Just read through David Gaider's last blog entry.
It defends Anita Sarkeesian's fem frequency videos.
First off, I want to say that I think she has every right to say what she does, and I find the threats against her, the calls to shut her up, as well as the cyberstalking, completely unacceptable.
Yes, she should be able to voice the critique as she does, and the people who think real life threats are a way to deal with it should all go to hell!
However, it should also be possible to talk about the critisism. Examine it for what it is, discuss its validity and appropriateness, without any attacks on her personally.
And I find her critique, for the most part, invalid. Cherry-picking, confirmation bias, never looking at the whole picture and completely neglecting to put video games as a medium as well as the setting they play in the proper context. While she may have a few valid points, they are so much drowned in manipulative half-truths that I can't take her criticism seriously.
I don't consider her videos industry-ruining, but I do find it odd that such a one-sided way of looking at things receives so much respect from industry insiders.
However, I deeply respect David Gaider. I think he is an awesome writer and he has brought much joy to my gaming. Basicly, I wait with baited breath to see the story he and his team has written.
So when he says
"That is the purpose of critique. To make you think. That’s it.
Try it."
I sit down and think. And afterwards, I am more bewildered than before.
I realized that the moment I grew angry at the femfrequency videos was the moment I saw DAO on there. It was basicly a trope about trivializing rape or using it as a mere plot tool, showing a scene from the city elf origin.
And while I don't care much about Mario or Donkey Kong, I do care if somebody goes to slander MY favorite game. Yes, I think the DAO story is perfect. Given the medieval fantasy setting, I think it's pretty much on the progressive side and in no way sexist.
I played a female city elf back then and considered the scene perfectly all right: Yes, rape threats can be used in such a setting in the same manner as other exploitation/punishment/physical harm: to demonstrate power and take advantage of people with less power. I personally never understood why an evil rapist makes a game horrible, while an evil murderer is perfectly ok.
Not only that, but DAO also empowers the female character by having her lead the way to escape from the capture, with her male companion regulated to the role of side kick. The exact thing that Anita Sarkeesian complains never happens is happening in a game she is critisizing, even without bothering to look closer. Even the accusation of the trope -- that it sexualizes females without giving them personality -- is false, as Shianni displays a lot of personality. So I was angry about her unfair criticism of such a cool game.
And here, now, the lead writer of that game defends the person making that criticism. And tells me I am one of the bad guys.
"But, look, she's making unfair accusations against your masterpiece without really looking at it" -- "Look, you don’t want to be lumped in with the bad guys? Then don’t be a bad guy"
Aeh...what? Color me confused.
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