Particularly on the attempted rape scene I could tell that he was uncomfortable playing that section, from a nervous laugh (the kind you hear at funerals) and then commenting about how difficult to defeat the assailant was. To then trying to minimise what actually happened and what she(he) had to do to get out of the situation. I could tell from the look on his face, that in the back of his mind he was thinking is this what actually happens to women.

Of course there will always be people who don't see this view, but I think it might be an eyeopener for many.

Having said that the constant moans and cries and whimpers are completely unrealistic and do become quite irritating. The are like you say overly sexualised. As a martial artist I have observed little difference between men and women crying out in pain and both build up tolerances pretty quickly. In fact for me the more serious and painful something is the more likely my body is to shut down/delay my pain receptors. I really hope that Lara's moans start to decrease as the game progresses and she starts to get that numbness that goes with shock and trauma. They haven't once shown her properly angry yet either. They do show her empathy though and I think this is a great strength and the story is interesting.

On a sidenote: He said there is a lot more fighting than puzzle solving in this version. Something we both prefer in our game playing.

Anyway, talking about the misconceptions.
You are VERY wrong to say that these games are made only for men, and especially BY men only. Nowadays there are many women in video games industry, including in Crystal Dinamics. For better or for worse, many of the ideas that are being criticized in this game came from writer Rhiana Pratchett. This at least suggests that this sexist bias (in general) has at least the connivance of (some) women.
Another HUGE mistake is when commenting about Uncharted, it almost seems like that new "joke"/meme "It was my privilege". If you do not know, a woman is one of the powerful of the Naughty Dog studio, Amy Henning is the creator and designer of the series, the very soul of the characters in the series is her credit. Actually Uncharted is a neutral game in this respect, because you have several female characters portrayed with decent dignity in the series, but you picked up to make contrast with the alleged problems in Tomb Raider and unfairly convicted that game, as if it had guilt for being "well done".

Over time the games are getting better in this aspect, compare with what was years ago.
Currently they are on an average cultural market hollywood's level and the trend is increasingly improving.

I find 'bitch' a particularly offensive word, more so than any other, because it really is intended in many ways to get women to shut up. It was an observation that I have made that still nags at me, because I don't think it's appropriate to say that to a female person, or a female avatar. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry if my feeling uncomfortable, and talking about it, makes you feel uncomfortable.

I am not venomous at all to any men, or women. Some people in video game culture are venomous towards women though. This is unfortunate.

Finally, the reference to male gamers shouting "Bitch" at Lara after failing a jump is just pathetic. Yes, "bitch" is a word associated with the feminine. That does not mean that expressing frustration at a game character is sexist. Frankly, if Silent Hill's Harry Mason could get away with me calling him something as innocuous as a bitch after blundering into a fucking monster nurse for the fortieth time, he and my fiancee's ears would be overcome with an almost biblical sense of joy.

The state of female characters, particularly protagonists, in gaming could use some improvement. This is improvement that I would love to see coming, and the existence of articles that act as concrete proof of the existence of a female market for video games gives me hope to see it. Sexism, however, is a two-way street and the accusatory, almost venomous tone this particular article took towards men seemed counter-productive if not hypocritical to me.

(2/2)

I apologize for the double-post, my utter lack of a life is showing in my overzealous TL;DRing