They are not welcome: IGN and District 9’s sexist contest
I picked up a Game Informer the other day, and one of the first full pages is the “Who’s Who?” on the staff. I scanned the page and something popped out at me: there were ten staff writers, and they were all men.1
But that’s just the beginning. If you’re a gamer or a comics nerd you may have heard of IGN.com’s contest/promotion for the upcoming SF flick District 9. The winner will get flown out to San Diego Comic Con and be sent on “assignment” to do some reporting and promotion of the film. I hadn’t thought anything of it until I saw Johanna Draper’s post looking at the actual contest rules. Let’s have a look:
This sweepstakes is open only to males who are both legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Washington D.C. and who are at least between 18-24 years of age as of July 23, 2009…
I’m sorry? Did that actually say it was only open to MALES? Congratulations, IGN.com and District 9: you have the dubious honor of being the first group I’ve ever seen bleed their sexism into a friggin’ contest.
Uncategorized | Torie | 
June 12, 2009 2:47 pm | 
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In my mind, the best kind of RPG is a well-plotted fantasy novel. I want fun characters and a clever, fully-developed world with large-scale problems. I don’t mind the cliches as long as there’s a solid story, and I don’t even mind predictability as long as something surprises me along the way. I know there are people out there who live for the combat in RPGs, even on trash. I’m not one of them. I like story and I like boss fights and I slough through the trash in between because I want to know what happens. I have no patience for repetitive grinding but exceptional patience for cut scenes, animations, and character development.
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