(no subject)

[sophiaserpentia]

In light of Activision-Blizzard's RealIDFail, it's dawned on me that there is a sizable void.

There are lots of women who play games. There are no developers catering to them.

Gaming has been historically extremely male-centered. The stereotypical gamer is a teen boy in his parents' basement hunched over an XBox or a Nintendo. The stereotypical game designer is a man who, ten years ago, was that boy. Game designers target boys' and men's idea of fun. Game advertisers target the interests of boys and men. And, as RealIDFail demonstrates quite clearly, game developers have little interest in the specific concerns of women online, where those concerns differ from men's, or in the specific ways in which women use social networks differently from men.

I'm cherry-picking my examples here for emphasis, but as anyone in the wide world of woman-gamer blogging can tell you, dealing with misogyny -- as well as racism, homophobia, and transphobia -- in the gamer universe or in game advertising or content is an everyday thing.

So... why should we? Make that trade-off to play games we enjoy, I mean?

If there are any development studios with an anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-'phobic perspective, I want to find out who and where they are. A very cursory google search does not reveal the names of any studios developing from this perspective.

If there aren't... I want to play a role in founding one. Anyone else interested?

Comments

[akycha.livejournal.com]

I'm actually part of a small group of women who work in the game industry -- mostly writing and editing -- and we have been considering putting together a company to try to break into game concepts which are geared towards a larger audience. (The problem is that this is a second job for all of us, and we all have to concentrate on the primary job in order to eat and pay rent.)

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

*nods* That aspect of this will make it difficult. Investors will not flock to our doors, at least in the beginning, so for a while it will be a labor of love/activism. Still... please keep me in mind. I believe in this very strongly.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

I'll keep you in mind. Someday we might have a website and stuff! :P

I just went over and read the stuff on WOW (I don't play it myself) and I am appalled -- but not surprised -- by the recent developments.

One thing that made me sad were all the comments from people saying "this doesn't affect me, I'll just keep playing." I wouldn't want to keep playing a game that just made it clear that GLBT, women, anyone who was ever stalked online, people who want to keep their gaming personas apart from their work personas, and people who wish to avoid being harassed because of their ethnicity are unwelcome.

Of course, being a woman who has been stalked, perhaps I lack perspective on the matter.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

That's a big part of why I'm feeling so driven away and alienated by this. There's no indication that they ever gave a moment's thought to the fact that women, GLBT folk, people of color (especially people with Middle Eastern or Asian names), or survivors of abuse and stalking, would feel particularly alienated and pushed away by this. Even if I could live with the changes, with never using the forums, and the increasing emphasis on merchandising tie-ins and special offers and microtransactions in a game that already costs $15/month, I don't know that I want to give my money to a company so appallingly insensitive to minorities.