One thing I find humorous is newbs trying to act like they're long serving experts.
Not the case. I'm just really interested in running the Sailor Moon rpg for old times sake.
I was skeptical of the Guardians of Order version of it, looked too based on the crucified dub but not until I read this. I am impressed by other guardians of order makings and will buy the BESM
One of the writers of the rpg guide talks about making it. And I loved the last part, exactly the point i'm trying to make about women used as glamor items to display things on game shows.
I bring this up not to be all like yeah I'm in the gaming world. Not really, I'm barely introduced to it. But this hard ass lassie and her experience in making this and other rpgs is really making it cool for me. I can see why she took on SM, very female solider based, and far far from the typical 'save me' Rapunzel shit or the polar opposite typecastings like Electra, Lara Croft, which scream 'do me'. Though I appreciate that heroines have becoming more popular and sought after, I don't apprieciate that they are, more often than not, created for supercharged sensual appeal.
cited from here
All of our books have examples of play that use female names as well as male names and the females are not only restricted to roles as players but are also portrayed as GMs as well. We have also used names that are popular in diverse ethnic cultures, such as Isaac, Devinder, and Thea, to name a few. Mark insists that text referring to characters or players directly must have "him or her" as the pronoun and not the more popular word "them" or "they". For example, a sentence would read, "A character can run at ten times his or her normal speed." instead of "A character can run at ten times their normal speed." Everyone recognizes that although not the majority, people other than white, male Americans role-play and we try to be inclusive of them in our products.
My biggest challenges usually involve people outside of the company who do not value the work and role of women. Some people automatically assume that simply because I am a woman, I could not have had a larger role than play-tester with our products. They do not take me seriously or find it hard to believe when I tell them my title and role in the company. Some men have made inappropriate remarks about my gender as well as my body or looked at me inappropriately. This is not surprising, considering the average portrayal of women in the industry, but it signals to me that although many products are justified as "intended to be fun" or "not taken seriously", many people do indeed take them seriously, cannot separate reality from fantasy, and believe that it is an appropriate manner in which to relate to females in the real world.
Another obstacle that I face happens during the con season when I have to walk into the dealer's room, and I am confronted with rows upon rows of images of women of unparalleled beauty, disproportionately endowed with perfect bodies. I have found myself feeling unattractive and inadequate next to these icons and there are times that I have to remind myself that this is not true and that the women portrayed in these images are not real and are anatomically impossible.
Despite all of this, overall I am happy to be working in this industry, especially with the people at Guardians of Order. I believe that women can be successful and influential in the male-dominated world of gaming. There is still a long way to go before the image of the scantily-clad female will be balanced with an equally revealing image of a male, but with every female we draw into this market signals the tides are changing.
Cool.
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