I’m was right there with you a few years ago. My daughter plays, and I was sure to point out how it was catering to male fantasy and all that. But then I took her to some conventions she asked to go to. Do you know what I saw. More women then men.
And there was a space of computers that people could stop and play genshin and the like. Again more women then men. And the women were all playing genshin while the guys were playing games with more zoomed out interactions.
It turns out that women are a big part of the reason for the intricate costumes on female characters and such.
I still don’t know what really to make of it all, but I do know my first impression of a game just objectifying women for male pleasure is not accurate.
And don’t get me started on the female cosplayers at these conventions.
Thanks for taking the time to write out a response. I think it might depend on the game and some games are probably “better” examples of what I meant. As long as it’s equal for both male as well as female characters, I don’t mind at all since that would be equality then. But in a game like Monster Hunter, some armour sets are just quite… exposing. Like, you’re fighting giant monsters, dragons and what not, but it’s probably a good idea to run around with an exposed chest and legs whilst the rest being covered by armour. The definition of armour is really loose then, I feel like.
As long as the armour/outfit fits in with the game world, I don’t mind too much since you can come up with lore reasons for why a certain piece of clothing or armour is designed the way it is. However, there certainly examples of both where it’s quite obvious that they’ve been designed for the male gaze first and foremost.
Totally agree. Viva la dirt does some great and hilarious videos about female armor in games. And some games really go overboard. I just found that it wasn’t as one dimensional as I originally thought.
For sure! It’s a tough line to walk sometimes. I guess I’d rather be a little more cautious personally. I wasn’t trying to attack anyone - just voicing my thoughts. Didn’t excpect this comment to be received as negatively as it was.
Eh sometimes people just see a downvote and they all pile on. I thought your comment was very reasonable and added to the conversation so I undid one of them, even though I don’t necessarily agree with it. Keep doing you friend. Happy holidays!
Exactly! Why does everything have to be sexual at all times in games? Male gaze is a thing, and it’s kind of shocking that people are so seemingly ignorant about it. Just go watch porn lmao
It really was just a joke. But at the same time it doesn’t have to be about being horny or climaxing. Aside from any teenagers present most of us don’t get a hard on just from seeing a pretty girl. It can still be more pleasing for us to look at a pretty girl (if that is what we prefer) without getting horny.
It can still be more pleasing for us to look at a pretty girl (if that is what we prefer) without getting horny.
You do you. Certainly not shaming. Still, I do find everything is being sexualised nowadays;
Ads, thumbnails, films, music, video games—almost the entire internet. Ever tried scrolling through All on Lemmy or Reddit? Won’t take long for you to find erotica or something of the likes. YouTube and Twitch are even worse. Women creating content whilst partially showing and thousands of men throwing a bunch of money at them—or time for that matter (which gets them ad revenue). Not much different from OF if you ask me.
The problem is you can’t escape it. And it’s affecting children as well. They see all of it and think it’s normal. Take a glance at TikTok and you’ll understand.
In the end, I’d rather play a game for its story and gameplay instead of playing it for the “boobs and vags”. There is enough of that already.
Yeah, it really is everywhere. I am constantly telling my daughter that it isn’t normal. I personally don’t play those types of games either. I am more satisfactory, portal and such type games. I only know about them because my kids play and I pay attention to what they play.
I am only a year or so away from having to explain how fake porn is. I don’t know if the schools discuss that or not, but they probably should given how easy it is to access, and how many parents don’t want to talk about it.
Regarding Genshin’s large female audience, (1) there are a lot of hot male characters, (2) its two sister games have a lot of gay / lesbian characters, and therefore a large LGBT fanbase, and (3) the Genshin community is (relatively) friendly and casual, since there is no PvP.
I’m was right there with you a few years ago. My daughter plays, and I was sure to point out how it was catering to male fantasy and all that. But then I took her to some conventions she asked to go to. Do you know what I saw. More women then men.
