This At My Limit post will be the first of three parts in a series talking about the controversy surrounding Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs Women in Video Games Youtube series.
Anita Sarkeesian is a pop culture commentator and feminist who started a Youtube channel called "Feminist Frequency" back in 2010. Since then she has made a series talking about popular tropes that are sexist against women. A trope is a convention or plot device frequently found in creative works. Anita's first series was about tropes in general media, and was released in 6 videos each roughly between five and fifteen minutes long.
In 2012 she announced that she would be doing another series about tropes, this time focusing on video games. Her announcement video for the series started quite the controversy. People from all over the internet began to bombard her with verbal harassment, and attack her website. The controversy lasted several months, and its still going on a smaller scale today.
This series will be addressing the two videos she's released in this series, as well as the controversy surrounding them. Part three will then be my own opinions on sexism (both male and female) in video games. I'll start with a basic summary of her first video for those of you who do not care to watch it , then proceed to the general reaction to her video, finally I will provide brief comments on the video itself and the controversy.
If you would like to watch her videos "Tropes vs Women in Video Games", here is Part One and Part Two.
Tropes vs Women: Damsels in Distress Part One Summary
Anita Opens with this statement, and I do believe that it is very important to take it into account while reading both this summary and my comments following it:
"This project will examine the tropes, plot devices, and patterns most commonly associated with women in gaming from a systemic big picture perspective. This series will include critical analysis of many beloved games and characters. But remember, it is both possible, and even necessary, to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects."
Also, please keep in mind that I do not take credit for the ideas presented in this summery, nor do they necessarily represent my own views.
The first point Anita addresses is how female characters are usually put in back seat roles in video games. Her prime example of this is a game called "Dinosaur Planet". This game might seem new to you, mainly because it was never released under that title. Rare studios was developing Dinosaur Planet as an action adventure game on the N64. The game would feature 2 main protagonists, one of which would be a bipedal female fox by the name of Krystal.
Near the end of development, the game was transformed into the third installment of the Star Fox franchise, and the focus was changed solely to the protagonist Fox. In this new game Krystal was only playable during the prologue, and was then captured and imprisoned for the rest of the game. Fox's goal was then to save Dinosaur Planet, and Krystal from the evil tyrant. Anita uses this example to show how, in video games, women are usually dis-empowered.
Krystal was transformed from a heroic protagonist to a damsel in distress. The "Damsel in Distress" trope is commonly used in story telling. Early examples can date back to Greek mythology, such as the story of Perseus rescuing Andromeda. It was even used in many films and television shows that are considered classics, like Popeye and King Kong. Video Games are not excluded from this, with legendary damsels Princesses Peach and Zelda.
The damsel in distress trope reduces the female character to a state of helplessness, requiring a hero who is typically male to rescue her. The damsel may or may not play the role of victim for the entire plot, and the hero might not be successful in rescuing her. The act of rescuing her, is not something that furthers the female character's storyline, but something that ultimately benefits the hero's story. This trope trades the dis-empowerment of a female character for the empowerment of a male character.
The problem with this trope centers around the subject object dichotomy, which states that subjects act, while objects are acted upon. Damsel in distress puts the protagonist in the subject role, and the damsel in the object role. This is a form of objectification of women, making them the goal or victory prize, and can be offensive because of how overused the trope is. Most games nearly portray the damsel as a possession that has been stolen from the hero. Damsel in distress isn't even really about the woman at all. She simply becomes an object in the center of a competition between men.
Similar to the damsel in distress, occasionally the hero may be captured and imprisoned. The hero then must use his intelligence, strength and skill to escape his captors. Unlike the damsel, the hero can, and does rescue himself, where as the damsel must be rescued by the hero. The hero's escape is usually an important growth point in proving himself heroic. Unfortunately the damsel's rescue, is just another trial for hero to overcome.
This became the go to plot device for many video game developers. It is almost as if it is a marketing plot to capitalize on adolescent male power fantasies. May of the games from the 80s and 90s which feature this trope are: Violent Storm, Spin Master, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splatterhouse, Phelios, Arabian Fight, Rise of the Dragon, Ninja Gaiden 2, Final Fight, Final Fantasy, Altered Beast, Crash Bandicoot, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, and Kid Icarus.
Princess Zelda, from the Legend of Zelda franchise, is not completely defined by her role as a damsel. Yet she is still captured or otherwise dis-empowered in every game Legend of Zelda game she appears in. Zelda is quite helpful to the player, providing the protagonist Link, with useful tools, information, and opening doors that are otherwise impassible. Anita calls this variation, the "Helpful Damsel".
