Last week, critic Anita Sarkeesian published a video about female body diversity in games. “All the Slender Ladies” examines why games often showcase thin, young, humanoid women but rarely feature lady rock creatures or skeletal female priestesses. Male video game characters more often deviate from standards of male attractiveness, she explains.
Twitter is not the nicest place on the internet at the best of times, but even allowing for that, some people receive more abuse than others. A lot more.
"Calling the derision of Anita Sarkeesian rational debate is an insult to both her and the idea of debating ideas." Writing for The New Statesman, Ian Steadman gives a thorough and well-reasoned rebuttal of many of the most popular arguments raised against feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian ever since she started her Tropes vs Women in Video Games series.
Violence against women is an ugly reality that's all too common, no matter what walk of life people come from. Yet, video games tend to portray it in only a few cliched ways, to create a sense of environment and tone and cheaply get a reaction out of players. That's a problem.
When you're playing a game as infectiously compelling as Grand Theft Auto V, it can be difficult to take a step back and reflect on all the wanton acts of destruction in which you've participated.
