Gaming Sexism

Author(s):  
Amanda C. Cote

In 2012, video gaming culture saw an interesting, paradoxical divergence. On one hand, game journalists and trade organizations testified that gaming had significantly diversified from its masculine roots, with women comprising nearly half of all gamers. On the other hand, gaming spaces witnessed increasing, public incidents of sexism and misogyny. Gaming Sexism analyzes the video game industry and its players to explain the roots of these contradictory narratives, how they coexist, and what their divergence means in terms of power and gender equality. Media studies scholar Amanda C. Cote first turns to video game magazines to assess how longstanding expectations for “gamers” are shifting, how this provokes anxiety in traditional audiences, and how these players resist change, at times employing harassment and sexism to drive out new audience members. She follows this analysis by interviewing female players, to see how their experiences have been affected by games’ changing environment. Interviewees reveal many persistent barriers to full participation in gaming, including overtly and implicitly sexist elements within texts, gaming audiences, and the industry. At the same time, participants have developed nuanced strategies for managing their exclusion, pursuing positive gaming experiences, and competing with men on their own turf. Thus, Gaming Sexism reveals extensive, persistent problems in achieving gender equality in gaming. However, it also demonstrates the power of a motivated, marginalized audience, and draws on their experiences to explore how structural inequalities in gaming spaces—and culture more broadly—can themselves be gamed and overcome.

Author(s):  
Safak Oz Aktepe

In this chapter, the author aims to present, through a review of literature, that the gender equality assumption of the human resource management (HRM) approach is not taken for granted. It seems there exist two sides of the same coin, one representing the HRM approach and the other representing the gendered approach to HRM practices. This chapter reviews HRM practices in work organizations as the potential facilitator of gender inequalities in organizations. In addition, the contentious function of HRM practices in maintaining gender inequalities within work organizations is reviewed. In spite of knowing the implication of HRM practices on being a gender-diverse organization, there remain few studies on the relationship between HRM practices and gender inequality in work organizations. Such research will add a different perspective to HRM practices and contribute to the awareness related to the gendered nature of organizations and their organizational practices.


Author(s):  
Janet C. Dunlop

Today’s media are vast in both form and influence; however, few cultural studies scholars address the video gaming industry’s role in domestic maintenance and global imposition of U.S. hegemonic ideologies. In this study, video games are analyzed by cover art, content, and origin of production. Whether it is earning more “powers” in games such as Star Wars, or earning points to purchase more powerful artillery in Grand Theft Auto, capitalist ideology is reinforced in a subtle, entertaining fashion. This study shows that oppressive hegemonic representations of gender and race are not only present, but permeate the majority of top-selling video games. Finally, the study traces the origins of best-selling games, to reveal a virtual U.S. monopoly in the content of this formative medium.


Author(s):  
Janet C. Dunlop

Today’s media are vast in both form and influence; however, few cultural studies scholars address the video gaming industry’s role in domestic maintenance and global imposition of U.S. hegemonic ideologies. In this study, video games are analyzed by cover art, content, and origin of production. Whether it is earning more “powers” in games such as Star Wars, or earning points to purchase more powerful artillery in Grand Theft Auto, capitalist ideology is reinforced in a subtle, entertaining fashion. This study shows that oppressive hegemonic representations of gender and race are not only present, but permeate the majority of top-selling video games. Finally, the study traces the origins of best-selling games, to reveal a virtual U.S. monopoly in the content of this formative medium.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Styhre ◽  
Björn Remneland-Wikhamn ◽  
Anna-Maria Szczepanska ◽  
Jan Ljungberg

First Monday ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Jhee Jiow ◽  
Rayvinder Jit Singh Athwal ◽  
Ling Ling Chew ◽  
Muhammad Helmi Elias ◽  
Nina Lim ◽  
...  

Since its advent in the 1970s, the video game industry has superseded its film counterpart, sporting a growth rate quadrupling that of other media and entertainment sectors. In contemporary times, video gaming occupations — namely game designers, professional gamers and YouTubers — have gained prominence, bolstered by the support of the media industry and government agencies. Yet, little remains known about the perceptions of these careers from the standpoint of parents and young gamers. This dearth of knowledge thus provides an impetus for research since parents’ perceptions could arguably influence the management of their children’s video gaming consumption. Results yielded through qualitative interviews with 35 respondents revealed that parental mediation was practiced via ‘distant mediation’. This is characterised by parents ostensibly withdrawing or remaining remotely detached from their children’s video gaming whilst monitoring them from afar. When perspectives of gaming careers were further scrutinised through a comparative scope, the findings also reflected that parents and children shared accommodating attitudes toward vocations in the video gaming sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Zakaryya Mohamed Ahmed Abdel-Hady