Zelda also has two other incarnations which are significantly more empowering. In Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, she disguises herself as "Sheik", a mysterious ninja who helps link and is fully capable of defending herself. However, when she reveals herself as Princess Zelda, she is captured in under three minutes. Tetra is a feisty, independent pirate captain. She adventures with Link for some time, and is then revealed to be Zelda. After this reveal, she is told that she can no longer adventure with link because it is "too dangerous", and must wait in the castle. She does so, and is eventually captured. Tetra does however help you in the final boss battle. Tetra appears in a second Legend of Zelda game, in which she is captured in the introduction.
The damsel in distress trope may have larger ramifications beyond characters and games. Video games are increasingly becoming a part of our social and cultural lives. This trope could add to the idea that women are weak, vulnerable and must be protected by men. This does not mean that it does, but popular culture does influence our thought process, and since it is a recurring trend, it could sway our perspective of women.
The Controversy
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| A Screenshot of Her Vandalized Wikipedia Page. |
"Why do you wear make up, if everything is sexism? Why don't you shave your head bald, stop wearing make up and huge slut earrings. You are a f*****g hypocrite slut."
"I hope you get cancer :)"
"f**k you feminist f***s you already have equality. infact you have better s**t than most males, be glad what you got b***h. also if you want equality, we talk to men like that too, so f**k off f****t... I mean lesbian"
"Video has more likes than dislikes. Step it up f*****s"
"Video games are about doing hard work, this men are a better choice you just went full retard"
"GOD, you sound F*****G BORING. i prefer to hit my balls TWICE with a HAMMER than going out on a date with you."
Gamers all across the internet have been going bat crazy over this video. None of it is justified. In fact most of this video was already information that other game commentators used previously. The difference: those commentators were male, and were not feminists. I guess the internet just placed a giant target symbol on her because of the stereotypical perspective on feminism. However, it does not appear that she is falling into that stereotype at all in this video. Most of the time, she is calm, collected and rather neutral.
Several video responses were also posted for the Tropes vs Women in Video Games videos. Several of the arguments against her involve the characters Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series and Samus Aran of Metroid. First off, these are two examples, only a drop in the bucket to the number of games she lists in her video. Secondly, how are these good examples of strong, well developed female characters? Lara Croft is marketed at men. The most prominent parts of her body are her lips, breasts, and rear end. To most guys, she is just a pair of D-cups holding pistols. How about Samus? A nearly silent protagonist with neutral dialogue revolving around her missions. We didn't even know she was female until the second game, and that was more like a token plot twist. She wasn't well developed until Metroid Other M, and most fans hated that game.
Another key argument is that video games target audience is men, so female protagonists do not sell. How do we know if games with female protagonists won't sell, if we don't make games with female protagonists? You can't make money off of something you don't design. Besides, roughly half of the gaming market is known to be female, so there is a market for it. The recent Tomb Raider incarnation, with a new, better personality and character design for Lara, sold very well. The most recent game with a female protagonist, Remember Me, has been receiving poor reviews, but on the basis of it being short and linear, not because the protagonist is a female. Even though it has received a few bad reviews, it still sold very well. There is evidence that there is a market for well developed female characters, why aren't developers tapping into it?
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Honestly, I don't understand why there is such a huge controversy over this video. I found it to be interesting and informative, and not the least bit hostile. I actually agree with a lot of the stuff that she points out in this video. I enjoy good stories that use the damsel in distress trope, but have also grown quite tired of seeing it anywhere, and can see how it can be viewed as offensive. Very few video games feature well developed female characters, whether they are primary or secondary. I also wish that there were more strong female protagonists, not only to add gender variety, but because it will also open up new doors for story telling.
What I find most offensive about this video, is the gamers reaction to it. Most of the people that responded to this video paint the gaming subculture as intolerant, ignorant, and immature. I don't think the fact that she's criticizing video games even remotely justifies what people did to her. In fact, a similar form of harassment happened when Robert Ebert, the famous film critic, stated that he didn't review video games because he didn't consider them to be on par with the storytelling in film. Really people, how can you expect the rest of the world to take us gamers seriously if you overreact every time someone says something critical about gaming?
Next week, I'll be reviewing Injustice: Gods Among us, the DC comics fighter developed by Mortal Kombat developer, Nether Realms. Also next week I'll be posting part two of Gamers vs Anita Sarkeesian, so you can read about her second video in the series, and my opinions on that. E3 is this weekend, so next Saturday will have tons of great news on upcoming video games, and the next generation of console gaming. Click the follow button on the right of the screen to subscribe for notifications whenever we post new content. We here at limit break would like to know what you think of Anita Sarkeesian's videos, and the controversy surrounding her. So, please, use the comments box below to tell us your perspective on the damsel in distress trope, and if you find it to be sexist.
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