Current Events > When did people start hating women in video games?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I remember when everyone liked Lara Croft.
---

Gamers have never liked women in video games. Only their assets
---

when Anita Sarskeesian started complaining about the representation of women in games
---

When they started making the breasts smaller.
---

hockeybub89 posted...

Gamers have never liked women in video games. Only their assets

This.
"Tits or GTFO" happened. Games chose the latter.

Remember in a middle school, if you saw a girl into video games, it was the coolest thing ever?
---

AmericaTheBrave posted...

Remember in a middle school, if you saw a girl into video games, it was the coolest thing ever?

Is that what this topic is about? I thought you meant female video game characters.
---

MJOLNRVII posted...

AmericaTheBrave posted...

Remember in a middle school, if you saw a girl into video games, it was the coolest thing ever?

Is that what this topic is about? I thought you meant female video game characters.

It's both.

The attitude about girls in games and girls playing games has changed and I'm interested in when that change happened and why.
---

It is an interesting question.

Nobody seemed to complain about Lara Croft, Sonya Blade, Chun-Li, or Samus Aran. Of course, they were all attractive. You could admire them as bad ass and admire them as eye candy. Then Beyond Good and Evil came out -- a game featuring a female protagonist with short hair, dark skin, and no overt sexuality -- and no one played it. Tomb Raider rebooted to a mix of praise from people who liked the new horror-esque vibe, those who shipped Lara with the lesbian chick, and those who were disappointed that the bombshell of the 90s had been disarmed. There was a lack of interest on the part of some gamers, but not yet hatred.

Now, a woman shoots a gun or kicks an enemy in the face and gamers throw a table. I'm not really sure where that comes from. The same happens with movies. Anyone mad about the latest Terminator trailer obviously never saw T2 or Aliens. Or maybe they have a weird notion that a strong woman who's not trying to be sexy is political today, but wasn't political back then.

Maybe gamers felt that strong-but-sexy was for their benefit. And now that the focus has shifted away from sex appeal, they're confronted with the notion of women as equals without any of that being to their benefit. Or maybe they're frustrated and take it out on all women in gaming because no woman outside of waifu games is made to look sexy anymore. Or maybe it has to do with the hyper-political nature of today. Strong women increased while sexy women decreased, but that doesn't necessary mean the lack of sexy appeal is the primary reason for agitation. Maybe they're tired of politically charged dialogue in movies and games and assume that every strong woman who isn't a fighting sex doll is part of a liberal agenda.

I really can't say when this aggression toward strong women developed. What's the earliest game that sparked outrage for featuring a strong woman? And what was the target of the outrage? Were they mad because she was strong or because it was a sequel/reboot that made her less sexy?

^ good points
---

There were plenty of games with hot chicks that got absolutely shit on. Look up Red Ninja, or Wet, or X-Blades. Even Mirrors Edge did meh

And plenty of cult classics fly under the radar regardless of whether or not their lead character is a hot chick.

Somewhere along the line, audiences were convinced that the presence of women in games was an attack on them. It has little, if anything to do with the games themselves
---

AlisLandale posted...

Wet

I forgot about this one, what a funny name.
---

There's been plenty of women throughout the history of videogames. Nobody had a problem with them.

People only started having issues with them when they started putting them in out of place situations, like a woman in the battlefield of a WW2 game.
---

GreatEvilEmpire posted...

There's been plenty of women throughout the history of videogames. Nobody had a problem with them.

People only started having issues with them when they started putting them in out of place situations, like a woman in the battlefield of a WW2 game.

This seems suspect, since people never had a problem with zombies in a WW2 game, and these games almost never advertise historical accuracy >_>
---

AlisLandale posted...

This seems suspect, since people never had a problem with zombies in a WW2 game, and these games almost never advertise historical accuracy >_>

This is something that gets me.

"You can't have a black knight. This game is supposed to be realistic. The currency they use is authentic. The dialogue they use is authentic. When you injure a dragon, it behaves just like a wounded crocodile."

