It’s a problem, but it’s not one that Sony or most other game developers are in a position to solve. The likely reality was that the people brought on stage were the best qualified to do so.
I get why Elizabeth DeLoria might be annoyed, but what would she have Sony do? Game development (and really, engineering in general) is a male-dominated field, especially in Japan. This is a result of our education systems, our latent gender roles, the legacy of male-targeted games, the “video games are for boys” stereotype, the problems women have rising to the top of companies when childbirth could stall their momentum, etc. Many of the underlying causes of the industry’s gender inequality will take decades to meaningfully change (and that presumes the right social and government climate), and will involve real economic and social trade-offs. I know that’s no fun to people whose outrage cycles are about 3 hours long.
It’s easy in a snarky-Twitter-post way to say “hey, no women — sexist!”, but that’s continuing to focus on a tiny symptom of much larger problems. I’m more than a little sick of people who think taking easy cheap shots on Twitter somehow demonstrates they’re a better, more enlightened person, let-alone a feminist. That’s not to say they’re wrong to point it out, just that retweeting the tip of an iceberg (to mix metaphors) isn’t particularly profound or helpful.
Her claiming she’ll be buying a Wii U is ironic, as she’s just supporting another male-dominated Japanese company.
Thank you for posting a level-headed comment in a thread with crazy garbage coming from all directions.
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