Pour one out for a real one

It’s probably a good thing she’s retiring on her own terms tho

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    I think Anita started something that has now been moved in on by people who do it in a far more entertaining way, essentially pushing her content out of the space. Combined with obviously the fact that her name still carries (unwarranted) negativity for people who grew up affected in waves of gamergate reactionary culture.

    Either way she did a lot of good. Hope she knows it.

  • PKMKII [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    I remember some freeze-gamer on reddit-logo yelled at me that I needed to see what these radical feminists like Anita Sarkeesian were saying, that it was male-hating and threatening vidya. I had vaguely heard of her at that point but hadn’t seen any of her stuff so I looked up a video of hers on YouTube. Very quickly I was like “this is what the gamergaters are getting worked up over? This is pretty vanilla by feminists standards, even a bit boilerplate.”

    • GarfieldYaoi [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      It’s pure do-gooder derogation.

      Materially, we have set up a system where being right is what gets you punished, and people will hate you for doing something they agree with deep down. Because of the implications it makes about them. In the words of David Graeber, who calls the phenomenon ‘Moral Envy’, they’re saying “How dare you act as if you are morally superior to me (although I do agree that your actions are morally superior to my own.)”

      • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        1 year ago

        I’ve learned over time that almost nothing gets people on the internet enraged more than just the uncomfortable thought that maybe they’re consuming something that might be bad in some way, be it how it’s made, how it’s distributed, who is hurt in its production, or just the damaging propaganda built into it. wojak-nooo

      • PKMKII [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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        1 year ago

        But we’re not talking about some major lifestyle change, playing some video games where the lead character is a woman whose personality doesn’t revolve around her being spankbank material isn’t a huge ask.

        • autismdragon [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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          1 year ago

          She didnt even REALLY say “hey play different games” she moreso was just asking to be critically aware of the content of what you’re playing which is some incredibly basic shit.

          • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            1 year ago

            he moreso was just asking to be critically aware of the content of what you’re playing which is some incredibly basic shit

            One of her mantras was something like “it’s possible to enjoy something while also accepting criticism of it” and I’ve learned firsthand how impossible that is for some people. frothingfash

            • star_wraith [he/him]@hexbear.net
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              1 year ago

              I re-read Lord of the Rings recently. And you know what? It’s definitely got racist elements in it. It sucks. But I can still enjoy the books. It’s just whenever I talk about them now (or even think about them), I do talk about how I like them but the racist parts cannot and should not be ignored.

    • UmbraVivi [he/him, she/her]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      Thunderfoot has undergone a weird shift to where his new obsession is bashing Elon Musk. I scrolled through his twitter a while back and was surprised that I couldn’t find a single tweet complaining about wokeness or anything, it’s literally exclusively making fun of Musk and arguing with Musk fans. Critical support?

      • mittens [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        1 year ago

        amazing atheist also shifted his content and became less reactionary, though his heel turn was way more public. these things are a process i suppose, but i figure trump was a real “choose your side” moment for many.

  • axont [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    I always felt like she was kind of shooting fish in a barrel. It used to be really rare for games to have nuanced, good writing and it’s still kinda rare. It wasn’t that long ago that any depiction of a woman in a game required enormous cleavage and the ability to perv on her. Metal Gear Solid games have modes where you can make a woman do risque poses and take photos of her. There’s a Hitman game where you fight against sexy nuns in bondage gear.

    That stuff still exists but I think there are a lot broader depictions of women now. We’re living in a simultaneous golden age and dark age for games. It’s weird. There have never been so many charming, innovative indie games as right now. There are even games with good politics.

    So I’d like to think at least Sarkeesian was part of that, helping to let people know games didn’t have to be about grunting white man looking at tits and shooting a gun.

  • GrouchyGrouse [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    1 year ago

    I remember when gamers made a flash game where you punched her in the face complete with blackening her eyes or busting her lip.

    Extremely normal people having a normal reaction to a woman who mildly critiqued their hobby.

    • mar_k [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      1 year ago

      Yeah her takes are pretty lukewarm. She’s just like “it’d be cool if we had some female characters that don’t exist as ornaments and have some agency” and straight up starts all the videos in her series off with this: