to feel scared for our girls when kicking prostitutes in a video game

[Duckierub]

gets you more points.

Did anyone see the program about women's roles in video games? I was utterly horrified when I saw the imagery of how women are portrayed as sexual objects and kicking female prostitutes to get your money back earned you points. I was also shocked that the teen girls interviewed said it was normal for them to be molested by boys.

AIBU to think that we should be campaigning against some of this stuff?

The full documentary is well worth watching: Blurred Lines
I agree with most of the comments on here and would be on board with any campaign.

I think you are maybe simplifying a teeny bit although I agree with the overall OP.

1. it's not just about girls, I fear for boys too. These messages are equally damaging for them. I also suspect (though have no source) that boys are likely to be more exposed to these games than girls because they're seen as boys 'thing'

2. Can't get away from the point that these games are illegal for children to purchase. It IS down to parents to police their children here and no campaign will get very far if it centres on that point because games providers will simply say 'wtf are you letting an under 18 watch it for?'

3. women are targeted, trolled and threatened in practically every online space, not just games

All that said, YANBU.

Not if underage kids are playing them all the time ninja. my dss doesn't actually know how to play with real toys as all the does at home Is play call of duty. o think giving any of these games to kids should be considered as child abuse in the same way it wojls be if you gave your kids access to porn. only idiots don't realise how damaging this stuff is to their kids

Horrendous. This is becoming an endemic problem now we're in an online world. It's poisoning young boys' minds,and girls are mostly just sitting back and taking it. It's awful, awful, awful.

YANBU. Something needs to be done.

I agree they are hugely popular but I think if you're not into gaming you'd have no idea.

Maybe an awareness campaign would help to stop young children being exposed to these by accident?

I say we start a campaign to encourage girls to play video games.

The more girls who play, the more there will be a demand for playable female characters, the more realistic the gender balance will be on screen and off, the less acceptable unrealistic female portrayal in video games will become, the more girls will play...
Everybody benefits from this.

Miaow

That is good to hear. I was merely saying what I saw in the documentary.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0436qlw/blurred-lines-the-new-battle-of-the-sexes

ninja

I agree

Ninja that just blurs the real problem. It's a good idea but one which belongs on a different thread imo.

Ninja

I disagree with your unrealistic portrayal of women comment.

Have you ever played the game? Yes there are prostitutes in it. But there are prostitutes in real life too. The character in the game doesn't have the option of having sex with ANY woman in the game. Just the prostitutes.

I'm not condoning it as games really shouldn't have prostitutes in them full stop but that isn't an unrealistic portrayal of women. Many many women do sell sex.

And like I said there are normal women in the game too. So it's not like the game is suggesting all women are prostitutes or all woman are up for sex.

Again not condoning it.

hampsterdam underage children are not meant to be playing these games. They're rated 18+ for a very good reason.
Alcohol can cause undesired behaviour in children as well, but nobody complains about it because they all know that children aren't meant to be drinking the stuff - the same principle applies.

But surely the game doesn't have to involve such brutal and sustained violence against women?
GTA involves brutal and sustained violence against everybody. Weirdly and horribly, in that way, it might be one of the most egalitarian games out there.
However, it is only one game, of the thousands of video games available.

Wilson I think the thing to focus on is not that children may play the game but rather that the content as discussed is wholly unacceptable. Kicking prostitutes to death for a refund in a game is not ok whether you're 5 or 55.

GTA is banned in my house even though my most of my DC are over 18. It's a disgusting game. Adults can do what they like but I disapprove of parents letting teens play it. I know judging people is not the done thing on MN but it really is a sick game. I don't mind a bit of blood and guts or a bit of swearing but there is something about GTA that I really dislike.

My kids all think it's disgusting too.

Does anyone knows who owns GTA. It's published by Rockstar Games, who are owned by Take Two Interactive. Is Take Two a subsidiary of another company? It's weird to think of the developers sitting around a table deciding what new 'fun' things like kicking prostitutes they are going to put in the game.

