It takes courage to submit a Your Turn blog, particularly one that deals in personal matters. The writer is sharing a part of their life and their opinions with strangers, opening themselves up to those who could easily criticise or disagree.

Screen Play was unsure whether to publish the following response to "Marissa's" recent She Geek contribution, fearing that it was too much of an assault on someone who was brave enough to share their life with the community.

But I'm hopeful that like Marissa's piece, this response will provoke some interesting and fruitful discussion about topics like gender and geek stereotypes, and not be seen as a personal attack.

The author is Blake Druery, a 27 year-old digital artist working in the film industry, who began his "gaming life" at a young age on the Apple IIe. Blake says he found a number of Marissa's points "interesting but ill-founded"...

She geeks too much

Marissa,

Who are you talking to in this article? It seems like you're setting out to understand why guys see your being a gamer as "unladylike", but the conclusions you've come to regarding this are simply a list of the three elements you most dislike in gaming culture (unrealistic images of female characters, games which feature "blowing stuff up" - though here you seem torn, and machismo in competitive gaming). So is this an attempt to try to understand the perceived reaction to your status as a "girl gamer" or a list of complaints in general?

Your assertion that the digital revolution, and hence genderless anonymity, should produce equality is flawed from the outset. If you truly remain a genderless presence online then one assumes you'll be equal - but as soon as you asserting a gender online (as you clearly are to be receiving backlash for being a girl gamer) you're no longer neutral. Why should any gender imbalance, unfair or otherwise, be any lessened by the use of an avatar, if that avatar is gendered? If anything the anonymity affords sexism (and other forms of bigotry) an easy screen to hide behind, furthering the problem.

I think you'll find that unrealistic body images in games aren't restricted to just female characters. Not pretty, but definitely an idealised version of masculinity is the norm. The majority of male characters are archetypes of machismo themselves - war-torn soldiers, muscle laden scientists and warriors with body-builder physiques populate the majority of games. Of course there are exceptions to this depiction of men, but there are (admittedly less, but still present) exceptions in depictions of women, too. The banner condemning unrealistic images of women might fly just as validly in digital culture as in other media, but it's actually pretty sexist of you to talk as if this is only in the treatment of feminine imagery.

But maybe the real question is who is creating these images - and for whom? The female images we see in games are by and large created by men, for men. The male images are the same. Males have created an image of themselves as they would like to be, and have created images of women as men would like to consume. So even though males are misrepresented, I suppose there's still a masochistic power imbalance.

You say that you like blowing stuff up but lots of girls don't. Are you saying that lots of girls should? Or that blowing stuff up shouldn't be a part of games, really? This is a bit like saying you like watching the footy, but lots of girls don't. I'm sure there would be plenty of people that think that going to the footy is most unladylike, but I'm sure there would be just as many who are pretty happy to see a female presence there...

Anyway, "blowing stuff up" is just one genre of game; there are a myriad of very, very popular games that don't feature that - for example, The Sims, any number of sports games, puzzle games, strategy games.... I don't think I need to list the other genres on this blog. There is nothing misogynistic about blowing stuff up.

Of course, whenever anything gets competitive then testosterone becomes a factor with guys. Being very competitive becomes a part of the many games, you're right, but a lot of games, particularly first-person shooters, have an expectation that this kind of behaviour will drive gameplay. To say that competitive gaming is too competitive is redundant. But to say that the driving force behind this is "in the name of proving their manhood" is to reduce anyone with any sort of competitive spirit to the level of mindless fools who desperately need legitimisation. Would you say that every male athlete is there in the name of proving their manhood? Every male who picked up a set of Uno cards?

If this is true, then why would women ever participate in any competitive activity? While dominance may be a factor in males' reasons for participation in competitive gaming, I think the cause competitive spirit goes deeper into our social systems as a whole. To rank ourselves against our peers can be driven by macho-pride, but is also about challenging oneself to improve and to extend our abilities.

