Chalk Talk - Play like a Girl
This weeks Chalk talk we discuss girls in games, gamers starved for attention, feminism, gaming elitism, misogyny, and how to deal with it all.
Girl Gamers, Girls in gaming or even girls in games. More often than not this is a subject that is touched on only when a rift occurs in the gaming community. Be them busty babes sucking on plastic or hard working average mothers who just wanna have a fun frag. This week on Chalk Talk we ask are they nothing more than females looking desperately for attention in a social pool they find to be easy to navigate, or are they legitimate gamers? Here's what GameSpotters had to say.
ermhm: Mistreatment and harassment of women (or men, for that matter) is something we should not tolerate, ever. Yet it happens, a LOT. If you're saying: 'but… nowadays women are mostly treated equally', chances are you're a caucasian male. read more.
lim_ak: Now onto the actual game side of things, women are remarkably poorly represented in games. That's not to say there aren't female characters, but there's a remarkable lack of diversity amongst those characters and only a small handful of them are actually strong characters. read more.
Lucky_Krystal:Why do so many games only appeal to males and not females, even though we make up almost half the fanbase? I present to you my opinion of these questions and more…. read more.
SuperMassive20: Representation, respect, rights. All of these words are key when the topic of girls in gaming shows up. Since the early beginnings, women have struggled to make an impression or even be respected within the gaming universe. How many women can you name in the gaming industry? read more.
CamoBullo: When it comes to gaming nowadays, what demographic do you think developers usually aim for? Well, it certainly isnt women, thats for sure. Not to sound sexist, but these days games are mostly directed at the male audience, something that I'm part of. read more.
More Chalk
A very special thanks to everyone who contributed to this week's Chalk Talk! To read all of the entrants, you can check out this link here.
Extra Credit
Sometimes a good blog is simply a good blog, and these GameSpot members deserve recognition for their efforts and contributions:
- The Art and Thrill of Stealth in Gaming By: Asagea_888
- Day One Patches By: Setho10
- Your favorite works by creators you loathe? By: GeekyDad
Last Week on Chalk Talk: Gamers vs Gamer Culture
Next Week's Assignment: War, hum… good gosh, what is it good for?
It has been argued that modern-day military games are damaging in too many ways to count. Game critics have argued that the way they morph soldiers into "unfeeling automatons capable of killing thousands without the slightest twinge of sorrow". Others have argued that these are simply games, not too unlike a game that transforms you into an assassin of old, or a thug lifestyle gangster, which do not dictate our behavior and are simply forms of escapism.
This weeks Chalk Talk will focus on realistic military shooters, are they unjust portrayals of the tragic and gruesome act known as war? Are they used as tools to forcibly push a political agenda of some deeper meaning? Is making a game out of a current conflict even ethical? Write up your blog, mark as editorial and post it in the official submission thread.
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