A fairer protagonist?

[tobyornottoby]

short "sexy" hair as I recall from the "current" gen one (perfect dark zero?)..not like a cut that obviously belongs in a guy

Yeah I editted because I think the old one is more the all-business type =)

EDIT: and it also seems to be the suit. When I google "Joanna Dark" the first image of the current gen one shows clevage.
Maybe the original was sexy without being sexualized?

 

[Tallim]

Nightshade is awesome Good choice.

Right: might be the odd repeat from the thread

Parasite Eve
Tenchu: Deadly Shadows (both mains are female)
Beyond Good And Evil
Longest Journey
Haunting Ground
Silent Hill 3

There are a couple more lurking in my head but can't place the names of the games.

 

[albinoterrorist]

No female protagonists? Ha!

What about the entirety of Metal Gear Solid 2, following the Tanker incident?

 

[DracoSuave]

Make that 8. I just remember Ruby from "Wet". Remember? That Taratino based game from last year? No?

And on a related note, Hibana is a good example of how to design a female character to be feminine without being sexual. Here's a picture of her.

....You're kidiing right?

See my explanation up above. And I suppose I shouldn't have said "Without being sexual". I just meant to point out that she is designed without the designer feeling the need to expose part of her breasts, or give her gigantic knockers/

Indeed, giving her a permanent asscheeck spreading wedgie and putting her in tight bright white and glowing red spandex except for netting designed to show she's naked underkneath isn't at ALL sexual!

This [http://www.triadtoys.com/Archive/FEMALE+NINJA+(GREY+ACFS+EXCLUSIVE).html] is how you do a functional female ninja costume. Notice: It's loose fitting and contributes to stealth.

 

[NathLines]

I am waiting for the day when a AAA RPG comes out that everyone has to play(for example: a Bioware game)... And you can only play as a woman.

Then I will revel in the rage.

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

Earlier today, I bought a PS2 game called "Nightshade". In it, you play a female ninja, or kunoichi, named Hibana. The reason I bring this up is it made me realize how few games have you play exclusively as female characters. Quite a few games have a female option, but how many require you to play a female?

Off the top of my head, all I can think of are Tomb Raider, Metroid, and Syphon Filter. And even then, the last one's main character is male, but the sequels have parts requiring you to play female side characters.

Why is it so rare for females to be the sole, or even main, protagonist? And why is it that a female protagonist is so rare?

On a side note, buy Nightshade. It is a hidden gem.

still more games than that have a black male protagonist


when I'm playing a shooter I want someone like the COLE TRAIN!
To be my character
not some pansy british /american dude

on that note : I want an australian/irish/scottish voiced protagonist too

maybe an Irish black guy?

 

[keideki]

A fair few of the Resident Evil games let you play as a female main character. Folklore for the PS3 lets you place as a female main character. Bayonetta, Xenosaga games, Dynasty Warriors.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Well there is also the woman from some Jurrasic Park who had her health bar on her jugs :3.

You mean this lady?

 

[jezcentral]

Hydrophobia, too.

Torchlight, Trine and Diablo have female protagonists available.

 

[Vault101]

Everything is sexualized. Get over it.

yeah, but there is a difference between a chrachter and "a set of boobs"

but even then to be honest I dont see sexualisation as the problem and to be honest there are plenty of decent female charachters, sexualised or not, its just that there are bareley any big games that allow a female protagonist that isnt optional

and of coarse a girl on the level of say alex vance (that old chestnut we keep going back too) would be a refreshing change and not a bad thing

this is what annoys me with debates like this...no one is saying "ALL SEXUALISATION IN GAMES IS BAD" full stop and Im also not saying "ALL FEMALE CHARACHTERS MUST NOT BE IN ANY WAY SEXUAL WHAT SO EVER" to me Its just as stupid as saying "ALL GAMES SHOULD NOT HAVE A WESTERN THEME NO MATTER WHAT"

I am waiting for the day when a AAA RPG comes out that everyone has to play(for example: a Bioware game)... And you can only play as a woman.

