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There's a lot of debate right now about diversity and inclusivity in games. The fact that there is a lot of debate is good, the nature of a lot of the debate less so. Today I want to talk about a specific facet of one argument; the idea that feminism, or more broadly thegeneral diversitymovement, is out to 'censor the artistic creativity' of games designers.

The idea is that by criticising sexist or exclusionist elements in videogames, proponents of diversity are actually seeking to control and censor the work ofthe artistsdesigning these videogames by forcing them to adopt more inclusive, more 'PC' elements.

Now a lot of this argument can be boiled down to 'actually I like chainmail bikinis, so everyone else should shut up' which is simple enough to write off, but then I remembered the debate aroundthe gameDragon's Crownand thought that it might actually be worth having a discussion about artistic freedom, criticism, censorship, and the difference between those last two words.

Dragon's Crownis a game by Vanillaware designed as a homage to the oldGolden Axestyle of scrolling beat-em-up. The game features hand dawn art byGeorge Kamitani, and drew ire at the time, particularly from Kotaku writer Jason Schreier, for its portrayal of its female characters. The who don't know their meme can get aquick rundown here, view theoriginal article by Schreier here, anda response by Penny Arcade'sJerry Holkins, which represents the common opposition to Schreier's view at the time.

I remember being conflicted. On the one hand, I can see why people would see the art as distasteful - at first glance it looks exactly like the sort of bad-anime oversexualisation designed to appeal to adolescent boys at the exclusion of everyone else. One the other hand though, I reallylikeKamitani's art, grotesque sexualisation included, and respect his right to draw whatever the hell he likes.

The argument - at least initially - seemed to be that for games to become more progressive then we need to see less art like Kamitani's, which I disagree with on personal grounds - because I like his art - but also because this smacks of censorship. Progressiveness should never call forlessartistic expression, regardless of whether that artistic expression is deemed tasteful or not.

This seems to be the argument wielded by a lot of those against the social justice movement - that progressives are seeking to censor art and homogenise entertainment by forcing designers to cater to every possible point of view with each of their products. Art that caters to the male gaze is still art, after all, so surely decrying the overabundance of it is also a cry for censorship?

In fact, the progressive movement is actually about criticism, rather than censorship, and there's a big difference between the two. It's the difference between designers making informed artistic decisions and falling unwittingly into using tropes without knowing any better. This is actually the point of projects likeTropes vs. Women in Video Games- not to highlight every moderately sexist element in games and declareyou should not do this, but to bring these tropes to people's attention so we can address them critically and constructively.

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Blog: Diversity, censorship, and criticism

24 September 2014 | On Stage | By: James Drury

Photo: Sofie Knijff

Protestors have forced the cancellation of the Barbicans latest show, Exhibit B, which has been branded racist by those opposing it.

The withdrawal of the work has polarised opinion some taking delight at the effectiveness of the protest, while others decry what they feel is censorship by a vocal group of protesters.

The work by South African artist Brett Bailey was to portray black actors in chains and cages in recreations of the human zoos which were an appalling feature of European 19th century history that saw publicexhibitionsof people, often kidnapped from Africa.

Over 23,000 people signed a petition to have the performance shut down, and many gathered outside the Barbican Centre last night to protest. Police were called, but no arrests were made.

The Barbican says it was the extreme nature of these proteststhat led it to cancel the event.

In a statement, the centre says:

We find it profoundly troubling that such methods have been used to silence artists and performers and that audiences have been denied the opportunity to see this important work.

Exhibit B raises, in a serious and responsible manner, issues about racism; it has previously been shown in 12 cities, involved 150 performers and been seen by around 25,000 people with the responses from participants, audiences and critics alike being overwhelmingly positive.

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Exhibit B: Victim Of Mob Censorship Or Vile History Used As Entertainment?

GOLDEN, Colo. - Censorship is in the eye of the beholder.

Pardon the adulterated aphorism, but both sides of the controversy in Jeffco Public Schools seem to be concerned that the other wants to censor history.

The argument that has now caused disruptions over four consecutive school days, including massive walkouts involving hundreds of students, is centered on a proposed review of the Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum -- abbreviated APUSH.

