I’m writing this in belated response to Patrick’s post on the subject earlier this month. Originally I had intended to ignore the issue, but I would be remiss if I stood idle while a respected friend channels Mary Whitehouse.
Patrick’s article hinges on two points. Firstly, that Bayonetta is a negative portrayal of women, and that the game is sexist. Secondly, that this is dangerous to gaming’s overall reputation as it reinforces long held stereotypes about gamers being sexually repressed losers. The first point I understand, but disagree with. The second is just nonsense on stilts!
Like him, I haven’t played the full game, mainly because Dragon Age has stolen all my spare time. However, I have played the demo and feel that it is a fair representation of the game’s themes. That being the case, the game is a cavalcade of hyper-sexualized imagery. Bayonetta herself is a schoolmarm-slash-dominatrix, with moves repeatedly making reference to "punishment" female orgasm. The protagonist’s clothes fly off during finishing moves, and she comes butterflies after landing a jump. Is that a sexist portrayal?
No, because the game has three things mitigating that charge; appropriate context, restraint (believe it or not), and artistic merit. The first is easy enough to divine. Bayonetta is a lead character in a genre dominated by men. She carries off her repertoire with as much flair and panache as Dante, Kratos, or other Dante. Her function, crucially, does not include standing around looking pretty while the men do the talking. The sexual imagery is always in the context of Bayonetta’s power; an assertion of her primacy of place, never a means of diminishing it.
But is the game just hiding behind a “women on top” motif to make inappropriate use sexual imagery? Well, I don’t think so. Apart from anything else, the imagery isn’t that gratuitous. Everything within the game is so stylised that it can’t be mistaken for anything other than it's own fiction. The clothes-off refrains always cover the modesty; similar to calendar girls, minus the tea cosy. This isn’t porn! If anything, Bayonetta is the gaming equivalent of a burlesque dance. The men are ogling, certainly. They are enjoying brandy and cigars, dreaming dreams of the nymph-like figure on stage. But dreams are where it stops. They don’t get to touch. They don’t get to see everything, and what they do see is always on the performer’s terms!
That sex can be a means of female empowerment rather exploitation is something that has been debated since the 1960’s, and I’m certainly not qualified to comment. But in terms of Bayonetta, was there any need for all the controversy in the first place? After all, the game could have dropped the dominatrix stuff, featured a woman in corduroy slacks and baggy sweater (or even a Burka), re-jigged the graphics and remained technically identical. But then, why should it? I’ll be the first to cheer when games drop their obsession for ultra attractive characters. I want Uncharted 3 to feature a raddled, obese Nathan Drake who regenerates health by smoking fags and scoffing fish suppers! I’d pay good money if the next Dragon Age featured a hideous old crone with one eye and a pot-belly as the party mage. But If these things are to come about, let them be driven by a desire to experiment, not a need to shy away from controversy.
For all the lads-mag connotations now associated with this sentiment, I believe in the artistic celebration of the female form. Aside from religion and phallic inadequacy, the love of beautiful women (and men) has been the greatest driving force in art throughout history! Overall merit aside, I believe that Bayonetta is entirely in keeping with this tradition. And why shouldn’t games explore sexual themes? The rating system is in place, so its not like we need to think of the children anymore.
Maybe it is the case that Sega are cynically exploiting a demand for video-game pocket-mining. But whatever their intention, gaming does explore these themes if it is to develop in any meaningful way. And Bayonetta does this, being one of the few titles to make use sex in such a frank way. This is miles from Rapelay, and even the uncanny valley sex scenes from Mass Effect and Dragon Age. If this was a film or a book, there would be no question as to whether the material constitutes art.
Which brings us to the more contentious point. Because Patrick, what I really don’t understand is this need for arbitrary acceptance; that gaming needs its Citizen Kane (another thing I’ve never experienced) before it gets moved up to the big table and is allowed to talk with the grown ups. I wasn’t aware that the written word went through a vetting procedure! That gaming needs to be on its best behaviour until some arbiter of judgment deigns to yea or nay the medium is utterly ludicrous! This view of culture is that of an an out of touch critic; one who bewails box office triumphs and raves about plays performed to empty theatres! Such people will never, ever be happy with gaming whatever its merits. There is no point looking to them for cultural legitimacy.
If you want acceptance, you need only look to the masses. Some old farts may hold to the notion that games are for children, but the economics tell a different story. People spent more money games than on films in 2009! The Wii’s prodigious success has taken the world by storm, bringing the console back to the sitting room. Those adult games which cause all the media fuss; Fallout 3, GTA IV and the like? Selling in record numbers! If gaming wasn’t already a popular pass time, it would not be dealing in this sort of currency.
As for that stereotypical gamer image, well, what can I say? I have a good degree, you have a better one. I go to the gym (on occasion), you do huge amounts of karate. I make friends almost everywhere I go, you’re a kind hearted bloke for whom nobody has a bad word to say! We also play video games.
Why should either of us be concerned about hypothetical people masturbating over a game neither of us has played?
Patrick’s article hinges on two points. Firstly, that Bayonetta is a negative portrayal of women, and that the game is sexist. Secondly, that this is dangerous to gaming’s overall reputation as it reinforces long held stereotypes about gamers being sexually repressed losers. The first point I understand, but disagree with. The second is just nonsense on stilts!
