Proserpine
First Post
Re: posts that point out that D&D itself treats female and male characters equally. The mechanics in 4e are, indeed, gender blind. But the representation of women in adventure materials and whatnot isn't. Here and here offer some statistical proof of that. There's a big difference between explicit and implicit sexism, and neither a very good. Just because something isn't totally overt doesn't make it any less questionable or right.
I agree with pretty much everything you're saying, but especially with these parts. The marketing/designing issues are really troublesome, since women gamers will engage in "male-centric" activities in spite of not being considered a valid or equal part of those activities' audiences. And things don't really change, because we participate as long as we aren't explicitly excluded.
Your point is reinforced by a recent thread: the one shilsen linked about Witch Girl Adventures. The OP asked (I'm paraphrasing), "Have they missed their mark by targeting females?" That question was asked because the default audience, especially when it comes to gaming, is male.
It also bugs me, as a feminist geek especially, to see dissenting voices silenced in the way you mentioned. "Oh, you silly feminazi!" is not very productive, nor is blaming someone for their discomfort over sexist behavior, sexist artwork, or whatever else.
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1114872
Cadfan said:People, particularly guys, and particularly guys in a traditionally male dominated context, start to assume that the things specifically included to appeal to males are somehow "normal" and therefore not actually specifically designed to appeal to males. This bugs me a bit. You'll get people who look at Barbie and recognize that it's designed to appeal to girls, and then look at a cartoon entitled something like Mega Robot Viking Ninja Explosion Turbo or whatever and cannot, no matter how hard they try, see that this might just be a wee bit aimed at boys as a market.
Cadfan said:They think that their jokes or comments or soft porn artwork are "normal" and not actually gender specific, and blame others, particularly women, for not liking the things and the behavior they do. If someone ever uses the word "feminazi," chances are you're talking to someone in this category. Ditto "oversensitive" with reference to women who dislike their behavior.
I agree with pretty much everything you're saying, but especially with these parts. The marketing/designing issues are really troublesome, since women gamers will engage in "male-centric" activities in spite of not being considered a valid or equal part of those activities' audiences. And things don't really change, because we participate as long as we aren't explicitly excluded.
Your point is reinforced by a recent thread: the one shilsen linked about Witch Girl Adventures. The OP asked (I'm paraphrasing), "Have they missed their mark by targeting females?" That question was asked because the default audience, especially when it comes to gaming, is male.
It also bugs me, as a feminist geek especially, to see dissenting voices silenced in the way you mentioned. "Oh, you silly feminazi!" is not very productive, nor is blaming someone for their discomfort over sexist behavior, sexist artwork, or whatever else.
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1114872