Thursday, October 24, 2013

GTAV, Men just as offended as women?

    I'm not the type to play video games nor be attracted to the newest game trends, for example, the most recent game, GTAV, "a sensational video game and a marvellous feat of technical engineering" (Hoggins, 2013). But this game in particular is has had a lot of people discussing its ways of degrading women. Since I am female and the majority of females are uncomfortable or unimpressed with the way the women in the game are portrayed, personally I think the men are portrayed just as badly. Men should be just as offended as women. "Women in the game are either bit-part players or set dressing: strippers to throw money at, prostitutes to pick up...There are three lead characters that players can control in the game: all male. The women characters are often leered at or cast as nags. One of the player characters daughters has “skank” tattooed across her back, one mission has you chaperoning a paparazzo as he tries to photograph an aging actress’s “low-hanging muff” (Hoggins, 2013). Nearly all the characters are being portrayed as awful people, "women are shallow and sidelined, and the men front-and-centre are heartless, psychotic, money-obsessed, philandering bastards" (Hoggins, 2013). Not only are the men in this game portrayed this way, but some men in real life have gotten so caught up in this virtual lifestyle that they act out in similar mannerisms. GameSpot’s Carolyn Petit called Grand Theft Auto V “politically muddled and profoundly misogynistic," and in return a male responder said, "no point in giving GTA to a woman to review. Their input is worthless" (Hoggins, 2013). It's a shame women are being treated this way and even more outrageous that men can't see how awful they're being made out to be. Games of this genre add to the distrust of some men, and why many women view men as players, and cold-hearted people who are blinded by the amount of money they have or want. In conclusion, I feel as though men should be just as offended as women when being rudely or incorrectly displayed in any and all content.