Why We Should Care: Mirror’s Edge, Sexism And The Notion Of Fun
May 24, 2008 by Jesper Sellerberg
[Editor's note: Cursed with hardware failure, "Xper" returns from a PC-less void of confusion with his usual feminist and socialist rant about why we should care about games. Are we looking at a returning theme, or perhaps a series?]
“Yeah looks promising, I just wish they sexed up the character a bit.” - Excerpt from a NeoGaf forum discussion about Mirror’s Edge.
Looking at the first in-game footage of one of DICE’s next-gen efforts Mirror’s Edge made me think that this might be a step toward turning hardcore games into acceptable mainstream consumption material. I am not talking about Wii-mainstream, I’m talking about turning “hardcore” game mechanics (first-person mode games with heavy action elements) into something more than point-shoot-cover-gameplay that is so heavily rooted in the “young male” target audience. Making a game that builds on previous genres, only transfering it from a dark and un-welcoming space into a colorful, bright world where less is king and maturity can’t be patronized. The world and concept alone of Mirror’s Edge made me feel hopeful; the in-game footage turns my heart into a pounding hammer. But when a thread on NeoGaf, and many many others, quickly turned into a debate about the protagonist’s “attributes”, the hope and heart pounding excitement in me turned into anxiety.
What we discussed a few weeks ago about the trailer for Resident Evil 5, and why we should care about what games present to us and how they depict certain imagery, had to do with games becoming so big a part of our multimedia culture that simple common sense about racism and gender issues has to be dealt with the same caution other mediums have a responsibility to do. Making the compromise that art actually does have a responsibility and cannot be divorced from social and historical context, we have to start taking games more seriously and making sure we as gamers and not mocked in the process of becoming mainstream. Being mocked, however, is the least of our concerns; molding society and forming our culture are our prime responsibilities as gaming enthusiasts. So ask yourself, then; is “sexing” up the main character of Mirror’s Edge a good step for us to take?
“I’m not talking about rich, I’m talking about wealth.” - Chris Rock, “Never Scared“ (2004)
I am not talking about not being sexy, I am talking about how this particular subculture has to start taking things a bit more seriously. We have many female protagonists in games, and we have a lot of games which not only portray women as objects; but try counting their male counterparts and you quickly run out hands to use as your calculator. I am not just talking about “t n’ a”, I’m talking about the imagery of the woman as an object, and as a medium formed by our culture it forms it in return.
MTV certainly has a bigger impact on teenage girls and boys on what to wear and how to act, but how about the interactive nature of games? If games are worse than movies, according to the ESRB just because the simple fact of interactivity, then imagine how useful games could be when used as a manipulation tool. Manufacturing consent never was so easy! So, when games such as Mirror’s Edge start to appeal to more than the Gears of War and Counter Strike crowd, and thus making “hardcore” games simply “games”, the presentation of social issues, that “plague” every art form, should be of concern for both the recipient and presenter. The interactivity is the key to games, let’s use it to open the right doors.
“There’s nothing wrong with being sexy.” - This is Spinal Tap (1984)
No, it most definitely is not. In fact, the cutscene in Devil May Cry 4 with the character Gloria kicking demon ass on the snow covered bridge in significantly less covering clothes made my laugh all the way through. One argument that comes up in every messageboard about why games should care about social and cultural implications is that certain games “are made for dudes” and “why do you have to think about all these things when you just want to have fun”. Should all games depict everything in an “equal” sense? No, but everyone and everything has a responsibility to form our society in a positive and creative way.
I personally feel there is a weird cognitive disconnect in the gaming community about ones understanding about why things are “fun” or “cool”. Of course, this is true for every subculture you venture in to, but games are in such an infantile state that these questions have yet to reach mass conception. And that is why we should be more aware of what games are presenting to us, because developers and marketers are seldom unlike ourselves, yet sometimes they play on the notion that people are stupid and help feed upon that notion. Gears of War has the Y-button to tell you what to do, but is that more or less fun than solving a puzzle in Zelda or Half-Life 2? Gears of War is fun for completely different reasons, but interactivity is more than pointing a thing at another thing and pulling the right trigger. And women are more than a goal or an object in a narrative.
Returning to form, why should we care about how Faith looks in Mirror’s Edge? Given the game’s realistic and mature nature we start treading the boundaries between fiction and reality, and in turn touching upon the “numbness” Ragnhild Mogren referred to in our Resident Evil 5 discussion. Why Grand Theft Auto 4, for example, is of concern, when it comes to gender issues and violence, has a lot to do with it being a fairly realistic depiction of a real world. When you start to blur that line you begin affecting impressionable minds about what the difference is between fiction and reality. Even worse, society as a whole start accepting certain imagery into its culture that of course affect the culture.
To be clear, again: I am not saying “let’s get rid of this and that”, and I am trying to evoke discussion and awareness about why games are so important so that we can have nice things, just like we all, and certainly Jim Sterling, wants. If we all become aware of the issues surrounding us each day, we can turn our subculture into an avenue for discussion about these things instead of being mind numbingly dumb, just accepting imagery that looks cool without even knowing why it evokes a feeling inside of us.
I completely agree that, much like in other forms of media, women should be depicted as women. However, fictional characters are never -people-, they are archetypes, models.
My point is: everything is objectified. When was the last time you saw a normal male protagonist on a videogame? For example, DMC4 where the protagonist, and other male characters, are all beautiful, toned men who run around the place slaughtering things? The protagonist even does it with a guittar that was previously a succubus!
But that’s just how fiction is. It’s not meant to expound reality or teach anything. That’s the job of someone’s parents, schools, museums, documentaries and one’s own thirst for self-education, not a videogame or a movie. It’s like expecting that Bourne Conspiracy or The Lord of the Rings imparts anything more than entertainment.
Are women objectified when they appear with their exotic looks, impossible clothes and sultry voices? Just as much as thei hairless, oiled-up beefcake that features in pretty much every game.
I see what you are getting at. I do think everything and everyone is objectified in games. It is a fantasy world after all. At the same time, I still think women are objectified far more than any other group in gaming. I think things will change a little in the future, but we can’t expect objectification to go away.
I would have to say otherwise, Will. In fact, -men- are far more objectified than women. Why? Simply because they feature in far more products than women. How many games have you seen with a muscled, handsome man as the protagonist? How many had more of such obviously sexually objectified male characters as support cast or even other members of the party?
there are certainly more male characters in games, but I don’t think they are as sexually objectified.
i believe the crab people havent gotten their fair say in this…crab people!!! crabbb people!!!!!