Of Gender and Gaming

Nov 5, 2019

The issue regarding gender representation has become prevalent in recent year and gaming companies have come up with solutions to make it work in their favor. Game Developers are creating games that are appealing to all different kinds of gamers to make the most profit and to show they are inclusive. This type of action isn’t bad it allows for games like RPGs to become more available to a wider audience and it allows gamers of different genders to participate in the gaming community. However, Game Developers still need to produce quality content and gameplay for their consumers if they want to make the most profit.

Many game developers created web pages on their sites that show how progressive their company is.  The four greats examples are well-known gaming companies Electronic Arts, BioWare, Bethesda Game Studios, and Arkane Studios create large quantities of games that suppose to be appealing to all kinds of gamers without checking the quality of their games. Angela M. Hass discusses in her work “Toward a Digital Cultural Rhetoric” how the five rules of rhetoric – Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, and Delivery – can be applied to a digital platform like a website.  When it comes to marketing these companies do an excellent job following these rules but not when it comes to the game development.

This is a problem because as a gamer and a consume I expect these same companies to use the same rules of rhetoric to help improve the quality of their games, which they aren’t. They are focused on creating large quantity of games that prove they able to meet a diversity quota they end up forgetting to do a quality control check on their games. The best examples are the games Mass Effect Andromeda and Assassin’s Creed Unity with their rushed development time. The games had many problems especially glitches like the facial glitches shown in the memes shown here down below.

Not only were the developers having issues with the game manics and animation but were also trying to create characters and narratives that would appeal to a large audience with diverse genders and backgrounds, unfortunately they lacked substance which impacted the games quality. The journalist Paolo Gaudiano supports my opinion that game developers shouldn’t try to meet a diversity quota. Game Developers need to allow time for people that have the right qualifications and resources to work on developing a great quality video game regardless of their gender or background. In order to do this, they need to be able to work with the gamers in the gaming community. Which means listening to the gamers opinions, feed back and criticism of the companies’ and their video games. It would not only improve the quality of video games but it would also improve the companies relationship with gamers in the long-term.

References

Arkane Studios “About.” Arkanestudios.com. Zenimax Media. 2019. https://www.arkane-studios.com/en#about. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

Bethesda Game Studios. “Overview.” Bethesda.com. Zenimax Media. 2018. https://bethesdagamestudios.com/. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

BioWare Community Team. “Girls Behind Gaming.”  Bioware.com. BioWare. 8 March 2018. http://blog.bioware.com/2018/03/08/girls-behind-games/. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

Electronic Arts. “Diversity and Inclusion.” Ea.com. Electronic Arts Inc. 2019. https://www.ea.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion.  Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

Fig. 1. “Mass Effect Andromeda Meme.” Digital image a meme about the game Mass Andromeda and it’s facial animation glitch. Gamesskinny.com BioWare. 2017. https://www.gameskinny.com/i0vgu/bioware-should-be-ashamed-mass-effect-andromeda-still-needs-such-big-patches. Accessed 3 Nov 2019.

Fig. 2. “YOU’VE NEVER SEEN AN AC GAME BUG OUT? THAT’S ODD.” Digital Image of a meme about the game Assassin’s Creed Unity and it’s facial animation glitch made by mememkip. Imgflip.com. Ubisoft. 2018. Accessed: 3 Nov 2019.

Gaudiano, Paolo. “Companies Should Stop Focusing On Diversity.” Forbes.com. Forbes. 2 April 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/paologaudiano/2018/04/02/stop-focusing-on-diversity/#cbe437867645. Accessed: 3 Now 2019.

Hass, Angela M. “Toward a Digital Cultural Rhetoric.” The Routledge Handbook of Digital Writing and Rhetoric. edited by Jonathan Alexander and Jacqueline Rhodes.  Routledge, 2018. pp. 412-422. Taylor and Francis Group. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315518497/chapters/10.4324/9781315518497-39. Accessed 23 Sept 2019.

Oct 29, 2019

In today’s world people are spending more time online. As the internet grows and evolves so does the gaming industry. Many popular video games can be found to be playable both online and offline such as the Sims 4 or The Elder Scrolls Skyrim. While other popular video games like World of War Craft are exclusively online. These games are relevant because they are RPG games that are marketed to different types of gamers as seen in the pictures below. One has characters on the cover at all to keep as a way of advertising to a diverse group of gamers. The others show that character of different genders and ethnicity for the same purpose.

