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Thank you!

I think there’s a difference between poking light-hearted fun at friends and family for the games they play – I’m certainly not suggesting people take this hobby so seriously that you can’t do that! – and legitimately insulting (or being condescending) to people who play the more ‘casual’ titles. And what you said is exactly what I mean – being a jerk to someone because of different tastes and likes isn’t exactly something that should be encouraged in polite society.

Now, granted, I’m also shouting into a void here, somewhat – not only will some people be jerks, but I doubt that many of them are reading these (or others) articles about this kind of thing. Still, I like to hold onto the illusion – grasping as tightly as I can! – that people will turn themselves around and just be polite to one another. It’s nice to dream.

Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. It’s interesting that you mentioned the CoD fanboys as an example of people who may be guilty of this behaviour. While I don’t necessarily disagree (and it should be obvious that I don’t mean *every* CoD player, of course), I’d also argue that it’s not just them. The hipster, “high art” gamers are guilty of this. The Nintendo fanboys are guilty of this. The indie gamers are guilty of this. A lot of us are guilty of this behavior to some extent. If I were to deny that I ever partook in this, I’d be lying, full disclosure. It’s just as frustrating to hear a CoD player say “Mario is for babies” as a hipster retro gamer say “CoD is for lowbrow mainstreamers”. It’s all petty behavior, really.

And as far as what could be done to change this? I wouldn’t recommend policing behavior or anything of that sort. If anything, I’d say to just take the time to really question why you (general you) feel how you feel about gaming. You don’t need to spoil someone’s enjoyment of a game because you dislike that title, or genre. But adversely, it’s good to have discussions that allow for genuine critique and debate about the merits of a game. I guess I’m just asking for people to be civil.

Wow, this reply is almost as long as the article itself! Thanks again for your comment. Hope to read more from you soon!

I am not sure about anyone else here, but I do NOT try to make fun of anyone for what they play….to a serious extent of being a bully at least. Personally, what they play I may scoff at, laugh at, or poke fun.
BUT
It is also easy to see the enjoyment factor that they are having. What right do we have to make fun of those that play WHAT THEY ENJOY using their time for, to just escape from the real world whether for a couple of minutes or a couple of hours? Why are gamers the new bullies to gamers (i.e. CoD fanboys that take it way too far)?

And what can we do to change?

It’s nice that people care about how females are portrayed in games and other fiction, but I can’t stand the idea of a revolution in video games where all females are “realistically sized” (according to whom?), strong, wise and otherwise badass. Not sure if the author of this would desire this extreme, but I do know a number of people who seem to desire this, and I find the idea colorless. I know men are still considered to be a more privileged group, so maybe we can’t ask ourselves this, but I will–How many males in video games and other fiction are bad role models, or steroid cases? It’s not as big of an issue, but boys need good role models, too. But should we make more of our characters morally upright, average bodied smart people? No. We explore what we aren’t through fiction. And we can decide for ourselves what is good and bad in what we experience. Why must we portray certain groups with overcompensating sensitivity? Why can’t we just go nuts with creativity when making something and not have to deal with great controversy? There are more game developers making more “cool” females, good for them! I appreciate these characters when done well. But I’ll never buy a game for that sort of character over one with designs I find more interesting and eye catching.

When controversy appears after a creative work is released, it’s funny to see how much more attention it brings to something. Some artists and developers wish for this or may benefit from it.

Anyway, so what if Sorceress has big boobies. I’d prefer to see them more covered in real life, but this is a video game and she can do whatever she wants with them there.