The American Library Association compares computer gaming to the board games of the past in their article, "Are Girls Game?" I remember board games as more gender neutral than todays computer games; think of classics like Sorry, Clue, or Life. (My 9-year-old just walked by with a Simon spinoff.)
I remember the first Atari games, Pong, Space Invaders, and a game where a knight ( the curser really) went through mazes to find the "dragon". While these games may have appealed to certain genders more than others, the persona or avatar for visual objectification of one gender or another was nonexistent. This genre of gaming has past.
Currently, my exposure to gaming consists of the Wii gaming system in our house. I try to purchase games that will universally appeal to the wide audience we have; however, I have bought girl specific games for my daughters. I'm undecided if that means the other games are naturally boy-centric.
One of the games I purchased for one of my daughters is "The Daring Game for Girls" (DGG) that came with a book called The Daring Book for Girls which probably influenced my purchase. Although the book is more empowering than the video game, there are positive elements, or is it only less damaging elements, in DGG compared to other games in other gaming systems.
DGG is a "puzzle-solving, platform, and sports genre" game as is reported to appeal to women in "Women and Games" by Royse et al. (681). Additionally, Michele D. Dickey in her article "Girl Gamers: The Controversy of Girl Games and the Relevance of Female-oriented Game Design for Instructional Design" cites girls' preference for "realistic settings and non-gender-specific characters" (789). DGG is staged in a neighborhood setting with people to meet and activities to complete in an attempt to mirror real-life experiences. A Wii avatar is called a Mii and has some superficial sex indicators, choices in eyebrow or mouth design, but is devoid of any distinguishing sexual features. My daughter says girl Miis have longer shirts. It could be argued that these neutered avatars are a step towards de-objectifying women or men, yet I wonder if sanitizing the issue to make it non-existent is just as harmful as overly sexualizing, or is it hearkening back to the idea of the previous generations game pieces that were solely pieces or a possession to move around a game board. But these pieces are called Mii. On the DGG, the Mii is more girl-like with ponytails or other distinguishing features, a continuation of pink think maybe?
While my older children complain that I am anti-gaming, I like to consider myself a neo-Luddite; a term I encountered in Ryan Bigge's article, "The Cost of (anti-)Social Networks: Identity, Agency, and the Neo-Luddites" which reflects back to the Industrial revolution loom smashers. I am not a smasher of technology; however, I am a leery about devoting a significant portion of my mind to some of the products and media. Especially products and media that portray objectification of women, or women as consumers. Bigge says neo-Luddites "raise doubts about technology, pointing to its unanticipated, undesirable, or indirect consequences" (n. pag.).
Haha Colleen, Not a smasher of technology but someone who takes Neil Postman's cautions about new technology, which I think is a good idea, a good idea in the realm of gaming especially. So much of gaming has been objectification esp the James Bond games. But that is mimicking conventional media. Postman asks, "what new problems might be created because we solve the problem? Or more appropriately, "which people and institutions might be most seriously harmed?" with the invention or innovation of technology that is supposedly invented to solve a problem or benefit our life?
ReplyDeleteThe realm of technology in our current climate echoes Erich Fromm's concern. As a globalizing society of technologically advanced people, we are fast reaching the point that our knowledge of technology is surpassing our fundmamental understandings of ourselves. I believe (and in between semesters I'm probably what the class article would call a power gamer) that technology allows us distraction from more pressing concerns that have a great deal to do with understanding our social, cultural, and psychological ticks.
ReplyDelete"technology allows us distraction from more pressing concerns that have a great deal to do with understanding our social, cultural, and psychological ticks."
ReplyDeleteSure. Gaming is an escape where we don't have to take responsibility for what happens in a fantasy word. We can just check out of everyday life for a while.
Checking out of reality too much can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteGreat title for this post, Colleen!
ReplyDelete