Modern (Gender) Warfare 2: Constructing Hyper-Masculine Gaming Spaces
Most people who know me know that I am an avid Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare player. In the last year, I've spent months of solid game play in this popular FPS, and anxiously awaited the release of Modern Warfare 2.So far, I really enjoy MW2, although I've spent all of my time in Multiplayer mode playing team deathmatch and ground war. The weapons are fantastic, the customization and selection of weapons and classes a definite improvement over MW. After my disappointment with COD5 (I'm SO tired of WWII games folks), I was really relieved that MW2 lived up to the hype. I love this game.
Having said that, there are various things about MW2 that sit like an uncomfortable tickle in my throat that I can't get rid of.
Where are the female soldiers? So far, I haven't seen any female soldiers in MW2. Given the choice, I always play a female character/avatar - but there isn't a choice here. I must have hoped or expected that infinity ward would include female soldiers, because I felt slightly disappointed. I like the choice in Mass Effect (by the way, if you click on that last link to character creation screenshots - you'll notice that they don't even show the option to select a female character. Race - yes. S e x - no). Regardless, I still love the game, even if the extension of my physical self (the physical appearance of my avatar) doesn't reflect my real life biology. The avatar doesn't really matter when you're playing the game (especially in first person mode where all you see are your hands, which then becomes a discussion about race & ethnicity) - it's about the weaponry and how you use them. But the ever-presence visual of male soldiers around me and in command is a subtle reminder of my imposter status - there's a disconnect for me. I'm a woman in a man's body with mostly other men in men's bodies. It's about how the structure of a game shapes my experiences within it, and these experiences are different for other people with different implications.
In truth, infinity ward's construct of men and the military reflects the real world absence of women in the military. Via Wikipedia:
Today, women can serve on American combat ships, including in command roles. However women are not permitted to serve on submarines or to participate in special forces programs such as Navy SEALs. Women enlisted soldiers are barred from serving in Infantry, Special Forces, Artillery, Armor, and Air Defense Artillery, however female enlisted members and officers can hold staff positions in every branch of the Army except infantry and armor. Women can however serve on the staffs of infantry and armor units at Division level and above, and be members of Special Operations Forces. Women can fly military aircraft and make up 2% of all pilots in the U.S. Military. So far the position closest to combat open to women in the U.S. Army are in the Military Police, where women man machine-guns on armoured Humvees, guarding truck convoys. Although Army regulations bar women from infantry assignments, some female MPs are detailed to accompany male infantry units to handle search and interrogation of Iraqi suspects.Numerous reasons are given behind the reasoning of these restrictions, which is another blog post entirely. As it stands right now, as a women I would never have the opportunity to be in these combat situations in RL, and the game allows me to do so. But remember, not everyone treats you nice when you are somewhere you're not supposed to be.
Infinity Ward also incorporated many new challenges and rewards in the form of accolades, emblems and titles. I really like this reward system! I'm motivated by the pat-on-back. I like be rewarded for good gaming, and I like to show it to other gamers. It's a good move by developers for gamer retention. So far there are two titles that have given me a wtf moment:
Reward Title: Kleptomaniac
Reward Title: Voyeur
I'm not offended by nudity or adult content at all. But I just can't understand why it's there. When an opponent with the Klepto killed me and it popped up, it was...weird. This type of imagery within the game just isn't necessary, and it just reinforces all sorts of problematic gender stereotypes and relations of power. Moreover, the imagery is a reminder that this game is created for the boys and this is what (hetero) boys like. Gendered imagery like these titles can create an uncomfortable social gaming spaces. I'm already in a space that drips of masculinity by the sheer presence of hyper-masculine male avatars (is that an D'Eagle in your pocket?) and the dynamic performances of masculinity heard through my headset that would put Arnold Schwarzenegger in his place. We don't need fuel for the fire; there's more than enough hegemonic masculinity here already - can we lose the tied up women in reward titles?
I can only imagine what the response would be if I chose one of these titles (I get enough messages and friend invites from strangers as it is), and what message I would be sending? It wouldn't be about the challenge I completed to get the title, but rather what am I projecting about myself and (the availability of) my sexuality. I can't see women diggin this, but the teen boys seem to love it.
Instead, I'm using this right now:
Additions:
I found this article "Video Game Experts Discuss Paucity Of Female Gamers" where a game developer says this:
Floyd concludes that the industry needs to stop putting forth a message that conditions women to think "this is not for you." He says:
As an industry, we need to seriously reconsider our marketing. We need to examine our habit of manipulatively using women for appeal — 'booth babes' at our conventions, exploitive character design. We need to consider the effect this stuff has on our industry's image.Indeed. But what message is Infinity Ward giving?
Labels: female gamers, FPS, gaming, video games
posted by Netwoman @ 10:57 AM
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