138 replies to this topic

[Randalf Yorgen]

Melissia, on 07 June 2012 - 05:32 PM, said:

Well, some writers do this, for the sake of comedy usually unfortunately. Very few writers actually deal seriously and fairly with "stay at home dads", for example.

I'm a stay at home Dad, I live in Canada where we have had a female PM in the early 1990's and at present we have several Provincial Premiers who are women and that's a non issue. Atleast here in Canada if you are qualified to do the job you have a chance of getting it regardless of gender. Yes there are a few old school people out there but even they will eventually succumb to the passage of time. No it's not perfect, no it's not fair and all I can say is a weak "But", But things are moving in the right direction and the imbalances are being eliminated. Even same sex couples are welcomed here and can even get married and adopt children. I hope you flip the bird to those who are idiots, expose them in their community and then just come play with us. In MWO, a Medium laser is a medium laser and does the same damage no matter what the gender of the finger that pulled the trigger is.

Oh, I am also retired military and I remember that we never wanted to fight against female soldiers, not an honor code thing it was just that women are so damned unpredictable that we were a little scared, but just a little

[C0VVB3LL]

C0VVB3LL, on 07 June 2012 - 11:53 AM, said:

I demand that the devs immediately start objectifying women to avoid any perception of gender based political bias!

Man whoever said this is so spot on. It's funny (as it was intended to be) yet it also has substantial bearing on the current political correctness applied to all aspects of our lives. Poignant social commentary sir. Well played indeed!
Yes for those wondering and for the record I did just quote myself and critique my own comment...
OK I'm done.

Edited by C0VVB3LL, 07 June 2012 - 05:52 PM.

[Steinar Bergstol]

There are a lot of strong female characters in Battletech, this is true. Even among the supposedly pampered royalty of the Inner Sphere you have the likes of the Steiner ladies, Katrina (the original naturally) and Melissa, not to mention the wife of Theodore Kurita, Tomoe Sakade who's not only a mechwarrior and an excellent strategist, but an O5P "ninja" secret agent to boot. Others have, of course, mentioned the most famous of them all, Natasha Kerensky, but I feel there is one character who out-badasses even the Black Widow.

Cassie Suthorn of Camacho's Caballeros. An infantry scout who has destroyed more mechs than many of the mechjocks in the Caballeros, and who without having had time to prepare the field of battle with traps took on and captured an 85 ton Battlemaster when WOBbie terrorists attacked during a party she was attending with no other weapons than her bare hands, a vibroknife and her knowledge of the weak points of various battlemech models, then used that captured Battlemaster to destroy another of the attacking mechs by shooting the unsuspecting WOBbie in the back with the Battlemaster's PPC. Let's see the Black Widow pull that one off.

[ak12546]

Merrik Stryfe, on 07 June 2012 - 11:13 AM, said:

The devs are going to have to have a dancing hula man in the cash shop now, for gender equality purposes. *approval*

lol I think thats a good idea

[Melissia]

Randalf Yorgen, on 07 June 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

I'm a stay at home Dad, I live in Canada where we have had a female PM in the early 1990's and at present we have several Provincial Premiers who are women and that's a non issue.

Canada's better than the US in that regards, but women are still underrepresented-- just 24% of seats in federal, provincial, and territorial legislatures are held by women. The US has a mere 17% representation.

For reference, the countries which have the best representation in terms of pure numbers are Rwanda (56%), Andorra (50%), Cuba (45%), and Sweden (44%). Source, for those interested: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

Edited by Melissia, 07 June 2012 - 06:02 PM.

[Melissia]

As an aside, I'm not saying that progress hasn't been made. But rather, I'm arguing against the sentiment that we should stop pushing for more. Settling for less just doesn't suit me.

Edited by Melissia, 07 June 2012 - 06:02 PM.

[ak12546]

Gunnarr, on 07 June 2012 - 12:34 PM, said:

Why is that guy wearing a belt with his thong? Does that strike anybody as odd? Seems a touch formal...

thats far too formal for the likes of me

[Randalf Yorgen]

Melissia, on 07 June 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

Canada's better than the US in that regards, but women are still underrepresented-- just 24% of seats in federal, provincial, and territorial legislatures are held by women. The US has a mere 17% representation.

For reference, the countries which have the best representation in terms of pure numbers are Rwanda (56%), Andorra (50%), Cuba (45%), and Sweden (44%). Source, for those interested: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

I said it wasn't perfect but that everyone has the right to try if they are qualified. If we start to say that no matter what 50% of the seats HAVE to be held by women then that would be total stupidity. Foregoing qualified people becuase they are not female is not only discriminatory but also extreamly sexest and one of the most leathal dangers any society could face. It is also the reason why it is up to the masses who vote to choose who will represent them in government, start forcing X numbers of seats to be of one gender and you are violating the rights of society to have free, open and fair elections. You (not you, a generic you) have to be careful with what you ask for and make sure that you have thought it through both during emotional times and again after the emotions have subsided. Passion is a powerful force but it must be balanced with forethought the common sense to be of any use, otherwise it is just a force of randomness that usually ends up destroying rather than promoting.

