Once Again, the Game Industry Engulfed by 'Gender Conflict'
Nexon's game MapleStory has been embroiled in a controversy over a finger gesture symbolizing misogyny, and now a statement condemning Nexon has emerged. The criticism is that Nexon is shifting all responsibility onto its subcontractor, Studio Ppurie.
Currently, Nexon, the developer of MapleStory, has set the promotional animation video for MapleStory Angelic Buster Remaster, uploaded on their official YouTube channel, to private. [Photo by Nexon YouTube]
On the 4th, the Korea Game Consumer Association issued a statement saying, "The responsibility for this incident lies with the primary contractor, Nexon," and added, "Nexon has caused extensive damage not only to the labor rights of its own workers but also to the labor rights of the subcontractor Studio Ppurie's workers, and furthermore to the survival of the subcontractor itself."
They continued, "Studio Ppurie did not receive any practical work instructions or improvement requests related to this matter," and "Instead, they were met with Nexon's legal team's scapegoating-style pressure."
They also emphasized, "(Studio Ppurie) issued an unconditional apology through a notice to swiftly end the controversy regardless of the facts, and when the controversy did not subside, they posted a second notice mainly concerning the resignation of their workers," and "(Nexon) incited human rights violations against the subcontractor and its workers."
Controversy Grows Despite Apologies from Nexon and Subcontractor
On the 4th, the Korea Game Consumer Association issued a statement. In this statement, the Korea Game Consumer Association said, "The responsibility for this incident lies with the primary contractor, Nexon," and criticized, "Nexon has caused extensive damage not only to the labor rights of its own workers but also to the labor rights of the workers at its partner company Studio Ppuri, and furthermore to the survival of the partner company itself." [Photo by Korea Game Consumer Association]
The controversy began with the finger gesture. In the promotional animation video for Nexon's MapleStory 'Angelic Buster Remaster,' created by the animation studio 'Studio Ppurie,' a scene suspected of showing a 'misogynistic hand gesture' appeared, sparking debate.
The hand gesture is known to be used in online communities associated with misogyny, such as 'Megalia.' The shape involves the thumb and index finger pinching something. Socially, it has been a gesture commonly used to indicate a 'small difference,' but amid intensified gender conflicts, some interpret it as mocking a specific body part of Korean men.
In response, some netizens launched an offensive, claiming, "A feminist writer hid a misogynistic symbol implying that Korean men have small genitalia." Studio Ppurie, which produced the video, quickly issued an apology, and the video was set to private. The female artist reportedly responsible for drawing the problematic scene faced a barrage of criticism.
As the controversy spread, the media investigated the issue, and it was confirmed that the problematic scene was drawn by a man in his 40s. The review was overseen by a male director in his 50s. This led to criticism of netizens who escalated the controversy based on premature assumptions.
Moreover, Nexon, the primary contractor, escalated the controversy by threatening legal action against the subcontractor without conducting a proper investigation. In particular, despite Nexon having reviewed and approved the script and video multiple times, criticism arose that Nexon shifted responsibility onto the subcontractor as the controversy grew.
Gender Conflicts Spreading Across the Industry
The beginning of gender conflicts in the gaming industry dates back to the 2016 voice actor replacement incident in Nexon's game "Closers." At that time, voice actress Kim Jayeon, who played a character in the game, posted a photo of a T-shirt from the radical feminist group "Megalia" on her Twitter, which eventually led to her replacement. [Photo by Kim Jayeon]
Gender conflicts in the gaming industry are not new. The beginning of such conflicts dates back to the 2016 Nexon game 'Closers' voice actor replacement incident. At that time, voice actor Kim Ja-yeon, who played a character in the game, was replaced after posting a photo of a T-shirt from the radical feminist group 'Megalia' on her Twitter.
Since then, many large and small game companies have faced significant turmoil due to gender conflicts. In 2018, a domestic illustrator for the Chinese game 'Girls' Frontline' was dismissed for sharing a tweet related to the novel 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982.'
In 2020, the developer of the game 'Chrono Ark' posted a photo apologizing with his head bowed to the ground after controversy arose over hiring an illustrator who supported feminism.
In the same year, 'Guardian Tales,' released by Kakao Games, faced criticism that in-game dialogue contained misogynistic ideas, leading to the replacement of the production team.
Meanwhile, gender conflicts, including 'misogyny,' appear to be spreading beyond the gaming industry to the broader industrial sector. On the 28th of last month, POSCO's official YouTube channel, POSCO TV, was found to have the controversial 'hand gesture' in a video uploaded three months earlier.
When the video became controversial, POSCO reportedly set the video to private without making any official statement.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
