I am pissed. I am over it. I am simply gobsmacked at the entitlement of the men I work with. Truly. Gobsmacked. (aka, shocked.)
Okay, let me back up a minute. I work in games. Specifically, social games. Specifically, my company makes games that go on Facebook. And you think, sexism...there?!!? Oh yes, it exists.
You see, gentle reader, my company makes games that go on Facebook - but our targeted audience is not the millions of women and men that have made companies like Zynga a success...or just a boatload of money. We're focusing in on those young toughs that spend hours of their time gaming on Facebook. The ones who say 'meh' to World of Warcraft and fire up Zuckerman's prized pig of an enterprise. They say, 'Hey, you know what I need right now?' 'Some hardcore online gaming that only exists on FB."
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate that there will be gamers looking for new games and my company has certainly made a lot of people entertained and happy with the games we've produced. Countless hours of entertainment and employment have been achieved.
However, so have countless hours of pure, unadulterated rage, sexism, prejudice and just plain ignorance.
Okay - to the meat of it:
First off - I never wanted to work in games. I did (and do) find them ridonkulously violent, sexist and stupid. I've always been aware of the correlation between the real world and games. Like, why the hell can you be a NAZI in a video game?! Isn't that just fucking with your karma?
Or, hey - Vietnam happened because a lot of stupid dudes thought it wouldn't be a big deal to draft 18 year olds to kill brown folks. Does that sound harsh? Cause it ain't. It's what happened. The bottom line is that I think killing is stupid - whether it's digital or real. The acts of real killing get desensitized and more acceptable the more often virtual killing is glamorized. The real and virtual killing are often set in the same location and the only difference is that you're the one with the gun in the digital world.
So - needless to say, I think people that celebrate violent games and reward viewers with bloody images are just a hot mess inside. They don't live in the here and now. They don't see what's happening in Mexico with the drug wars. They don't see the violence we're responsible for in the Middle East. They don't understand the fallout from soldiers and veterans returning home. And they sure as shit don't listen to pacifists. They find violence entertaining. I think that's just plain gross.
These same men I work with also have absolutely no problem portraying women as victims & sex objects. Hand to God I have seen the light and it is illuminating the sexism in the gaming industry. Wait - social gaming industry. Why? you ask. Why am I making such a declaration. Well, gentle reader, let's go on a little journey....