I'm all for equal rights, just remember that equal rights apply to everyone in exactly the same way, women and men alike. Start showing preferential treatment to one side and it's not so equal anymore is it.

Melissia, on 07 June 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

As an aside, I'm not saying that progress hasn't been made. But rather, I'm arguing against the sentiment that we should stop pushing for more. Settling for less just doesn't suit me.

NEVER stop fighting for what's right, NEVER....................... just fight smart

[Melissia]

Mentioning legislatures and forethought/common sense in the same sentence... my mind doesn't compute?

[Randalf Yorgen]

Melissia, on 07 June 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:

Mentioning legislatures and forethought/common sense in the same sentence... my mind doesn't compute?

Yea, I know, kind of an oxymoron isn't it. I get the feeling that in the next election up here we will see a thorough house cleaning. We do live in interesting times.

[Jack Colten]

Technoviking, on 07 June 2012 - 10:55 AM, said:

We all wear tight shorts here.

Only my scars, helmet, pistol belt and boots here. *grin*

[FACEman Peck]

I am torn on this subject, I think this is an odd place to bring up feminism and such, I also don't give a flying crap whether the people you can play as are men, women, children, or friggin' cats or dogs, everyone is equal.

[Blackhandsaint]

Wow, I honestly didn't expect so many people to respond to this thread, I was just hoping that a dev might stumble upon it and give it a quick read before it faded off the front page. It's really nice to see other people who support good portrayals of women in video games, and quite heartening to see others who also support gender equity in the professional, political, and personal realms.

Ashla Mason, on 07 June 2012 - 11:42 AM, said:

I'm also pleasantly surprised that both electrocution and a red thong somehow managed to stumble in here.

[Beazle]

Ummm... This has stopped being a discussion about giant death robots, and as such should probably be taken to Off-Topic.

(where i will gladly destroy most of the "facts" spouted by modern feminists )

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

feminism would imply no men and only womyn pilots because men are pig disgusting fascists who deny womyn equal rights and won't completely pay the dinner check every time.

oddly enough though the only females I hear talk like that in real life are usually the unloved [REDACTED] ones. The same ones that get irrationally mad at even what is considered an "average" looking woman. also if you notice these same [REDACTED] run the child social service centers, which I find quite entertaining. gender bias should not be allowed into situations that decide the fate of children, but I digress

from the books some of my favorite charaters are women, and it can't be because of the boobs, my imagination isn't that talented so it must be about the character.

Edited by Helmer, 08 June 2012 - 06:21 PM.

[Melissia]

Battlecruiser, on 07 June 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

feminism would imply no men and only womyn pilots

Lying and misleading people for the sake of denigrating a side you disagree with does not do you any service.

[grimzod]

Blackhandsaint, on 07 June 2012 - 10:52 AM, said:

Piranha, I just wanted to say thanks for writing mech reveals with realistic female characters. Women are far too often used as sex objects in video games and it's refreshing to see a developer who is willing to identify a character more with their profession and actions than their gender. In each mech reveal short that has a female protagonist (almost all of them, I think) the focus is on the pilots's skills, her mech, and her thoughts as a mechwarrior. I want you guys to know that as a feminist I appreciate what you've done thusfar and look forward to more well written characters (of either gender) in your game.

I hope you haven't looked at the apparel expected of an mechwarrior....shorts, small T and lots of sweating....

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

Melissia, on 07 June 2012 - 06:49 PM, said:

Lying and misleading people for the sake of denigrating a side you disagree with does not do you any service.

even if I was lying it doesn't change the fact that feminism practically revolves around lying and special treatment. This however does not mean I condone sexism or gender roles, simply that I do not believe in treating anyone special because it's unfair whether female, male, or unsure

[Aethon]

Gozer, on 07 June 2012 - 01:01 PM, said:

I'd prefer a range of options from Gruff male voice to even the gruff german or nordic female voice.
(I'll leave any examples to you guys )

I'd pay extra for the German announcer in Unreal Tournament 2003. That announcer made the game so much more entertaining, lol. Kill a couple people, and it's "Doppel Kill!" A few more and it's "Gottlich!" A couple more and it's "Unaufhaltsam!" And if you pull off an insane multi-kill, he screams "Heilige Scheiße!" lol

Hmmm...I think I just found my next time-sink for my MWO wait...Skyrim is still awesome, but there's only so many times I can make a pincushion out of someone's face before it starts to get old.

[Blackhandsaint]

grimzod, on 07 June 2012 - 06:52 PM, said:

I hope you haven't looked at the apparel expected of an mechwarrior....shorts, small T and lots of sweating....

I know some mechwarriors like to rock a minimalist garb, and that really doesn't trouble me because it's not sexualized and actually has a logical explanation (mechs run hot). Honestly, if I were a mechwarrior I'd probably just strip while my mech was powering up and suit back up once I came home from fragging clanners.