Then I will revel in the rage.

you mean like a reverse of the Brink situation? yes...that would be very interesting

 

[OneOfTheMichael's]

I dunno, back when males were the majority of gamers a long time ago.
But i do see at least more opportunities for female protagonists. Such as gears of war 3 you can play as Anya or Sam in multiplayer or horde.

 

[MercurySteam]

Off the top of my head, WET and Bayonetta both have female characters you are required to play as.

Make that 8. I just remember Ruby from "Wet". Remember? That Taratino based game from last year? No? Deleting the rest of the post due to being a big mistake.

It was Rubi, and yes the game was very meh with the replay appeal of a used condom. Apparently, they're making a squeal too.

Run while you can.

 

[Sangnz]

Off the top of my head games with strong female protags

Tomb Raider
Bayonetta
Parasite Eve
Blood Rayne
Mirrors Edge
Heavenly Sword
Metroid
Tenchu
Any RPG that allows gender selection

At the end of the day I feel seeing for a long time it has been easier for a male dominated industry to develop protags that are male.
Also any spouting the whole why are they always sexy hot women card, when was the last time you saw a male protag that wasn't built like a pro athlete with either the ruggedly handsome or pretty boy good looks face. Male game characters are just as objectified as female.

 

[Manji187]

That Hibana character has the worst ninja costume I've ever seen. With those glowing things on her head she's more "race car-turned-woman" than a ninja.

 

[tzimize]

Well. Obvious answer is obvious. Most people like to play something they can relate to or want to be. Traditionally gaming has been a man/boy-dominated pasttime, hence most main characters are male.

Personally I wouldnt mind more female protagonists. Despite some glaring flaws I enjoyed the hell out of Heavenly sword for example. And I often make my main character in RPGs female. DA:O and Mass Effect to name a few.

Lets not forget that a woman getting punched is often seen as harsh where as a man getting punched is just meh-well.

There are plenty of reasons why most characters are male, doesn't necessarily make it right, but to be frank I would much rather play a male character. (Would be nice for those who wish to play female characters to be able to do so as well)

Good point. Women in games can often be so masculinized that they are nothing more than "bros" with jugs.

I dont want more female protagonists for the sake of it, but I would like the industry to be a bit more creative regarding stories and characters. As a whole.

 

[Zhukov]

On topic:

How would you play as a "normal joe" in a video game where you jump impossible heights and pull bullets out with the power of your pecks? You can't. It's called "willing suspension of disbelief", and it's a lot harder to believe that Fat Joe can run for hours on end with heavy weaponry, jump around like Mario, and dodge bullets for days on end than, say, some guy who looks like he hasn't missed a six hour workout a day in his life. Chances are, these kinds of people are the same ones that look pretty good, what with their uber-pecks and perfectly chiseled faces. Or, in the case of girls because that's the only thing that these threads ever focus on, massive mammaries, tight buttocks, and a six pack that will always be shown.

Also, humans like to look at pretty people. Do you people believe that pretty people can't be well characterized?

It is a shame when a girl walks on screen whose personality can be summed up with the word "*****". But that's bad writing, not bad character design. I don't hear anyone complaining about Morrigan, but take a look at her picture on the internet. Or the girl from Mirror's Edge, but again, take a look at her picture.

My point is that I don't want to play as ugly people. I got enough ugly for myself. Decency and some realism in breast size would be nice, but many Escapists seem to think that any character that looks halfway attractive is automatically bad.

Surely you are being disingenuous. Dear God, I hope you are.

In short, there is a huge difference between "attractive" and "sexualised".

Nobody has a problem with the former (although I wouldn't mind seeing less of it for the sake of variety). It's the latter that tends to get eyes rolling.

To use your examples, Faith from Mirror's Edge is attractive, but not sexualised. I've never seen anyone complain about her. Morrigan... borderline, since it depends what outfit she has equipped. However, she was actually well characterized, which no doubt cut down on potential complaints.