Makes me frustrated and hopeless, Its quite clear that they do this for the male gaze and whatever its called, but that doesnt justify it and makes me very sick.
Not saying that beautiful characters are bad, but semi naked characters with unrealistic beauty which both have nothing to do with the game at all is terrible, very terriole.
Why ruin a good game for the so called" male gaze" or “sex sells” thing? why?
I feel like a hypocrite and a loser.
Not sure if indie games are any better, itch io is very good, it has great (hidden) gems.
But its also filled with dating games and whatnot, I didnt check the nsfw games, but I wouldnt be surprised if they filled the entire front page.
Anyway, Its a deep issue for me, wanted to vent, thanks for reading.
The one is for male gaze, the other a male power fantasy. None of this appeals to women.
Not all women. I’ve worked with some that enjoy it. Try not to put a group of people in a box. They are individuals.
I don’t know about that, read some women’s romance and you’ll see that women eat that shit right up. The male lead is always hot, often rich and more recently also “special” in one way or another (werewolf etc).
Those are pretty unrealistic expectations too, they just aren’t as sexualizing.
The problem isn’t sexualizing, the problem is unrealistic expectations and standards and that is rampant in women’s media too. And why shouldn’t it be? Women are humans too with dreams and desires for more than the average.
The book industry providing strong market segments for women has not much to do with the video game industry.
Not even if the topic uniting them is the industry providing strong market segments in both cases?
My most recent “fantasy” dream I had was about this character, a short peasant. There was no nudity, just a hug as he left me… for my cousin (Idk dreams are wierd)
Not all women read smut novels, Ive only met one IRL who does. Not all video games are tits out either though. They can be avoided.
What do you mean not all women read smut?! 😱
You can’t just go around ruining men’s understanding of the world like its a casual Tuesday!
Also, I have seen plenty of women write about how they fantasize about short men and let me tell you, as a tall person I find that expectation to be very difficult to live up to! Walking around on my knees all day really hurts!
The character Machej from 1670 is the Female gaze, just sayin. It’s in his personality. His love intrest, Aniela, is also the female gaze…
Probably why I like the show so much. Im sure there are other examples. Anyway, appreciate your humor Denixen. Also, I think it’s thursday ;)
What is this Machej from 1670? I can’t find it when I search for it! Is there a typo? Can you give me some more context or a link? I am really curious now!
Edit: I found it! Apparently search engines didn’t like just “Machej 1670”. They thought I was looking for a dead relative… Not helpful! Had to add " tv series" to the search.
Edit the Second: Did you mean Maciej rather than Machej? I don’t find any Machej :/ I did find Aniela though. Gonna watch it later!
I really enjoy learning and understanding what it is that women like, how they see the world and men. Reading and analysing media directed at women is sooo educative to learn about women’s preferences and inner workings. It is so different from men because it reflects the historical and societal perspective of women, like what they have experienced in their own lives, but also historically.
Like a werewolf can actually represent the simultaneous danger of men (violence) and the safety they can provide because of the violence they are capable of. What is one day protection, can become a danger the next day.
Fascinating! Yet men never think about this! Even though we are the one’s (in a general sense) putting women through these experiences.
I feel like I might be oversharing and I apologize for that, but I am in the zone and I don’t want to stop!
Thanks, I wasn’t expecting a compliment on this casual Thursday!
I can tell youre in the zone, go off! :)
yes, i did mean Maciej, I dont know polish at all, my bad, apologies
You are on to something with the werewolf bit, I think. That never reached me, but I could understand it better through this context. That does make some sense.
I hope the show can… well show you something, or you can get something out of it! I like how reflective the show can be at criticizing both gender and class roles. I cant speak for all women, but, idk, enjoy :)
No worries, its literally only off by one letter! 😅
I think it is the same with the vampire trope. I think you can tell a lot about a person from what tropes and characters they like. It reflects our own desires in life and partner.
For women safety with a man is a lot more important than for men with women and this is something men constantly miss and misunderstand. A man can be both a shield and a sword and sometimes it is directed at you instead of others… At least that’s become my understanding…
Interestingly enough being the ‘protector’ is a very common trope amongst men’s media and plays into the above. Yet it rarely deals with the other side. Instead it is about being chosen to be the ‘protector’ by the woman and protect her from other men.
The woman for this reason is often rather more passive, since she will choose him after he has proven his worth by defeating the bad man trying to hurt her. Her choice is determined by his actions, not by her preference or actions. The female love interest in men’s media therefore often don’t have much agency, she isn’t striving for anything, she is just there to be convinced.
