Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Dragon Age 2 writer responds to complaint about BioWare neglecting 'straight male' demographic]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/dragon-age-2-writer-responds-to-complaint-about-bioware-neglecti/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/dragon-age-2-writer-responds-to-complaint-about-bioware-neglecti/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/25/dragon-age-2-writer-responds-to-complaint-about-bioware-neglecti/#comments For the second time in under six months, Dragon Age senior writer David Gaider felt obligated to step among the Darkspawn in the BioWare Forums to defend the sexual politics of Thedas.

A post on the forum declares that "Bioware Neglected Their Main Demographic: The Straight Male Gamer" in Dragon Age 2. The author's thesis (which you should totally read) posits several interesting arguments. Our favorite: "It makes things very awkward when your male companions keep making passes at you. The fact that a 'No Homosexuality' option, which could have been easily implemented, is omitted just proves my point."

"We have good numbers, after all, on the number of people who actually used similar sorts of content in [Dragon Age: Origins] and thus don't need to resort to anecdotal evidence to support our idea that their numbers are not insignificant," Gaider wrote, echoing previous sentiments in his response.

We think BioWare should seize this opportunity and release some DLC: the big, gaudy, golden "Necklace of Nohomo" that grants +2 against "unwanted advances" -- then donate the proceeds to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

JoystiqDragon Age 2 writer responds to complaint about BioWare neglecting 'straight male' demographic originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BiowarebisexualDavid-GaiderDragon-Age-2EAElectronic-Artsgayglbtlesbianmicrosoftpcplaystationps3queerxboxFri, 25 Mar 2011 10:49:00 EST<![CDATA[Xbox Live Code of Conduct updated: sexual orientation terms now permitted in Gamertags and profiles]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/05/xbox-live-code-of-conduct-updated/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/05/xbox-live-code-of-conduct-updated/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/05/xbox-live-code-of-conduct-updated/#comments The times, they are a-changin'. In an open letter to Xbox Live members, Microsoft's Marc Whitten has announced that the Xbox Live Code of Conduct has been altered to allow members to "more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles." Looking over the updated code, it appears that the major change directly affects references to sexual orientation. Specifically, the terms "lesbian," "gay," "bi," "transgender" and "straight" are now allowed in both Gamertags and user profiles. According to Whitten, the change has been made as the result of customer feedback.

Early last year, something of a controversy erupted when an Xbox Live user was allegedly banned from Xbox Live for identifying herself as a lesbian in her Xbox Live profile. The report brought to light an ongoing conversation on the matter between the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Microsoft. At the time, Microsoft claimed that it didn't allow users to express any form of sexual orientation -- including heterosexuality -- in an effort to prevent player harassment.

Obviously, Microsoft's stance on the matter has changed, though the company is still wary of possible harassment. Whitten states as much in his letter, noting that the new Code of Conduct also includes "increased stringency and enforcement to prevent misuse" of the newly allowed terms. Whitten concludes his letter by stating, "I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community."

JoystiqXbox Live Code of Conduct updated: sexual orientation terms now permitted in Gamertags and profiles originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bibisexualcode-of-conductgamertaggayglaadglbtheterosexualhomosexuallesbianmarc-whittenMicrosoftsexual-orientationstraighttransgenderXbox-360xbox-liveFri, 05 Mar 2010 11:06:00 EST<![CDATA[New 'gaymer' survey explores sexual identity, interest in games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/08/new-gaymer-survey-explores-sexual-identity-interest-in-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/08/new-gaymer-survey-explores-sexual-identity-interest-in-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/08/new-gaymer-survey-explores-sexual-identity-interest-in-games/#comments
A new version of the gay gamer survey is making the rounds, years after the first-of-its-kind, academically approved study attempted to "quantify the existence of an invisible minority." The results of the original were interesting, with one the more surprising aspects being the large heterosexual sample who decided to participate.

