France To Implement New Legislation To Combat Video Game Sexism

Sexism in video games has been a major part of the industry since the introduction of online multiplayer mode. Players call each other all sorts of things, even suggesting lewd acts with female family members; i.e. one’s mother. In one of the biggest responses to this trend, France is poised to introduce legislation that will change things towards a less-discriminatory path, particularly in terms of how female characters are treated in the games themselves

Le Figaro originally broke the story, detailing how French Minister of Digital Affairs Axelle Lemaire called leaders in the French video game sector to talk about the problem of sexism in the industry. Among the methods proposed to help address sexism among video game players is to provide developers with certain financial incentives if they keep to certain conditions when developing their respective titles.

As the recent “Gamergate” scandal highlighted, there is a palpable habit among gamers to have sexist tendencies towards women. All the death threats, name-calling, stalking, and general unpleasant activities directed at actual women made it clear that something is making video game enthusiasts aggressive towards anything they view as a threat towards what is traditionally a macho industry. This is why Lemaire met with members of the video game industry, as confirmed to The Verge by an inside source.

The Verge notes how this new proposal builds on the failed legislation by the National Assembly deputy Catherine Coutelle who wanted to punish developers who made games that degraded women via tax credit exemption. This time said game developers would be slapped with an 18 and over rating on their titles and they would not be allowed to show advertising on TV during Prime Time.

Among video game titles that are considered acceptable under their terms include “Life Is Strange” for its female protagonist and “Dishonored 2” for allowing players to choose between male and female.