Video Games and Gender

Although I am a woman I do hardly disagree on today’s session and the opinions concerning gender the other students mentioned. First of all, the representation of women within video games and the ostensibly lack of women as protagonists is, in my opinion, neither a discrimination of women nor a gender related social problem which has to be changed. Of course, it is true that the majority of video games consist of male main character who have to rescue a woman. Nevertheless, I do not see this as discrimination but a completely normal and logical relation. As we talked about the example of Kim Possible, who is the female protagonist, and her male friend Ron Stoppable, who always gets in trouble and has to be rescued by Kim, isn’ t it strange that the man is the weaker sex? I could not take such a man seriously. In my opinion, it is just a game and I do not feel personally   discriminated if a man has to save a woman.

Talking about the topic discussed in today’s reading material, the avatar of women, I have to say that I cannot agree on the author’s opinion. Of course, there might be a few women who create a beautiful and non-realistic avatar because they wish to look like this. In my opinion, however, this is the minority. If I have to create an avatar, she would definitely not look like me. But that does not mean that I think I am not pretty. It is just a nice chance to create a new character. If my avatar looks like a rock star, that does not mean I am unhappy with my career and want to be a rock star.  

Discussions like these, talking about gender, make me always very angry. I am an independent, educated and self-confidential woman and do not share the opinion that women have to take care of the household and children.  Nevertheless, in video games there are specific roles which do not have anything to do with discrimination. It is just a fictive world consisting of heroes and men saving women is more attractive than women saving men.