More on sexism (plus registration and comments)

I’ve turned off registration for comments because it should be off. Bit of a mea culpa there.

I am enjoying the discussion on sexism in RPGs which has been continued on thedeadone.net and Mary’s blog.

I wrote: “Some game companies are currently trying to market cute and fluffly and romance and “social” games to women which is utterly patronising.”

Mary writes back: “I can answer this personally without examples. I see games as inherantly a social thing. Hanging out with a group of people is a social thing.

I’m not disagreeing here but I deliberately put “social” in inverted commas. Gaming is a social activity because it usually means hanging out with people who have a similar interest. This is not the same as a “social” game.

I don’t know if I’m communicating this well but I’m trying to illustrate the difference between “gaming as a social activity” and “a game which contrives social situations in game”. We all know the former and real men squirm at the thought of the latter. Ahem.

Do I need to examine the way I do things? I have no women in my gaming group. Does this mean I have been shooing them away with my inherent and aggressive male chauvenism?

I did a check with the women I know. Some gamers, some not. They don’t think I’m a male chauvenist. I did need to check.

About matt

Gamer. Writer. Dad. Serial Ex-husband. Creator of The 23rd Letter, SpaceNinjaCyberCrisis XDO, ZOMBI, Testament, Creed. Slightly megalomaniac
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5 Responses to More on sexism (plus registration and comments)

  1. Mark says:

    Cool. I can comment! 🙂

    I don’t know if I’m communicating this well but I’m trying to illustrate the difference between “gaming as a social activity” and “a game which contrives social situations in game”. We all know the former and real men squirm at the thought of the latter. Ahem.

    I’d have to agree with you on that. I was just saying something similar on Mary’s blog as it happens… 🙂

  2. Aidan says:

    You don’t shoo away women with your male chauvinism. You shoo away everyone with your beady-eyed stare.

    “I’m not sexist or racist. You can all fuck off equally.”

  3. Mark says:

    Oh and by and by, nice Theme on your site. Clean, easy to read and easy to get around.

  4. Aidan says:

    Thanks Mark 🙂

  5. Mark says:

    As well as being a gamer, I’m a wordpress nut. It’s great site! Keep the good work up!

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