Much confusion have developed on the issue of Islam and gender. Islam as a religion is seen to give preference to one gender over the other. This has been particularly realized in dealing with issues which are of concern to women such as: duties and responsibilities of both husband and wife and inheritance. The issue of gender will always raise the question of Muslim Women’s full participation and productive functioning within the society. This paper attempts to examine whether the above-mentioned issue is a simple misconception, or the existence of any evidence within the Muslim doctrine and/or interpretation of Muslim scholars that support such a claim. The issues discussed here are highly controversial and debatable. Thus, in order to identify and clarify the stance of Islam on the issue of gender, we undoubtedly need to revisit the Islamic sources and hold a comparison to social and historical events that took place within the early Muslim society. This paper aims to highlight this issue and attempt to identify whether any validation for such practice was made within the religious approach or through traditionally-acquired concepts that have lived and grew within the Muslim cultures throughout the ages.


Author(s):  
Xavier Cabonell-Sánchez

This article consists of a reflection on the clash between the interests of the video gaming industry and the health of consumers as defined by the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association. The article discusses the history of the self-regulation of the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries, then goes on to discuss the extent to which video games may gain establishment acceptance as sports, much as bridge and chess did before them. The article concludes that the category of sport can serve as a mediating force between the industry and the health of gamers.


Utilitas ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOZAFFAR QIZILBASH

While there is much common ground between the writings of Amartya Sen and John Stuart Mill – particularly in their advocacy of freedom and gender equality – one is a critic, while the other is an advocate, of utilitarianism. In spite of this contrast, there are strong echoes of Sen's capability approach in Mill's writings. Inasmuch as Mill sees the capability to be happy as important he holds a form of capability approach. He also thinks of happiness as constituted by the exercise of certain capabilities (including the higher faculties). Furthermore, Mill addresses the possibility that people can adapt to limited opportunity, which is central to Sen's critique of some ‘utility’-based views. By contrasting contentment and happiness Mill suggests one way in which a utilitarian might address cases of adaptation. His discussions of capabilities and of adaptation are consistent with his utilitarianism.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liv Tønnessen

AbstractThe fundamental argument put forward by Islamists, who have ruled Sudan since 1989, for not signing the convention is based on cultural relativism; different cultures provide indigenous and local solutions to their women’s problems. Islam is the solution, not Western feminism. But the Islamists’ failure to ratify CEDAW should not be regarded as a complete rejection of Western feminism, however defined. Through a review of the debate on CEDAW and Islam, this article explores the entanglements of ‘Islamic’ and ‘Western’ normative legal orders. It argues that although Islamist feminists’ discourse deems Western tenets of feminism and gender equality to be unessential to Islamic societies and falsely universalising in its premises, it simultaneously draws upon them in order to demonstrate their ‘alternative’ feminism. By analysing a range of Islamist women’s positions, it becomes apparent that on the one hand they reject CEDAW and gender equality, and on the other promote issues which empower women in the Sudanese state and society. But there are important points of criticism to be made regarding Islamic solutions in a multi-religious and class-divided Sudanese society. Sudanese Islamist women’s claims on behalf of Islamic solutions for Sudanese women can paradoxically be critiqued being as universalising in its premises as so-called Western feminism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-314
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ishaq ◽  
Muhammad Adil ◽  
Owais Anwer

The slogan of gender equality and gender equality is constantly being used today and unfortunately it raises more objections to Islamic injunctions than to women's rights. Although Islam is a compete code of conduct for human life and its rules have taken care of human nature, so in the rules that apply to both men and women, the natural characteristics of both have been taken into consideration. Because of the development of various forms of media today, objections to Islamic injunctions in the name of gender equality are gaining strength. This article seeks to ascertain the validity of these objections and compares the specific provisions of Islamic criminal law regarding women with the existing laws of Pakistan. As a result of this comparison, it has come to light that on the one hand, in some cases, women have been given less rights than men, such as not accepting their testimony in the cases clearly defined by ALLAH (in Qur’an called as حدود الله) and the Diyat  (دیت)of a woman is equal to half of the Diyat (دیت) of a man etc. On the other hand, in most of the rulings, women are given precedence over men, such as in case of fighting in a war along with men, the renouncement of Qisas or any other charges from women, respite in stoning due to pregnancy, the renouncement of Qisas or any other charges in case of forced compulsion by someone else, renouncement of Diyat (دیت) in Qisamat and the condition of being with a Mehram (محرم) in exile etc., and even  where their rights are apparently less evident, there is a clear consideration of their nature in implementing of those laws..


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document