Last week the internet was ablaze with discussions of whether or not Batman: Arkham City was sexist or not. A blogger by the name of FilmCritHULK took exception to how developer Rocksteady used the word “bitch” in the game and how often it cropped up. It’s a discussion I’m a little late to, mostly because the game didn’t come out in the UK until Friday, meaning I had no first hand experience with the game. When I finally did get to play it, I didn’t want to start writing until I’d played it through, so I could get a sense of the whole game, rather than just the first few hours.
One thing I can confirm: The ladies of Arkham City get called “bitch” a hell of a lot. In his/her article - I'm not entirely sure which one it is - FCH suggests that Rocksteady uses the word clumsily, and that’s something I’d agree with, although probably not for the same reason that FCH does. For all Arkham City’s good points, the writing in the game can be rather rough at times, and the plethora of bitches is a great example. Any time that Catwoman and Two Face are in the same room together the word crops up so much that it starts to get ridiculous.
I think I can understand why Rocksteady uses the word so often. Rocksteady is using the word bitch - likely one of the very few actual curses it could use in a Teen rated game - to establish a certain tone. It wants us to know that the residents of Arkham City are not nice people, and we should not feel bad about pounding the snot out of them. It is said by characters we are not supposed to like, most often - although not exclusively - about a character that we are supposed to like.
Whether or not that makes it OK depends on your own point of view, but I think it’s worth noting that Rocksteady’s intentions were good, even if the execution was not. However, I do agree with a point that FCH makes in his/her follow up article, where he/she says that there are better ways of establishing tone than random insults and swearing, but again, not because it’s sexist, but rather because comes across as really, really juvenile. You're not going to convince anyone you’re grown up and mature by saying “bitch” a lot - if anything, it’s usually exactly the opposite.
Perhaps some good will come of this. Arkham City is such a high profile game, that maybe, just maybe, the “controversy” will raise awareness of the issue of sexism in games. I’m not holding my breath though, as I don’t think most gamers are willing or able to discuss topics like this just yet. Still, perhaps just getting the issue in front of people’s faces is a good start.
One thing I can confirm: The ladies of Arkham City get called “bitch” a hell of a lot. In his/her article - I'm not entirely sure which one it is - FCH suggests that Rocksteady uses the word clumsily, and that’s something I’d agree with, although probably not for the same reason that FCH does. For all Arkham City’s good points, the writing in the game can be rather rough at times, and the plethora of bitches is a great example. Any time that Catwoman and Two Face are in the same room together the word crops up so much that it starts to get ridiculous.
I think I can understand why Rocksteady uses the word so often. Rocksteady is using the word bitch - likely one of the very few actual curses it could use in a Teen rated game - to establish a certain tone. It wants us to know that the residents of Arkham City are not nice people, and we should not feel bad about pounding the snot out of them. It is said by characters we are not supposed to like, most often - although not exclusively - about a character that we are supposed to like.
Whether or not that makes it OK depends on your own point of view, but I think it’s worth noting that Rocksteady’s intentions were good, even if the execution was not. However, I do agree with a point that FCH makes in his/her follow up article, where he/she says that there are better ways of establishing tone than random insults and swearing, but again, not because it’s sexist, but rather because comes across as really, really juvenile. You're not going to convince anyone you’re grown up and mature by saying “bitch” a lot - if anything, it’s usually exactly the opposite.
Perhaps some good will come of this. Arkham City is such a high profile game, that maybe, just maybe, the “controversy” will raise awareness of the issue of sexism in games. I’m not holding my breath though, as I don’t think most gamers are willing or able to discuss topics like this just yet. Still, perhaps just getting the issue in front of people’s faces is a good start.
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