So why the article? You're clearly very comfortable with your self-proclaimed geek-dom and have no interest in looking at things from a balanced perspective (all the while crying "inequality!"). Perhaps you've just been griefed by some angry 14-year-olds while playing Gears of War (who hasn't)? Or perhaps you're sick of your girlfriends looking down at your gamer ways (which all males have to deal with on some level from the majority of non gamers). I think you're blowing this girl-gamer misogyny out of proportion, and to pretend otherwise is actually misandry.

- Blake Druery

Screen Play readers can submit articles or ideas for consideration in Your Turn using the email address screenplayblog@gmail.com. The best blog post published on Screen Play between December 1, 2008 and January 30, 2009 as judged by Jason Hill will win a PlayStation 3 console from Sony Computer Entertainment worth $699. The next Your Turn prize winner will be announced on January 30. Only Australian residents are eligible and the judge's decision is final.

Activision publishing Monsters vs. Aliens game originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“You know that game you play with the fortune cookies when you’re out for Chinese and need a sexual tension breaker? The one where you append ‘…in bed!’ to the end of everyone’s fortune,” says Joe McNeilly, Senior Editor for Games Radar. “That’s more or less how this video got started.”

The story mode for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is as heroically epic as it is horrendously silly, featuring some of the most overblown, pun definitely intended, voice acting this side of the adult film industry. So, it seems only fitting that Games Radar has ridden this sexy thought train all the way to its logical and salacious conclusion, an innuendo-filled masterpiece in which words have been selectively bleeped, ironically resulting in the most uncensored look yet at the twisted sexual exploits of MK vs. DC. Don’t let the little ones see this unless you’re ready to explain what Superman is doing to Darkseid’s “Boom Tube.”

But the most disturbing part, I think it makes more sense than the original plot line.

If you spent a significant portion of your childhood in the eighties, I don't think it was possible to miss out on The Goonies. The bittersweet tale of a group of kids facing their last weekend together in their beloved town coupled with a pirate mystery and a group of ruthless criminals made it a perfect film for families. To my surprise, a recent viewing proved the film to still retain much of its charm.

Despite talk of a sequel re-uniting the Goonies as adults for years, the project now looks as though it will never come to fruition. Donner and Spielberg don't have a script that they're happy with and some of the actors have lost interest. I would have been wary of such a thing, anyway, as I am with many attempts to cash in on my nostalgia (particularly if they involve a Corey), but it couldn't have possibly been worse than that recent sequel to The Lost Boys.

Besides, we already have a sequel to The Goonies. Read on to find out more.

Santa Monica, CA - December 01, 2008 - Activision announced today the Monsters vs. Aliens movie tie-in. The game will offer gamers a chance to play all monsters from the film while a two player co-op mode will let gamers join another player as Dr. Cockroach. Below is the product description for the game along the first two screenshots taken from the Xbox 360 version of the game:

Based on the upcoming DreamWorks Animation 3D feature film, the Monsters vs. Aliens video game puts the fate of the planet in players’ hands as they lead a dynamic team of five misfit monsters on a mission to save the world…as only they can. The game allows fans to experience the movie’s action and humor while playing as The Missing Link, the macho half-ape, half-fish; the gelatinous, indestructible and always hungry B.O.B.; and Ginormica, the 49-foot-11-inch tall woman and Insectosaurus, the 350-foot tall grub. Players utilize each character’s distinct strengths, sizes and abilities to battle giant alien robots that are wreaking havoc on earth. Friends or family members can join in the excitement at anytime as the world’s most brilliant scientist, Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., in the unique co-op multiplayer mode.

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Chicago, USA, November 28th, 2008 – Nikitova Games is proud to announce that Casper Scare School - Classroom Capers for Nintendo DS was released into the European market by the Mastertronic Group on 14th November 2008. It is the second game for the Nintendo DS developed entirely by international games developer Nikitova Games (www.nikitovagames.com), whose lead development studio is based in Kiev, Ukraine.

Casper Scare School - Classroom Capers is based around the popular Casper the friendly ghost license that is loved by boys and girls in equal measure the world over, and specifically the movie “Casper Scare School”. It features beautifully drawn and animated graphics which really capture the character of nearly all of the teachers and spooky “children” that Casper shares the school with, such as Thatch the Vampire, Mantha the Zombie and Ra the Mummy. The game also includes a lot of the original tunes and speech from the film.

