Response to Way Back Machines: The Changing Social Landscape of Games

Walking past an arcade now you're likely to see an attendant fiddling with their phone or picking at their nails while the arcade is empty or has a couple of people playing some games. Unfortunately, the days of pinball machines and Skee ball, aside from at restaurants like Dave & Busters or The Works, have gone to the wayside for more individualized gaming experiences that don't require travel or all the change that has accumulated in your pockets for the past three weeks. With arcade games the social aspect of gaming came from physical proximity. Although the games may not all be able to accommodate 2+ players at a time, they allowed the gamers to play casually with friends for fun and chat while they played. Gamers were able to enjoy an afternoon spending time with friends while playing games as long as they were all able to go to the arcade together. But the key to the social aspect of earlier games was the physical space they inhabited. All of the people in the arcade or movie theater lobby were connected by the games because they were all in the same place at the same time even if they were individually enjoying separate games. 

People often argue now that gaming has become an antisocial experience by allowing gamers to play in their own room for as long as they want and generally games played on consoles are primarily played alone although they can be played by a few people together. I would argue that they have not become more or less social than they were when arcades were prevalent, but instead that they have changed to meet the needs of gamers over time. While arcade games are fun and beating high scores was always a challenge to face these games did not present the gamer with the same challenges and goals for the gamer to face each week that recent games have. They can not continue an ongoing game of pinball or connect to another pinball player's game via wifi. They allowed for a social experience in that moment at the arcade but that experience lasted only as long as the gamer was there and ended when they went home.

The rise of console gaming provided that bridge from purely social gaming to gaming that allowed the user to have individualized gaming with extended goals along with an expanded ability to socialize via gaming. Players are not always able to be present to play together but they no longer need to live in the same hometown, state, city, or even continent, to play a game together. People who have never met, may never meet again, or who have not seen each other in years, can play simultaneously and interact through gaming. Despite lacking the physical presence of arcade gaming it introduced the experience of a virtual presence. It took the interactivity of chat rooms, social media, and texting to a new level by allowing the gamer to see their character side by side fighting orcs with a best friend that moved away. The move to console gaming allowed gamers to build on their experience and gain new skills in game, learn problem solving, and play through games at their own pace. They can continue the same game over the course of weeks or months while improving at their gameplay without restarting each time they hit start. This allows them to gain experience as a gamer and form connections with other gamers because they can interact in game and have a shared understanding of the games they play allowing games to build a sense of community.

Academic Response: Objectification vs. Empowerment of Women in Gaming

          One of the most polarizing issues in the gaming world currently is GamerGate and the extreme opinions and arguments that it incites. Anita Sarkeesian’s video “Women as Reward” sparked debate about whether or not Sarkeesian, in her criticism of the games she discusses, would enjoy any video games. I do not necessarily think that this is true, but I do think that there are ways to improve the way women are presented in games without changing gameplay itself. Her criticisms of the games she presented was the way in which they presented sexual abuse, sexual violence, and otherwise objectified women. These extra pieces of the game or achievements like the one for violating Juliet’s consent in Lollipop Chainsaw and looking up her skirt when she actively tries to block you are not necessary to the game nor are they necessary for the enjoyment of the game. These are bonuses, the reward Sarkeesian described them as, which while they do not directly encourage the gamer to do these things in real life, they do alienate women from the gaming experience.

         Even though Juliet is the protagonist of the game she is not given the power she deserves as a woman defeating hordes of zombies in mere seconds or surviving a massive zombie apocalypse but the fact that the gamer can violate her consent for an achievement is disempowering. While this achievement and the inclusion of only skimpy outfits takes away from that empowerment and instead adds a level of vulnerability that is not necessary and does not add to the character development of Juliet. Censoring the game is not necessary nor is it an answer to the issues surrounding GamerGate, but awareness is important in moving forward for the gaming community to creating a safe space for women in gaming.

         Sarkeesian points out early in her video, “As always remember that it is both possible and even necessary to be critical of the media we enjoy.” This is a detail that I think is key to her arguments and how they can help the gaming world improve even if some of her ideas can be extreme or incite frustration. Although not everyone will agree with her, or if they do they may not agree with all of her ideas, it is important to be critical of every form of media to help it improve. I am reminded of the outrage against Fifty Shades of Grey when the film was announced as people argued that Christian Grey was sexually and emotionally violent and abusive. Criticism of literature and film have been around for many years but feminist criticism of video games has had an especially difficult time integrating into the gaming world. Feminist criticism of media is necessary to helping integrate the empowerment of women into these forms of entertainment. As our younger generations are growing up playing video games and learning from them it is essential that both boys and girls can see themselves in the characters they can play or interact with through gaming. Just like the problem based learning they do in game that improves their problem solving skills in everyday life they need empowering role models, whether it is the protagonist or a side character, to help them learn to become strong independent humans regardless of gender.

          Some argue that Sarkeesian is too critical or focuses only on the worst examples in games where this is expected as the behavior or the content of the game. I argue that those are the exact reasons she needs to push as hard as she does and dive into the strongest examples. Just because this content is expected of or assumed to be in certain games does not mean that it needs to be for the game to exist. The games she uses in her examples are popular, well-known, and show some of the most problematic treatment of women in games. If the examples she used were more neutral, they would not make the strong impact that they do. The fact that she looks at these popular games actually helps show her point. If the sexual violence was taken out or the fetishized costumes were taken out people would still be playing these games because they are well made and people enjoy them. Taking this specific content out would not alter gameplay or enjoyment of the game, so moving forward, it would not diminish any games if they were to be created without this content. Adding some empowered women in and taking out objectification would not decrease or hinder gameplay but it would help women feel safer and more comfortable in gaming and becoming a part of the gaming community. This does not mean that current games need to change or censor themselves but instead asks that they become more introspective as they move forward and consider why this content continues to be so prevalent in gaming when it does not add to the gameplay. Through this there is the hope that over time they will begin to develop more games without women as rewards to help all gamers enjoy themselves, not just some.