Ch-ch-ch-chhhanges
Did you vote today? Hope so. Big turn out my way, even after the surprise big snow storm we had and power bring restored.
Been spending the last few weeks going back and playing some old games of mine, Fallout: New Vegas and last year’s WWE 2K game. With Fallout I went around and found all kinds of things I never did when I played this game the first few times. It’s been fun. It has also been glitchy as hell. Didn’t realize that my copy of the game was as glitchy as it is until going at it this time around. As for WWE 2K14 I’m doing my annual tradition of re-purposing the last year’s game. This time I’m filling the create a wrestler with guys for the 80’s and older. Made a bitching “Superstar” Billy Graham just last night.
As I mentioned a little while ago, video games and gamers have been in the news a lot lately and not exactly in a positive light. With the recent Daily Show appearance of Anita Sarkeesian, it got me thinking. The industry needs to change, not just in what products are released, but what goes on behind the scenes (and no, I’m not talking about ethics in gaming journalism).
Anyway, There seems to be different versions of what people think will happen coming out of all this controversy and these kinds of issues being raised. Of course in any argument of this kind there are views to the extreme on either side. One extreme has it that gaming companies will abandon everything and all the popular games that male fans have been enjoying will be radically changed or taken off the shelves. Like games with women in swimsuits will be instantly outlawed and replaced with pink ponies. The extreme on either side is that those games WILL disappear and that women will never be used as victims EVER again. The extreme tends to be just that, way out of proportion of what really is going on.
Of course, the majority of gamers lay somewhere in the middle. Different people are looking for different things to change, or not change, with the industry. Personally I think there does need to be more female representation in the industry. From the sounds of some of the women friends I know who have worked in the industry, there really does need to be a change of not only having women in the process, but in the way the men think of women in the video gaming industry.
However my cynical mind tells me that change isn’t going to be overnight. Change will happen, I do not doubt it, but it’s not going to be this grand instant change. It’s going to be awkward, it’s going to have it’s problems, there are going to be a lot of people who miss the point completely.
First, the games themselves. Video games don’t just magically happen. There is a LOT of planning and scheduling and such that goes into today’s games, especially from the big name studios. So real change in the games, more than what changes we have already, are probably a good year away. And what you will probably see right off is games that companies want to market to women, but either miss the point completely and flat out just aren’t given the attention that current games get. Games marketed to women aren’t going to grow in numbers until someone finally catches lightning in a bottle and takes over the gaming world by storm. Until then companies are just going to keep doing the same thing over and over.
As for the big time titles and gaming franchises. I don’t expect much change at all. Social change is one thing, but it’s still a business and these billion dollar companies aren’t going to mess with something that makes them a ton of money. GTA, Saint’s Row, Fallout and whatever else aren’t going anywhere.
Women will become a bigger force behind the scenes. This won’t happen overnight either, but it will happen. There will be horror stories (There are plenty NOW), there will be misguided attempts by companies, and there will be backlash from sexist, short sided people, but it will eventually even out to the point where there is a better woman representation in the business that are treated better and with respect by gaming fans, professionals, and companies alike.
But it will all take time, like anything else. It’s not the end of the world and it’s not a quick fix change. Impatience and overreaction aren’t going to help ANYONE.
Before we end for this week, I’d like to give congrats to Laci Green for her new gig with MTV. She has a wonderful web show (Seen right here on RT Gomer Productions!) that is both fun and educational. She doesn’t talk down to people and is a real positive influence online in sex education. Best of luck to you Laci and keep doing your thing.
I also want to say that I will be that the AniMaine convention in South Portland, Maine November 21-23rd. You can check out my AWESOME home con HERE.
Also, any of you fans of Tamara Chambers from the Nostalgia Critic who saw her latest Question and Answer video on Youtube:
Thank you kRaven. Back to the lair with you until the con.
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