"Gender Equalty" Rating on Games in Sweden

[LAwLz]

 

There are waaaay too many threads about Assassin's Creed: Unity right now so how about something else?

 

Sexism and gender equality in gaming is a big thing these days. So big that the Swedish government is now investing 272,000 SEK (36,672 USD) into labeling games as promoting gender equality. This project was inspired by the Bechdel test.

The project is far from finished though. Right now it is not even decided if the labels will be put on all games developed in Sweden or if developers will have to contact the authority, get their game tested and then be assigned a label.

When asked if Anton Albiin thought focusing on diversity could harm creativity he responded:

Of course games can be about fantasy but they can be so much more than this. They can also be a form of cultural expression - reflecting society or the society we are hoping for. Games can help us to create more diverse workplaces and can even change the way we think about things

 

When the project is done (couldn't find any dates) we here in Sweden might see stickers on games saying "promotes gender equality" on games that promotes female characters. Similar to how you today can see ratings telling you if a game contains violence.

 

Source: The Local

 

 

My thoughts:

I really really hope that it's based on the Bechdel test because that test is so ridiculously flawed and broken we would get some hilarious ratings. For example the game "Senran Kagura Burst" (a game where high school girls fight each other and have their clothes ripped off) would pass, but Minecraft would not.

 

Games which are truly gender neutral will probably not end up not passing this test since they are not promoting female characters. Games like Goat Simulator which is as gender neutral as it gets (in terms of protagonists) would end up not getting the label because it is gender neutral and this project is about promoting women.

This is why I am so against anything that is related to a specific gender. You can't say you fight for equality and then create a label specifically to promote one gender. Treating the genders differently (with things like this new rating) only creates more inequality, not less.

 

This might also become a slippery slope. If one group see special treatment then other groups might want it as well. If women get a special label why shouldn't different races get a special label? How about a label that promotes Asian people? Maybe one that promotes homosexual people? I don't see anything good coming out of this.

 

It's not a huge amount of money to invest for the government, but I am still kind of pissed that over 36,000 dollars of taxpayer money is being spent on this since I don't think it will lead to anything. Might as well have flushed the money down the toilet.

[AlwaysFSX]

Can I be the first to say:

 

This is really dumb.

 

I would love to elaborate but the more I think about it the more my IQ drops.

[Sumsar]

Sweden: yes ---- (By this i mean that Sweden is getting a little silly, with ridiculous laws and feminism.)

---------------

Sorry, but as a Dane i just coudn't resist throwing some banter your way

 

Edit: This is so fucking stupid...

[ShadowCaptain]

this is literally the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life

 

I want a rating that mentions whether there are any table lamps

 

Or maybe a Ubisoft rating to tell us how many % Ubisoft have to do with it

[techswede]

Sweden: yes ---- (By this i mean that Sweden is getting a little silly, with ridiculous laws and feminism.)

---------------

Sorry, but as a Dane i just coudn't resist throwing some banter your way

 

Edit: This is so fucking stupid...

How are housing prices over there nowadays? I wanna move back...

 

On topic.

This is stupid if it's done the wrong way. (Which it probably will be) 

I'd love to see women in games wear proper armor sets..

[ImBleu]

Literally the dumbest thing - ever.

[Psykomantis00]

Dumb. If you think the gaming industry needs more strong female roles, make your own fucking game with a female lead character. 

 

 

By the time all of this is done I bet we see this as the lead character in games. 

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL MASCOT, A NON DENOMINATIONAL, ETHNIC FREE REPRESENTATION OF THE GREENDALE STUDENT BODY

[Toddwjp]

so so stupid

[qwertywarrior]

im all for this !!!!!!

this is a step in the right direction

[dragosudeki]

Waiting for all sorts of minorities to then get their own rating. Things such as race, sexuality, and etc. will probably occur. I think this way of thinking is ALOT more harmful than they think it is.

Personally think if we forget about the lines between race and whatnot, the better we soon to realize we are equal and such. Things like this just make the lines between differences appear more out there.

[StingBull]

Pressed quote instead of edit.

[StingBull]

You have 6 ratings all referring to a specific age group as the target of that game and then you put the 7th rating referring to not age group of the audience intended but a very specific story content in the game.

Sing it with me now, one of these things is not like the other one of these things just does not belong...

