MissInterpretation -> Video Games
After watching a very insightful and distressing video in Critical Thinking this week, I’ve found numerous connections in my everyday life that I previously never suspected. Most shockingly, in the very video games I play every week! To help show these revelations that’ve recently come to light, I’ll dissect ‘Overwatch,’ a strategic team fighting game that I play. What I’ve found recently is that the effects of the misogynistic media and culture we live in today has created the idea that it’s ok for Overwatch players to be blatantly cruel and sexist on mics when playing the game. I’ve of course never bullied other players on Overwatch, on the contrary, I’ve stuck up for many including several girl gamers.
As discussed in Misinterpretation, the sexist culture developed hugely through access to media has lead many in society to objectify women, seeing them only for their outward appearance and nothing else. This pattern described in the video shows through the abusive mic users that I run into a couple times a week. Though, before, I thought of these mean bullies as just that, rotten apples in an OK community, but no. You see, Overwatch is known to have a Toxic Community, filled with these bullies. I’ve found that the recent increase in online bullying of female gamers in my games could be due to the same conclusion drawn in the video.
Yet, it’s not just the result that I’ve seen in Overwatch recently, I’ve also seen a lot of the things claimed in the video to create these problems in the first place. I’ve found that Overwatch’s character portrayal of women in the game could create a similar toxic environment as concluded in the movie we watched in critical thinking. The scandalous costumes and outfits unlock-able in the token shop sexualize the characters, possibly leading to the terrible treatment and disrespect shown to female gamers.
Especially since Overwatch is thought to be a deep strategy game by its active community, impacts on bigots’ ideas of women have certainly been drawn to that while in game chat. I’ve found players anywhere from 18 to around 50ish who target girl gamers and insult them about their inability to play the game no matter how unsupported the point may be. In one game last week, I encountered a sexist guy who sounded to be around his 30s who immediately started poking fun at a girl who was in my group party. I told him it wasn’t cool and when he didn’t stop we all agreed to mute him. It surprised me that she did nothing at all to provoke the guy, yet he was fully toxic. After watching the video, seeing the effects of our unfiltered access to media firsthand, in my everyday life, is scary and very concerning.
And that’s ur cup of brain food bloggin friendos
Rex Yancey
As discussed in Misinterpretation, the sexist culture developed hugely through access to media has lead many in society to objectify women, seeing them only for their outward appearance and nothing else. This pattern described in the video shows through the abusive mic users that I run into a couple times a week. Though, before, I thought of these mean bullies as just that, rotten apples in an OK community, but no. You see, Overwatch is known to have a Toxic Community, filled with these bullies. I’ve found that the recent increase in online bullying of female gamers in my games could be due to the same conclusion drawn in the video.
Yet, it’s not just the result that I’ve seen in Overwatch recently, I’ve also seen a lot of the things claimed in the video to create these problems in the first place. I’ve found that Overwatch’s character portrayal of women in the game could create a similar toxic environment as concluded in the movie we watched in critical thinking. The scandalous costumes and outfits unlock-able in the token shop sexualize the characters, possibly leading to the terrible treatment and disrespect shown to female gamers.
Especially since Overwatch is thought to be a deep strategy game by its active community, impacts on bigots’ ideas of women have certainly been drawn to that while in game chat. I’ve found players anywhere from 18 to around 50ish who target girl gamers and insult them about their inability to play the game no matter how unsupported the point may be. In one game last week, I encountered a sexist guy who sounded to be around his 30s who immediately started poking fun at a girl who was in my group party. I told him it wasn’t cool and when he didn’t stop we all agreed to mute him. It surprised me that she did nothing at all to provoke the guy, yet he was fully toxic. After watching the video, seeing the effects of our unfiltered access to media firsthand, in my everyday life, is scary and very concerning.
And that’s ur cup of brain food bloggin friendos
Rex Yancey
I think most people use video games as a place to vent and be offensive because they feel safe from any consequences of what they say which is not healthy for themselves or others that may be susceptible to cyber bullying.
ReplyDeleteI think its very true that this sexism and hate towards women is brought to video games. This relates to the common theme that media is dangerous because it allows people to hide behind a mask. In the video, it mentioned something about how boys are raised and ultimately how they grow up determines how they treat women and see women. I think this connects to the idea that boys make fun or are rude to girl gamers because of how they were raised. Ultimately to stop this how boys and even girls are raised needs to be changed in order for them to grow up and continue to set the standard of people who treats women highly without relating to this opinion to their appearance.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a lot of sense that sexism is so prevalent in things like video games, because for a long time, video games were seen as an activity "for boys". While our society has grown somewhat more accepting of people breaking out of those harmful gender roles and just doing what they would personally like, I think the sexism towards women in gaming derives from how it was originally marketed. Ultimately, while we can try to make changes to lessen discrimination and help others, one of my biggest fears is that no matter how hard we try, others will always push back against those rights because of their own insecurities and fears.
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