I thought it would be worth taking a moment to address some of the controversy that’s been stirred up in the videogame world about a recent article on this site and awards that were handed out at the Eurogamer Expo over the weekend.

When the Talkingship podcast started, it was just an excuse for a couple of old friends to get together and drink beer. When we decided to create a site, neither of us (Nerves nor myself) ever wanted it to be anything other than a place where people could click over to for a quick laugh and a place to hang out. As the site evolved, we were happy to welcome some enormously talented writers onto the ship, and gave them free reign to do as they please, with the one request that they try to avoid offending folks, because that’s not what we ever wanted the site to be about.

Unfortunately, it’s damn near impossible to do anything these days without offending someone. The fact that I piss in a toilet is probably enough to warrant a Twitter-backlash from someone out there that thinks people should pee exclusively in self-dug holes in their backyard. Who the fuck knows?

That being said, I also think there are a lot of issues that deserve proper attention, and misogyny is one of them. Now, let me start here by saying that the article in question, about the misogyny present in Grand Theft Auto V, wasn’t offensive at all. The title of the article, however, comes off to me as fairly blatant flame-baiting, and that’s unfortunate. While the short article makes the claim that misogyny in a crime-based game makes sense since misogyny exists in that world, the title makes it seem as if the author is condoning the mistreatment of women, and I would never stand for something of that nature to appear on this site.

There seems to be a large segment of the population that believes the best way to combat cultural ills is to try and erase it from popular culture. Such is the case with misogyny, where a growing number of voices in the videogame world are pushing for it to be erased from that medium. To one end, I agree with them – because we should all strive to make the world a better place in any way possible, and helping change the attitude of an industry is a good place to start. Racism, for instance, is ever prevalent in our world today, yet we rarely see videogames laud such offensive mentality. We’ve managed to erase most of the blatant depictions of racism in entertainment because people stood up against it (yes, I’m aware it still exists, but nowhere close to how it used to). However, there’s also a flip side of the coin that should be mentioned as well.

Deciding to lash out at any depiction of misogyny present in an artistic medium is a dangerous tightrope. I cringe at the thought of art being moderated for its ability to evoke emotion, and despite how people are treating the game industry, I do think of videogames as art. Modern games are like movies, or books, or television, and I would never want to see one of those mediums tethered by a fear of offending someone.

Do we really want to insist that every piece of art be subject to moderation based on whether or not it has the ability to offend?

I believe that you have to take that question to heart before deciding whether or not to lash out at a videogame (or movie, or book, or song, or painting, etc.) Yes, when I watched that episode of The Sopranos where the exotic dancer got beat to death behind the strip club I certainly cringed, but I would never attack the makers of the show for it, because I want my entertainment unfettered by the fear of offending someone.

Should the makers of Grand Theft Auto V have removed the strip club from the game because it might be offensive? Or should they leave that in because strip clubs do exist, and certainly the characters of that game would be living in a world where that sort of establishment would be frequented. Do we want every game to be purged of anything that someone might deem offensive?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe the game industry (as well as film and literature) has a serious problem with misogyny. However, it’s my opinion that this is exemplified by the lack of well-rounded female characters in them. I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been a playable female character in the GTA franchise as of yet – not to mention the dearth of female non-playable characters as well. I’d like to see more women in all games, and a focus on crafting interesting female characters instead of just putting them there as eye-candy.

Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency has done a tremendous job pointing out misogyny present in videogames, and I highly recommend checking out her videos. Of particular interest to me is her video about the Bechdel Test (which is more frequently associated with movies) in which a simple test is used to point out the shocking disparity present in pop culture between female and male roles. I sometimes find myself disagreeing with her on some points, but largely I agree with what she talks about in these videos. To me, this represents a good argument about misogyny in games and film.

However, there’s a large group of people out there that will jump at every opportunity to be offended by something, and I find this glut of self-righteousness beyond tiring. When “activists” start blasting art for the fact that it might be considered offensive, it stirs my ire, because I don’t want my entertainment subjected to the moral standards of someone else. I fucking loathe that.

Yes, I want women to have a fairer depiction and presence in my entertainment, and I will support games/books/movies that achieve it. However, I do not want anyone dictating what I am and am not offended by, and limiting my choices based on their personal opinions.

But here’s the real problem, and the proof that nothing’s ever as simple as it seems:

Without the people out there talking about how they’re offended by something, there would never be cause to change anything.

See what I just did there? I invalidated my entire argument to prove a point. What’s the point? Simply that both sides of the argument are valid, and the fact that our culture insists we choose a side on every issue that’s thrown our way is an example of one of the worst parts of human nature. We’re all so quick to take a side and then fight fervently to defend it, willfully ignoring our opposition’s opinion. Hell, if you want proof of just how destructive this way of thinking is, just go look at politicians.

This has been a really long-winded attempt to arrive at a single lesson: Always consider both sides.

The assholes that promote misogyny in videogames have some salient points.

• Art shouldn’t be subject to moderation based on its ability to offend.
• Videogames are art.

The assholes that scream and cry about every little thing that might be deemed offensive have points as well.

• If no one ever spoke out about things that were offensive, nothing would ever change.
• The entertainment industry, especially videogames, are rife with misogyny.

The solution is in the middle somewhere, but unfortunately human nature insists we pick one side and then scream and shout and wave our fists about how right we are. We demonize those that think differently than us, and before you know it there are people declaring that Talkingship is a piece of shit site that promotes misogyny because some of us weren’t offended by Grand Theft Auto.

And on the flip side, sometimes a young, impetuous writer slaps an “award” sticker on a booth at an expo that talks about how it will pettily be called “offensive” without considering there might be actual, warranted concerns about some of the violence and misogyny present in the game.

Usually, no one is 100% “in the right.”

Sometimes it’s worth it to step back and consider both sides of the argument and realize that it’s all far more complicated than we initially thought, and that both sides have good points. And those good points are rarely conveyed well within a 140 character limit on Twitter.