Female Game Developer

[GodPlayedByJamesMason]

I'm a frequent lurker here but never really post but just felt I had to after reading this article about a female game developer and the threats she receives just for doing her job, I don't know what response I want really, just someone to talk through with me how horrific this is/how brave she is for refusing to break/what can we do, you know?

which powerful ideologies are we talking about here?

' I've been threatened (or attempted) by radical feminists for not following party lines.'

Really?

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep it's a long history of dishonest reviews (this is a multi billion dollar industry), cronyism, blackmail. The trigger was a woman developer who was outed by her ex-boyfriend for sleeping with journalists for good reviews. Clearly it wasn't a nice thing of him to do, and no one is giving him kudos for that, but it opened a can of worms that was about to pop. It was just the catalyst.

Misogyny is a powerful ideology.

Anyway this monkey fellow is a completely new poster, so...

Yes Turnip, Really. I'm not easy to intimidate though

I'm not new Briar. I am very old and used to be a feminist firebrand in my day

if you don't identify as a radical feminist (or do you?) then you aren't going to follow party lines

Oh, OK, I found a better explanation over at gawker:

gawker.com/what-is-gamergate-and-why-an-explainer-for-non-geeks-1642909080

Although it is still making my head hurt - so this campaign, dedicated to inclusivity - objected so strongly to an article saying that, er, gamers are not just young white men playing COD any more, that they got advertising pulled from the page?

And if one should point out that the portrayal of women in video games is generally a bit shit (I do a fair bit of gaming myself, and I'm gonna agree with this) then bring on the harassment and the rape threats etc?

I suppose this is what a right-wing grass-roots protest looks like...
"What do we want?"
"Nothing to change!"
"When do we want it?"
"For the foreseeable future, I guess?"

Briar, I mean I'm not old - I'm an old MN'er. From the old days when it was a small place www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/305280-what-has-feminism-ever-done-for-us

Yeah, I see the thing with somebody Quinn now... except there isn't actually a review of her game from anyone she was shagging. So that doesn't work. Anything else?

how do you know that the person threatening brianna wu wasn't part of gamergate? or is anyone who claims to be part of gamergate but is issuing threats just an individual "going rogue"?

presumably those who released her address online in the name of gamergates weren't doing it so that people would send her birthday presents

Who were they (you don't need to give names, but how do we know they were rfs) and what did they threaten? Rape? Assault?

Sorry but the radfems I know are almost all pacifists so I am having trouble making this claim fit with the many, many radfems I have met.

Honestly I'm not I interested in all the tertiary balanced bullshit. I've not read round this one as frankly I have more valuable claims on my time. All I need to know is some women have been threatened in very real and tangible ways, and the moment that happens that is what this issue becomes about to me, because ultimately that is more important.

I've read the word "corruption" on this thread as if that somehow means there is a good reason behind all this, but I very much doubt Randy Pitchford received gender related death and rape threats over the Aliens: Colonial Marines debacle or the Watchdogs development team over the huge differences between the E3 shown version of the game and the release version.

No the only reason the abuse is happening is because it's women, and it's got to stop.

[[https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/521072241673379840
"Today marks the 3rd time I’ve gone on stage after specific death and bomb threats were issued to an event where I’m scheduled to speak."]]

In their attempt to silence one woman these fucks want to bomb gaming events and ruin them for everyone.

Petula, well not many people do ID as radical feminists. Most people (even though they're a minority))who ID as feminist and don't know a rad fem from a liberal fem. They are very different as you'll know. But there's lots of confusion. Most people who ID as egalitarian DO know the difference; egalitarians are equity feminists who don't want to be confused with radical feminists

Who are "they" Briar? All gamers?? All people who disagree with Sarkeesian? Or the tiny fraction of psychos (who may also be journos manufacturing outrage to deflect attention)???

so surely you would be pleased that rad fems object to your views, if you object to theirs?

i have to say though i agree with tunip that such threats from radfems as i know them would be very unusual

I'm not being dismissive at all Buffy. I'm merely giving my opinion. How is that dismissive? I'm one dissenting voice.

Not necessary Petula. In my years studying feminism (I was once a proud feminist) I came to see that being a feminist was not necessary the same as being pro-women. Very often women's agency has been held hostage to what were seen as greater ideological and political aims. I asked myself a question. Does feminism serve women, or do women serve feminism. Over the years, following the evidence, I've come to see the latter is true. Hence, I care more about women (and their children and menfolk) than feminism.

That put me in the firing line. So be it. I'm an egalitarian. I'm a woman. I have a son who I want to grow up and have happy romantic relationships without being made to feel there is something inherently wrong with masculinity. My academic work is about building bridges of understanding between the sexes, not building walls of fear and distrust.

Being anti-radfem does not mean being anti-woman

what is not necessary?

if radfems are women, and have agency, then you are at least anti some women

but this is beside the point

i would be interested in hearing your views on buffy's post above. i know very little about gaming so am all ears

"Sarkeesian is an ideological radical feminist who see's harm in video games when there is zero evidence to support this."

Really?

I thought she was applying feminist critical theories to video games...where's this radical stuff then?

The radical element is in the theory she uses - social constructionism, objectification theory, the idea that sex and violence in video games is harmful and encourages sexual violence. The evidence (a lot of it!) actually points in the opposite direction.

This isn't to say that many women might find it offensive. But offensive is different from dangerous.