Off Topic: The Flood
This topic has moved here: Subject: The commodification of the female gamer online
  • Subject: The commodification of the female gamer online
Subject: The commodification of the female gamer online

Posted by: Great_Pretender
Case and point: don't worry about it. Girls start getting boobies pretty soon, and then you'll have plenty of other things to think about. Being an Inheritor is not a life goal.
-TGP-

While we're on the subject of women, what's with women and not turning the lights off when they leave the room?

  • 01.02.2013 3:04 AM PDT
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I don't think that "commodification" is the right word for what the OP described as it's not like women are being traded online. Objectification was probably what OP was trying to say.

With that said the OP is right about women being heavily objectified online, especially on these forums, but that's bound to happen when you get a group of young males together even more so when there's a lot of virgins within that group and when they are protected by the anonymity they receive online.

I'm sure that the same people that objectify the ladies online are probably near incapable of speaking to them in the real world which is probably also why they objectify them in the first place.

  • 01.02.2013 3:25 AM PDT
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Die Hard MkIV Toyota Supra Fan
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Posted by: Xplode441
Posted by: jaythenerdkid
"I'm not sexist, except when I totally am!"

Okay.
Because cracking jokes definitely means that I'm actively trying to demean women and lower them in the social hierarchy.
Not gonna lie, that's always how it comes off. They're only passed off as "jokes" to the person making them or anyone else not part of the butt of them.

  • 01.02.2013 3:40 AM PDT
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3rd edition. Now with more grunt.

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Posted by: Assassin 11D7
I do not care. If you don't want to be treated differently, stop thinking you're different.

  • 01.02.2013 3:45 AM PDT


Posted by: Xplode441
While we're on the subject of women, what's with women and not turning the lights off when they leave the room?

  • 01.02.2013 3:55 AM PDT

Posted by: Kurosaki_Kun

I know, right?
Jay acts like she's better than everyone else simply because she's a chick.
I hope she chokes to death.


Posted by: Ason Unique
I don't think that "commodification" is the right word for what the OP described as it's not like women are being traded online. Objectification was probably what OP was trying to say.

With that said the OP is right about women being heavily objectified online, especially on these forums, but that's bound to happen when you get a group of young males together even more so when there's a lot of virgins within that group and when they are protected by the anonymity they receive online.

I'm sure that the same people that objectify the ladies online are probably near incapable of speaking to them in the real world which is probably also why they objectify them in the first place.
Shouldn't we be trying to teach our young men that objectification of women is unacceptable? Shouldn't that be a message that's deeply ingrained to society, just like "don't flash your junk in public", or anything else we assume people who have been socialised take for granted?


Posted by: Iggyhopper

Once you dive in, the rest is just learning to deal, for both genders. Guys can get pretty rowdy with each other, as well as call them tons of obscenities, some bigoted, some not. Either the gaming world is going to be nicer or girls will just have to accept the culture. The sexism might go away but the harshness won't. They'll just have to deal.
I don't really have a problem with the harshness, as you say. I don't care if people want to trash talk, because I know it's often not serious (and when it is, who cares?). But I don't think things like gender/ethnicity/orientation/disability/etc. should be grounds for mockery, no matter what the arena. Most decent guys wouldn't scream sexist slurs at a woman who walked past them in a public place (emphasis on most, of course). Why is it considered "just part of the atmosphere" online?

  • 01.02.2013 4:02 AM PDT

I'm 23, I have a house, dog, girlfriend, job and I have no interest in any fanboyism so if you're thinking about sending me a childish PM, don't be surprised when I don't call back.

I'm British, meaning that I drink Tea, have bad teeth, wear a top hat, etc etc

It's called stereotyping and it happens to us all.

  • 01.02.2013 4:05 AM PDT

Posted by: Kurosaki_Kun

I know, right?
Jay acts like she's better than everyone else simply because she's a chick.
I hope she chokes to death.


Posted by: I Judge Bread I
I'm British, meaning that I drink Tea, have bad teeth, wear a top hat, etc etc

It's called stereotyping and it happens to us all.
Does your Britishness lead to you earning only 75% of what non-British people earn in comparable positions, or to one in four British people being victims of -blam!-ised violence in their lifetimes, or to a disparity in education levels between you and non-British people of comparable circumstances, or to you being systematically kept out of high-paying or highly technical professions due to your Britishness, or to any other meaningful form of discrimination at all?

