via Waypoint
With Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs. Women series having just come to an end the other day, it's only appropriate that some outlets use this as an opportunity to look back at the road that it took and ripples that its creation set into motion.
I figured it'd also be worth ensuring all her videos in the series were shared here. Please forgive me if I missed any.
Season 1
Damsel in Distress - Part 1
Damsel in Distress - Part 2
Damsel in Distress - Part 3
The Legend of the Last Princess - Hypothetical Game Concept
Ms. Male Character
Women as Background Decoration - Part 1
Women as Background Decoration - Part 2
Women as Reward
Women as Reward - Special DLC Mini-Episode
Jade - Postive Female Characters in Video Games
The Scythian - Positive Female Characters in Video Games
Season 2
Strategic Butt Coverings
Body Language & The Male Gaze
Lingerie is Not Armor
Imperfect Dark Trailer (Perfect Dark Spoof)
Are Women Too Hard to Animate?
All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games
Sinister Seductress
Not Your Exotic Fantasy
The Lady Sidekick
Additionally, while these weren't officially part of FF's series, I figured I'd link to their game reviews as well. These weren't all done by Anita herself, but they still seemed relevant.
Dishonored 2
Watch_Dogs 2
Gears of War 4
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Bound
Uncharted 4
Quantum Break
Hitman (2016)
That Dragon, Cancer
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
How has this series changed your perspective as it went along? What had it brought to light for you, and are there areas you felt needed more examination?
With Anita Sarkeesian's Tropes vs. Women series having just come to an end the other day, it's only appropriate that some outlets use this as an opportunity to look back at the road that it took and ripples that its creation set into motion.
In 2012, the term GamerGate hadn't been coined yet, a colorful label for a phenomenon that existed long before the start of a campaign to harass and discredit a women who designed a game to help people were depressed. Women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and others had been targeted for years, it was just that people like me didn't notice.
It took me too long to pick up on that. It took must of us too long.
There's nothing funny about what happened to Sarkeesian over the course of making her videos, but it always struck me as ironic that everyone who worked to tear her down only made her stronger, more visible, and resilient. No one knew who Sarkeesian was before a group of sensitive snowflakes decided that criticizing video games from a feminist perspective was worth attacking someone over. If it wasn't Sarkeesian, though, it would have been someone else.
Tropes vs Women wasn't a revolution in critical thinking about games but it was a revelation for many. It smartly packaged patterns that were tough to pick up without seeing them strung together. One instance of a game treating a woman poorly is easy to write off as an isolated incident, seeing a dozen games do it over several decades suggest games were ignoring a problemand could do better. Whether or not you agreed with Sarekeesian's conclusions, it undeniably facilitated a look-in-the-mirror discussion games had needed for a long time.
If that proves to be the lasting legacy of Sarkeesian's Tropes vs Women, rather than the ugly harassment directed at a person who dared raise a few pointed questions, that's one worth being proud of.
I figured it'd also be worth ensuring all her videos in the series were shared here. Please forgive me if I missed any.
Season 1
Damsel in Distress - Part 1
Damsel in Distress - Part 2
Damsel in Distress - Part 3
The Legend of the Last Princess - Hypothetical Game Concept
Ms. Male Character
Women as Background Decoration - Part 1
Women as Background Decoration - Part 2
Women as Reward
Women as Reward - Special DLC Mini-Episode
Jade - Postive Female Characters in Video Games
The Scythian - Positive Female Characters in Video Games
Season 2
Strategic Butt Coverings
Body Language & The Male Gaze
Lingerie is Not Armor
Imperfect Dark Trailer (Perfect Dark Spoof)
Are Women Too Hard to Animate?
All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games
Sinister Seductress
Not Your Exotic Fantasy
The Lady Sidekick
Additionally, while these weren't officially part of FF's series, I figured I'd link to their game reviews as well. These weren't all done by Anita herself, but they still seemed relevant.
Dishonored 2
Watch_Dogs 2
Gears of War 4
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Bound
Uncharted 4
Quantum Break
Hitman (2016)
That Dragon, Cancer
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
How has this series changed your perspective as it went along? What had it brought to light for you, and are there areas you felt needed more examination?