Like, wait a minute...

manchildren started getting upset after some people pointed out there's not enough representation of women in games and often times it was sexist representation. so when more women started getting added into games, these same manchildren started overreacting cause they felt like they were being scolded earlier and now they're still holding a grudge
---

Pretty sure most dudes have created their waifu in many video games where you can create female characters.

Skye Reynolds posted...

Now, a woman shoots a gun or kicks an enemy in the face and gamers throw a table. I'm not really sure where that comes from. The same happens with movies. Anyone mad about the latest Terminator trailer obviously never saw T2 or Aliens. Or maybe they have a weird notion that a strong woman who's not trying to be sexy is political today, but wasn't political back then.

Before I start this I know there are some sexist out there that will hate a women playing a role like that. However with that said . I think most of the issues with the new Terminator movie is not a female terminator-thing. But that the writer have already made it political .

If youre at all enlightened, shell play like gangbusters. If youre a closet misogynist, shell scare the f*** out of you, because shes tough and strong but very feminine.

All ready suggesting that if you don't like the character you are not enlightened.

. Like James Cameron, I always find stories about women are much more interesting than men picking up guns

This guy directed Deadpool, get out of here with that mess.

Joe came out with this idea that a new protector from the future is a machine fighter. Its a painful life, and theyre scarred and take a lot of drugs to combat the pain of whats been done to them. They dont live a long time. Its a very sacrificial role; they risk death to save others. And from the very first suggestion it was always a woman.

This one isn't has bad but it kind added to the rest paints bigger picture.

--

Note while not many people watched it since it was canceled, there have already been a female good terminator .
---

GreatEvilEmpire posted...

There's been plenty of women throughout the history of videogames. Nobody had a problem with them.

People only started having issues with them when they started putting them in out of place situations, like a woman in the battlefield of a WW2 game

What bullshit. Nothing about WW1/2 games are that true to life.
---

GreatEvilEmpire posted...

There's been plenty of women throughout the history of videogames. Nobody had a problem with them.

People only started having issues with them when they started putting them in out of place situations, like a woman in the battlefield of a WW2 game.

Medal of Honour Underground on the PS1 starred a woman @GreatEvilEmpire
---

When underaged, socially undeveloped misfits decided they had to be the daddies of gaming culture and tell everyone what to think.

Like, who does @GreatEvilEmpire think he's fooling? He didn't have issues with women in the battlefield of a WW2 game all the way back in 2000. He might have been too young to play it - still in diapers and all. And if he did, he was sad and alone, because the rest of us were just playing video games - I'm sure some of us were playing Medal of Honor Underground, and probably enjoying it. The only people who care about their shit are the booger eaters who they conned into sharing their not-related-to-having-fun-with-video-games political concerns.
---

@cjsdowg did you say James Cameron directed Deadpool?

---

Skye Reynolds posted...

Or maybe they're frustrated and take it out on all women in gaming because no woman outside of waifu games is made to look sexy anymore. Or maybe it has to do with the hyper-political nature of today. Strong women increased while sexy women decreased, but that doesn't necessary mean the lack of sexy appeal is the primary reason for agitation. Maybe they're tired of politically charged dialogue in movies and games and assume that every strong woman who isn't a fighting sex doll is part of a liberal agenda.

^This is a lot of it. The last few years in particular have had politics become increasingly incendiary regarding damn near everything.

Skye Reynolds posted...

Were they mad because she was strong or because it was a sequel/reboot that made her less sexy?

There's a lot of that too. When characters lose their sex appeal in this era, it seems like an obviously political move.

Which is ridiculous anyway because the new Lara is obviously sexier than the triangle-boobed pixel blob of yesteryear.
---

Shablagoo posted...

Which is ridiculous anyway because the new Lara is obviously sexier than the triangle-boobed pixel blob of yesteryear.

Pixel blob had bigger bobs. :v

Skye Reynolds posted...

It is an interesting question.

