Crescent's Thoughts On: 25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male or QUICK ANITA'S RELIVANCE IS DECREASING! REVIVE A DEAD HORSE SO WE CAN BEAT IT SOME MORE!

I guess they're invisible because they DON'T EXIST!

Well it seems like Anita Sarkeesian is at it again, or rather John McIntosh who also likes to speak out of his exit hatch. This time he made a video version of a Polygon article he wrote back in April (Link to the article). And so, I've decided to go through each of his points one by one and see just how many "benefits" there are after I'm done exposing the flaws in his list. NOTE: I've not watched the video, but I am using the Transcript from Feminist Frequency for reference.

1) I can choose to remain completely oblivious, or indifferent to the harassment that many women face in gaming spaces.

See all the Harassment that woman is facing!

 First of all, ignoring the plight of others is not exclusive to people that don't fall into that category. Women are just as capable of ignoring other women as men are. But that is assuming harassment DOES occur towards women in gaming spacings which, despite the frequency Anita claims that it happens to ALL women, hasn't been shown to be the case.

2) I am never told that video games or the surrounding culture is not intended for me because I am male.

The Male Benefits Drinking Game: Take a shot every time one of these bullet points ends with "Because I am male" or "Because of my gender" or any similar statement. That is because the preceding statement can also apply to men; HOWEVER, this list needs to convey a sense of oppression against women... Even if such an oppression is artificially created by eliminating all other possible reasons for the treatment.

3) I can publicly post my username, gamertag or contact information online without having to fear being stalked or sexually harassed because of my gender.

Take another shot! Also, if you publicly post you CONTACT INFORMATION then you are kind of asking for trouble. Besides, the common use of the word "Fag" in some circles kind of destroys this "benefit."

4) I will never be asked to “prove my gaming cred” simply because of my gender.

Take another shot! Man, three shots in a row? We are going to be plastered before we get to #8. Anyway, men can be accused of not having "cred," but it is for the same reason some women are accused of not having "cred" and that is because there is something about them that makes us doubt their self proclaimed "cred." Maybe they aren't that good at a game they claim to be great at, I mean, have you ever seen Darksyde Phil? That guy has absolutely no "cred" whatsoever.

PS: I know I pulled that image off the internet, but is it wrong for me to think the girl on the right is hotter?

5) If I enthusiastically express my fondness for video games no one will automatically assume I’m faking my interest just to “get attention” from other gamers.

Expressing fondness of games? Must be trying to get attention.

Much like #4, the reason some women *COUGH* Anita Sarkeesian *COUGH* get accused of being fakers is because there is something off about how they talk about video games. First of all, gamers have unique terminology that would sound like gibberish to anyone who isn't a gamer. For instance, if I said 5A 2B jB jB aC 214B 236236C, to most people that would be nonsense, to a person who played Persona 4 Arena and is deep in the Fighting Game Community they would recognize that as a very basic Labrys combo. If a person who isn't a gamers tries to use gamer lingo, it would be like listening to a Japanese person trying to phonetically speak French. Also, when a person talks about something they are passionate about, like any gamer talks about their favorite video game, their passion will come out not only in the words they say but also their mannerisms, their tone, and even physical gestures. These all give us cues as to whether this person is a genuine gamer, or a faker. And this happens if you are male or female. If a guy claims to be a gamer and says "I do 103E combos all the time in Street Arena" then we know something ain't right.

6) I can look at practically any gaming website, show, or magazine and see the voices of people of my own gender widely represented.

You have a penis, I instantly agree with everything you say.

 This part I really don't get. Why would I care about the gender of people who review games more than, I don't know, THE GAMES THEMSELVES! True, I don't read reviews that often (Usually I just go off of instinct because of how many times my interest in games differs from those of mainstream video game "Journalism"), but when I do I'm far more concerned with whether or not the game is good or not, not the current state of the reviewer's reproductive organs.

7) When I go to a gaming event or convention, I can be relatively certain that I won’t be harassed, groped, propositioned or catcalled by total strangers.

