thespectacularspider-girl:

nord-ronnoc:

thespectacularspider-girl:

Recently Overwatch released a new character, citing complaintsof a lack of ‘body diversity’.  Now, Idon’t like the character but that’s for a variety of reasons and that’ll becoming at a later date.  No, what really botheredme was this argument and the implications for a common trend in representationof women in video games.

To add some context, I’m a gay woman and I want to be a gamedev.  I’ve loved video games and been a gamer for close to 15 years.  And I really feel there are pressing issues with the arguments for ‘representation of women in video games’.  I’ve made similar rants about this general topic before and you can find my most successful one here.

If you’re concerned with women, body types, representation, etc, I suggest you give me a fair shake and read all the way to the end.  More under the break.

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You do realize that these women in video games, like Soul Calibur, were presented with big breasts, butts, and skimpy clothes because they were designed as sex objects for the dominate male audience, right? That, oh my god, that big-breasted women were the most portrayed in media, including video games? Apparently, you didn’t realize (or notice or even cared) that there was little body diversity with the female characters in Overwatch. The new character, Zarya, was a response to that. 

She was a Russian soldier who was beefed up, had bulky armor (well, save for the boob armor but that’s another story), and carried a big ass gun. Meanwhile, while Samus was a badass in practical armor. Her Zero Suit looked like this in the newest Smash Brothers game.

Her boobs were shaped like balls, having free will of their own. I’m aware it was hyperbole but you get my point. Ivy, Sophitia and, Taki, especially in Soul Calibur IV, look like this.

Yeah, totally sex positive. Let women run around with their… huge tracts of land and they wound find themselves with broken backs.

On a related note, you should also note that, according to the ESA, nearly half of the gaming population in the US were female. And yes, I’m including the “casual” games. In fact, There were twice as many women, ages 18 or older, at the rate of 36%, than men who are 18 years or younger at the rate of 17%. In the report, Jason Allair said there was no longer the concept of a stereotypical gamer.

You should also be aware that the gaming community was very toxic, hostile to women, LGBT, PoCs, and other minority groups. While it has improved overtime, we still have a long way to go. Anyone with a feminine voice were three times more likely to be harassed online, according to a 2013 study by Ohio University. You ever heard of Anita Sarkeesian, the feminist critic? Yeah, she has been harassed and received death and rape threats over the fact that she called the majority of games had sexist elements in them at best. And that kind of media can have a role in how we shape our society and our perceptions. Thus, it told us that the only way to be a sexy woman was to have big breasts, long legs, an exposed butt, and have little clothing.

You resorting to bodyshaming and you had defended sexism in the gaming industry. You should be ashamed of yourself. And I don’t care if you specialize in BDSM because your reasoning was fallacious. Women in video games were often subjected to the Damsel in Distress trope, where they had little agency or choice in the matter. Men were rarely objectified. Instead, they tend to be power fantasies for the male audience.

Again, THIS KIND OF SEXUALIZATION HAPPENED TO WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES! NOT MEN!

This should’ve been obvious to you, but I think you missed the point. Completely.

Hey, gonna say one thing because most of your post is bullshit.

Thanks for proving me 100% right by ignoring the numerous Soul Calibur women who don’t have gigantic breasts, instead zeroing in on the large breasted women, erasing characters like Talim.

Also, good job flat out erasing the women with body types like that, apparently (according to you) unable to do any sort of physical activity without ‘breaking their backs’.

So yeah, thanks for proving me right in how people like you can only focus and shame women with large breasts, even when there are numerous options available that AREN’T like that.

Take your sexist, sex negative, condescending, infantalizing bullshit somewhere else.  You’re the reason why so many women actually support my post, because YOU make them feel like absolute shit over their bodies.