Is Jade Raymond just an industry Pin-Up girl used to drive sales?

Since the first time I saw a photo of the sexy Jade Raymond, I'd always thought... Come on, there are so few female game producers and most of them know jack all about videogames. They were most likely hired to fulfill some affirmitive action HR bullshit. The only one I know of that bucks this trend is Christina Norman of Bioware. She's not some young vixen or booth babe mouthpiece. She knows what she's talking about in interviews and doesn't sound like she's reading everything off a teleprompter.

While I won't post the comic in the forum, I will provide this LINKto the controversial Jade Raymond comic strip.

Would you like more publishers to objectify women who have little to do with the industry in the hopes of garnering more female participation in the industry? And if so, would you prefer "real" women as opposed to the gaming geeks wet dream?

No, she was a lead on Assassin's Creed, meaning she was in the forefront when that game was being discussed in interviews and what not. Haven't even seen much of her since Assassin's Creed.

Welcome to 2008

She is not sexy, she looks like a ghoul

Last time I saw her was on the back of a milk carton.

This is a bad thread and you should feel bad.

The comic you linked is deplorable. It seems like the message here is that a woman can't be a good video game designer if she seems attractive? Jade is not a "real" woman?

That is a downright horrible comic. And what is the problem? She is clearly an educated person that has been in a producer role for a bunch of diffrent games. in many cases the producer/manager tends to be a better mouth piece than a director or developer, at least before more and more people in the industry got PR training or just stepped forward. In Assassin's Creeds case Patrice Désilet got in a background but that can also be because he self wanted it that way. Jade was the best mouth piece at the moment for the game so what's the harm? But do understand the difference between a manager and a creative director. And now she seems to be very high up in the manager ranks so that's why we don't see her no more.

But that comic.....urgh...

This is all pretty disgusting.

Isn't she like the head of Ubisoft Montreal now?

@ballblaster said:

She's not some young vixen

What? What exactly constitutes "some young vixen"?

This thread seems more based on whatever issues you have than reality.

She is attractive, so therefore not allowed to be talented? I think you should handle whatever issues you have with females before trying to do anything with yourself, because, believe it or not, attractive women can think and stuff too!

@Cretaceous_Bob said:

@ballblaster said:

She's not some young vixen

What? What exactly constitutes "some young vixen"?

This thread seems more based on whatever issues you have than reality.

I'm just throwing out the discussion to everyone. I'm not making any statement one way or the other.

I don't think Ubisoft would be dumb enough to put some brainless trophy in charge of their Montreal studio, but I do remember looking up the titles she worked on before she was promoted, and thinking it was incredibly thin before Assassin's Creed. I think she worked on The Sims Online and a few other throw away titles. Maybe she's dynamite with leadership and administration..

@ballblaster: Amy Hennig is not young nor attractive, but she knows what she is doing in the industry(Legacy of Kain/Uncharted series)

And the Most Sexist/Socially Awkward GB thread of the day goes to....

@Valkyr said:

She is not sexy, she looks like a ghoul

Asshole.

@ballblaster:

As for Jade as a professional, I have no idea what she is like in the work place and how much she actually does and doesn't do. It sounds very cynical to think she is just a 'pin-up' girl though. Also it's very sexist.

That comic made a statement alright. I could care less if she's hot or a dog faced gremlim. Just make good games and I'll be happy.

Unless one of us works at Ubisoft, we don't have a clue what kind of work she does over there, you complete fucking idiot.

Also yeah:

@Valkyr said:

She is not sexy

She is not sexy.

And by the way the producer on Uncharted 3 is a woman, she's on 4 episodes of Bonus Round.

Wow, the hate that was born out of the comments in this thread. If the guy thinks she looks like a ghoul, who the hell cares? Don't take offense, is she your girlfriend? Jesus. Some people like ghouls and some like dog-faced gremlins. Just take it easy.

No

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

@ballblaster said:

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

I thought you said earlier that you were just throwing this topic out there and not taking a stance one way or another? Bottom line is that all we can do is speculate because we don't work at Ubisoft. Any speculation that says 'she didn't deserve her current placement' just reveals a sexists and cynical attitude.

Why is it so wierd that she is Managing Director at Ubisoft Toronto now? She has clearly chosen a different path then a game developer that have more love for gamedesign and developement rather than managing and business. She is in short a business woman, and apperantly (and hopefully) she's good at it.

@JasonR86 said:

@ballblaster said:

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

I thought you said earlier that you were just throwing this topic out there and not taking a stance one way or another? Bottom line is that all we can do is speculate because we don't work at Ubisoft. Any speculation that says 'she didn't deserve her current placement' just reveals a sexists and cynical attitude.

But don't you think Felicia Day has more credibility to work in the industry?

Well my faith in humanity just dropped a couple of notches....

uguu

"A sexy lady runs the studio that made this game so I'm gonna buy it!"

Are you people fucking stupid?!

That comic is fucking disgusting on so many levels. The creator should never draw again

@Shady: Ubisoft Toronto actually. Also yes, this thread is horrible.

I don't think so, but man, I totally forgot she existed until right about now.

