Feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian has been on the warpath, as of late, taking aim at a number of high-profile video games. For reasons unknown, the Feminist Frequency founder has shifted much of her attention towards Bethesda’s video game wares.
Sarkeesian abhorred the Maryland-based publishers E3 2015 conference, condemning the violence of both Fallout 4 and id Software’s hyper-violent Doom. As previously reported by Viral Global News, she also criticized the development team behind Dishonored 2 - Arkane Studios - for not making an “exclusively female lead.”
Now, the publisher’s newly launched, and wildly popular, vault simulator has caught her critical eye. Why? Pregnancy mechanics.
Sarkeesian on Why Fallout Shelter Perpetuates Sexism
In a July 2 tweet, Sarkeesian claims the pregnancy mechanics of Fallout Shelter are “super troubling.” She continues, “The primary way to progress is to impregnate as many women as possible.”
That same day, she lambasted the gameplay mechanics, further, for turning pregnant women “hysterical,” and making them “… run away from danger while flailing their arms.”
Still on July 2, a further barrage of criticisms were tweeted out from Feminist Frequency HQ. “Using childbirth as a simplistic gameplay mechanic is both dehumanizing and also perpetuates widespread sexist ideas about pregnant women.”
She hammered home the message in another tweet: “Satire actively criticizes its target. Fallout Shelter’s pregnancy mechanics aren’t satirizing 50s sexism, just ‘humorously’ reproducing them.”
Sarkeesian also points to an article from sci-fi writer Eugene Fischer, who also shows little appreciation for Fallout Shelter’s gameplay mechanics.
To most, including Fischer, it’s quite clear why the developers made this particular design choice. Bethesda has carefully considered what to do, in the event that children and pregnant women encounter harmful situations.
Society deems these two sets of people as being vulnerable, and in need of protection. In reality, if a man were shot dead in the street, the public would be shocked. Arguably, if a pregnant woman were shot dead in the street, the outcry among certain circles would be even greater. Rightly or wrongly, I even debated with myself whether I should include that last contention in this article; perhaps a clear sign as to how sensitive an issue this is.
Because of the afore-mentioned mechanics, Fischer believes the game treats women as if they were a bunch of incompetent children. He claims, while non-pregnant women and men are capable of handling all manner of emergencies - from radroach attacks to fires - pregnant women are portrayed in a much less capable light.
According to Fischer, this gameplay mechanic has a knock-on impact, incentivizing players to segregate pregnant females and create male-dominant working environments. In addition, by Fischer’s account, the game encourages the gamer to keep all women pregnant to ensure they remain happy, while also keeping the labor pool turning over.
The Problem With Bethesda Changing the Pregnancy Mechanic
Unfortunately, this leaves Bethesda caught between a rock and a hard place. If they keep the system the way it is, a number of feminist critics will continue complaining that Fallout Shelter promotes a “patriarchal system,” and encourages oppression of women.
Meanwhile, in a bid to introduce true realism and equality, Bethesda would need to make both children and pregnant women vulnerable to the post-apocalyptic wasteland’s many perils. Presumably, this would mean that pregnant women could be harmed during gun fights, outbreaks of fire, radroach invasions, etc. In turn, certain quarters of the mainstream media would portray Fallout Shelter as being “that game where pregnant women and children are mercilessly slain.” Not a good idea.
On the other hand, giving invincible pregnant women the ability to do anything non-pregnant women and men can do would likely encourage players to keep women pregnant. This would relegate male characters to the role of mere “inseminators,” and push the player into amassing an unstoppable army of pregnant females; this would lead to even more unbalance in the game.
It’s interesting to note, neither Sarkeesian nor Fischer offer any solutions to the perceived problem. That’s likely because there isn’t one that will satisfy everybody, and, no doubt, they realize this.