Female Gamers: Are you tired of being presented with no dignity?

[DP155ToneZone]

Consider these questions,

Does the Developer have any sort of representative obligation to their audience?

Is it okay for us to expect developers to alter their games for us, the audience?

I'm not sure if they do or not.

 

[CrystalShadow]

*snip*

Aww man. Now you go and make me work. Dammit. -.-;
Meaning, quite obviously, that the female characters are not designed for chicks to like them. How was that not clear? They were designed to be sexually appealing. It is like trying to cry because a porn actresses character was not developed enough.
Hell as Labyrinth pointed out in another thread, girls are raised to hate other girls. Especially over looks. As no matter what they do you will find fault with it why should they care what you like?
So no, there is no point in trying to change. Yes, it may get them a little more respect from you but to be honest, who cares about you? You are not their target audience, you are not the majority, they care about that one specific group called "the majority" okay.
Besides, most of these girls you people spend all your time complaining about are in games that rely on sex appeal. Do you really think X-Blades would sell without the chick? It is a crap game. Same as any of the Tomb Raiders after the first one. The sex appeal is what makes most of these people decide to buy it even though it sucks.
What do you think the company cares about more. The respect of a few tiny groups or lots more $$ pouring in?
Besides, how do I phrase this so you will understand... If you are spending soo much time worrying about how the character looks and not on the story, maybe you should give up gaming altogether.
You no like, you no buy. Simple as that.

Eh. I should know better than to keep arguing a point.
Yes. Of course certain games sell on that alone.

The problem often seems to be finding one that doesn't.
Ah well.
I play what I play, and in the end, I don't care enough to bother trying to figure out why this keeps getting more and more prominent.

I'll just have to see how much influence I can muster with it.
Because, after all, this is as much down to the people that make games, as it is the ones that buy them.

If I can't get a game to sell without resorting to this kind of cheap stuff, then I'll concede the point.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Not this again. Who the frack cares about female gamers? Stop whining about girls in video games being hotter than you could ever, ever, ever be. Until they turn all the male characters to fat, greasey, cheeto covered slobs you have no right to complain.
Simple fact is, the majority does not want a fat, acne scarred chick any more than they do in their male leads. Apart from Mario how many ugly, unappealing male main characters are there?
The only thing that really destroys female gamers dignity is when they are seen crying over such a trivial matter.
Society likes pretty people. If you do not like it, do not buy it.

Hmm.. you obviously havn't been around many female gamers, or maybe many females. So here's the rub:
I play games. I also have D-cup breasts, weigh around 130 pounds, have never had skin problems in my life, no longer menstruate thanks to a little implant in my arm, and have been described as "nothing short of magnificent". I have it pretty good you know. I drew a lucky card in the genetics department, and I like to take care of myself. But you know what? I care about my identity too. When I play a game, I want the focus to be on game play. I want a good, believable story. I want immersive character development. I don't want unrealistic, sexually driven character design. If I'm suppose to be wearing battle armor, put me in friggin' battle armor, not a peice of tinfoil and vinyl that my nipples barely stay inside.

Honestly go cry about it. It's been said numerous times in this thread... Sex sells. Men are subject to stereotypes too. Stop splitting hairs. Go make a pot roast.

 

[Avatar Roku]

*snip*

Most chicks I know would not even like that type of outfit on a guy. They like beefcakes and uniforms. So a cop uniform is far better for them than strips of spandex.
Besides, a cowboy hat, strap vest and assless chaps would probably appeal more to homosexuals than chicks.

I know, I just meant something equally degrading (and arguably racist, but that's for another discussion) expressly for fanservice.

 

[Citrus]

Men tend to like women in revealing clothes.

Spoiler: Women tend to like muscular guys with a five o'clock shadow.

All entertainment mediums feature predominately sexy characters on both ends of the spectrum. If there were as many female gamers as there are male gamers, you wouldn't see less skimply-clad female characters. You'd just see more shirtless male characters.

Whatever is considered sexy is how characters will be designed, and if that means females wear skimpy clothing, then that's how it's going to be.

 

[nokelso]

I cringe more so over when woman are portrayed simply weaker/hardly appear or contribute at all, but I usually just see that in other places rather than games. I also can't really talk about how a lot of women look in games because I love drawing women that look like that.

 

[space_oddity]

Its called marketing.
Why would i, as a game developer, want to make my product less appealing by representing females in it as bland and unattractive?

 

[Computer-Noob]

Im all for beauty, but wearing a bikini while swining a sword around?

Ivy, that dumb ***** from X blades, and a few others are guilty of this.

 

[Avatar Roku]

*snip*

*cough* [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93316-Chris-Redfield-Goes-Mad-Max-In-RE5-PC-Costumes]
Besides, I thought his freaking zebra outfit was humiliating enough. At least the tribal one looks good. True the clubbing one looks shit but eh.

