[game_preservation] How studios dispose of prototypes and libraries

[Andrew Armstrong]

Tangentially related, but still important to note! There are seemingly a 
large majority of games which reinforce typical stereotypes for sure. 
Films and TV have this issue in the past (and still now) as well, but 
games do seem to do it a lot more here and now.

Interestingly I wonder if any game systems specifically more reinforce 
sterotypes (intentionally or not - like that Conan MMO "unintentionally" 
hampering female avatars due to their animations!), rather then the 
story - which can vary so much depending usually more on the writer and 
lead designer then the entire game team. However there is a big gender 
imbalance in all game development teams, so one can only guess.

Lara Croft, well, that and a few other key games certainly swing the 
pendulum one way, that's for sure. I think we need some serious 
investigation of stereotypes (certainly gender ones) in past games. I 
loved reading that Star Craft one, hits a great big nail on the head, 
looking at the game system and design. Thanks for linking to it :)

Andrew

Mike Melanson wrote:

> Devin Monnens wrote:

>> Essentially it involves how we deal with games depicting 

>> objectionable material. I think what it comes down to is a situation 

>> similar to the Uncle Remus books, which are horribly offensive by 

>> today's standards but which have historical importance about the 

>> culture of the time. I think if you look at the worst examples from 

>> videogames, there's Custer's Revenge which is used as an example in 

>> many game studies books (such as 

>

> Wait-- there are *game studies* books? :)

>

> Pursuant to my custom of adding tangentially relevant data to the 

> discussion, I read this blog post the other day:

>

> http://voxday.blogspot.com/2009/08/well-consider-source.html

>

> Relevant portion:

>

> "if you're looking to the game developers of the world for political 

> correctness, you're looking in the wrong place. I never much liked 

> Tomb Raider as a game, but perhaps you'll appreciate it more if you 

> understand that the developers genuinely believed they were engaging 

> in revolutionary gender outreach by making the protagonist a woman 

> with large breasts, short shorts, and a gun."

>

> And that was only 10 years ago.

>