An article over on Brainy Gamer pointed out part of the “marketing scheme” for Modern Warfare 2 to me, and I have to say, I’m… well, not quite upset, because it’s pretty much the same kind of mindless tripe I’ve come to expect from stuff marketed to the “gamer” crowd, but… well, look, just go read the article, I’ll wait for you.
Done? Good.
I’ve often wondered when, exactly, gaming culture became like this. Goodness knows when I was a kid, my school friends and I didn’t hang out on the playground with our Gameboys talking about “noob pussies” or engaging in macho back-patting. At worst we’d accuse someone of scrubbing with Sagat in Street Fighter 2, and that was a serious point of offense, not a requirement for entry. We damn sure didn’t sling around sexual or racial slurs; hell, we took turns playing Super Mario Land. What were we going to do, call Mario a dago fairy?
The whole thing’s galling, particularly to… well, someone like me. I’m not going to make this a blog about my issues or anything, but as someone who is MtF transgender, a lesbian, and takes pride in being at least mildly classy about her hobbies, it still shocks me how stunningly dumb advertising and marketing seems to think my primary entertainment demographic is. Newsflash: girls and gay people play Halo too, idiots. In your rush to cater to a group whose business you’ll have anyway just by virtue of producing games what have shooting in them, you’re pissing off a rather large chunk of people who might otherwise have given you money.
As a sidenote, I will be rather annoyed if Dragon Age doesn’t have any gay romance options. C’mon, Bioware, you’re on a good streak with Mass Effect. Keep it going and give the gay guys something, too, in the interest of equal time.