Now Paul Nowak, a student going for his masters at gaming school Full Sail, is seeking participants in a similar study (also academically approved), which focuses on "questions of content: such as plot, genre, customization and other in-game experiences."

The survey takes about 20 minutes and none of the questions seemed offensive to us -- then again, we live on the internet. We also spoke with Nowak about what he hopes to learn and why he decided to do this survey. Check out our discussion after the break.

Participate in the "New Gaymer Survey."

Continue reading New 'gaymer' survey explores sexual identity, interest in games

JoystiqNew 'gaymer' survey explores sexual identity, interest in games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bisexualgaygay-gamer-surveygaymergaymer-surveyglbtjason-rockwoodlesbianpaul-nowakqueersurveytransgenderThu, 08 Oct 2009 09:05:00 EST<![CDATA[New ad campaign attempts to discourage use of 'gay' as disparagement]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/new-ad-campaign-attempts-to-discourage-use-of-gay-as-disparage/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/new-ad-campaign-attempts-to-discourage-use-of-gay-as-disparage/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/12/new-ad-campaign-attempts-to-discourage-use-of-gay-as-disparage/#comments
In today's society, "gay" is often used as a pejorative, losing all meaning and gaining a negative slant. ThinkB4YouSpeak is on a mission to change that, with a new campaign targeted to raise awareness throughout schools in America about anti-gay bias and reduce the use of ignorant, homophobic language.

The statistics may startle you; according to ThinkB4YouSpeak's website, "9 out of 10 LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students report being harassed at school in the last year," with over one third being physically harmed. ThinkB4YouSpeak's campaign consists of three posters, replacing the unfortunately common phrase, "That's so gay" with a generalized remark on specific types of students: jocks, cheerleaders and gamers. It would seem the purpose of the campaign is to be hurtful, to showcase how hateful speech is often based on stereotypes.

Gamers are no strangers to hateful speech. Xbox Live user know of the well-documented hate mongering in online multiplayer titles like Halo, and while the majority of players across all platforms are smart enough to know hate speech is wrong (we hope!), it's never pleasant to see it rearing its ugly head.

[Via GamePolitics]

JoystiqNew ad campaign attempts to discourage use of 'gay' as disparagement originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bisexualcampaigngayhomophobialesbianthinkb4youspeaktransgenderWed, 12 Aug 2009 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gay gamer survey results with large hetero inclusion]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/gay-gamer-survey-results-with-large-hetero-inclusion/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/gay-gamer-survey-results-with-large-hetero-inclusion/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/26/gay-gamer-survey-results-with-large-hetero-inclusion/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

In the summer of 2006, after receiving academic approval from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Jason Rockwood opened up the "Gaymer Survey" to the public. Rockwood expected 600 participants -- if he was lucky -- for the first-of-its-kind approved study exploring the social and behavioral demographic of gay video game players and the role of sexual orientation on gaming habits. The survey was discussed in some regional lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) publications and filtered out to the gaming press. The survey, with over 10,000 respondents, became a sexually inclusive survey of gamers -- gay, straight and bi.

The study originally broke new ground for not only being the first study exploring LGBT gamers, but it was the first academic study of any gamer group. There is currently no academic studies of female gamers or gamers of color. In a 2006 interview, Rockwood said, "The main purpose of the survey was to be a census. Before we can ask more intelligent questions we need to know who we are dealing with. First, we need to prove that homosexual gamers even exist. Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, but that's where you have to start on something like this. This survey is an attempt to quantify the existence of an invisible minority."

Continue after the break for some highlights from the survey

Continue reading Gay gamer survey results with large hetero inclusion

JoystiqGay gamer survey results with large hetero inclusion originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bisexualdatadetailsDSGameCubegaygay gamerGayGamergaymerhetero inclusionlesbianMacPCPS2PS3PSPstraightsurveytransgenderWiiXboxXbox-360Mon, 26 Feb 2007 03:01:00 EST