I have never understood the point of cat-calling. Is the assumption that the random woman you are yelling “Hey baby, nice ass” at is going to then turn around and go home with you so that you can have sex? In what world does that work? And since it isn’t this one, why is cat-calling still pervasive? It happens to my fiancee all the time and drives her nuts.
That’s why I’m going to introduce her to Hey Baby so she can take her aggression out virtually. As the New York Times reveals, Hey Baby is a browser-based FPS developed by New York artist and producer Suyin Looui that allows you to shoot men who cat-call at you, and those who say nice things as well. You get a choice to either mow them down and have a tombstone with their cat-call on it pop up or send them love and have them walk off happy. Some of the guys say nice things, others are just assholes. It’s your choice what to do and it never actually ends.
Having played it, it isn’t a very exciting game, but I suppose it’s an interesting piece of interactive art, and raises some interesting points of how games can change “the self” so that you experience the world from a different perspective. There’s a lot of great discussion that could come out of this, but most importantly just show a little respect, guys.
A Woman With the Firepower to Silence Those Street Wolves [New York Times]
