Wednesday, February 14th, 2007...12:23 am
The Implications of an All-Male Game
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Upon reading the Frasca article “Playing with Fire…” it occurred to me that my younger sister (a feminist and a hardcore gamer) might have something interesting to say on the subject. When I asked her to email me a short synopsis of her thoughts, she produced this posting on her blog. It turns out she had more than a little to say.
2 Comments
February 14th, 2007 at 1:13 am
Nicole’s sister made too many excellent points for me to recount here (though I have to applaud her for mentioning the gender-bending surprise in Metroid). Unfortunately, we are students in an online games seminar with a 5 to 1 male-to-female ratio. A statistic like this makes me sick because video games are the ultimate equalizer. With games, everyone starts out on a level playing field. While some macho males might believe that men are intellectually and physically superior, I’m not buying that b.s. The truth is, the gender disparity in gaming and IT employment boils down to marketing. Games and technology are marketed towards young males, leaving women to play “pink” games as Nicole’s sister refers to them. Game manufacturers and their marketing agencies must bridge the gap between these “pink” games and your typical young male first-person shooter.
February 14th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Ah, but a 1:1 ratio among the professors….
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