about anything even when I know that I won't give a crap. I looked at this thread because I'm Garrett and I have A.D.D. actually I don't think A.D.D. has anything to do with it but yeah whatever cuz the things and stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I didn't even read it. I'm so sick of people talking so much about the whole thing with females and video games. One of my best friends is a girl and she might possibly be one of the best people to play or talk about video games with You really need to stop doing this thing where you post about how you didn't read something or you're not interested. If you aren't interested in the subject at hand, don't post, because you're not contributing to any kind of discussion. If you'd read the article you'd realize that it's not an article about "the whole thing with females and video games," but a historical look at how market forces affected demographics and created stereotypes. We all know that girls and women have been playing for years. That's not the point of the article. I see you post one more "I didn't really read it" post and you'll get a temp ban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 geez good god I apologize I didn't know that was such a bad thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liontamer Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 geez good god I apologize I didn't know that was such a bad thing Yeah, definitely will ban you myself too, it's annoying. You're a good musician, but I'm dogpiling due to denseness of poster. Read the relevant content BEFORE you post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexstyle Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Interesting article. I didn't realize that the '90s was where the shift to the "14-30 years old" demographic happened. I thought that was always the case, but what do I know--I was born in 1991. Good stuff, thanks for posting, Wes! (Side note: the web design for the article made it a joy to read.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Marketing is a seriously power that isn't to be trifled with. Gender roles are pretty much shoved down our throats constantly and it's pretty easy to sway a large number of people this way. As a consumer, we are the ones that can sway what advertisers do by making smart purchases on a consistent basis. As a guy, I can attest that I love robots and things like that. One might say that is a very boyish quality. I also like cute things such as the various girl racer toys from Wreck It Ralph. I'd rather have any of those than something that sports the main character himself. I adore the Princess Belle mug on my mantle that I got at Gaston's Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. I also have a blanket with Tinkerbell on it. I like what I like and I don't give a shit at what advertisers think I should be buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 How does one account for all the "Bronies?" Was that a marketing ploy or just a fluke? 'Cuz that's some pretty girlie material right there! lmao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygecko Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Marketing is a seriously power that isn't to be trifled with. Gender roles are pretty much shoved down our throats constantly and it's pretty easy to sway a large number of people this way. As a consumer, we are the ones that can sway what advertisers do by making smart purchases on a consistent basis.As a guy, I can attest that I love robots and things like that. One might say that is a very boyish quality. I also like cute things such as the various girl racer toys from Wreck It Ralph. I'd rather have any of those than something that sports the main character himself. I adore the Princess Belle mug on my mantle that I got at Gaston's Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. I also have a blanket with Tinkerbell on it. I like what I like and I don't give a shit at what advertisers think I should be buying. I think men generally have more flexibility and aren't as judged for what they're interested in. Women seem especially vicious to eachother when it comes to falling in line. This is why I hate gender roles so much because it surpresses individual growth, and women seem to suffer more from it than men. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirby Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 That was a pretty good read, and really shows the effect that advertising and media coverage have on the perception of gender roles within gaming. Being trans, I feel I have a unique outlook, growing up on the side they pander to and now being on the side that is commonly seen as the side that doesn't play games. Seeing both sides from both views... it's very interesting. Growing up I didn't mind it much because I was the target audience. Now I find myself being quite the opposite, and it's a bit weird. Then again I don't give a damn about gender stereotypes and would rather have them done away with because they do no good whatsoever. (@Flexstyle: Yeah that web design was pretty awesome) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I think men generally have more flexibility and aren't as judged for what they're interested in. Women seem especially vicious to eachother when it comes to falling in line. This is why I hate gender roles so much because it surpresses individual growth, and women seem to suffer more from it than men. True that. One other thing that I didn't mention is that my wife is the bread winner in our home and I'm the house husband. She's got the electrical engineering degree with a lot of physics type stuff added in. I make music and pretty pictures (or not so pretty) but tending to the house is probably my main job. I do nearly all the cooking and cleaning as well as things like grocery shopping. Despite the day and age that we live in, we still find people who are surprised at our situation. Another thing that some of Kate's co-workers are surprised of is the fact that I have no interests in professional sports what so ever. I'd rather see a Broadway show than a pro football game any day. I know a number of guys who are in the same situation as me but people still find it odd that I don't have a favorite team or know what the score was from last nights game. Women do get penalized more by society for breaking gender roles. I think it's going to be quite some time before society truly breaks away from that sort of thing. Women have come a long way when compared to how things were between the 30's - 60's, though. I'm hoping that things will progress further over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirby Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 I think gender roles are especially dangerous because it implies there's a distinct binary: male and female. When in reality there isn't at all, but people are so caught up in the roles and by societal expectations that they can't wrap their heads around the idea that there's potentially as many genders as people in the world. Gender is what you make of it, not what society dictates it should be. And yet... people still fight, claiming that there's only male and female and anything else is horrendously wrong and unnatural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulifée Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 And yet... people still fight, claiming that there's only male and female and anything else is horrendously wrong and unnatural. Some people prefer to put everything in little marked box, male, female, Chaotic Evil whatever, because for them it's easier that way. Good thing real life dictates otherwise, lot of people and way of thinking, one thing that allow humanity to move forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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