Female characters in video games

[PipBoy2000]

Just another woman trying to get attention to herself by writing about sexism in videogames. or at least that's my opinion. Also, the TF2 Characters are great don't ruin them.

I tend to agree with her. Too much cleavage, too little character.

As for the TF models - I find them quite funny... and wonder if someone will bother to record feminine quotes too

 

[PipBoy2000]

stuff

Did you read the article or look at the other pictures?
She based her drawings on pictures of female soldiers from the game's era... and some of them do have a long hair. It's just not practical for female combatants to have a very long hair and to wear makeup.

 

[Sparrow]

And beside Valve's and Funcom's, couldn't think of much.

You see, this is some that irks me. I feel as if Valve are just trying to hoarde brownie points by making female characters constantly have female roles because the public loves it. But in the same way, I think that's worse. They're just capitalising on what the public want by creating a geek's wet dream. I think that's more degrading toward women than say, a woman with her rack out.

 

[gjendemsjo]

They're mostly over-sexualized.
But even worse is when the people who want to make a tough woman always make her a stone cold *****.
But around 3% of the time, a good video game woman can be made, my favorite being female commander Shepard from Mass effect. Mostly because she's male commander Shepard but with tits and a softer voice.

 

[rokkolpo]

i blame society.

 

[PTSpyder]

I completely agree - its totally out of line to have sexy leading ladies in videogames. When you compare the female leads in videogames to other entertainment media like movies, television or pop music, you can see how pathetic their record truly is at being progressive like these other mediums are. Shame on you software publishers for delivering what your market demographic wants!

 

[CoverYourHead]

Someone already said it, but Bioware did a great job with their female roles.

I also think Faith from Mirror's Edge is a rather interesting character, seeing as how Mirror's Edge is a really feminist game. Every male in that frickin' game either get killed, beaten up, or kicked in the 'nads, usually BY a female character.

Alright, seriously, I really hate it when people say this. It's ludicrous. The game has a female protagonist, some of the antagonists are male and thus are defeated. Just because a game has a female protagonist does NOT make it a feminist game. This is like saying that Half-Life is male-ist (whatever the hell the opposite of feminist is) because the male protagonist kills a bunch of other males and the female characters aren't as important to the story as the men.

/rant

OT: As has been previously said, I like BioWare's female characters. They're tough without losing their femininity, and they're not just sex objects or helpless girls.

 

[Marik2]

If the story calls for them to be like that, then by all means. But stereotypically tossing them into that role when they could be a normal person like the male characters is just dumb. I'm not sure even the guys like it anymore... :/

Guys never liked it, its just most developers think having an overly sexualized women would give them more sells.

 

[PipBoy2000]

You see, this is some that irks me. I feel as if Valve are just trying to hoarde brownie points by making female characters constantly have female roles because the public loves it. But in the same way, I think that's worse. They're just capitalising on what the public want by creating a geek's wet dream. I think that's more degrading toward women than say, a woman with her rack out.

How do Valve's feminine characters degrade women? By simply being there?
If a zombie outbreak or an alien invasion would occur in the future, I don't think women would just disappear
And hope not, that would kinda suck.

 

[Marik2]

Yet when you have a female character who acts like one of the dudes, she's hated (Wet)

No she was just a douche and I know its hard to believe it but most guys don't act like that.

 

[I Max95]

Bioware seems to do a pretty good job with female characters in their RPG's.
They aren't over sexualized or anything, just female.

miranda was from ME2 the camera trying desperatly hard to show her ass
she has the most reavealing sex scene (i exclude jack's)
and she is wholely unrelatable complaining about being perfect...why?
i watched the romance subplot play out and honestly it looked like just an emotionless hook-up
if that isnt sexualization i dont know what is

 

[SavingPrincess]

And beside Valve's and Funcom's, couldn't think of much.

You see, this is some that irks me. I feel as if Valve are just trying to hoarde brownie points by making female characters constantly have female roles because the public loves it. But in the same way, I think that's worse. They're just capitalising on what the public want by creating a geek's wet dream. I think that's more degrading toward women than say, a woman with her rack out.

Dude, there is nothing wet or dreamy about Rochelle... I hate her; she's lifeless, paper thin and annoying. Chell is silent and you rarely even see what she looks like. Alyx is like a normal person in a world like that... I don't understand where you're coming from on this.

 

[Sparrow]

How do Valve's feminine characters degrade women? By simply being there?
If a zombie outbreak or an alien invasion would occur in the future, I don't think women would just disappear
And hope not, that would kinda suck.

Dude, there is nothing wet or dreamy about Rochelle... I hate her; she's lifeless, paper thin and annoying. Chell is silent and you rarely even see what she looks like. Alyx is like a normal person in a world like that... I don't understand where you're coming from on this.

Well, the way I see it, in games that sexualise women, women are there so men and possibly lesbians can oogle at their bodies.

In Valve games, they're there because Valve has seen there is a gap in the market and they're capitalising on it by creating, as I said before, the geeky wet dreams. Women that men unlucky in love, or AKA most men above 20 who spend more time playing on games than going out, might have a chance with. I think that's far worse.

 

[apelsz]

Two words: Samus Aran.

What I mean by that is, she's not stereotyped at all, unless you count the whole "super robot armor" thing.

 

[HeySeansOnline]

I know bioware has been mentioned but i love teh females in ME, Ashley, Tali, Liara, and the other characters you encounter are all different and good in their own way, connie from steambot chronicles is great as her character develops, shes a bit damsel in distress but by robots not twiddly mustached villians, and also i enjoyed athena in God of War, she had a feel that matched to an extent the mythos, but she wasn't sexualised like some of the other girls.

 

[SavingPrincess]

Well, the way I see it, in games that sexualise women, women are there so men and possibly lesbians can oogle at their bodies.

In Valve games, they're there because Valve has seen there is a gap in the market and they're capitalising on it by creating, as I said before, the geeky wet dreams. Women that men unlucky in love, or AKA most men above 20 who spend more time playing on games than going out, might have a chance with. I think that's far worse.

Okay, cool, right, fine...

What are you basing this on?

 

[Gingersalt]

Personally I think its a two way street. There are plenty of games where the male protagonist is portrayed as the form of god like masculinity which is just as equally unrealistic. I think by focusing on only the one gender rather than the sexism of both sort of decreases the study's creditability.

Regardless though its all about the games market audience, as after all the creators want to sell their game. At the end of the day sex sells, to both men and women.

 

[soulsabr]

It was put best in "Last Action Hero", and I quote, "She is way too attractive to be working in a video store". If they arn't some hideously ugly inn keeper, plot line device, female characters are pretty to say the very least. Plain, ugly, and plain ugly just don't sell to the target 14 year-old audience.