GTA's Sexist Ways
Because the video game industry is geared more towards that male population, some games have not portrayed women in the best light. I don't know that Grand Theft Auto (GTA) could be considered a classic game, but it has been around for several years and remains as one of the most popular game series ever. It also happens to be a perfect example of sexism.
Grand Theft Auto is no doubt a well-created game, but it is filled with not only sexist aspects, but racist ones as well. Women are extremely prevalent in the game, but only for sexual acts. Players are able to take advantage of prostitutes, only to kill them-not a very pro-women activity. Strip clubs are available as well, where the male character can receive a lap dance if he wishes. No female character shows that they have any value whatsoever other than to perform sexually. The language of the game is no different, filled with degrading terms directed towards the women.
Several articles and blog entries by other writers have pointed out these aspects as well, and Jackie Backer did a particularly good job of exploring why GTA is so male-dominated.
I don't understand the lure of GTA, just because it creates a world where it is okay to degrade women. Why is this such a loved game?
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Jessie Krehlik on GTA's Sexist Ways: Beth Anne, I've actually never
Dennis G. Jerz on GTA's Sexist Ways: I always perk up when a studen
Susan Carmichael on GTA's Sexist Ways: I do not understand the game's
Jeremy Barrick on GTA's Sexist Ways: I have played GTA games a lot,
I have played GTA games a lot, and wondered why they portray females as "whores" and males as "drug users".
I do not understand the game's lore myself, but there are many people in the world that share the game's views on men and women. It makes me notice how far we still need to come on issues of gender equality, gender roles, and racism.
I always perk up when a student frames an argument with "I don't understand why..." because that's an opening for someone else to offer a theory.
One of the standard reactions that Rockstar gives is that the game doesn't force you to beat up the NPCs, and of course when you do bad things your notoriety score goes up and the cops start coming after you in more force, and soon instead of going around misbehaving you're running and fighting the cops.
Beth Anne, how does that reaction address the issues you raised? What do the fans of GTA say? Remember what Johnson did when he quoted from a Civilization user forum? Could you do something similar, and let the fans of GTA help you explore this question?
I will say that one of the pleasures of LEGO is that you get the exploration without the gore (or bad language, since LEGO characters just grunt and gesture).
Beth Anne, I've actually never played a GTA game, specifically because I thought it was demoralizing towards women. It always made me a little uneasy that this game encourages players to run around beating up hookers. I'm sure there are ways to avoid hookers altogether in the game, but it just doesn't appeal to me for the same reasons it doesn't appeal to you. A lot of my male gamer-friends tell me that I'm missing out, but I don't think they understand what it's like to be a female gamer in a male-dominated field.
I'm glad you see what I'm saying!! I'm not completely against the game, I just feel like something is not quite right, and I don't want to condone any of that demoralization. It's just not the same for boys!