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Picture Sony and Microsoft as two dance teams in the seminal classic You Got Served. Well, MSoft, sporting blinging shoes and white and green hoodies, just did the most awesome break dancing thing ever and called it the “3:1 Black Friday Sales” and the crowd is going crazy and jumping around. Now the head dancer from the MSoft clan, Don Mattrick, senior VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, is walking up to the Sony guys, looking at them really seriously in the eye and going, “You got served.”

He then walks away, but pauses for a second, turns, and adds, “We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market. Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.”

That quote is kind of where my You Got Served metaphor falls flat, but Microsoft is actually claiming that the 360 outsold the PS3 by 3:1 and that 360 sales this Black Friday increased by 25 percent. Even Microsoft is admitting that the increased sales are most likely due to that hefty price cut that they implemented. No word on the Wii’s sales in the press release from MSoft, but if I had to guess I’d think that the film for that one might be called You Got Served 2: Wii Just Got Crunk On Everyone’s Ass. God, I’m white.

Dear Brash Entertainment Proprietors:

I am writing to you to formally express my interest in acquiring the name “Brash Entertainment” and to propose a transaction in which I would acquire the exclusive, perpetual rights to the “Brash Entertainment” moniker for $300 in cash and, in accordance with the advice of my financial adviser, a dozen cookies from a bakery of your choice (value up to $25).

This proposed nomenclatural transfer would infuse some much-needed liquidity to pay off mounting debts you are facing. Based on the recent sale of the majority of likewise financially addled Midway Games for $100,000, my calculations show that this offer provides a delicious premium of more than 50% on the fair market value of about $200.

To sidestep the imminent corrosion of value, I believe the quick conclusion of this transaction is in the best interest of the both of us. Hesitance will prove disastrous for the both of us in today’s troubled economy and presents a serious obstacle to our respective future business endeavors.

I also believe that the proposed entitlement exchange would eventually create additional value the name would not acquire otherwise with my plan to create a Brash Entertainment that combines the best in independent film properties with the best talent in independent gaming that targets an audience thus far untargeted by gaming companies.

The initial lineup would include game versions of Academy Award-nominated drama Half-Nelson, cult horror flick Stay Alive, mind-bending thriller π, heist comedy Bottle Rocket, and crime drama Hard Eight—and these titles would be distributed through cheap, accessible download services. The low cost of licenses combined with the low cost of entry and low development cost would create a high margin opportunity.

Considerable time and resources have been put forth in developing this offer, and I have personally approved its disclosure. My offer is not contingent on any financing requirement. I have completed a thorough review of Brash’s prior and once-future output and am prepared to progress immediately on a transaction with no impediment to either party. Given recent reportage that indicates a dearth of professional activity, I feel it is fully reasonable to expect a reply by the close of this business week on Friday, December 4, 2008.

Sincerely,

Alex Litel
Extraordinary Professional

[Alex Litel can be reached at alexlitel@gmail.com and occasionally found at alexlitel.blogspot.com. He does sympathize with developers and publishing staff affected by the Brash situation, so don't start.]

Just in time for Christmas, Square Enix lines up their newest and hottest titles for Jump Festa 2009, a show that will take place on December 20, 2008.

The whole listing of what Square Enix will be showing there is listed at the official Japanese Web page, complete with handy little icons showing what will be playable (the controller icon) and what will be viewable-only (the film strip).

It looks like Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts will both be big focus titles. Do we need four Kingdom Hearts games, though? We're hoping to get our eyes on hot new footage of non-playable hits Star Ocean: The Last Hope (pictured above), Blood of Bahamut, and Final Fantasy XIII.  

Playable titles:

• Dragon Quest IX (DS)
• Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road II (Arcade)
• Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (DS)
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP)
• Kingdom Hearts: Coded (Mobile)
• Kingdom Hearts Mobile (Mobile)