The provided reading consists of Anita Sarkeesian’s responses to the interview questions by Paul Dean, regarding her involvement with the Tropes vs. Women project. The main idea, promoted by the interviewee is that the manner, in which female characters are usually portrayed in video games, reflects a number of different male-chauvinistic/sexist assumptions about women (Sherman 250). According to Sarkeesian, the continuation of such a situation is hardly tolerable, because it contributes towards the proliferation of sexist prejudices within the society (Dean par. 7).
The reading’s high points are concerned with the fact that it provides many in-depth insights into the discussed subject matter and explains in the thoroughly logical way why it is important to oppose the sexist stereotypization of women in video games (Peck, Ketchum, and Embrick 215). Because of having read the interview, it will be much easier for me to recognize misogynistic tropes in video games – the interview’s main takeaway. I will also be much pickier while shopping for such games at the store.
The provided reading is indeed relevant to my class, in the sense of stressing out media’s ability to convey hidden messages of sociological importance, intended to make the audience more/less comfortable with the currently dominant cultural discourse (Carter 41; Jones 9). I find Sarkeesian’s stance on the issue thoroughly admirable, although politicized to an extent. It also could not escape my attention that some of the interviewee’s claims appear little too opinionated to represent an undisputed truth-value (Moi 1740).
The rationale behind Sarkeesian’s suggestion that it is possible to be critical of media and to enjoy a ‘piece of it’ at the same time has to do with her personal experiences, in this respect. After all, the interviewee herself exemplifies the validity of the idea that one’s strive to be entertained does not necessarily presuppose that he or she is incapable of recognizing the ideological agenda of those who create entertainment, in the first place.
According to Sarkeesian, the references to the gender-stereotypical motifs in video games, as such that serve the purpose of ensuring the gameplay’s ‘historical accuracy’, do not stand any logical ground. Therefore, the interviewee suggests that these references are there to legitimize the misogynist worldviews of some game developers.
Sarkeesian responded to the misogynist intimidation by the mean of posting online some of the threatening messages, sent to her via email – hence, showing to the harassers that she is not afraid of them and that she will continue exposing the instances of male-chauvinism in video games. Given the tactic’s circumstantial appropriateness (those who threaten via email are mostly cowards), there can be only a few doubts that it will prove effective in the long run.
If I were in Sarkeesian’s position, I would have handled the situation in a similar manner with that of the interviewee. That is, I would have taken practical advantage of the fact that, as it turned out, the Tropes vs. Women project is capable of stirring a public controversy. To be able to capitalize on the situation, I would continue applying an effort into informing as many people about my cause, as possible, on one hand, while encouraging them to come up with the monetary contributions, on the other. I would also seek out the alternative ways to win people’s attention to the cause.
Works Cited
Carter, Jimmy. “Patriarchy and Violence against Women and Girls.” The Lancet 385.9978 (2015): 40-41. Print.
Dean, Paul 2013, Full IGN Interview with Anita Sarkeesian. Web.
Jones, Steven. The Meaning of Video Games, New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.
Moi, Toril. “’I am not a Feminist, but…’: How Feminism became the F-word”. PMLA 121.5 (2006): 1735–1741. Print.
Peck, Mitchell; Ketchum, Paul, and David Embrick. “Racism and Sexism in the Gaming World: Reinforcing or Changing Stereotypes in Computer Games?” Journal of Media and Communication Studies 3.6 (2011): 212-220. Print.
Sherman, Sharon. “Perils of the Princess: Gender and Genre in Video Games”. Western Folklore 56.3/4 (1997): 243–258. Print.