I don't know about this one, maybe some girls like this kind of attention. I mean, see above. Also, much like #1 I don't see any real evidence that this sort of behavior is happening. I mean, it's claimed that it happens all the time, but given how many conventions there are, how many girls attend, and how many of those girls attend in appealing outfits you'd think this would be all over the news with horror stories of how badly women are being treated. And I mean horror stories that don't just have Anita saying that her abuse is common to all women, I mean have these "all women" talk about their own experiences at all of these horrible cons which are populated with socially awkward nerds. What? If they can generalize the entire gaming community with hateful inaccurate stereotypes, why can't I?

8)I will never be asked or expected to speak for all other gamers who share my gender.

"It's SOO hard to do these talks about how much of a victim I am and get paid for it."

 I'm sorry... Huh? First of all, no one is forcing anyone to be a spokesperson, they are all choose to speak for their demographic. Second of all, don't these people get PAID to speak to audiences. How is "not going infront of people as a paid speaker" in any way a benefit!? I... I... I don't get this one at all.

9) I can be sure that my gaming performance (good or bad) won’t be attributed to or reflect on my gender as a whole.

Everyone raise your hand if you ever thought a SINGLE girl's ability in a game is the benchmark for all females....... Anyone?......... Hello?

10) My gaming ability will never be called into question based on unrelated natural biological functions.

I'm confused again. Is "Are you on your period" a common trash talk term? Because, that's the only thing I can think of that this bullet point might be referring to; however, anything that might affect your mental state will definitely affect your gaming ability. So... What is this referring to?

11) I can be relatively sure my thoughts about video games won’t be dismissed or attacked based solely on my tone of voice, even if I speak in an aggressive, obnoxious, crude or flippant manner.

 No, they will be dismissed or attack based on the merits, or lack there of, of your arguments. This also applies to all women who wish to communicate their own thoughts, like Anita Sarkeesian. Notice how in nearly every single rebuttal video against her, NO ONE dismisses her based on her sex? Funny that.

12) I can openly say that my favorite games are casual, odd, non-violent, artistic, or cute without fear that my opinions will reinforce a stereotype that “men are not real gamers.”

REAL GAMERS PLAY FARMVILLE!

 This sounds an awful lot like #4 and #5, and I for one never regard someone as  "Not a gamer" if they love casual games, regardless of gender. The thing is I define a gamer as someone who plays video games as a hobby, not as a means to kill time, and claiming that your favorite game is a casual game doesn't really speak about the volumes that you do play. Play Angry Birds for 10 minutes on the bus, not a gamer. Play Xenoblade Chronicles for +100 hours every chance you get, totally a gamer. So if you say that you're a gamer and that your favorite game is Farmville, I can't really confirm your identity as a gamer based solely on that. Also, this is something I do for EVERYONE, not just women.

13) When purchasing most major video games in a store, chances are I will not be asked if (or assumed to be) buying it for a wife, daughter or girlfriend.

I love the aside saying "assumed to be," because that means that it doesn't even matter if the clerk asks the question or not. Also, If you pick up "Barbie's Horse Adventures" you will likely be asked that question, and an even bigger eyebrow will be raised than if a girl bought Gears of War for herself.

14) The vast majority of game studios, past and present, have been led and populated primarily by people of my own gender and as such most of their products have been specifically designed to cater to my demographic.

Phantasy Star: Made by a Woman.

 Much like #6, this one assumes that, as a gamer, I am more concerned about other people having penises than whether or not the game is good. For example, when I first played Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium I thought "WOW that game was awesome." When I later discovered that Phantasy Star IV was directed by a woman Rieko Kodama, I thought "WOW PSIV was a awesome game." That's right, I didn't care in the SLIGHTEST! So why should this be a big deal?

15)I can walk into any gaming store and see images of my gender widely represented as powerful heroes, dastardly villains and non-playable characters alike.

Men and Women? TOGETHER! HELL NO!

 Have these people walked into a gaming store... like EVER! There are a TON of females represented as cardboard cutouts, on covers, ads, etc. etc. You want to know why? Well the simple answer is sex sells, but also female gamers are increasing in numbers, so this problem is self solving.

16) I will almost always have the option to play a character of my gender, as most protagonists or heroes will be male by default.

