In many games, mental disorders are very much defined as auxiliary to the characters within the game. They are used to derive a sort of mechanic and are ignored narratively as they relate to character development and seriously dealing with these topics. Games like Amnesia, Don’t Starve, and The Evil […]
sexism
54 posts
Women as reward. It’s an unfortunately common sexist practice I see in many of the video games I have played and the video games I have seen marketed. Rewarding players with women, all women – not just those that are cisgendered, is equally problematic. While games use women and women’s […]
I wonder how differently my parents and my parents’ parents saw the world as adults compared to me. I grew up digital, and now in my early 30s, I spend a lot of time contemplating my relationship with technology and the physical realm. Every couple years I feel this need […]
This post is the first in a monthly series where I play, review, and share some reactions to the top 30 board games as determined by Board Game Geek. Board games should not be beyond the reach of serious critical inquiry. Board games crush video games in the Kickstarter arena, […]
Recently, LEGO released the Disney Castle, and I was both excited and conflicted when I saw the set. The LEGO Disney Castle had been rumored for a while, but I didn’t pay much attention to the rumors. In my mind, I imagined the set would be more like one of […]
I recently watched the documentary Can We Take a Joke? When Outrage and Comedy Collide. As you might imagine, the premise is that outrage is ruining comedy. I was curious. We hear similar arguments here at NYMG: We are ruining video games. We just want to take away everyone’s fun. […]
One thing that critics like myself don’t do nearly enough is nod to just how difficult it is to be a game creator. Every game is flawed. Every game designer is flawed. It is easy to pick something out after a game is released and say you would have done […]
A few days ago, a user posted in the Overwatch Beta feedback section of the Blizzard forums that they were uncertain about one of Tracer’s victory poses in the game, a version of the infamous butt pose. User Fipps didn’t seem to have an issue with other characters who posed […]
Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn is often mentioned as playing on a number of horror tropes. Everyone can survive (depending), the two sex-craziest teens may have a real heart-to-heart about vulnerability (maybe), the ostensible Final Girl could meet her maker while others survive (possibly), and the black guy might make it (if […]
The following is a rough timeline of sexist incidents in the gaming sphere since the 1980s, including releases of notable (and notorious) titles, issues within and around studios, developers, and other professionals, and cultural events. It isn’t a “complete” timeline because no timeline can be complete; some incidents have been […]
Recently, a reader approached us and asked if we could share this exclusive story detailing her experiences within the games industry. The following relates her time spent working for a major studio’s big game release. The NYMG editorial staff stands with the writer in sharing her perspective on events, and […]
Recently, a reader approached us and asked if we could share this exclusive story detailing her experiences within the games industry. The following relates her time spent working for a major studio’s big game release. The NYMG editorial staff stands with the writer in sharing her perspective on events, and […]
I went to a Wine and Cheese Equity and Diversity Summit last week. This was held at my university to talk about the idea of implementing a racial issues course requirement to the common core. Now, I work at an urban university with plenty of diversity, in terms of ethnic […]
NYMG has occasionally written about the sexism issues in e-sports. There have been numerous instances of the very few women who do compete in e-sports being harassed, marginalized, and basically driven out of the competition altogether. Sarah Nixon wrote a great post on the differences between smack talk and discrimination […]
Over the years — and particularly, in the last year — the notion that game reviews should be objective, depoliticized, or both, has arisen time and time again, and been debated, discussed and parodied to oblivion. But who are the people asking for objective game reviews? Who thinks they’re possible, […]
A recent study out of Germany, “Sexist Games =Sexist Gamers? A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship Between Video Game Use and Sexist Attitudes,” attempts to assess whether playing sexist video games contribute to sexist attitudes in real world situations. Since its release, members of the gaming community have argued as […]