This Question of the Week is inspired by an article that The Boyfriend shared with me. You can read it here. It regards to sexuality in video games, and how two-dimensional stereotypes unfortunately become the norm. Thomas Cross talks about how the video game industry markets to a "general consumer", which is theorized to be a heterosexual white male.
With that part of the article in mind, my question is this:
Do you think that the big RPG companies (Wizards, White Wolf, etc) market to a "general consumer" that is only one gender? Or is that "general consumer" genderless?
This article brings up some good questions that could reveal some issues that crossover to the RPG world. But the difference of the mediums must be noted.
All companies market to their general consumer, even (and maybe especially) companies that are targeted to a non-white, non-male audience. You have to appeal to the majority of your customers. For example, my dad owns a small business reselling and repairing RVs--while he does business with all types of people, he is well aware that 80% of his business is with elderly, upper-middle-class, retired, white folk.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny/unnecessary that many gaming companies feel the need to include an entire paragraph or more to explain their choice of pronouns in regards to the reader. It shows they're trying, which is good, but it also indicates they're trying too hard, and maybe pointing out the very bias they hoped to avoid.