The ever-increasing influence of self-proclaimed video game critic, Anita Sarkeesian, has seemingly been bolstered once again due in part to a rather bold front cover on the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine.
This prominent public spread follows her various media appearances on both the front page of The New York Times and popular US political satire show, The Colbert Report.
Bloomberg Businessweek’s front cover in question dubs Anita Sarkeesian as the “Video Game Avenger,” which is then followed by the subtitle, “One woman’s crusade to vaporize gaming’s grossest trolls.” The ensuing article is titled, “The Gaming Industry’s Greatest Adversary Is Just Getting Started.”
Read more details about Sarkeesian’s appearance on the front page of Bloomberg Businessweek after the break.
Anita Sarkeesian: “Video Game Avenger?”
The following various passages come from the aforementioned Bloomberg Businessweek spread on Anita Sarkeesian:
In regards to her experiences with harassment, she said:
“Harassment is the background radiation of my life. It is a factor in every decision I make. Any time I tweet something, or make a post, I’m always thinking about it. When I post our videos, it’s a consideration. It affects where I go, and how I behave, and how I feel walking down the street every day.”
Sarkeesian also addressed her requests for game publishers/developers to take responsibility for the content found in their respective video games, stating:
“Major publishers need to enforce a zero-tolerance policy of sexism and racism and homophobia. Developers need to start moving away from the entitled macho-male power fantasy in their games. They need to recognize that there are wider stories that they can tell. People are talking about women and games seriously; people are taking the critiques seriously. It’s been a huge shift. This discussion is becoming more mainstream.”
One particular passage of note in the aforementioned article, made by Cliff Bleszinski (of former Epic Games fame), that is especially relevant to gamers as a whole, surmises that while the games industry as a whole needs to mature, so do its consumers (i.e. gamers – you, me, etc):
“If we’re going to grow up as an industry, we’re going to need the consumer to grow up a bit as well.”
Editor’s Take:
Alright, so now all the information I wanted to present is reported above. I can finally say a few words about what I think of Anita Sarkeesian. I know many of my readers don’t like her, I know many gamers elsewhere don’t like her. I don’t want to debate what she stands for, or even what she’s trying to do with her work in the games industry, that has been covered many times before in various articles on this site and numerous other forums elsewhere.
I want to focus on that last sentence by CliffyB before the break that essentially states that if the video games industry wants to progress, to be taken more seriously, its consumers, the gamers, need to mature as well. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement because for the most part, gamers are already mature. I think Anita Sarkeesian (and many other prominent mainstream media figures) is operating on the blanket assumption that all gamers, regardless of sex, gender, et cetera, are toxic, childish, “sheeple” that don’t know how to differentiate between reality and what is presented in video games.
And therein lies the rub, for the most part it’s not gamers that need to mature (sure there are always exceptions, but for the sake of counterpoint), its the general, mostly non-gaming public’s perception of gamers that need to change. Considering oneself to be a gamer does not entail an individual to be part of the “one rotten apple spoils the bunch” mentality. The mainstream media seems to be taking a small portion of gamers and applying a microcosm methodology to the rest of the gaming community, going so far as to call us, the gamers, “gross trolls.”
That is not true. Gamers love one thing…gaming. And that’s all that should matter in this content. Yes, there are various sociological, sociocultural, and psychological implications to nearly everything out there, including games.
But in closing, for the most part, it’s not gamers that need to grow up, it’s the general public and media’s perception of us that needs to mature.
Now it’s your turn, what are your thoughts on what both Anita Sarkeesian and I had to say on this matter?
Please be civil and constructive. I realize that Sarkeesian is not a popular topic, but in this case, I feel that presenting her statements is necessary, especially because I want to know more about what you think of her stance on gamers.
Let me know in the comments section below. As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest in video game and technology news.
Featured image credit: Businessweek