However the issues regarding gender representation in gaming hasn’t changed. Over the years research groups such as the Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assessing Interactions Among Social, Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health have found in their world Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate that a person’s gender is also influenced by their race. This is relevant because a person’s race and gender can affect their experiences online. In her work “Gender and Race Online” Lisa Nakamura discusses how people have experienced online harassment in online games because of their race or gender.

It’s no secret that online harassment and trolling continue to propel stereotypes about gender and race. Some gamers would prefer to play a character that is the opposite of their race or gender to avoid these types of online situations. However, most gamers that when given the opportunity to play the opposite gender because of their game-play style and preferences.

A Reddit user named U/supernaga had asked the “Gamers of Reddit, do you typically play as a male or female character and why?”  There were many users that explained their reasons for playing a specific gender were related to their game-style and preferences. YouTube channels such as PBS Game/Show further expand upon the discussion of the choice to swap genders. Journalist Jen Gerson’s article “’Gender-Swapping’ Gamers: Why some men prefer to play with female avatars — and vice versa” goes into deeper detail on this subject.

As a gamer that plays action-packed adventure games that are driven by narrative and exploration, I find RPGs are very appealing. It’s because the player can make whatever character they want no matter what their style or preference is. It is important to keep in mind the styles and preferences of gamers in order to resolve issues regarding race and gender in gaming.

References

Fig. 1. “THe Elder Scrolls : Skyrim.” Digital Image of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PC, Xbox One and PS4. Bethesda. Gematsu.com. https://gematsu.com/2016/06/elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-special-edition-announced-ps4-xbox-one-pc. Accessed: 28 Oct 2019.

Fig. 2. “The Sims 4.” Digital Image of The Sims 4 promotional image. Electronic Arts. BestBuy. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/the-sims-4-standard-edition-macwindows-digital/6230175.p?intl=nosplash&skuId=6230175. Accessed: 28 Oct 2019.

Fig. 3. “World of Warcraft: Battle of Azeroth.” Digital Image of the World of Warcraft expansion pack Battle of Azeroth. Blizzard Entertainment. PCgamer.com. https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-get-into-world-of-warcraft/. Accessed: 28 Oct 2019.

Gerson, Jen. “’Gender-Swapping’ Gamers: Why some men prefer to play with female avatars — and vice versa.” NationalPost.com. 6 June 2016. NationalPost. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/gender-swapping-gamers-why-some-men-prefer-to-play-with-female-avatars-and-vice-versa. Accessed: 27 Sept 2019.

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assessing Interactions Among Social, Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health. “Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. edited by Lyla M, Hernandez and Dan G. Blazer. Washington. 2006. National Academics Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19934/.   Accessed: 27 Sept 2019.

Nakamura, Lisa. “Gender and Race Online.” Society and The Internet. edited by Mark Graham and William H. Dutton. Oxford. Aug 2014.  DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199661992.001.0001. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

PBS Game/Show. “Are You Weird if You Play as the Opposite Sex? | Game/Show | PBS Digital Studios.” YoutTube.com. 23 Oct 2013. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFOVVAhnAns.  Accessed: 27 Sept 2019.

U/supernaga. “Gamers of Reddit, do you typically play as a male or female character and why?” Reddit.com. Reddit. 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/31egwb/gamers_of_reddit_do_you_typically_play_as_a_male/. Accessed: 27 Sept 2019.

Oct 22, 2019

Video games have been around for decades. So many people over the years have enjoyed playing many different games on many different gaming platforms that are available. As a modern female gamer I have the opportunity to play games such as the Mass Effect Trilogy and the Assassin’s Creed games on Xbox One and PC. However recently I noticed that there is a conversation in the gaming industry regarding gender representation happening among gamers and developers. This is what I have found:

Bloggers such as Marlena Skall from Gamasurta.com wrote about how there is a great deal of over sexualization and stereotypical portrayal of female characters in video games like in the 2003 game Tony Hawk’s Underground and the 2012 game Lollipop Chainsaw.

However fellow blogger Michael Huber from Gamasurta.com comments on Skall’s blog that the way characters are presented in game are only part of the problem. A problem that isn’t limited to female gamers. The way female characters are presented is apart of how the games are marketed. Historically the gaming industry has been setup to attempt to cater to a male heterosexual demographic. Researchers Benjamin Paaßen, Thekla Morgenroth and Michelle Stratemeyer in there work “What is a True Gamer?” show that because the way the gaming industry is set up it has lead to the creation of harmful stereotypes of male and female characters and gamers.

