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EU Parliament: Game Sexism Alarming
By Joe Keiser
September 4, 2008
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“...video games constitute one more element in the reproduction of discriminatory stereotypes against women that perpetuate and trivialise abuses against their human rights.”
The Parliament of the European Union has adopted a text that calls for the need to eliminate sexism from games, which it believes currently contain messages that “are contrary to human dignity and which convey gender stereotypes.”
The text, entitled How marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men, was adopted on September 3rd. While the document was primarily concerned with the portrayal of women in advertising and marketing materials, it cited a“particular need” to eliminate sexist messages from video games due to the impact they could have on children. “Children learn by imitation and mimick what they have just experienced,” according to the text, and sexist messages present in children’s media “influences individual development and accentuates the perception that a person's gender dictates what is possible and what is not.”
In an earlier report related to the adopted text, attention was drawn to an 2004 Amnesty International study that found “video games constitute one more element in the reproduction of discriminatory stereotypes against women that perpetuate and trivialise abuses against their human rights.”
Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson presented the text, which is not legally binding. Other media mentioned in the document include television programming for children, educational materials, and advertisements for sexual services in easily accessible mediums.
Pictured—Playboy: The Mansion
This is what Socialism gets you... Let Parents be parents!
The EU isn't socialist.
Oh for Pete's sake.
When will politicians stop "protecting our children." We can protect our own children, thank you very much.
Because you know how politicians CARE.
As a female gamer I'm not usually offended by the way women are represented in games: I can recognize the stereotypes and the context, and it doesn't influence me. Children, on the other hand, probably don't have that level of understanding, and while I don't believe they mimick everything they see on the screen, the underlying attitudes in some games probably have as much influence on them as films and TV do.
www.atypicalgamer.com
Sexism is certainly still prevailant in all media, not just gaming and should certainly be addressed.
Most creative mediums tart off fairly sexist mostly, I think, because they seem to be dominated in their early days with males. Males tend to design games about/for males. I think as the number of female game players and designers continues to rise, the sexism in games will (hopefully) begin to flatten itself out.
However, specifically targetting games because of their 'impact on children' just further shows how ignorantly most of the world still perceives gaming as nothing more than something little kids do. ...
Just one more reason why we should leave this pathetic organisation.
Of course gaming is full of sexism. It's one of the few mediums left where you can put women in their place.
I'm going to assume that is a joke and have a small rofl...
That comment makes no sense on a few different levels...