I Need Your Help

Sarah at Feministe posted about a free online videogame called “Hey Baby.”

Jessica Wakeman describes it thus: A new video game called “Hey Baby” lets a female avatar run around with a gun, shooting men who sexually harass her with the usual obnoxious crap, like “You know you want it!” and “I love you!” When she shoots her harassers, headstones rise from the ground with his catcall in place of his name.

Kieron Gillen, writing for the gaming magazine Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

Okay: the game isn’t about mowing down men. It’s about male privilege and what male privilege feels like.

The game’s rubbish, of course. But the one thing it does well is show how what you may think is an innocuous compliment feels in the context of a woman’s life. You approaching a woman in the street and being what you think is politely flirty is a different thing when, down the street, someone’s suggested that maybe you’d like to suck my dick and you’re a fucking bitch if you don’t.

From her perspective, it’s a culture of harassment she has to either politely deal with or ignore.

From your perspective, you’re just showing how you feel.

That your passing desire means you get to derail a woman’s life whenever you feel like it is the absolute definition of male privilege.

Seth Schiesel at the New York Times:

no matter what you do, they keep on coming, forever. The game never ends. I found myself throwing up my hands and thinking, “Well what am I supposed to do?” Which is, of course, what countless women think every day.

So where is the line between saying “Hey, sweetheart” and “Baby, I could blow your back out”? Is there one?

I doubt any noninteractive art form could have given me as visceral an appreciation for what many women go through as part of their day-to-day lives.

Just as I have never been sexually harassed, I have never accosted a strange woman on the street. After playing Hey Baby, I’m certainly not about to start.

Wow, that sounds impressive. I went to the site and tried to play it, but I've never played these games, and suck at it so bad I really couldn't get a feel for the game, much less form any opinion on its significance. Mostly I was good at running into walls. So

Please, Please,

please, someone who is a gamer and can do these things, play this game and let me know of your experience. I really want to know.