Like him, I haven’t played the full game, mainly because Dragon Age has stolen all my spare time. However, I have played the demo and feel that it is a fair representation of the game’s themes. That being the case, the game is a cavalcade of hyper-sexualized imagery. Bayonetta herself is a schoolmarm-slash-dominatrix, with moves repeatedly making reference to "punishment" female orgasm. The protagonist’s clothes fly off during finishing moves, and she comes butterflies after landing a jump. Is that a sexist portrayal?
No, because the game has three things mitigating that charge; appropriate context, restraint (believe it or not), and artistic merit. The first is easy enough to divine. Bayonetta is a lead character in a genre dominated by men. She carries off her repertoire with as much flair and panache as Dante, Kratos, or other Dante. Her function, crucially, does not include standing around looking pretty while the men do the talking. The sexual imagery is always in the context of Bayonetta’s power; an assertion of her primacy of place, never a means of diminishing it.
But is the game just hiding behind a “women on top” motif to make inappropriate use sexual imagery? Well, I don’t think so. Apart from anything else, the imagery isn’t that gratuitous. Everything within the game is so stylised that it can’t be mistaken for anything other than it's own fiction. The clothes-off refrains always cover the modesty; similar to calendar girls, minus the tea cosy. This isn’t porn! If anything, Bayonetta is the gaming equivalent of a burlesque dance. The men are ogling, certainly. They are enjoying brandy and cigars, dreaming dreams of the nymph-like figure on stage. But dreams are where it stops. They don’t get to touch. They don’t get to see everything, and what they do see is always on the performer’s terms!
That sex can be a means of female empowerment rather exploitation is something that has been debated since the 1960’s, and I’m certainly not qualified to comment. But in terms of Bayonetta, was there any need for all the controversy in the first place? After all, the game could have dropped the dominatrix stuff, featured a woman in corduroy slacks and baggy sweater (or even a Burka), re-jigged the graphics and remained technically identical. But then, why should it? I’ll be the first to cheer when games drop their obsession for ultra attractive characters. I want Uncharted 3 to feature a raddled, obese Nathan Drake who regenerates health by smoking fags and scoffing fish suppers! I’d pay good money if the next Dragon Age featured a hideous old crone with one eye and a pot-belly as the party mage. But If these things are to come about, let them be driven by a desire to experiment, not a need to shy away from controversy.
For all the lads-mag connotations now associated with this sentiment, I believe in the artistic celebration of the female form. Aside from religion and phallic inadequacy, the love of beautiful women (and men) has been the greatest driving force in art throughout history! Overall merit aside, I believe that Bayonetta is entirely in keeping with this tradition. And why shouldn’t games explore sexual themes? The rating system is in place, so its not like we need to think of the children anymore.
Maybe it is the case that Sega are cynically exploiting a demand for video-game pocket-mining. But whatever their intention, gaming does explore these themes if it is to develop in any meaningful way. And Bayonetta does this, being one of the few titles to make use sex in such a frank way. This is miles from Rapelay, and even the uncanny valley sex scenes from Mass Effect and Dragon Age. If this was a film or a book, there would be no question as to whether the material constitutes art.
Which brings us to the more contentious point. Because Patrick, what I really don’t understand is this need for arbitrary acceptance; that gaming needs its Citizen Kane (another thing I’ve never experienced) before it gets moved up to the big table and is allowed to talk with the grown ups. I wasn’t aware that the written word went through a vetting procedure! That gaming needs to be on its best behaviour until some arbiter of judgment deigns to yea or nay the medium is utterly ludicrous! This view of culture is that of an an out of touch critic; one who bewails box office triumphs and raves about plays performed to empty theatres! Such people will never, ever be happy with gaming whatever its merits. There is no point looking to them for cultural legitimacy.
If you want acceptance, you need only look to the masses. Some old farts may hold to the notion that games are for children, but the economics tell a different story. People spent more money games than on films in 2009! The Wii’s prodigious success has taken the world by storm, bringing the console back to the sitting room. Those adult games which cause all the media fuss; Fallout 3, GTA IV and the like? Selling in record numbers! If gaming wasn’t already a popular pass time, it would not be dealing in this sort of currency.
As for that stereotypical gamer image, well, what can I say? I have a good degree, you have a better one. I go to the gym (on occasion), you do huge amounts of karate. I make friends almost everywhere I go, you’re a kind hearted bloke for whom nobody has a bad word to say! We also play video games.
Why should either of us be concerned about hypothetical people masturbating over a game neither of us has played?
All good points, well made. But I'd like to here more on my central point, which is the general lack of discussion about the issue in the community- the tendency to just dismiss it as "just a game". That is what worries me- that the community isn't mature enough yet. And although I agree that games will achieve mainstream acceptance someday, I'd rather it happened sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Mary Whitehouse comment is a bit low- I'm not calling for a ban. I actually want more sex in games- I want it to be part of the developer's toolkit, but I fear the tendency at present is to use a very shallow spectrum of human sexuality- i.e. T&A used to draw the crowds, rather than as, say, character development or thematic consistency. Silent Hill 2 uses sex well. God of War does not.
Still, good arguments
-Patrick
I take your point about the lack of debate, although i'm loath to worry about the community's collective maturity on anything. But there have been articles on this, and I think there is a fair bit of debate. I think Bayonetta is a bit of a problem because it's one of the most over-hyped games of recent times, smothering the serious stuff with PR.
ReplyDeleteAs for the the mature use of sex, I think you mistake a problem within the gaming community for a problem with our society's attitude to women in general. You only need look at a pre-watershed music video to know just how pervasive that is.
Mind you, it is a Japanese game.