After what feels like an eternity, I turn to you again in a column. The last push for this came from this Hearthstone news from Schuhmann, because I am a bit tired of getting upset about this topic again and again: So I will self-therapy a bit and let all my frustration flow into this article here to finally come to a conclusion (and on a second reading, I even notice that it rhymes)!
Topic 1: Exclusion from the game based on gender
We do not need to argue that a separation of men and women in the physical real sports area makes sense, but that is why we will leave that one out.
Since this was the drop that overflowed the bucket, I will start with that right away. First of all, I believe that it was a good decision by Blizzard to take a clear position: Anyone who organizes tournaments with their games should not exclude anyone, especially not because of their gender.
But if we are honest for a brief moment: What choice did they actually have?
If they had not made a clear statement, no two days later, headlines would have emerged that corresponded to the tenor of “Blizzard supports sexist competitions” or “Blizzard is against equality”. That everyone is aware that you cannot take such a risk is clear.
However, I find it puzzling how the anti-sexism front counts this as a great victory while simultaneously saying that there will still be tournaments where only women are allowed to participate. I don’t say this lightly, but sexism works both ways. If they had spoken a little more clearly and said that gender segregation is generally absurd and should not occur, that would have been far more effective.
[quote_right]It creates the impression that women cannot perform to the same level as men.[/quote_right]From my perspective, they have now cut into their own flesh because what impression is conveyed? Women are now allowed to participate in one of the big (men’s) tournaments (which is good!), but they also still have their tournaments in which no men are allowed to participate (which is utterly ridiculous).
The message that is conveyed is relatively clear: Women still need their own tournaments to celebrate their successes, which apparently cannot be done if men participate. Through such half-hearted approaches, the impression is created that women cannot deliver the same performance in a game – and that is precisely the sexism that was supposed to be prevented.
Topic 2: Big breasts and bulging muscles
The second point that has endlessly annoyed me for years is the complaint about the portrayal of characters in MMOs, and here the criticism primarily comes from the female side. Sometimes the breasts are too big and wobble too much when walking, sometimes the hips are too wide, and then the clothing items are too provocative. Some games even deliberately exaggerate these characteristics; I will only mention “Scarlet Blade” and “TERA” as two examples.
But before I go into that, I will turn the tables coldly. Has anyone among the complainers ever looked at the male character models? They can just as easily be reduced to just two stereotypes: Either they are strong, muscular warriors who look like they could still do push-ups while sleeping and eat steroids instead of muesli, or they are androgynous scrawny figures that look like they jumped straight out of a Japanese Yaoi manga (and those who do not know what that is should urgently google it with the image search – at their own risk).
Amazingly, the outcry regarding male models is rather low, although one could just as well start a debate if one wanted to.
But back to the women: I admit, I still do not understand how the Aurin with the largest possible breasts can walk upright or why the human women wobble so much with their hips while walking that they dislocate their joints with every step.
But you know what? I don’t care! I find it absolutely fine because this exaggeration fits perfectly with the world of WildStar, where everything is taken less seriously. The same applies to other games, like TERA: The Castanic radiate with sex appeal, and this eroticism is even part of their backstory – of both genders. Also among the elves of this game, stereotypes can be observed again: They all look somewhat noble, yet they conform rather strongly to a beauty ideal that is very hard to find in reality. Before someone screams: The male representatives of the race are, by the way, again the Yaoi/Hentai variant.
Topic 3: Reducing women to appearance
Often you also hear that women in video games are only portrayed as the “desirable doll” that needs saving and is, of course, overloaded with visual appeals that a strong hero can rescue. But have people with such accusations looked at games in the last ten years? Only a very few games still operate under the Super Mario principle: “I hero, you princess, I save you, you are grateful.”
Female characters are no longer inferior to male characters in a variety of MMOs; they are mostly interesting and well-thought-out personalities who make independent decisions and do not let themselves be pushed around. Some examples would be Jaina Proudmoore (WoW) and Myala Everstar (WildStar) – the latter even has her own ‘harem’ of followers. Just imagine the uproar if that had been a male character…
It is completely unquestionable that in most MMOs there is clothing that showcases characters in specific ways. Whether it is a “Robe of Insight” in WoW or the “Slave outfit” from SWTOR, there isn’t a big difference. Do I have a problem with that? Absolutely not; why should I?
Final Opinion
I cannot understand how people are consistently upset about large breasts, deep necklines, and plate bikinis, because seriously: You don’t have to play such a character if you don’t want to.
The variety of characters in most games is increasing, and even when it is less, like in TERA – where everything just looks hot or cute, you can inform yourself about the game in advance. The fact is simply that such stereotypes are well-received, even by me. I like beautiful women who can wear interesting dresses, and I am also attracted to muscular warriors who could lift three Aurin at the same time on each arm. Are women restricted to their appearance because of this? No.
Men generally just enjoy looking at good-looking women and women just enjoy looking at attractive men – at least in bulk. Can’t we just stay grounded in reality and accept that these worlds are games that should be fun for us? Where is the huge problem if characters are exaggerated? Games are a leisure activity, and we are talking about virtual people.
And even if I am going to receive backlash: A fantasy world becomes truly exciting because of a touch of sexism sometimes and makes a world seem tougher and more unfair – since it’s just a game, I have my fun with it. Do you see it differently?