In women’s media on the other hand, women often have more agency and are more active in the choice, often deliberating between multiple men and her actions and drive determines the outcome. Meanwhile the men, while not passive, are single mindedly interested in her and driven by gaining her favour (it would of course be a poor romance if he wasn’t interested in her, but men have other goals in life than chasing women!).
Really quite interesting and telling about our society and culture if you ask me.
It is also kinda boring and repetitive… I love media that challenges norms and stereotypes.
Sorry I took a min to respond. Im medicated today lol
Nail on the head here, I want to hoot and hollar at this. A big turn off in media for me is this trope. Even a few months back I tried watching the OG “Night of the Living Dead” and … couldnt finish it. The female lead is reduced to a shock faced, groveling, cant spit a word out, trope in the face of fear. I found it actually offensive, even for an old movie, I try to look past these ideas, knowing the time they come from, but it is so bad in that film. I dont think she even has any actual lines once the zombies show up. The man takes the lead, and honestly, this can be fine, but just because the male takes on the leader role, doesnt mean the lady cant support the goals, or contribute to it too, and work together. Working together for a shared goal will strengthen any bond.
this split work, “man leads, woman helplessly follows” is just. gross, Id feel the same in role reversal too. Everyone has agency. Everyone at one time or anthother will look for a leader in moments of uncertainly.
I dont want to spoil it:
but if you do watch 1670 one of Maciej’s last lines at the end of season two is so beautiful, and may just tie right into this. I’ll tell you if you want. I tear up everytime at the scene because Maciej’s character growth is so … becoming of him. I love it. He establishes agency, and Aniela loves him for it, as she always saw it in him, drawn to this from the moment they met.
Its one reason I love the… idk, idea of “equality” I really do think men and women seek out similar things, they just often, idk, media skews ideas so often, … it is like when two people agree on the answer, but arrive there differently so they argue the other is wrong.
I do know, While I dont consider myself non-binary, I know I am close to that line, and I think Ive been able to relefect maybe in a way others can not. The whole idea of being a “protector”, while I want to vomit at the idea, I do know deep inside there is some truth to it. But being a “protector” swings both ways. We are protecting eachother from harm for eachother. If a potential suitor wanted to “protect me from other men”, now, in my old age, (middle age okay) I can clock that for what it has been in my dating expierence, control. The few men who have stated this idea to me, ended up being controlling, and the type of men they claimed to protect from. Respect and trust is easy to see (often enough). What drew me to my current love of nearly a decade (and death do us part) is this mutual trust, respect, and working together. I dont need a man to “protect me” from other men, been doing that fine on my own my whole life, but I do want him to protect me by supporting me in moments of vulnerablity, and I try do to the same.
In our firsr 6mos of dating, the closest I think he ever got to being too macho, machismo, or whatever, was when we were walking the street into a concert. A random old man passed by, and said to him, “youre a lucky man” and bro dog got pissed and I held him back, said, “dont- just keep walking” and he did. And he did. I respected that far more than had he gone to beat the shit outta the dude and ruined the night. It had been even cooler if he just said, “yeah I am!” but, his response was enough for me.
I had an ex who one night at the bar got pissed at some Polish dudes playing pool. I can trace my polish ancestry easiest, and half drunk was excited to talk to these dudes about thier country having never met an actual Pole outside my great geandfather who died when I was young. It pissed him off so much he thought these guys were “being too friendly” and my ex ruined the whole night. I wasnt trying to get with any of them, regardless what the group of poles thought, it showed me ex didnt trust me. He didnt protect me from anything. I lost respect for him that night (and so many other nights until it was all gone).
got side tracked anyway, sorry. have a good day!
Look, if this was in a romance novel, then it would make sense, you go watch porn and expect the actors to look humble, makes no sense.
But if it was in everyday media, like how its the case right now, then I believe this becomes an issue, a big issue.
Wait I think I understand what you mean now, I missed your point earlier, sorry about that.
I don’t think such distinctions are possible though… Also there is definitely porn that is more soft and gentle, ‘humble’ if you wish, usually it is directed at women.
Sex and sexual desire is an everyday thing though. It is already everywhere in everyday media, like in series and movies. I am afraid I don’t really see your point. Are attractive women not allowed to exist in the media because men feel sexual desire for them? Like why is that a problem? I feel like I am missing something here.
Wait is playing computer/video games mainstream now?! When did that happen!