  • 01.02.2013 4:08 AM PDT


Posted by: jaythenerdkid

Posted by: I Judge Bread I
I'm British, meaning that I drink Tea, have bad teeth, wear a top hat, etc etc

It's called stereotyping and it happens to us all.
Does your Britishness lead to you earning only 75% of what non-British people earn in comparable positions, or to one in four British people being victims of -blam!-ised violence in their lifetimes, or to a disparity in education levels between you and non-British people of comparable circumstances, or to you being systematically kept out of high-paying or highly technical professions due to your Britishness, or to any other meaningful form of discrimination at all?

When the -blam!- did this turn into a damn female equality/pity thread?

  • 01.02.2013 4:11 AM PDT
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Posted by: jaythenerdkid
Shouldn't we be trying to teach our young men that objectification of women is unacceptable? Shouldn't that be a message that's deeply ingrained to society, just like "don't flash your junk in public", or anything else we assume people who have been socialised take for granted?


Definitely and I was in no way saying that I condone their behaviour. I do feel however that the problem online is more down to people having anonymity rather than them having backwards ideas on how to treat others in general.

People seem to have the notion that the way you act online towards others does not somehow have to follow the rules of acceptable social behaviour. So they will say and do things that they wouldn't dream of doing if they were speaking to someone in person.

Rather than educating people that it's wrong to objectify women, which I'm sure they already know, they should be taught that the boundaries of what is and isn't socially acceptable apply to all forms of interaction rather than just that interaction where you have to worry about the consequences.

  • 01.02.2013 4:14 AM PDT

Don't worry, you're still your mom's favorite Bnet member.

I think people (teenage boys online) think gamer girls are a rarity because gamer girls probably keep their mics off in fear of harassment, which unfortunately is all too common on the internet. Also, they probably assume that any girl playing video games must be wearing pink armor or have a heart logo or a gamertag like "Kateee<3", so when a girl breaks their way oversimplifying assumptions, they can't believe it.

  • 01.02.2013 4:17 AM PDT

Posted by: Kurosaki_Kun

I know, right?
Jay acts like she's better than everyone else simply because she's a chick.
I hope she chokes to death.


Posted by: Ason Unique

Rather than educating people that it's wrong to objectify women, which I'm sure they already know, they should be taught that the boundaries of what is and isn't socially acceptable apply to all forms of interaction rather than just that interaction where you have to worry about the consequences.
This was actually my point to begin with. :P I don't think the problem here is that people don't know that sexism is wrong (though some of them apparently don't, see upthread for details!) - my point was that online spaces set low standards of behaviour that lead to the perpetuation of those kinds of attitudes. I guess I rambled a little and didn't make that too clear.

The reason I chose girl gamers as my topic and not black gamers, or LGBT gamers, or any other minority group, is that they're in the unique position where, as I said, their identity is seen as something with intrinsic value both good and bad. People try to curry the favour of female members just as they attempt to bring them down just because they're women. So their identities are commodities, something people feel they can haggle about and use. I don't feel like that necessarily happens with other minority groups in the gaming world.

  • 01.02.2013 4:18 AM PDT

If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friends.

The Flood Theory of Deterioration: q(p)=(qi)e^(-p/r)

Where q(p) is the quality of the thread as a function of p posts, (qi) is the inital quality of the first post, p is the amount of posts and r is the e-peen of the original poster.

Posted by: What Is This1
When the -blam!- did this turn into a damn female equality/pity thread?

Apparently when Jay had nothing else to say to the fact that she's complaining about stereotypes and people joking about them. So this thread had to become about something serious. Cause it's a serious thread about the patriarchal oppression of women through stereotype jokes made online.

  • 01.02.2013 4:19 AM PDT

Why so much, man?

No way I'm reading past the second paragraph.

Anyway, I think that there aren't as many female players ONLINE as there are male, or they seem much less likely to use mics in games. Therefor, they aren't heard of much and as in all things, the 'dominant' groupd becomes aware of changes in the norm / maybe a little scared, and so you get people making a fuss over 'girl-gamers'.

