'You playlike a girl'
Sunday, August 2, 2009 by chosen
The 2nd lecture pointed out how even in the Digital Age, a gender hierarchy exists. Elana Bertozzi expresses the difference in treatment to females gamers and also the difference in level of expectation towards male and female players.
Bertozzi points out the cultural history of males having to be "protective of women and seek to help them", this idea came from males' being considered the dominant sex. The society today has evolved where male and female are considered equals, but the cultural history interferes with the way males act towards female game players.
The level of expectation between males also make males reluctant to engage in competition with females. Bertozzi points out "when a male is competing against a female, he is in a lose/lose situation". The society has an underlying expectation that males should beat females in one on one competition, but if a male is beaten by a female he loses social status between his male friends. The difference in expectation level may not be just due to cultural history, but the fact that females have been objectified by males. They have been objectified to look 'beautiful' and only for male desires which undermines the value of female players in the gmaing world.
Female gammers do not help themselves as they criticize the skills of other female players and alienates personal excellence. De Boer pointed out "social leveling and social harmony are higher values in female groups than encouraging individuals to attain and express personal peak performance". While males rank themselves according to individual success and skill within a group, females hold a different criteria in social status according to Bertozzi. Bertozzi states "female rank is often determined by beauty, thiness, blondness and attractiveness to males" which can only encourage males to objectify women.
Bertozzi points out the cultural history of males having to be "protective of women and seek to help them", this idea came from males' being considered the dominant sex. The society today has evolved where male and female are considered equals, but the cultural history interferes with the way males act towards female game players.
The level of expectation between males also make males reluctant to engage in competition with females. Bertozzi points out "when a male is competing against a female, he is in a lose/lose situation". The society has an underlying expectation that males should beat females in one on one competition, but if a male is beaten by a female he loses social status between his male friends. The difference in expectation level may not be just due to cultural history, but the fact that females have been objectified by males. They have been objectified to look 'beautiful' and only for male desires which undermines the value of female players in the gmaing world.
Female gammers do not help themselves as they criticize the skills of other female players and alienates personal excellence. De Boer pointed out "social leveling and social harmony are higher values in female groups than encouraging individuals to attain and express personal peak performance". While males rank themselves according to individual success and skill within a group, females hold a different criteria in social status according to Bertozzi. Bertozzi states "female rank is often determined by beauty, thiness, blondness and attractiveness to males" which can only encourage males to objectify women.
I think women get a harder time for being harsh and critical about other women because of the idea that they should be nurturing and helpful. Men are 'allowed', so to speak, to be competitive but women are usually under the pressure to always do things for others rather than for personal gains. Maybe it gets projected onto other females as they are seen to be in similar positions?
It is only recently that men and women are in a way sharing stereotypes (?) by women pursuing their careers while men stay home with the kids. hopefully iv used the correct terminology