I have an axe to grind - and some advice from more experienced members of the community (or anyone in general) would be super helpful.
So - recently I finished the third Bioshock Infinite DLC - SPOILERS AHEAD
When I finished it I started to think about the Bioshock series as a whole and if I should write about it. I mean, i LOVE the games, but it was a broad subject; with three mainline games, 4 DLC (I think?) and a book to cover as well.
I started reading around Infinite first - since it's the most recent that I played. I headed over to Eurogamer first - but it wasn't really 'critical' enough for me, it was more a review, which is fine too.
I went to Rock Paper Shotgun and read Alec Meer's coverage of the Infinite saga. Now I'm a big fan of Alec's work - I feel like he's someone who "gets" Bioshock, or at least who's opinion I can relate to.
Anyway -
I read his review of Burial at Sea episode 2 and came away with one major niggle;
It also includes the single most unpleasant and frankly needless with it moment Ive ever experienced in a videogame.
For context - SPOILERS - there is a torture scene in the DLC. You experience it through Elizabeth's eyes and it's not very pleasant (what torture is?) I have no problem with Alec Meer suggesting this is an unpleasant moment, or even the most unpleasant moment, he's seen in a game. I
strongly disagree - but who am I to say what's unpleasant to an individual?
It was Meer's justification for this that bothered me - I mean really bothered me:
As well as this moment seeming to me to crave shock-horror outrage, its both jarringly unlike anything else in any BioShock and spoiler of a sort, although youve probably guessed this is already theres an uncomfortable undertone to the fact that were given so much detail for so long of a terrible thing happening to a female character when equally, if not more, gruesome situations that the BioShock series male characters suffer are, while grisly, rather more cursory and spared such horrific lingering. Like the torturer, the game seems to revel in what its doing to a woman, as opposed to a strong man. Honestly, I dont think theres anything more odious going on than shock factor, but I dont think it was a smart choice to have the only time the series does something like this also be the only time it stars a woman. Especially given that said woman has already been repeatedly defined by her victim status.
Sorry for the wall of text - the crux of Meer's argument is that this unlike anything in Bioshock (I disagree) and that the game revels in doing this "to a woman." His final point, too, is something I disagree with as well - but that's more down to interpretation (or agenda.)
That riled me - but that's fine - that's what good, engaging criticism does. But I used the word "agenda" to describe Meer's focus on the torture of Elizabeth as some sort of white male enjoyment of torturing a helpless woman (who has demonstrated she's capable of killing in cold blood throughout the game.)
I then read this article by Robert Florence. Again - I'm a big fan of some of his work - in case you didn't know he covers boardgames for RPS and this time he's talking about Cards Against Humanity.
There's some context here -
the co-creator of CAH has been accused of rape (the link is his response.) Now let me be clear - rape is a disgusting crime - but such is my criticism of the article and its position (and this broader "agenda") that I feel compelled to state that.
Florence's article is nothing. It's a non piece. He even confesses at the end that:
I have no idea if the allegations are true. I know nothing about it, and neither do you. I have my assumptions, thats all.
Yet here we are - a few thousand words later seeing that. But why? This is the paragraph that irks the most:
And, yknow, some people might ask why I even bothered going into all of this. I know for a fact that there are survivors of sexual assault in the gaming community (and among creators), so its all relevant. Im a straight, white guy I have all the upside. The least I can do is write a few words about some heavy and serious shit when its happening within my area of interest.
I'm sorry - the
accusations of rape make this a relevant story? Perhaps you could argue such - but, here it is again, the "straight, white male" card. Is there some kind of guilt I should be feeling? Some kind of club I need to sign up for? The furore over the Giant Bomb hirings, Florence's compulsion to speak up 'for the underdog,' Meer's blindness to other, extended, acts of violence in Bioshock (including its most famous scene...)
My question (after all this) is; is this something I'm missing? I know, and understand, sexism and racism and understand how prevalent they are in society and gaming - but are outlets looking for
any opportunity to be holier than thou? Are they creating tensions and and issues when there aren't any because this is a hot button topic?
Sorry for the ENORMOUS rant - is this something worth writing about? Or do I risk making myself look racist/sexist while being tarred and feathered in the process?
