News: The big story of the week is the harassment of game critic Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency. Since launching a successful
Kickstarter for her "
Tropes vs. Women in Video Games" video series in 2012, Sarkeesian has received a steady stream of harassment, but with the release of the second video in the series, Sarkeesian began receiving death threats and was
forced to call the police and leave her home. Melbourne-based video game critic
Dan Golding wrote a thoughtful article
examining where these misogynistic attitudes come from, and why so many male video game fans hold such entrenched sexist attitudes. When Mother Jones asked Sarkeesian why the backlash to her videos was so intense, Sarkeesian offered this explanation:
"The gaming industry has been male-dominated ever since its inception, but over the last several years there has been an increase in women’s voices challenging the sexist status quo. We are witnessing a very slow and painful cultural shift. Some male gamers with a deep sense of entitlement are terrified of change. They believe games should continue to cater exclusively to young heterosexual men with ever more extreme virtual power fantasies. So this group is violently resisting any movement in the direction of a more inclusive gaming space."
The Verge argues that
Sarkeesian's detractors are hurting games more than her criticism ever could. Meanwhile,
Samual Sales thinks that the problem lies with the media, and while he has a point about the media need to take a more responsible approach to the story, it's hard not to believe that
Every Hater Proves Anita Sarkeesian Right.
Of course, This is one of several sexist incidents in the world of video gaming this week. Independent game designer Zoe Quinn was also
subjected to severe online harassment, including threats of murder and rape and the leaking of her personal details after a spiteful blog post by an ex-boyfriend.
