The Zombie genre has stirred the hornets the nest recently and now in bizarre turn of events, the opposing sex is wondering: Why not us?
Today, Deep Silver announced a Zombie Bait Edition, for Dead Island: Riptide in the UK and Australian regions. This announcement was met with immediate backlash, as the special edition includes a 12” statue of a limbless, woman’s torso, littered with blood and bite marks, dressed in a bikini with noticeable bust. The company has since apologized for the incident, however, DS may not be done atoning their miscue; in the wake of the hoopla surrounding this scenario, men across the globe have united, demanding why a dismembered male torso is nowhere to be had?
“Is the male physique not adequate for marketing a highly anticipated video game?” said Richard Journey, national representative for the global organization known as MEN. “Women aren’t the only sex on a tropical island, being devoured by the undead.” Journey argues. And, truth be told, the man has a point. It’s totally feasible to have two special edition skus, why not offer both sexes?
Some may argue that because the industry is male dominated, that the 18-35 market of male gamers would find the female Zombie Bait Edition more appealing. Journey begs to differ. “This isn’t a beauty contest! This is a zombie game! Shunning the male version is absolutely sexist in every regard.” The MEN representative furthered his address, expressing his disdain towards the gaming industry for their glorification of women and blatant disregard for strong male protagonists in titles such as Metroid, Bayonetta and Soul Calibur. “Have you seen Ivy? She is drawn beautifully. Nightmare on the other hand, lives up to his name, as far as looks go. It’s tasteless.”
Richard Journey stands firm on his case, noting female hero, Samus Aran and her discharging of male enemies throughout the entire Metroid series, “if it weren’t for the exception of Mother Brain and Dark Samus, it would be the most sexist game of all time!” When we made mention of titles featuring male protagonists, Journey seemed to get more agitated. “All Call of Duty does it glorify men killing men, a far cry from liberal if you ask me, or any representative of MEN.”
While Mr. Journey seeks to rectify the gender imbalance between men and women in games, millions will enjoy the fruits of interactive entertainment, regardless of how genders are represented. Deep Silver may have their hands full with tools like Richard, organizations such as MEN and feminists alike, but in all fairness, you don’t have to buy it.
Comments