So yes, this is stupid. But someone got paid good money for this very stupid idea. Thanks feminism.

[Kukielka]

Can we have a rating for gamecontent that behaves "Environmently friendly"? Or feminism rating? How about religion rating?

[CartertheCOCguy]

[techswede]

Can we have a rating for gamecontent that behaves "Environmently friendly"? Or feminism rating? How about religion rating?

And fabulousnessness too please  :lol:

 

And if it really goes south we'll probably see fairtrade stuff on it too

Maybe even "Developed by free range developers"

[Trik'Stari]

Oh this is totally going in my thesis paper.

 

I wonder when all these special interest groups realize that there is a difference between equality and special treatment? Probably never.

[Maheshvara]

This is way too stupid.... Imagine every race, sexuality, ethnicity... Getting their own rating... You wouldn't be able to see the picture of the game on the box from all the ratings....

 

Also, it's a no-no that they're giving them special treatment! It's just fuel the rift that already exists....

[Diederik_Gr]

Will it be like a 'No female characters, insanely sexist' rating, because quite some games would be getting that.

 

Oh this is totally going in my thesis paper.

 

I wonder when all these special interest groups realize that there is a difference between equality and special treatment? Probably never.

Exactly, though it's a human thing that people can't deal with differences. Has been since the human race learned how to rock each other really.....

[tobben]

No offence but what is wrong with Sweden?

@LAwLz can you confirm if hen is actually a thing?

is there people that honestly use that?

 

it isn't *might be a slippery slope*

it most definitely already is, heck.

I'm not even sure it's a slope,

they broke the slope and created

a bumpy spiky pitfall of irony and hypocrisy instead. 

 

I cannot even express the irrationality and stupidity.

[techswede]

No offence but what is wrong with Sweden?

@LAwLz can you confirm if hen is actually a thing?

is there people that honestly use that?

 

it isn't *might be a slippery slope*

it most definitely already is, heck.

I'm not even sure it's a slope,

they broke the slope and created

a bumpy spiky pitfall of irony and hypocrisy instead. 

 

I cannot even express the irrationality and stupidity.

Hen is a thing.. My teachers are forced to use it

[LAwLz]

LAwLz can you confirm if hen is actually a thing?

is there people that honestly use that?

Yes "hen" is a thing. Everyone I know hates it though so I don't see it very often. It's mostly bloggers and some news writers that use it.

 

Translator's Note: "hen" is a combination of "han" (he) and "hon" (she) and is used as a gender-neutral pronoun.

People get offended when you don't use it, and people get offended when you use it. It's a lose/lose situation.

[Kingofpants]

That's not a very good system at all.

The test asks if There ever are two women who talk to each other about something other than a man.

But that test is for Works of fiction.

And also is very flawed, what if you only have 2 characters and one is male? Suddenly Inequality???

Also this really ends up being a case of special treatment of anything. No one asks the tomb raider series to adopt a male character. Why does everyone get there panties in a twist if the games stories plot doesn't have a female character. Cough cough Assassin creed.

[tobben]

*snip*

 

ignorance, irrationality, stupidity, everything that is wrong with people that's what.

throughout history you can see patterns where people strongly react to the culture of an

era by going off in the opposite direction as a strong reaction to the old ideals.

 

just like we look back and think it's crazy that women didn't have rights and couldn't work.

People in the future will look back to this era just the same, and define it as.

An excessive reaction to the previous oppression, taking a turn and doing the opposite.

Idiot sheep just repeating history.

 

Yes i know saying "previous" isn't correct,

this is a generalization of the culture in a specific area.

Not the entire world.

[Trik'Stari]

When will people learn that you don't have a right to not be offended? Life is offensive, we (most of us) live in societies where we have freedom of speech, which is the right to be an offensive asshole if you want, granted, it's also the right to be call an offensive asshole.

 

 

This entire thing offends me, I hope some PC sheep cries his or her self to sleep tonight over it.

[techswede]

When will people learn that you don't have a right to not be offended? Life is offensive, we (most of us) live in societies where we have freedom of speech, which is the right to be an offensive asshole if you want, granted, it's also the right to be call an offensive asshole.

 

 

This entire thing offends me, I hope some PC sheep cries his or her self to sleep tonight over it.

Unfortunately we're losing our rights to be offensive assholes here in sweden because of the political correctness extremists..