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Forums - Gaming Discussion - I dont understand the hate Anita Sarkeesian is recieved over Mirrors Edge 2

 

What do you think of Anita

She sucks! 196 61.83%
 
Shes awesome! 18 5.68%
 
Don't care 60 18.93%
 
Sometimes I agree with he... 43 13.56%
 
Total:317
RCTjunkie said:
I want complex, awesome female characters for video games too, but chastising the industry for every nit-pick just comes off as obnoxious.

After watching a few of her videos, it just reminds me of the gender studies class I took in which every single thing in society was seen as a thing oppressing women. Is there still sexism? Yes, harassment and stereotypes still float around but she comes off as a fringe feminist in that EVERYTHING is oppressive instead of maybe more marketed to males (doesn't mean all males like it) just as things such as Pinterest or Seventeen magazine are marketed towards women (again, doesn't mean all women like it).

I guess it comes down to if we want video games to be a forefront of social change forcefully or let the market decide what we want video games to have. Honestly, awesome female protagonist, though few and far between, do have huge fanbases from both genders and deserve more place in the video game culture. I think putting women in for the sake of having a quota is dumb. We are better than that.


At large the industry doesnt seem to feel like they are being chastized by her if they gave her the Game Developers Choice Embassador Award.  This seems to be largely an issue with the fans and not actual professionals. Even Steven Colbert applauded her work. 



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She sucks, just like every other radical feminist I've ever heard about. Radical feminists are one of the most offensive groups I've ever seen, and they often seem pretty hypocritical as well. Nothing against less radical feminists though.

Considering my opinion about her, I think it should come as no surprise why I think she's a bad influence for the game.



S.T.A.G.E. said:


At large the industry doesnt seem to feel like they are being chastized by her if they gave her the Game Developers Choice Embassador Award.  This seems to be largely an issue with the fans and not actual professionals.


It really doesn't matter how true or right your message is. As long as your message is loud and heard, you're considered an industry icon.

TotalBiscuit publicly opposes anitas views. He got an award at The Game Awards



fireburn95 said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:


At large the industry doesnt seem to feel like they are being chastized by her if they gave her the Game Developers Choice Embassador Award.  This seems to be largely an issue with the fans and not actual professionals.


It really doesn't matter how true or right your message is. As long as your message is loud and heard, you're considered an industry icon.

TotalBiscuit publicly opposes anitas views. He got an award at The Game Awards


I understand, but she still recieved an embassador award for her work. How does his award devalue her award? 



EA already stated that she's not involved with the new Mirror's Edge.



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S.T.A.G.E. said:

I am pretty pumped that she's helping with Mirrors Edge to make the female protagonist as badass as possible. I am also a feminist (but foremost egilitarian) and even though I don't always agree with her words, she does bring up good points. When she won the Embassador Award at the Game Developers Choice award, Neil Druckman (who who introduced her) spoke about her influence on the character of Ellie in the Last of Us. In my honest opinion, Ellie is the most empowered female character ever created and has so much to learn in her story growth about survival. If she had an influence on that character, I really wouldnt mind her influencing the female protagonist in Mirrors Edge. I understand that she bites when she talks about subjects, but someone has to do it. If not her, then who?


It's just the gaming community that goes to shit, it's all about drama, bashing and hating for no good reason.. they are always looking for the tiniest excuse to start a riot. It's like if someone stole a piece of bread to feed their family with food, and the rich guy lost 1$, and trust me, back then people lost their hands for less. It's just that most of us got nothing to do, probably frustrated and finds some populare figure to steam off at. It's not unormal. I don't think there is one character in gaming, Devs, publishers, studio or corporations anymore that isn't being hated by a certain angry mob



 

PSN: Opticstrike90
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S.T.A.G.E. said:
fireburn95 said:


It really doesn't matter how true or right your message is. As long as your message is loud and heard, you're considered an industry icon.

TotalBiscuit publicly opposes anitas views. He got an award at The Game Awards


I understand, but she still recieved an embassador award for her work. How does his award devalue her award? 


I'm just saying that awards don't necessarily equate to "her views are valid" or "his views are valid"

The people her agenda affects are the 1)Gamers 2)Developers that aren't necessarily a face of a company

A lot of industry figures almost have to agree with her views, because of the positive press it gets with feminists.
Hell, a lot of feminists have actually stated their conflicts with Anita's views.



TechnoHobbit said:

This is the first time I've actually sat down and read a thread about her and I can see what I long suspected is true--gamers in general really can't take much criticism lol.

I'd get into it, but my avatar... isn't really the best for discussing this topic.


Thats kinda BS...I watch Extra Credits, Jimquisition, Total Biscuit etc on a regular basis and they have no qualms with discussing the faults in video games and sometimes in the gamers. They are all fairly popular Youtube shows, which criticize gaming but there are a number of key differences. 

It doesn't feel like they are looking from the outside in. Anita shows a very simple understanding of the games she discusses, and that makes her feel like someone who isn't a gamer. Her points often seem disconnected from reality and it is difficult not to criticize her for her use of games to discuss. For example, she says things like "Hitman encourages the murder and subjugation and sexual expression of women because in this clip, you can see the main character killing a woman and hiding her body", however, she fails to realize that in the game, that is in no way the purpose of the mission, and you are actually penalized for acting in that way. Additionally, ever character can be killed in the same way, so why complain that a woman can be killed in one out of twenty missions (and only two out of seven parts in that mission)...

Thats just one example, but your conclusion is unfounded...

S.T.A.G.E. said:

At large the industry doesnt seem to feel like they are being chastized by her if they gave her the Game Developers Choice Embassador Award.  This seems to be largely an issue with the fans and not actual professionals. Even Steven Colbert applauded her work. 


Colbert also laughed at the mere idea of someone actually taking video game journalism seriously, so as much as I think he is humorous, he is opinion doesn't even come close to mattering in this context.

Additionally, as a few people have said, there are dialogues about female representation that should happen and have happened. That is what Anita gets applauded for, starting a dialogue. Not for her nuanced critiques and brilliant insights...she is a terrible critic and a terrible feminist who just so happened to start talking about something that deserves to be talked about and then went on to mess it up in basically every way possible. 

Guys like the Extra Credits crew should get props for actually being able to talk about this subject in a way that is interesting and thought provoking, but a lot of people don't want to think...they just want outrage



Whoops, i posted what was on my mind.

Ignore this post.



Monster Hunter: pissing me off since 2010.

S.T.A.G.E. said:
bananaking21 said:
she isnt helping with mirrors edge. EA confirmed it.


Thats fine. If shes out of it I am cool with that as well. I am just stating that Neil Druckman gave the seal of approval to Sarkeesian as  to why Ellie turned out as badass as she did.

Neil Druckman is an idiot if he couldn't come up with a strong female character without her.