And here is a short list of games where I had to play as a female character: Bayonetta, Senran Kagura, The Legend of Dark Witch, Liberation Maiden, Wild ARMs 3, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Atelier Rorona, Atelier Totori, oh and that small little series that I don't think you have ever heard of called METROID! And do you know how much I was bothered by the fact that I had to play as a woman? NOT AT ALL! And that isn't taking into account all the games where you have a choice between multiple characters including female characters like Star Ocean the Second Story, or games where you can create your character, like Fire Emblem: Awakening. It's almost as if the more important part about a game isn't the gender of the character you play as, but rather the GAME ITSELF!

17) I do not have to carefully navigate my engagement with online communities or gaming spaces in order to avoid or mitigate the possibility of being harassed because of my gender.

Ah! Take a shot! Men can be harassed on the internet just as much as women.

18) I probably never think about hiding my real-life gender online through my gamer-name, my avatar choice, or by muting voice-chat, out of fear of harassment resulting from my being male.

Another shot! Also, #17 and #18 are exactly the same.

19) When I enter an online game, I can be relatively sure I won’t be attacked or harassed when and if my real-life gender is made public.

Identical to the previous two bullet points, are you even trying at this point?

20) If I am trash-talked or verbally berated while playing online, it will not be because I am male nor will my gender be invoked as an insult.

 Take another shot, and this one is the same as the previous three, which are also the same as #3 at the beginning of this list. Did you really need 25 of these?

21) While playing online with people I don’t know I won’t be interrogated about the size and shape of my real-life body parts, nor will I be pressured to share intimate details about my sex life for the pleasure of other players.

That's SIX! Six of these points are EXACTLY the same. Also, you do realize that questioning the size of other's penises as well as interrogations about whether or not one "sucks cock" is common on the internet, right?

22) Complete strangers generally do not send me unsolicited images of their genitalia or demand to see me naked on the basis of being a male gamer.

Seven. Also, take a shot.

 23) In multiplayer games I can be pretty sure that conversations between other players will not focus on speculation about my “attractiveness” or “sexual availability” in real-life.

 EIGHT! Eight entries on this list can be summarized like this: "I won't be harassed online, because I'm male." This not only shows the naivety of John's understanding on basic internet conduct, but it also shows his laziness as he couldn't even come up with a list of 25 items. He had to reused the same one EIGHT FREAKIN' TIMES!

24) If I choose to point out sexism in gaming, my observations will not be seen as self-serving, and will therefore be perceived as more credible and worthy of respect than those of my female counterparts, even if they are saying the exact same thing.

This guy SERIOUSLY thinks he has more credibility than Anita Sarkeesian?

 Much like #11, your observations, thoughts, arguments, and opinions about anything regarding ANYTHING including sexism in video games, will stand or fall based on their merits. You thus far have no merits, and thus the entity of your argument falls apart. You being a man changes nothing.

25) Because it was created by a straight white man, this checklist will likely be taken more seriously than if it had been written by virtually any female gamer.

This is taken SO seriously, that there is no way to talk about it.

Not only did you choose to end this list with a repeat of the previous entry, but you also disprove your own argument with your actions. If this is suppose to be taken more seriously than anything any girl gamer wrote, then why do you disable comments and ratings? Isn't that supposedly because trolls are harassing Anita because she is a woman? But you are a man, and we should be, according to you, taking your more seriously? So why delete comments? Unless, as I said before, the criticism you and Anita have received isn't because of your respective genders, but rather because they are failing due to their own faults in reasoning and rationality. Male gamers do not have these invisible benefits that female gamers not, because such benefits don't exist. Men can also be harassed, and even harassed sexually by other men. Women are not the target of "hate", or as the rest of the world calls it "criticism", because they are women. And the gaming culture is NOT misogynistic, it is in fact very welcoming to gamers who happen to be women. But it isn't welcoming to women who claim to be gamers and then proceed to whine about how games SHOULD be and seemingly not interested in the games themselves.

I've played games with male protagonists, I've played games with female protagonists, I've played games with guys, I've played games with girls, and at no point did I ever think, that I had more reason to play games than my female counterparts.

Until Next Time

-Crescent, Seriously, I'd totally date the girl on the right before I'd even consider the girl on the left.