Letter to G4

I rarely watch AOTS though I do love X-play ( I don't have cable so i check it out online or at my friends house). Yesterday I tuned in just for the special GTAIV coverage. I was put off by the gadget pr0n when Kevin (I think thats his name) was showing off the camera by focusing the camera on Olivia's chest. Especially after the ridiculous Open Source boob groping crap at ConFusion, I think it's become clear (whether it's true or not) that gamers, technophiles, nerds, etc. are grossly out of touch socially. I feel like the aforementioned segment of your show only reinforces that (both the public conception of gamers and the actual awkward mindset thereof ).
I want to convey that I am a gamer, I'm a PS3 fanboy and was the first one to pick up GTAIV at my local gamestop last night. I am aware of the inherent sexism in the some of the games that I play, but I feel that the example on your show is a little more potent in a couple ways.
GTAIV is obviously set in a fictitious world, it should be judged along the same lines as other fictitious media like movies, books, and music. AOTS is a show with real people talking about real things so people will probably take it as somewhat of a representation of the real world. I also feel that Olivia and Kevin are portrayed as equals: co-hosts (Like Adam and Morgan) so when one blatantly objectifies the other, it creeps me out and makes me feel guilty as part of the target audience. I feel strange bringing gender politics into a show about games and technology, but I want to have pride in being a gamer, games are such a huge part of my life right now and it's hard when I see evidence that being a gamer means taking part in a culture that doesn't necessarily actively objectify women but may not know better because of the way women are presented to them.
I would like games to be viewed as an art form just as TV, Film, and music. I feel like GTAIV is a step in that direction, but I feel that the negative view of the video game audience is stifling.


Ken