Nobody seemed to complain about Lara Croft, Sonya Blade, Chun-Li, or Samus Aran. Of course, they were all attractive. You could admire them as bad ass and admire them as eye candy. Then Beyond Good and Evil came out -- a game featuring a female protagonist with short hair, dark skin, and no overt sexuality -- and no one played it. Tomb Raider rebooted to a mix of praise from people who liked the new horror-esque vibe, those who shipped Lara with the lesbian chick, and those who were disappointed that the bombshell of the 90s had been disarmed. There was a lack of interest on the part of some gamers, but not yet hatred.

Now, a woman shoots a gun or kicks an enemy in the face and gamers throw a table. I'm not really sure where that comes from. The same happens with movies. Anyone mad about the latest Terminator trailer obviously never saw T2 or Aliens. Or maybe they have a weird notion that a strong woman who's not trying to be sexy is political today, but wasn't political back then.

Maybe gamers felt that strong-but-sexy was for their benefit. And now that the focus has shifted away from sex appeal, they're confronted with the notion of women as equals without any of that being to their benefit. Or maybe they're frustrated and take it out on all women in gaming because no woman outside of waifu games is made to look sexy anymore. Or maybe it has to do with the hyper-political nature of today. Strong women increased while sexy women decreased, but that doesn't necessary mean the lack of sexy appeal is the primary reason for agitation. Maybe they're tired of politically charged dialogue in movies and games and assume that every strong woman who isn't a fighting sex doll is part of a liberal agenda.

I really can't say when this aggression toward strong women developed. What's the earliest game that sparked outrage for featuring a strong woman? And what was the target of the outrage? Were they mad because she was strong or because it was a sequel/reboot that made her less sexy?

Not recent but I just want to point out the vitriol towards Aloy for not being attractive enough compared to the actual model used for her face is still active last I checked.
---

GreatEvilEmpire posted...

There's been plenty of women throughout the history of videogames. Nobody had a problem with them.

People only started having issues with them when they started putting them in out of place situations, like a woman in the battlefield of a WW2 game.

Women soldiers during we 2 was a thing though.
---

Shablagoo posted...

@cjsdowg did you say James Cameron directed Deadpool?

Cameron is a producer, Tim Miller is directing this movie.

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-scares-internet-trolls-1202156922/
---

even ten years ago if you asked someone who there least favorite character was in any random games odds are they would list a woman

either every single writer has failed at writing women or these people just had a bias
---

Makeveli_lives posted...

Not recent but I just want to point out the vitriol towards Aloy for not being attractive enough compared to the actual model used for her face is still active last I checked.

I think that's fair to get upset about since it's an obvious double standard. The male character had an attractive model and was made conventionally attractive. The female character had an attractive model and they deliberately made her unattractive.

Skye Reynolds posted...

Makeveli_lives posted...

Not recent but I just want to point out the vitriol towards Aloy for not being attractive enough compared to the actual model used for her face is still active last I checked.

I think that's fair to get upset about since it's an obvious double standard. The male character had an attractive model and was made conventionally attractive. The female character had an attractive model and they deliberately made her unattractive.

I think that was Mass Effect Andromeda. Aloy is the only protagonist for her game.
---

AmericaTheBrave posted...

Skye Reynolds posted...

Makeveli_lives posted...

Not recent but I just want to point out the vitriol towards Aloy for not being attractive enough compared to the actual model used for her face is still active last I checked.

I think that's fair to get upset about since it's an obvious double standard. The male character had an attractive model and was made conventionally attractive. The female character had an attractive model and they deliberately made her unattractive.

I think that was Mass Effect Andromeda. Aloy is the only protagonist for her game.

OG look for female ryder in Andromeda was a... mess.

With Andromeda it seems to have been unintentional atleast (Sloppy work with facial animations), but yeah it is curious why Sara got hit harder than Scott, so i dont know how true that actually is

I do know there where complaints about the animations pre-release AND people defending the rather poor designs and animations...
---