Why does sexism persist in the video games industry?

[Forty Two]

Why does sexism persist at the shopping mall?

Most of the retail space, by far, at the shopping malls, is directed toward female buyers. The big anchor stores, like Macys, Dillards, Hudsons, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstom, and the like, for American malls, are mostly catering toward female buyers (most of their floor space is for women). Inside the malls, the vast majority of stores are directed toward the female buyer too. Men have fewer clothing stores, and where a store sells men's and women's clothes, the women's sections are much larger and have greater selections. In jewelry stores, the vast majority of jewelry is for women. Women have more shoe stores, and where a store sell's both sexes' shoes, women's sections are larger and more varied.

When will the madness end?

[tuco]

I do not have answers to such questions. I am mere observer perhaps commentator. As for stores .. thank Lord! Its a chore. If all stores were for females I'd have one more reason not to go there

The "madness" will end when, couple of quick options: a) those who feels so strongly that they campaign for their cause will have no reason to feel so strongly b) when it becomes socially unacceptable to feel so strongly c) never d) ...

There is difference, in my opinion, between people/groups like those around Mr Gaider (Bioware) who make living making games and perhaps try to incorporate some of their lets say personal philosophy in them and Miss Sarkeesian (gamers gate) who makes living stirring controversy. Personally I do not pay much attention to the latter.

My interest in this is as in other phenomena in our societies. This is dynamic stuff, unlike laws of nature.

[pErvinalia]

Assassin's Creed's player demographic is overwhelmingly male.

"Gaming" may be something enjoyed equally by men and women, but not all games are divided equally in terms of market.

Sexism remains in gaming for the same reason it remains in clothing and hairstyling. There is often a correlation between sex and a given market.

This is like complaining why Macy's doesn't sell cocktail dresses in the men's section.

You mean gender, not sex. And it depends on whether gender is a social construct or not.

[Forty Two]

Gender is a social construct, by definition. But, so what? All of culture and social customs and mores are social constructs.

Retailers market to demographics. Games are no different.

[tuco]

I see it, the public discourse about sexism, as a trend or social dynamics. Just like sexual revolution. It (also) involves talking, publicizing, about issues not talked about before.

Today, these people - be it gay rights or women rights or black lives/rights etc - basically minorities in fact or alleged, get their say publicly (over internet). And they do so. Just like other groups defend their interests so do these people. Asking when will it stop .. when society will stop paying attention to it, will conclude that there is no basis for these people to be vocal and demand. As of now it seems there is at least controversy when it comes to such consensus in society. And as noted before Miss Sarkeesian, for example, has only as much room as society gives her. I dont give her much. She can have her say, its her right, but .. cool story sis.

---
edit: there is not movement, I know of, for CEO lives/rights for example. Why that is right? Because there is no bases, society concludes. If anything those fuckers should be deprived like they deprive others.

[pErvinalia]

Gender is a social construct, by definition. But, so what? All of culture and social customs and mores are social constructs.

Retailers market to demographics. Games are no different.

You seemed to be implying that the sexism in gaming (like in clothing) was acceptable because of traditional gender roles. That's a non-sequitur.

[Forty Two]

No, I was suggesting that it persists because there are sexes and genders and we live in a culture. Whether it is "acceptable" is another matter.

It is acceptable to some degree because to live in a free country means that a culture can be self-organizing. Traditional "gender roles" are not necessarily more or less valid or more or less acceptable than non-traditional gender roles. However, if people are to have any degree of liberty, then the games they buy, the art they like, the cars they prefer, the clothes they wear, are pretty much going to be individual choices -- collections of individual choices become norms or "roles". Sometimes, the demographics of those choices correlate to sex, sometimes to race. It happens. Why do blacks smoke more menthol cigarettes? If Michelob Ultra tends to be consumed by young metrosexuals, or of women tend to smoke Virginia Slims -- should something be done about it?

[laklak]

Yes.

[Forty Two]

Oh.... right then. Yes. Let's get out there and make sure that people play the proper games! And, women need to smoke their proper proportional amount of Camel Wides! Enough with the disproportionate number of slim cigarettes for them!

Whose with me!?

[laklak]

What about Camel unfiltered? Are you some sort of filterist? Shame, man, shame!

Metrosexuals will be shot on sight, solves that problem. Fucking wankers.

[pErvinalia]

No, I was suggesting that it persists because there are sexes and genders and we live in a culture. Whether it is "acceptable" is another matter.

You compared it to "complaining". So you were strongly implying that it is unacceptable.

[Forty Two]

I didn't compare anything to "complaining."

The fact that certain demographics may correllate to sex or gender, however, is not necessarily a problem or "unacceptable." Why does sexism persist in the power tool industry? Oh, I don't know. Might be because men are more interested in buying power tools, so the people who make and sell power tools direct their efforts more to men. Put a stop to it!

How are we to put a stop to it? Well, by all means, set up a requirement in some way to prevent people from doing that. Make them sell pink drills? Make them design them lighter and smaller? No, that would be sexist, because it would be using traditional gender norms to girlify the tools....so, we should leave them the same, but somehow get women to buy more of them so it's proportional to population..... maybe marketing efforts should be directed to women, or we should offer free classes in home repair and construction to women...but, wait, that relies on the sexist stereotype of women not being as into tool-stuff as guys..so, we can't do that either....

[pErvinalia]

I didn't compare anything to "complaining."

You wrote: "This is like complaining..."

[Forty Two]

I didn't compare anything to "complaining."

You wrote: "This is like complaining..."

....about Macy's selling cocktail dresses to women, but not men. Context is everything, doofus.

[pErvinalia]

Yes, and you compared apparent sexism in video games to this, doofus. You are implying that it isn't really a problem.