Since Noblegarden started in WoW, WoW Insider has been getting tips from readers complaining about the sexist nature of the Achievement: Shake your Bunny-Maker. So I posted about it, not really explaining my opinion, instead opting to explain both sides of the controversy. So here is my full opinion on the topic:
I am not at all offended by the achievement. I like the pop culture references in WoW and am enjoying the holiday in general. I also don’t mind what some call the inherent sexism in all games. The fact that Night Elves dance like strippers and my Blood Elf Mage is running around in her underwear is funny. To be very, very general here, gamer guys don’t tend to be mysogonistic, but they do like the very mild sexist tendencies in their games, TV, movies, etc. They want to see skin, but are perfectly happy to see it on a strong female role model. In fact, they prefer it… in general.
I also don’t find Playboy offensive. It’s classy “porn” with good writing. And posing in it can be very empowering as well as lucrative for the Playmates. I don’t think men look at naked women to objectify them, but because it is in their nature to enjoy the female form.
But putting bunny ears only on level 18 female characters is of course a reference to Playboy and Blizzard risked offending their feminist players when they enabled the achievement. I don’t like controversies in my games, so that is why I wish they hadn’t put that particular level requirement and made it equal opportunity gender.
Making the world a better place for my daughter would not involve removing Playboy or porn in general. I would like to see nudity on primetime television and a reduction in violence. More boobies, less blood! I grew up in Germany and saw full frontal nudity in advertisments and on Sesame Street and am not traumatized. I want my daughter to have a healthy view of her body and nudity in general and hiding “sexist” references is not going to accomplish that.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the subject. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go Shake My Bunny-Maker before the event ends.