We all really enjoy video games in our house, myself included. There are loads and loads of great games I just don't see the need to have games like GTA.

NinjaLeprechaun
If you really want to promote and support positive images of women in video games then support and promote the games made by women, and the companies that hire them. They're out there.

This.

And, as a gamer, I wonder who it is that buys 18-rated games costing over £30 for their under-18 children. It's not me. In my experience, it's not gamers doing it. Buying GTA for twelve year olds is generally the preserve of the lazy non-gamer. Yes, the virtual world has a huge problem with sexism. Big publishers play it safe, because they think that only games aimed at mouthy, testosterone-filled lads can possibly sell. Not surprised they come to that conclusion. Parents seem to queue up in their thousands in Sainsbury's and Tesco to buy violent dross for their children, without even googling it first.

GTA is a sandbox game. It has been coded so that you have a lot of options. You can just drive (legally purchased) cars up and down if you want, just like real life. You can beat people up, and the police will come after you. Just like real life.

News-flash: the gaming world reflects this world. What is published and sold is dictated by the culture of the real world. Don't put the carriage before the horse.

Game age-checks in-store sales. Online internet-ordering from websites requires access to a debit or credit card. If a 13-year-old has GTA, it wasn't given to him for free by Rockstar Games. Someone bought it.

mrswinni

But kicking any other character in the game to death Is fine then is it?

Ninja yes it does have violence against everyone in it...however....women are a minority group...and therefore this is not appropriate. If it portrayed for eg, gay men getting the shit kicked out of them, would that be ok? What about Muslims?

Got no of course it is not.

gotnotimeforthat I was speaking more generally. I don't game, but my daughter does. (Although she has no interest in GTA, to the best of my knowledge, she does have friends who play it. She's 18, incidentally.) I was basing my comments on what I've heard other women gamers say, re the lack of playable female characters, etc.

Chicken and egg. Is GTA reflective of attitudes in society or does it create the backdrop against which they form?

Censorship doesn't work. We know that. And most well-balanced adults are perfectly capable of separating fantasy from reality.The trick is to do everything in our power as a society to ensure that only well-balanced adults have the opportunity to play these games. And if we did that, I think we'd find that demand for these games fell significantly quite naturally, although it will never disappear (and that's fine).

My first step would be to take underage exposure to these sort of games much more seriously and make it a reportable child protection issue.

I also think we need to tackle sexism, sexual violence and issues surrounding consent much more proactively in schools. It is much harder to see kicking a prostitute as a bit of fun when part of your brain is saying, "yeah but that could be your sister..."

mrswinni

The fact that the sole reason you think this game is inappropriate is because a prostitute can be kicked shocks me.

I'm assuming you want equality yes? Then why on earth do you think kicking or shooting a man to death is perfectly fine but not a woman?

That my dear is NOT equality.

That was my point ninja. kids shouldn't be playing these games its up to the parents to protect their kids from unsuitable content of any kind.
In the same way that giving alcohol or porn to a six year old would be viewed as stupid irresponsible and a child protection issue if not illegal, parents who give their kids access to thesel damaging games should be treated the same way

Mrs Winnibago several other people have pointed out in earlier posts that other minority groups are portrayed that way in the game.

GTA games have always featured stealing cars and hitting pedestrians. I remember Hare Krishnas being one of those groups in early games. You can choose to hit all sorts of people like Black, Hispanic or white people in the game. GTA is a game where you commit crimes. Prostitution and crime go hand in hand whether or not games like GTA are made.

If there is a campaign to be made it should be about dispelling the myth that video game ratings are different to film ratings. I know many allegedly educated people who believe that video game ratings are about difficulty and that they are just pixels so not as "bad " as movies.
GTA is not for children but I think the film and video game industries often market to children. Take a 12A like Iron Man 3. The merchandise is clearly aimed at children which is immoral.