Sometimes sexism in the games industry is big and blatant, as this week’s GDC controversies have made clear. Sexy ladies dance for our amusement at IDGA parties. Sexy ladies hand out energy drinks at Moscone. Some guy tells Felicia Day that there are no women in gaming, she tells that to a room full of women developers, and they all give the “I’ve totally been there and that guy needs a drink thrown in his face” nod.
Sometimes, though, it’s the little things — the little things that aren’t meant to be harmful. In fact they’re meant to be “funny” or “fun.” But they remind us that the devil is in the details, and the details are that women in the games industry are fighting an uphill battle against stereotypes both big and small. In some ways, the small ones hurt more, because they’re easier for others to dismiss as “unimportant,” and they have a way of wearing you down, sneaking into every day, not just the “big” days where some asshole tells you sexist things on a street corner.
At the Women in Games luncheon at GDC yesterday, which was lead by wonderful, intelligent, highly conscientious speakers, I was surprised to find that the gift bags left at our seats contained the following items, each imprinted with the Women in Games logo: a scarf, some chapstick, a series of nail files, and a keyring-sized compact mirror. It took me a minute to make sense of this array. Oh wait, we’re ladies! Ladies do their nails and check their makeup while fighting sexism, right? Given the strong, progressive tenor of the event, seeing the Women in Games logo on the front of the dainty compact mirror seemed like an insidious little kick in the teeth.
I’m not sure who made those swag decisions, and I’m not blaming the women who organized the luncheon. More likely, the luncheon sponsors, Xbox and Microsoft Studios (as the event material proudly announces), made the call. To me, however, this just proves the point. Hundreds of feminists can have an excellent discussion about how to change the industry. GDC can be dotted with talks about diversity and gender roles. But the money, the power, and the decisions still largely sit in the hands of the quietly but persistently sexist — those who jab at our sides from the wings, those who use the little things to remind us to stay in our place, even in our biggest moments.