[Edited on 01.02.2013 4:20 AM PST]

  • 01.02.2013 4:19 AM PDT

Posted by: Great_Pretender
Case and point: don't worry about it. Girls start getting boobies pretty soon, and then you'll have plenty of other things to think about. Being an Inheritor is not a life goal.
-TGP-

Posted by: jaythenerdkid
Does your Britishness lead to you earning only 75% of what non-British people earn in comparable positions, or to one in four British people being victims of -blam!-ised violence in their lifetimes, or to a disparity in education levels between you and non-British people of comparable circumstances, or to you being systematically kept out of high-paying or highly technical professions due to your Britishness, or to any other meaningful form of discrimination at all?
The -blam!- does this have to do with the topic?

  • 01.02.2013 4:20 AM PDT
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Posted by: doctor woot

Posted by: Co M4N
Tell me how the did I miss the point so much? Girl complaining about how they get treated online and in games, I state the males do it to each others just if not worse, so build a bridge and get over it.
Your annoying ass voice very likely does not net you anywhere near the same systematic discrimination and prejudice women face throughout first world societies, an attitude which is amplified online and made to make women feel unwelcome in situations that stray even a little bit from historically established conventions. In the end you're still a guy and still allowed to do guy things, whether you sound like Gary Coleman or not.


Lol mate i don't have an annoying voice, my voice is actually deep, I seen many people been harrassed online for that reason and it was the one that i thought of first. Everyone gets -blam!- online, but most people build a -blam!- bridge and get over it.

[Edited on 01.02.2013 4:23 AM PST]

  • 01.02.2013 4:21 AM PDT
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Sometimes starting back from square one does good...

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I'm happy whenever I see more and more female gamers, it sucks when it's just guys around. No offense, you guys are cool, but we need more diversity.

  • 01.02.2013 4:21 AM PDT

Don't worry, you're still your mom's favorite Bnet member.

There was a girl who used to work with me who used to play video games all the time. She started using a mic and couldn't believe the -blam!- harassment and verbal attacks she was hearing constantly. It pretty much turned her off from playing video games ever again, which sucks.

  • 01.02.2013 4:23 AM PDT


Posted by: Marinade
Posted by: What Is This1
When the -blam!- did this turn into a damn female equality/pity thread?

Apparently when Jay had nothing else to say to the fact that she's complaining about stereotypes and people joking about them. So this thread had to become about something serious. Cause it's a serious thread about the patriarchal oppression of women through stereotype jokes made online.

Ah yes I see your point in that case I think it would be best if Jay were to change to title and OP to reflect this.

  • 01.02.2013 4:25 AM PDT

There is a certain point of tolerance that should never be reached.

The Flood is once again behaving like an emotionally stunted 12-year-old.

  • 01.02.2013 4:26 AM PDT

You girls can get mad all you want, but you're just adding to the harassment you are going to get. You come onto a videogame forum or play a videogame where one of the widest target audiences is teenage males. You will never understand what it's like to be a teenage male, and we will never understand what it's like to be a teenage female. Having been a testosterone-ridden, aggressive, hormone-addled teenager once, wwe tend to like it when we piss people off. It's not something we do because we're specifically out to make girls butthurt, we just think it's really god damn funny. You aren't going to change our genetic hardwiring by crying injustice on the internet.

  • 01.02.2013 4:29 AM PDT

There is a certain point of tolerance that should never be reached.

The average age for gamers is 35...

  • 01.02.2013 4:32 AM PDT

Never make me angry. I am a Hitman and I can easily find you and take you out.


Posted by: NinjaLord77
When I play games I treat girls same way I treat guys. They are all just gamers and we are there to kick butt and have fun.

  • 01.02.2013 4:33 AM PDT


Posted by: Cortland_Brewer
The average age for gamers is 35...


Posted by: harro135
one of the widest target audiences

Cool. Males don't make a whimsical transition into purely level-headed individuals sometime after they turn 20.

  • 01.02.2013 4:38 AM PDT

I had a nice reply prepared for this thread in Sapphire, then I got booted. I can't be arsed to try to recreate it. Sorry.

  • 01.02.2013 4:56 AM PDT