Wow really? this is a thread? wow kind of dumb

@ballblaster: Amy Hennig is not attractive

I had no idea who she was before the OP created this thread and, frankly, I couldn't care any less about this whole situation. She's just another person who makes video games, no better, no worse.

Who's that?

WTF is up with that comic?! A little warning would have been nice!

What kind of idiot buys a game because it has a female producer? If Ubisoft ever thought that would work, they didn't after the first Assassin's Creed, because she wasn't often seen after that.

Personally, I always wondered myself if she was just a pretty face for Assassin's Creed because I never got a clear sense of what she did behind the scenes. Also, I've always have the perception that Ubisoft has a history of using uber-attractive people to show off their games. I also have the perception that the comic the OP linked is pretty shitty.

@JasonR86 said:

@ballblaster said:

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

I thought you said earlier that you were just throwing this topic out there and not taking a stance one way or another? Bottom line is that all we can do is speculate because we don't work at Ubisoft. Any speculation that says 'she didn't deserve her current placement' just reveals a sexists and cynical attitude.

But don't you think Felicia Day has more credibility to work in the industry?

Great thread guys!

Of course, because we all know a semi attractive woman couldn't possibly hold a high position in a nerd driven industry based on her qualifications and merit alone.

Aren't you the Gersztmann guy?

@ballblaster said:

@JasonR86 said:

@ballblaster said:

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

I thought you said earlier that you were just throwing this topic out there and not taking a stance one way or another? Bottom line is that all we can do is speculate because we don't work at Ubisoft. Any speculation that says 'she didn't deserve her current placement' just reveals a sexists and cynical attitude.

But don't you think Felicia Day has more credibility to work in the industry?

Fuck. No.

Hmm, you sound like a hater to me. I'm not buying the premise that she is mildly attractive therefore she can't have any skills or talents other than looks. If they just wanted a hot looking chick to parade their games they could have found way better looking and younger women than her.

@ballblaster said:

Since the first time I saw a photo of the sexy Jade Raymond, I'd always thought... Come on, there are so few female game producers and most of them know jack all about videogames. They were most likely hired to fulfill some affirmitive action HR bullshit.

SMH at people's complete lack of understanding on what affirmative action is.

@ballblaster said:

Since the first time I saw a photo of the sexy Jade Raymond, I'd always thought... Come on, there are so few female game producers and most of them know jack all about videogames. They were most likely hired to fulfill some affirmitive action HR bullshit.

If you were talking about female presenters in video game shows maybe, but most females who make games I've seen interviews on seem to know as much as the men about video games. Also it is a very common fallacy that a hot woman must be stupid. You can be ugly and stupid or hot and smart, one does not exclude the other.

I'll take this oppurtunity to give a shout out to Reiko Kodama, one of my favorite video game producers and the person behind some of the best Phantasy Star games as well as the Dreamcast classic Skies of Arcadia.

@ballblaster said:

@JasonR86 said:

@ballblaster said:

I find it a bit funny how some of you holier-than-thou claim ourage, yet she had virtually nothing to her name prior to Assassin's Creed (and contrary to your believe, it was Patrice who drove that game, NOT Jade), and now all of a sudden she's the studio director for Ubisoft Toronto. Care to explain that, when industry stalwarts like CliffyB, Ken Levine, etc. had to claw their way up the chain over decades? I'm sure Yves Gulliemont knows the real answer.

I thought you said earlier that you were just throwing this topic out there and not taking a stance one way or another? Bottom line is that all we can do is speculate because we don't work at Ubisoft. Any speculation that says 'she didn't deserve her current placement' just reveals a sexists and cynical attitude.

But don't you think Felicia Day has more credibility to work in the industry?

based on what. a comic written by a 9 years old?

This is gross.

Oh my god your threads are all terrible

@ballblaster: But yeah you did. You said that you assume it's some "...HR bullshit" etc. People are reacting to what you are saying.

@ballblaster: You're a misogynist and a cunt. Here is why.

Jade Raymond was not the creative brains behind Assassin's Creed, but she was the producer of that game. She is a very big reason as to why that franchise we all love has even gotten a first release. The fact that everyone treats her like she's some kind of fap-trap (because she's attractive, duh) is disgusting, deplorable, and as far as I'm concerned, a healthy reason to avoid gamers like the plague. This kind of attitude is what disgusts me. Jade Raymond was the face of Assassin's Creed because A) she had a huge hand in getting it made and B) Patrice Desilets could not, at the time, speak in front of a fucking camera. He was worse than Rorie is now, or how Brad Shoemaker was a couple years ago. They needed someone who knew the product, who lived the product, and could talk. They got Jade.

Also this whole "Christina Norman is fugly so she obviously knows what she's talking about!" angle is disgusting. That is exactly what you meant by "she's not some sexy young vixen" isn't it? She's a middle aged woman who isn't attractive and is kinda fat. She looks like you, so she must obviously know what she's talking about, right?

Even if that wasn't your intention, the connotations of what you said made it sound even worse. Christina Norman is a great hand at gfame design. The fact that she has a birth canal shouldn't sway someones opinion in one way or the other. She's damn good at her job, and so is Jade Raymond.