Holy shit. I stand corrected.

 

[YuheJi]

Its called marketing.
Why would i, as a game developer, want to make my product less appealing by representing females in it as bland and unattractive?

I think the point is, there is a difference between an attractive female, and a female with big breasts and/or skimpy clothing. Samus Aran has been appealing to gamers for years, and she spends most of her time in her armor suit.

 

[Mosstromo]

Well, I am not even a girl and I am tired of women almost always being presented, as you put it, without dignity. It takes so much away from the beauty of variety.
Not even delving into (se)X-Blades or legendary Tomb Raider, but games that try to model humans more realistically, lets say Resident Evil 5, go for an ultra curvaceous woman (and since we are at it, go also for "ethnic" but not "too ethnic") when it comes to the important characters, presumably in order to make players care for her, seeming that developers fear otherwise they won't. Or probably the majority of male gamers would never want to play a more ordinary-looking person (specially a woman) that suddenly must become a hero. You know, argumenting that in such case they are simply not "special" enough to look at or to wear as alter ego.
Super bubbly and bulbous women in games are fine, but only if there is also room and with similar frequency for non triple-D breasted ones as well.
Variety and equilibrium, I say.

 

[HyenaThePirate]

That's an old fashioned view if I've ever seen one.

Just 'cause you don't see girls playing what you consider "hardcore" games doesn't mean they aren't there. Most of the gamers I hate playing against are women. They are a demographic nowadays, and they deserve a little respect for it. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to crawl out from the rock they've been living under.



I don't say that to be rude, I say that because it is the truth. I've seen women come out on top in matches of Halo on a regular basis. I've seen all-girl gaming groups as far back to when we were monkeys playing Quake II on Windows 98. Heck, my own kid sister has a win-loss ratio of 22-1 on just about any fighting game I can think of. (I say 'just about' because I've not had a chance to play her in King of Fighters.) I think the games industry needs to give 'em some actual respect, instead of just catering to the supposed all-male audience.

Old fashioned does not = Untrue.

I did not say there were NO female hardcore gamers.
I said that they are a comparatively SMALL demographic compared to male gamers. If you want to refute this, then I would kindly ask for you to provide proof, as I can make my assumptive premise based on observable trends. Walk around and ask 10 random men between the ages of 19-35 if they play video games, how much, and what kinds of games. Then walk around and ask 10 random women in that same age group if they play video games, how much, and what kinds of games. I guarantee that ratio will support my statement that women comprise a relatively small segment of the gamer community and an even smaller segment of so-called "hardcore" gamers.

There are always exceptions to every rule. If you looked at video games, you'd think black people must not ever really play anything other than Madden or NBA Live, because they are rarely represented as major characters. When they ARE, they don't even get the glorified presentation that women get. Women characters are over-exaggerated yes, but usually in ways that are an attempt at flattery and appeal. Nice bodies, large breasts, firm rumps, beautiful hair, and mezmerizing eyes. Sure, women who feel that such a level of gratuitous detail might be unrealistic, but it certainly can not be accused of being created as an insult to the female form, just an exaggeration of a male's FANTASY. Again, look at any medium in our culture, from comic books to music videos and you will see women with large breasts, small waists, and shapely hips held up and revered in our society as objects of desire. Of course, who wants to see someone that ISN'T desirable in their escapist fantasies??
If that was the case, movies would feature slovenly fat men who save the world by being extraordinarily lazy. Turn on any reality tv show and you'll see a house full of unrealistically beautiful people collected together under some false notion of being a cross-section of "average society".

But again, all of this is crying over spilled milk. Quite frankly if you are playing a game and all you can think about is how offended you are that the heroine has double F boobs and runs around slaying orcs in a chain-mail thong, then you probably shouldn't be playing that game. There are plenty of other games out there that don't have many if ANY women at all. I dont recall anyone beyond Cortana in Halo... play that.

If it's still a problem for you, then don't play at all. In fact, make sure you don't watch tv, read comic books, go to the movies, attend plays, or attend any concerts while you are at it, because you will probably be just as offended by the "assumed" misrepresentation of women in those areas as well.

People are way too caught up in this 'politically correct' nonsense these days, always concerned with what everyone else is doing or thinking in their self-centered little worlds, instead of just BEING.
Just Be.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Men tend to like women in revealing clothes.

Spoiler: Women tend to like muscular guys with a five o'clock shadow.

All entertainment mediums feature predominately sexy characters on both ends of the spectrum. If there were as many female gamers as there are male gamers, you wouldn't see less skimply-clad female characters. You'd just see more shirtless male characters.

Whatever is considered sexy is how characters will be designed, and if that means females wear skimpy clothing, then that's how it's going to be.

Lol. What?

So... Uh, you know what? That's too twisted even to put into words.

