Sierra Refit

This was beautifully written and well researched – well done! I loved your approach to rather than banning video games from addressing serious social issues like domestic violence, allow them to be used as a teaching tool. I think that too often humans are afraid to confront the ugly parts of humanity, so we shy away from them and sweep them under the rug, when change won’t come if we don’t face issues head on. I really liked your point that banning these sorts of topics would essentially have more of a negative effect than allowing creators to have free rein with content.

I wholeheartedly agree with all of your points. I can think of an example of a game that has made an impact on me that fits into every criterion that you listed. I grew up on Pokemon and even though I don’t avidly play it anymore (for me, it seemed like the quality took a massive hit around Black and White), but the series will ALWAYS have a place in my heart because I have so many happy memories of playing Pokemon Silver on my GameBoy. I also agree that a game’s soundtrack can give it a lasting impact. If I had to choose a favorite game off the top of my head, it would probably be Saints Row 2, not only because of the story, but because of the amazing soundtrack that made me feel like I was back in the early 2000’s.

Great aeticle!

I love the premise of the article. I have always found that it is common for authors writing from the perspective of a gender that they do not identify with often backfires. I had never actually thought of this in the context of women writing male characters, because I am usually focused on the overtly sexual way in which men usually write female characters. I had never considered that this sexualization is two-fold.