"There is difference and there is power. And who holds the power decides the meaning of the difference." --June Jordan

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Another slap in the face for female gamers:

The print version of the well-known gaming magazine EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) folded earlier this year, and rather than a refund for their subscriptions, its readers have just begun receiving issues of Maxim instead.

It seems that this first replacement issue comes with a note letting subscribers know they can opt for a prorated refund instead of more issues of the not-completely-nude-but-still-smutty men's mag, but this option means little, since they've already sent a message to each and every one of their female subscribers that their only important readers were dudes who like boobies.

9 comments:

plumpdumpling said...

Messed up! But maybe EGM and Maxim are owned by the same company, and they're the only two owned by that company, so it was the only option? Or Maxim is the most popular magazine owned by that company? Or, you know, it really was mostly straight men subscribing to EGM, so it was the democratic choice? Not to defend them or anything, but there's less likely to be an uproar over sending a bunch of guys Maxim than Knitter's Monthly or something. Is that a bad way of thinking?

So this means Dan is getting Maxim now, eh?

Gillian said...

Yes, that is a bad way of thinking. Even if most of the EGM subscribers were straight males (how would EGM even know their orientation?), giving them Maxim sends the message that ALL the subscribers are straight and male, or at least all the subscribers who matter are. EGM probably did make the decision based on the fact that their subscribers are more than 50% male but it's a slap in the face to the female subscribers, especially in the larger context of massive sexism in the video game industry. And it's telling that EGM picked a magazine that actively objectifies women, rather than a male-oriented but less offensive magazine. If they were going to give subscribers another magazine, it should have been a video game magazine, and if they were unable to do that (Ziff Davis Media is the owner and I can't find any connection to Maxim, which is owned by Dennis Publishing) and unable to give even a partial refund, then giving them nothing would have been better than Maxim.

Gillian said...

Correction: Hearst apparently is the parent company of both publishers, along with a crapload of other publishers: http://bostonbrahmina.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/do-you-like-video-games-then-you-must-love-tits/

Tracey said...

plumpdumpling: Yeah, I can't see it being a democratic choice, since they probably have no real data of any kind showing that the majority of their subscribers are straight guys. And even if they did, the fact that Maxim objectifies women in addition to marketing their magazine toward men makes it a completely insulting choice.

I tried to think of a situation in which the genders were reversed -- like if one of my scrapbooking magazines went out of business and they sent a consolation subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, which is aimed at women. I'm not saying I think this switcheroo is a good idea either, since it's likely to alienate male subscribers or even female subscribers who don't care about recipes and home organization tips, but nothing about this replacement feels discriminatory and oppressive, like in the case of Maxim.

And, yes. Dan will likely receive his first Maxim issue soon. It's actually not the first time, since EGM has sent out bonus issues of Maxim before, or added a free 3-month subscription of it for EGM subscribers. I remember seeing an issue of it once at Dan's and got totally weirded out, since he's so not the Maxim type.

Tracey said...

...it's a slap in the face to the female subscribers, especially in the larger context of massive sexism in the video game industry.

Exactly, Gillian. And thanks for digging up that other link. I'm not surprised that the magazines are connected, but you're right. It doesn't make it any less annoying that this happened.

plumpdumpling said...

All I'm saying is: pipe down and enjoy the boobies.

Osteo Angel said...

We have been discriminated against. It is plain and simple. Some sort of action needs to be taken, because if we ignore this slap in the face then we are taking a huge step backwards. I am ready and willing to do what it takes to make the video game community aware that this sort of discrimination will not stand. I am going to be calling as many people as I can to complain, I don't want a refund; as Gillian said, "nothing would have been better than MAXIM"!

Kelli Stakenas said...

People immediately think about women and how horrid it is for women to be receiving this magazine, but has anyone ever considered that a majority of the subscribers to EGM were children? I have nothing against female gamers, being that I am one (and man did I receive funny looks from the neighbor when I found that sucker in my mailbox). Think, however, about the shitloads of parents out there who are interrogating their children right now on the misunderstanding that they got this magazine on their own choice. That alone shows poor taste from the company.

Tracey said...

Kelli: This is a really good point. Maxim is anything bug kid-friendly.