Newly elected school board member Julie Williams proposed forming a committee to review the content of the APUSH curriculum. One day after that proposal and another about teacher compensation appeared on a board meeting agenda, two high schools were forced to close because of a high number of teacher absences. The teachers returned to work Monday, but students have continued the protests.

The proposal submitted to the board suggested the committee would make sure that U.S. history materials "promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights. Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law. Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage. Content pertaining to political and social movements in U.S. history should present balanced and factual treatments of the positions."

Conifer High School teachers took to the "Support Jeffco Kids" Facebook page on Monday, alleging that the proposal would "require teachers to completely ignore certain aspects of American history rather than teach the entirety of American history."

APUSH is administered by the College Board, the same group that runs the SAT test. The new curriculum, summarized in a framework document, became effective in fall of 2014. Hundreds of other documents posted by the College Board delve deeper into each area of the curriculum.

Williams links the changes in APUSH to the Common Core -- a set of academic standards supported by President Barack Obama's administration but rejected by some states. Williams noted in a letter that she had also previously proposed opting out of the Common Core.

-- CONSERVATIVES WORK TO REVIEW APUSH --

Texas has notably rejected both APUSH and the Common Core. Their decision on APUSH came last week, amid uproar in conservative circles about perceived anti-American bias in the new curriculum and exam.

Excerpt from:
Why is AP History causing controversy in Jeffco?

MOSCOW, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Foreign ownership of Russian media outlets will be limited to 20 percent, in a bill passed by Russia's Parliament and supported by the party of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It targets publications critical of Putin and lengthens the reach of the government's control over the media in Russia. Foreign ownership in radio and television is restricted to 50 percent, but there had been no limits to print media ownership until now.

Russia's leading business newspaper, Vedomosti, is owned in part by Britain's Financial Times and the U.S.' Wall Street Journal, and would be subject to the proposed new rules as would magazines owned by Disney, Forbes and Conde Nast. The bill was passed in Parliament Tuesday by a 434-1 vote, legislators charging the West was using media to attack the Russian government.

"The cold war, namely the information war, which is being unleashed against the Russian Federation, requires us to apply its rules," said the bill's sponsor, Vadim Dengin.

Vedomosti and Forbes Russia have supplied Russia with some of the most critical coverage of the government. Both were successfully sued by Igor Sechin, head of the Russian oil company and a close friend of Putin's, after Forbes Russia named him Russia's highest-paid executive, at $50 million per year, and Vedomosti suggested he held excessive power over government decisions.

"Foreign ownership was the only thing that protected some Russian media outlets' editorial integrity," said Leonid Bershidsky, first editor of Vedomosti and the first publisher of Forbes Russia. "If it's not allowed, that last bit of protection is gone."

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Russian legislation aims to control media

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Sep-2014

Contact: Jacqui Bealing j.a.bealing@sussex.ac.uk 44-127-367-8888 University of Sussex

Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains, according to new University of Sussex research.

A study published today (24 September) reveals that people who frequently use several media devices at the same time have lower grey-matter density in one particular region of the brain compared to those who use just one device occasionally.

The research supports earlier studies showing connections between high media-multitasking activity and poor attention in the face of distractions, along with emotional problems such as depression and anxiety.

But neuroscientists Kep kee Loh and Dr Ryota Kanai point out that their study reveals a link rather than causality and that a long-term study needs to be carried out to understand whether high concurrent media usage leads to changes in the brain structure, or whether those with less-dense grey matter are more attracted to media multitasking.

The researchers at the University of Sussex's Sackler Centre for Consciousness used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the brain structures of 75 adults, who had all answered a questionnaire regarding their use and consumption of media devices, including mobile phones and computers, as well as television and print media.

They found that, independent of individual personality traits, people who used a higher number of media devices concurrently also had smaller grey matter density in the part of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the region notably responsible for cognitive and emotional control functions.

Kep kee Loh says: "Media multitasking is becoming more prevalent in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being. Our study was the first to reveal links between media multitasking and brain structure."

Original post:
Brain scans reveal 'gray matter' differences in media multitaskers