And there was a space of computers that people could stop and play genshin and the like. Again more women then men. And the women were all playing genshin while the guys were playing games with more zoomed out interactions. It turns out that women are a big part of the reason for the intricate costumes on female characters and such. I still don’t know what really to make of it all, but I do know my first impression of a game just objectifying women for male pleasure is not accurate. And don’t get me started on the female cosplayers at these conventions.
Thanks for taking the time to write out a response. I think it might depend on the game and some games are probably “better” examples of what I meant. As long as it’s equal for both male as well as female characters, I don’t mind at all since that would be equality then. But in a game like Monster Hunter, some armour sets are just quite… exposing. Like, you’re fighting giant monsters, dragons and what not, but it’s probably a good idea to run around with an exposed chest and legs whilst the rest being covered by armour. The definition of armour is really loose then, I feel like.
As long as the armour/outfit fits in with the game world, I don’t mind too much since you can come up with lore reasons for why a certain piece of clothing or armour is designed the way it is. However, there certainly examples of both where it’s quite obvious that they’ve been designed for the male gaze first and foremost.
Totally agree. Viva la dirt does some great and hilarious videos about female armor in games. And some games really go overboard. I just found that it wasn’t as one dimensional as I originally thought.
Thanks for not just downvoting, appreciate it.
For sure! It’s a tough line to walk sometimes. I guess I’d rather be a little more cautious personally. I wasn’t trying to attack anyone - just voicing my thoughts. Didn’t excpect this comment to be received as negatively as it was.
Happy holidays 🎄
Eh sometimes people just see a downvote and they all pile on. I thought your comment was very reasonable and added to the conversation so I undid one of them, even though I don’t necessarily agree with it. Keep doing you friend. Happy holidays!
Appreciate it. Care to share your thoughts?
I agree with you as well. Thought your comment was sane and reasonable. No clue why you were being downvoted to oblivion.
And then the bloke who says he’d rather create a female character, because he prefers to stare at her arse for hours.
Man, like, if one is that horny you’re better off climaxing to something else—if you catch my drift.
Happy holidays bud!
Exactly! Why does everything have to be sexual at all times in games? Male gaze is a thing, and it’s kind of shocking that people are so seemingly ignorant about it. Just go watch porn lmao
🙏🏻
It really was just a joke. But at the same time it doesn’t have to be about being horny or climaxing. Aside from any teenagers present most of us don’t get a hard on just from seeing a pretty girl. It can still be more pleasing for us to look at a pretty girl (if that is what we prefer) without getting horny.
All good. Hard to tell when it’s just text.
You do you. Certainly not shaming. Still, I do find everything is being sexualised nowadays;
Ads, thumbnails, films, music, video games—almost the entire internet. Ever tried scrolling through All on Lemmy or Reddit? Won’t take long for you to find erotica or something of the likes. YouTube and Twitch are even worse. Women creating content whilst partially showing and thousands of men throwing a bunch of money at them—or time for that matter (which gets them ad revenue). Not much different from OF if you ask me.
The problem is you can’t escape it. And it’s affecting children as well. They see all of it and think it’s normal. Take a glance at TikTok and you’ll understand.
In the end, I’d rather play a game for its story and gameplay instead of playing it for the “boobs and vags”. There is enough of that already.
Yeah, it really is everywhere. I am constantly telling my daughter that it isn’t normal. I personally don’t play those types of games either. I am more satisfactory, portal and such type games. I only know about them because my kids play and I pay attention to what they play. I am only a year or so away from having to explain how fake porn is. I don’t know if the schools discuss that or not, but they probably should given how easy it is to access, and how many parents don’t want to talk about it.
Regarding Genshin’s large female audience, (1) there are a lot of hot male characters, (2) its two sister games have a lot of gay / lesbian characters, and therefore a large LGBT fanbase, and (3) the Genshin community is (relatively) friendly and casual, since there is no PvP.