Con Argument -- Page 2
In our society today, people wear more revealing clothing. We have evolved as a society into one that accepts less clothing. When you go to a water park or visit a swimming pool, is it sexist that the women are all wearing some pretty reveling swim suits? Some believe that this is not any different from the women wearing revealing outfits in a video game (Incarnate). When a girl is wearing skimpy clothing, that does not mean that the game is sexist; it is just a girl wearing clothing that effectively represents our ever-changing society. The same regard should be taken for a girl in a video game. Wearing skimpy clothing in a video game does not mean that it is sexist (Incarnate). It is just a girl in a video game wearing skimpy clothing. There is no underlying representation or message that these reveling clothes give off. The supposed “sexism” is of little consequence and should simply be ignored.
We live in a sexist world. Everywhere you turn there is some form of sexism and it is very hard to ignore it. However, you can’t say that video game developers display it more than any other art form on the planet. There are no restrictions on what paintings hold in a historical museum. A woman could be completely naked in a painting or sculpture, yet video games are getting torched for using half naked cartoon characters. Some believe that the gaming industry is getting slammed for what is seen all over and that this hypocritical stance should not be tolerated. If somebody is trying to fix the issue of sexism, they need to look at all forms of art, not just pick on the gaming industry (Toi).
Similar, logical arguments apply when a gamer selects a gender specific avatar. Yes, it is obvious that the choices are limited for female avatars, but many people believe that this aspect simply doesn’t matter (Reinecke, Trepte, Behr 12). Is it the gaming industry’s fault that people want to select strong buff men or women wearing little clothing? If this issue was fixed, would people choose differently? Or would a profitable demographic feel alienated by the industry’s sudden censorship? The gaming industry is a business: one that knows what people like and present them with what they want to see. The sexism they display is not their fault but the gamers fault for wanting sexy or buff avatars. For many gamers, being able to be a handsome guy or a beautiful girl does not matter and does not change the way they play the game (Reinecke, Trepte, Behr 12). Gamers are only interested in what matters most to them: the actual game play.
Many of the people who argue against the supposed “sexism” in video games need to look at the bigger picture. The video game industry is just that: an industry. In a capitalistic world, the best way to assure continued business is to cater your product to your audience. While there are plenty of female players, they are still the minority. As long as the video game industry is dominated by a male population, they will be the biggest target for video game developers. That may change one day but, until it does, sexism cannot be avoided.