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[×] 2005 » 08/2005

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all » 2005 » 08/2005
  • 08/31/2005 (16)

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Sims Like the Real Thing

Sims Like the Real Thing
Article by Tish Parmeley, Illustrated by Aya Kakeda, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged games, play, She's Got Game, sims, video games.

The Sims is a game that consists of little more than creating characters and pushing them through the day, making sure they eat, sleep, stay clean, make friends, advance in a career, and buy stuff. The bodily functions are tedious and the rest is everything I hate about life in a capitalist society. So how to explain why I own all seven expansion packs for the first game, as well as Sims2 and its expansion pack, University?

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Beyond the Valley of the Geeks

Notes on Gender and Gaming
Beyond the Valley of the Geeks
Article by Jacqueline Lalley, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Consumer culture; tagged cognitive development, computers, games, gaming, geeks, gender roles, jocks, math, play, science, sims, stereotypes, tech, video games.

“When I started out, gaming was a geek thing,” says Sean (not his real name), a 38-year-old senior director of product development for a major electronic game publisher. “Now, it’s totally mainstream. It’s clear there’s money to be made.”

It’s not like there’s any nostalgia in his voice. With a six-figure salary and a generous bonus, Sean is one of those making the money. Electronic games—which encompass both computer games and console-based games—generated nearly $10 billion in revenue last year, thanks in part to top-selling titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Madden NFL 2005, ESPN NFL 2K5, and NBA Live 2005.

Given the fact that electronic games have their roots in geekdom, the sheer jock/thug appeal of the above-listed games is striking. You’d think that geek boys, having been a) persecuted by jocks and bullies and b) heavily involved in the production of electronic games, might take advantage of the latter to redress the former. But somewhere between Pong and Madden, those geeks began spending their days and nights creating universes in which testosterone rules, in the process reinforcing the gender roles that made their young lives hell.

What happened?

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Hog Heaven

Ariel Levy on Female Chauvinist Pigs and the Rise of Raunch Culture
Hog Heaven
An interview with Ariel Levy by Andi Zeisler, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Books; tagged Ariel Levy, beauty standards, body image, chauvinism, gender roles, objectification, porn, post feminism, sex, sex industry, sex objects, sexuality, stereotypes.

You’ll recognize the female silhouette that leans against the title on the cover of Ariel Levy’s new book, Female Chauvinist Pigs. She’s the girl who in recent years has made the move from the mud flaps of big rigs right into pop culture, gracing trucker caps, baby tees, and gold necklaces as an emblem of sexy, empowered ­womanhood. Or at least that’s what she’d like you to believe. But Levy doesn’t buy it, and Female Chauvinist Pigs offers her opinions on why this new symbol of postfeminism—the girl gone wild, the party-like-a-porn-star striver, the woman who populates HBO’s “educational” reality shows like Cathouse and Pornucopia—isn’t nearly as groundbreaking as she thinks she is.

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Outside Neverland

Female Writers Reinvent Peter Pan
Article by Michelle Humphrey, Illustrated by Woojung Ahn, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Books; tagged childhood, children, fairy tales, fantasy, gender roles, psychology, race, romance, stereotypes.

When the curtain rose at the London premiere of the play Peter Pan in 1904, it unveiled a drama of flying children, fairies, and pirates that would soon become a classic—and inspire countless spin-offs, adaptations, and reinterpretations. On the cinematic side, these began with the 1924 silent-film version of the play, starring Anna May Wong as Tiger Lily. Disney’s animated Peter Pan (1953) has been described as “ageless” (though one wonders if critics took note of the decidedly dated, stereotypical depiction of Native Americans), while Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991) told the story of a grown-up Peter’s transformation into a mature father.

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Cornering the Market

Damali Ayo and the Business of Race
Cornering the Market
Article by Lisa Katayama, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged activism, art, politically incorrect, race, racism, slavery, stereotypes, tokenism.

When Damali Ayo was 12, her parents sent her to day camp with 20 white kids. The kids were fascinated by the way Ayo’s hair maintained its texture in the pool. Even after she deliberately dunked her head in the water, they were convinced that black hair doesn’t get wet.

This experience stuck with her as she launched her art career in the predominantly white city of Portland, Oregon. Ayo often felt she was the token black person relied upon for opinions and advice precisely because of her skin color.

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Alpha Mom, Omega Journalism

Alpha Mom, Omega Journalism
Article by Juliet Eastland, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged breeding, children, media, motherhood, parenting, procreation.

With all the world in strife, one might think the moms of New York would cut each other some slack.... That motherhood, in short, would serve as a safe house where civility and mutual respect rule. Think again. Motherhood, for all its well-documented joys, has become a flash point for envy, resentment, and guilt.

—Ralph Gardner Jr., “Mom vs. Mom,” New York, October 21, 2002

"One might think,” in other words, that mothers could comport themselves in a more seemly manner. Because if we don’t get ourselves under control, we’re going to explode.

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Holy Rollers

Is Roller Derby the New Burlesque?
Holy Rollers
Article by Tammy Oler, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged competition, riot grrrl, roller derby, sexualizing, sports, violence.

Talk about old school. In skating rinks around the nation, saucy dames are getting together and strapping on old-fashioned quad rol­ler skates to jam, block, and pummel each other. The roller derby revival is on. More than two dozen leagues operate across the country, with an average of 30 to 40 active skaters each (some leagues even boast as many as 60), and many more are in the works.

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Out of Bounds

Do Transsexual Athletes Throw Like Girls?
Out of Bounds
Article by Jacob Anderson ..., appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged biological determinism, competition, gender, gender roles, Olympics, sports, transgender, transsexual.

See that blonde weaving through the strip on Roller­blades?” writes Details magazine in a March 2005 article. “Please puff up her denim miniskirt just enough for us to drink in the full length of her long, bronze legs.”

No, this isn’t a fluff piece on the latest centerfold hottie. It’s Details’ self-proclaimed “extraordinary” article on professional golfer Mianne Bagger, whose biggest challenge this year was winning the right to step onto the green with other women. In her quest to find acceptance in professional competition, Bagger has overcome the resistance of both golf’s governing agencies and other female pros who worried that Bagger would have an inherent physiol­ogical advan­tage. That’s because, although Bagger has played golf since she was 8 years old, she only turned pro in 2003—10 years after what she calls “a transsexual past.”

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L in a Handbasket

Kate Clinton's Politics of Funny
L in a Handbasket
An interview with Kate Clinton by Aimee Dowl, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Activism; tagged comedy, gay, humor, Kate Clinton, lesbian, politics.

Kate Clinton has been called the lesbian Jon Stewart. Her fans, however, prefer to think of Stewart as the straight Kate Clinton. Her career as a political humorist spans several White House administrations, but the current regime has offered her, like most liberal comedians, endless material for both her onstage comic monologues and her monthly columns for the Progressive and the Advocate.

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Laughing All the Way to the Polls

Do Female Politicians need a New Punchline?
Laughing All the Way to the Polls
Article by Audrey Bilger, appeared in issue Fun & Games; published in 2005; filed under Social commentary; tagged female politicians, funny, gender roles, Hillary Clinton, humor, jokes, politics, power, presidents, voters.

Once upon a time, politics was serious business. These days, however, presidential merit is measured as much by frat-house standards as by traditional approval ratings (apparently, American ­voters would rather have a beer with Bush than with Kerry), and a well-timed joke can sometimes sway public opinion more effectively than a reasoned argument.

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