Then again, I guess I don't tend to spend my time thinking of my avatar in a virtual environment as being something that should be subject to sex appeal.

I know it happens (see the most common explanation given for men using a female avatar in an MMO), but to me it feels somewhat akin to being aroused by yourself...

 

[Blow_Pop]

Ivy's cool and all but I fear what will happen in the next SC game, she's going to be all boobs and less clothing than she already has.

Same. I prefer to imagine her looking like she did in SC2...which isn't hard, since that's the one I still play.

Personally I'd go for girls in ALL forms of media to not have overtly gigantic breasts and guys to not be overtly muscular macho men.

Mostly, however, I just ignore it and in games such as SC4 I make my own character who looks like a more realistic kind of girl.

Honestly, it's the clothing more than the chest size that bothers me (though yeah, I tend to minimize the chest slider during my character creation, too). I don't really have much of a problem with large-breasted female characters who <url=http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3599/340l.jpg>don't <url=http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/208/404964-arcueid_large.jpg>dress <url=http://bestgamewallpapers.com/files/tales-of-the-abyss/tear-grants.jpg>like <url=http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Other/Features/2008/Street%20Fighter%20Retrospectives/Chun-li%20and%20Blanka/screens/Chun-Li_SF_Alpha_2_Gold--article_image.jpg>skanks.

_>

And there's still a few I don't mind, anyway. I'm sorry, lack of dress or no, <url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/fate_uc/img/wallpaper/wp10_1024x768.jpg>Rider is still awesome.

I'm sorry to point out this but do you notice they are all japanese type characters?
I'm not putting them down just pointing out common theme.....I've always liked Sonya from Mortal Kombat, not much to her top but they do have her in camo
<url=http://www.totalmortalkombat.com/mksm/renders/render_kitana_sonya_fight.jpg>shaolin monks was one of my more favorites of her outfits but the <url=http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sonya-blade-in-mortal-kombat-vs-dc-universe.jpg>mk vs dc one is a good one too.
Kitana(the first link as well) was a favorite too. I have issues when I play MK on who to chose......except the fact I'm better with Kitana then Sonya

Men tend to like women in revealing clothes.

Spoiler: Women tend to like muscular guys with a five o'clock shadow.

All entertainment mediums feature predominately sexy characters on both ends of the spectrum. If there were as many female gamers as there are male gamers, you wouldn't see less skimply-clad female characters. You'd just see more shirtless male characters.

Whatever is considered sexy is how characters will be designed, and if that means females wear skimpy clothing, then that's how it's going to be.

I like very few guys with a five o' clock shadow and fewer still that are muscular. At least overtly muscular. My idea of sexy for a guy is a tall, lanky looking boy with glasses, and as far as muscles long as I don't see them and they are there, then i like em. Muscular guys disgust me. Always have, always will. But I get what you were pointing out. General population and all.

I'd also like all other "minorities" to be better represented ya know? We should have choice in main characters for some games.

I would also like to point out, my guilty pleasure in gaming is watching someone else play Uncharted so i can oogle <url=http://www.3dtotal.com/team/interviews/Richard_diamat/images/hero_render.jpg>Nathan <url=http://news.filefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/editorial12.jpg>Drake ahh those <url=http://shouldntbegaming.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/drake.jpg>eyes!

Snake too but we won't get into my issues on that one

 

[AvsJoe]

Several people have said it before and several will say it later but the bad guy here is the word demographics. The average gamers are 14-30 year old men and 14-30 year old men normally love their women with large chests. Now that a lot of women are playing games changes are being made but unless men at large stop liking the big titties (hint: we won't), women will always have the unrealistic Lara Croft / Barbie proportions. Now I'm not being sexist or anything here, I'm just stating cold facts.

 

[kylejj91]

Personally I feel this all goes back to almost an "you don't create something that's ugly" idea.

When a game character designer creates a female character he/she is always going to want to make something that's attractive to him/her unless someone is telling them otherwise, or they're going to make a character model that fits the role in the setting of the game (this is why you don't see girly men in GoW and sexy women playing beach volley ball). Thing about this, if an artist is going to draw the human body in a picture and want the picture to be beautiful then their going to draw a body they find as beautiful, that's all there is to it.

Not like I like pointing fingers but I'm going to point my finger at Japan's gaming developers as being the main culprit of these unrealistic females. Not that other countries don't partake in this it's just when they do it's more for making the unrealistically sexy game. With Japan it feels more like they just add that to everything they can. But you have to remember it's what the artist feels is beautiful and it's the viewpoint of the artist not yours. Also to be noted in Japanese games, everything tends to be unrealistic, from setting to story, to physics, so it's not that hard to fit in G cups and 12 year old kids with swords that are bigger then them, and the swords are also are guns.

The majority of people that play video games is still men and don't rag on men for tending to like the look of a females body, I can't help that. I like beautiful things.