Feminist Gaming Controller

What is feminism?

It is common knowledge that the ratio of female:male participation in video games/computer games is very low. Why is this? Why do far fewer females get involved in science and technology-based activities? Where does this inequality stem from?

Commercialization probably isn't helping. There is just such a strong bias that has developed in the community, to the point where there is a term "girl gamer". Why is a "gamer" automatically referring to a male? Why do we use the term "girl gamer" in a negative way? It continues to push this concept of gender exclusion. Pink, dolls, make-up, dance, jewelry - these are not synonyms of a female. These things do not make up who we are as individuals or a as a group. 

How can you create a feminist gaming controller?

It's not by making a pink controller. Maybe that makes the consumer think about how it is now more "female friendly". But is that what we want? We are both continuing to create this idea of gender binary as well as pushing them further apart. Your gender does not define you. It does not determine the clothes that you wear or the way that you act or the things that you like. At least it shouldn't. Girl doesn't mean pink and Boy doesn't mean blue. Dolls vs. Cars. Why do we create these separations? 

As a female, I honestly don't think that making a pink controller is going to make me want to play a video game any more. In actuality, it probably makes me want to play less. It isn't feminist. It doesn't strive for equality between males and females like the feminist movement is aiming to do. It creates a split and it ostracizes women to a smaller niche of the gamer world. "You're a girl, so you should use the pink controller." Really?

I completely back the student in our class who spoke up to say that "the controller is NOT the problem; the game is." The game is the problem. When all of the characters in a game are males, women don't feel represented. Having a couple of provocatively dressed female characters is demeaning and it takes away any desire to play the game.