Gamers and Bloggers such as Becky Chambers from TheMarySue.com and Kate Harveston from Headstuff.com would argue that if gaming developers attempted to create female characters that were realistic and compelling it would help make a postive change. Game developers such as Ubisoft and Crystal Dynamics have made such an attempt. These companies have developed video games that are meant to appeal to male and female gamers while breaking away from stereotypes about video games and those who are in the industry. Two examples would be the 2018 game Shadow of the Tomb Raider and the 2003 game Beyond Good and Evil with their main characters Lara Croft and Jade.

Based on what I have found I also looked at the statistics regarding the age and gender of most gamers.

From what I have seen there are people who do have concerns about gender representation and there have been games made to address this discussion.

I believe there is an issue with gender representation but it isn’t limited to just female gamers or characters.

References

Fig. 1. Digital image of the cover of the video game case for The Mass Effect Trilogy on X Box 1. 2014. Bioware. TrustedReviews. https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/mass-effect-trilogy-listed-for-xbox-one-and-ps4-by-retailer-2911404 . Accessed: 16 Oct 2019.

Fig. 2. “All Assassins Creed Games.” Digital image of all of the current Assassin’s Creed Games.Ubisoft. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/838936236814320806/?lp=true. Accessed: 16 Oct 2019.

Fig. 3. “Tony Hawk’s Underground.” Digital image of the cover art for the 2003 video game Tony Hawk’s Underground. Activision. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385178/ . Accessed: 16 Oct 2019.

Fig. 4. “Lollipop Chainsaw.” Digital image of the cover of the video games Lillipop Chainsaw on PS3. 2012. WarnerBrothers. GameStop. https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-3/games/products/lollipop-chainsaw/10092942.html . Accessed: 16 Oct 2019.

Fig. 5 “Gurl Gamer.” RandomMan. Digital image of a meme about stereotypical female gamers. KnowYoruMeme.com. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gurl-gamer/photos/trending/page/3?gallery_cache_key=. Accessed: 17 Oct 2019.

Fig.6. “The Gamer Sutrat.” Andy Kluthe and Andrew Bridgman. Digitail image of a satirical comic about male gamers. 16 Mar 2013 Dorkly Comic. Geeksaresexy.com. https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2013/03/20/the-gamer-sutra-comic/gamer-sutrat/. Accessed: 17 Oct 2019.

Fig. 7. “Shadow of The Tomb Raider.” Digital image of the 2019 game Shadow of The Tomb Raider for Xbox 1, PS4 and PC. 2018. Crystal Dynamics. TombRaiderHorizons.com. https://tombraiderhorizons.com/2018/04/28/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-which-edition-should-you-buy/ . Accessed: 17 Oct 2019.

Fig. 8. “Beyond Good and Evil.” Digital image of video game cover for 2003 video game Beyond Good and Evil contributed by Flapco. 30 Jan 2019. Ubisoft. Mobygames.com. https://www.mobygames.com/game/beyond-good-evil/cover-art/gameCoverId,378645/ . Accessed: 17 Oct 2019.

Fig. 9. Digital Image of the statics of gamers of different ages and genders. 2014. ESA. HotHardware.com. https://hothardware.com/news/pwned-by-a-girl-women-gamers-now-out-number-teenage-boys. Accessed: 17 Oct 2019.

Huber, Micheal. Comment on “Representation of Gender Through Video Game Characters Needs To Change, and it Needs To Change Now.” Gamasutra.com. 25 Nov 2016, 5:00 a.m. Gamsutra.com. https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarlenaSkall/20161123/286100/Representation_of_Gender_Through_Video_Game_Characters_Needs_ToChange_and_it_Needs_To_Change_Now.php#comments. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

Morgenroth, Thekla,  et al. “What is a True Gamer? The Male Gamer Stereotype and the Marginalization of Women in Video Game Culture.” Sex Roles. Vol 76, no. 7–8. 10 Sept 2016. p.p. 421–435. Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0678-y. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.

Skall, Marlena. “Representation of Gender Through Video Game Characters Needs to Change, and it Needs to Change Now.” Gamasutra.com. 23 Nov 2016. Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MarlenaSkall/20161123/286100/Representation_of_Gender_Through_Video_Game_Characters_Needs_ToChange_and_it_Needs_To_Change_Now.php#comments. Accessed: 23 Sept 2019.