Ok.. I happen to make a living doing this very thing. I spend every day working with genetically modified crops, in fact I'm covered with corn pollen right now. I don't mean to be rude but what you're saying doesn't make one bit of sense. While you may be a scientist, that obviously does not make you an expert on the agricultural biotech industry. First, not all biotech companies are also chemical companies. Second, there are no companies which prevent the usage of their chemicals unless you use their seed. That just doesn't happen. In fact, Monsanto's patent on the herbicide glyphosate (Round-Up) has run out and it is now made by many many different companies in many different formulations for field application. Even prior to that, nobody was kept from using glyphosate if you weren't using Monsanto seed. The whole reason people hate Monsanto so much is because they don't know how to deal with farmers, even I admit they are a tad nasty at times. As far as the goal not being to use less chemicals in the end, that is also plain false. When a farmer plant an insect resistant crop for instance, they end up using little or no traditional pesticide. I'm ranting/rambling a little here but since I do in fact work in the industry I get a bit frustrated with people just repeat what they've read in sensationalist news reports while they know nothing of what really goes on.
Well, I don't really see how that could be seen as anti-feminist. I think my problem with it is on several levels. In GTA you can not play as a woman, the women can not defend themselves, and the female characters are put there solely in a sexual context. I would have much less of a problem with it if the developers injected a little more gender equality into the mix. If you could play as a woman, and/or if the women you were attacking could actually defend themselves in a real way then I would almost be ok with it.
To address your question about the female player models in other games, since you can in fact play as a woman and the characters defenses are equal, I have no problem taking out a female character in game. I don't remember there being any outcry about female characters in games like street fighter, mortal kombat, etc. I think that's probably because the females there were not being portrayed as helpless sexual objects, but as women who could hold their own. I really wouldn't say that my feelings have anything to do with a perception of innocence, it's more of a problem with the gender inequality coded in to the game.
You make a good point, and it's not even that I think that it was the designers intent for anyone to take pleasure in murdering women. I suppose what what I'm getting at is that while I have little to no problem with gratuitous violence in video games in general, I find violence against women to be something much more abhorrent and very different than the usual virtual blood and gore. I really don't think the game would be any less fun without the ability to beat women.
I've got to agree. I love games as much as the next person.. I'm completely addicted to first person shooters. But, games that include violence against women disgust me. Sure, it's just a game, but it's completely disgusting to me to see a bunch of people sitting around laughing about a character on screen beating and murdering a woman. I used to defend things like this but when I saw a room full of guys laughing while beating up hookers, I felt totally repulsed. I don't see how anyone can find something like that amusing, even in a game.
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Ok.. I happen to make a living doing this very thing. I spend every day working with genetically modified crops, in fact I'm covered with corn pollen right now. I don't mean to be rude but what you're saying doesn't make one bit of sense. While you may be a scientist, that obviously does not make you an expert on the agricultural biotech industry. First, not all biotech companies are also chemical companies. Second, there are no companies which prevent the usage of their chemicals unless you use their seed. That just doesn't happen. In fact, Monsanto's patent on the herbicide glyphosate (Round-Up) has run out and it is now made by many many different companies in many different formulations for field application. Even prior to that, nobody was kept from using glyphosate if you weren't using Monsanto seed. The whole reason people hate Monsanto so much is because they don't know how to deal with farmers, even I admit they are a tad nasty at times. As far as the goal not being to use less chemicals in the end, that is also plain false. When a farmer plant an insect resistant crop for instance, they end up using little or no traditional pesticide. I'm ranting/rambling a little here but since I do in fact work in the industry I get a bit frustrated with people just repeat what they've read in sensationalist news reports while they know nothing of what really goes on.
Well, I don't really see how that could be seen as anti-feminist. I think my problem with it is on several levels. In GTA you can not play as a woman, the women can not defend themselves, and the female characters are put there solely in a sexual context. I would have much less of a problem with it if the developers injected a little more gender equality into the mix. If you could play as a woman, and/or if the women you were attacking could actually defend themselves in a real way then I would almost be ok with it.
To address your question about the female player models in other games, since you can in fact play as a woman and the characters defenses are equal, I have no problem taking out a female character in game. I don't remember there being any outcry about female characters in games like street fighter, mortal kombat, etc. I think that's probably because the females there were not being portrayed as helpless sexual objects, but as women who could hold their own. I really wouldn't say that my feelings have anything to do with a perception of innocence, it's more of a problem with the gender inequality coded in to the game.
You make a good point, and it's not even that I think that it was the designers intent for anyone to take pleasure in murdering women. I suppose what what I'm getting at is that while I have little to no problem with gratuitous violence in video games in general, I find violence against women to be something much more abhorrent and very different than the usual virtual blood and gore. I really don't think the game would be any less fun without the ability to beat women.
I've got to agree. I love games as much as the next person.. I'm completely addicted to first person shooters. But, games that include violence against women disgust me. Sure, it's just a game, but it's completely disgusting to me to see a bunch of people sitting around laughing about a character on screen beating and murdering a woman. I used to defend things like this but when I saw a room full of guys laughing while beating up hookers, I felt totally repulsed. I don't see how anyone can find something like that amusing, even in a game.