Realism, Except for women or Are there any real girls in video games.

[Mouse One]

There are. Few, but you see them more and more. Alyxx of HL2 is a good NPC example, but I think we're seeing more player characters who fit the "real woman" mold: Chell of Portal, FemShep (of course) and Faith of Mirror's Edge are three that come to mind. Despite the flaws of the game, I really liked Faith-- she's hot, but in an athletic way. She reminds me of some of the female rock climbers I've known.

 

[intheweeds]

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I'm a straight guy but I find both of those women attractive. Or I don't know... interesting. Most of my writing I seem to end up writing about butch women though I've never developed their relationships much. I learn from the mistakes of Ian Fleming: if you can't write romance/intimacy well, then don't write it at all*. So their sexuality is always ambiguous if not irrelevant.

(*that's what I can't stand about Fleming, he is awful at romance and intimacy. Classic British male author, really: Good at adventure and high-living but no clue with women. Not that I know personally that much, but I do know what I don't know... if you know what I mean.)

But yeah, the way I like my protagonists are female but tough and no nonsense, especially no nonsense like high-heels, fancy hair or impractical nails. And yeah, the rebooted (first reboot TR: Legends/Anniversary) I just found to be too fragrant and fancy. The original Lara, was much more in the right direction.

or consider this evolution of Lara Croft:

over the years she has gotten curvier, the neckline of her top has plunged and more of her midriff exposed, pointlessly. She seemed to be wearing a one-piece swimming costume and shorts originally, but now this silly tank-top and ultra tight and tiny shorts. Yeah, she is latterly more attractive but I'd much rather BE the original Lara with a snarly grin of a woman you don't want to fuck with, not the fragrant semi-pout of latter Lara.

Oh god, Anniversary; they made her a wimp, getting all tearful over shooting a guy twice her size who was about to kill her. I get it that women are more in touch with their feelings, but why should she even feel bad about defending herself from a murderous scumbag? She should be relieved she survived and succeeded. Lara is supposed to be a female adventurer to hold her own with the likes of Zorro, Indiana Jones and James Bond. Indy when faced by a swordsman just pulls his gun and calmly shoots him, and not beat himself up over it afterwards.

Wow, yeah! It seems her face has gotten poutier over the years. Those lips sure got progressively bigger. I wonder if Angelina Jolie playing her had anything to do with some of that progression. I guess over the years the skin on her midriff has gotten tougher as well, requiring less and less cloth to cover it. At least that newest Lara Croft's breasts look slightly more tied down!

I've never followed Tomb Raider enough to be up on all the story, but I agree with you that getting tearful over protecting yourself seems out of character here, just based on what i do know about her: Here we have a person who routinely enters dangerous environments. This person carries and knows how to operate a firearm and is capable of using it to defend themselves against a very large and determined opponent which suggests they are practiced. I have a hard time believing that anyone like that male or female would be even slightly concerned about the use of said firearm in these circumstances. They would behave more like a soldier in my opinion.

 

[Treblaine]

Wow, yeah! It seems her face has gotten poutier over the years. Those lips sure got progressively bigger. I wonder if Angelina Jolie playing her had anything to do with some of that progression. I guess over the years the skin on her midriff has gotten tougher as well, requiring less and less cloth to cover it. At least that newest Lara Croft's breasts look slightly more tied down!

I've never followed Tomb Raider enough to be up on all the story, but I agree with you that getting tearful over protecting yourself seems out of character here, just based on what i do know about her: Here we have a person who routinely enters dangerous environments. This person carries and knows how to operate a firearm and is capable of using it to defend themselves against a very large and determined opponent which suggests they are practiced. I have a hard time believing that anyone like that male or female would be even slightly concerned about the use of said firearm in these circumstances. They would behave more like a soldier in my opinion.

I hate that because they'd never write a male character like that. They'd never have a male beat themselves up so much, be so self-doubting, so incongruously selfless.

The thing is this modern-Lara is quite typical for heroines these days they have to be "sensitive" yet they are sensitive to those who least deserve it.

It was great how Ripley in Aliens was perceptive and comforting to poor little Newt, but she wasn't luvvie or gooey to any of the marines nor said something dumb like "those aliens are living creatures too". Hell she was the first to suggest to pull out and nuke it from orbit.

Actually, a good heroine of recent was from Bioshock 2, not too many spoilers as it's knid of a big reveal who it is but she takes on the form of the ultimate boss-type in the game and in general she strikes just the right attitude. Alternate endings show different sides to her when affected by different things, towards either good or evil.

 

[LordFisheh]

Because real women never look attractive, have large breasts or wear revealing clothes.

Right.

It may be silly and oversexed, but it's not necessarily unrealistic. All of the female characters in Mass Effect tend to be attractive, but they're far better developed than most games' and those of many books and films. Yes, I know - they're sexualised and yet still good, 'real' characters. Looks and depth are compatible. Shocking.

 

[intheweeds]

Wow, yeah! It seems her face has gotten poutier over the years. Those lips sure got progressively bigger. I wonder if Angelina Jolie playing her had anything to do with some of that progression. I guess over the years the skin on her midriff has gotten tougher as well, requiring less and less cloth to cover it. At least that newest Lara Croft's breasts look slightly more tied down!

I've never followed Tomb Raider enough to be up on all the story, but I agree with you that getting tearful over protecting yourself seems out of character here, just based on what i do know about her: Here we have a person who routinely enters dangerous environments. This person carries and knows how to operate a firearm and is capable of using it to defend themselves against a very large and determined opponent which suggests they are practiced. I have a hard time believing that anyone like that male or female would be even slightly concerned about the use of said firearm in these circumstances. They would behave more like a soldier in my opinion.

I hate that because they'd never write a male character like that. They'd never have a male beat themselves up so much, be so self-doubting, so incongruously selfless.

The thing is this modern-Lara is quite typical for heroines these days they have to be "sensitive" yet they are sensitive to those who least deserve it.

It was great how Ripley in Aliens was perceptive and comforting to poor little Newt, but she wasn't luvvie or gooey to any of the marines nor said something dumb like "those aliens are living creatures too". Hell she was the first to suggest to pull out and nuke it from orbit.

Actually, a good heroine of recent was from Bioshock 2, not too many spoilers as it's knid of a big reveal who it is but she takes on the form of the ultimate boss-type in the game and in general she strikes just the right attitude. Alternate endings show different sides to her when affected by different things, towards either good or evil.

Ripley in Aliens was great! definitely good example. She was a tough soldier char in a tough situation and it was played perfectly. There was no difference in the character if she was a woman that i could tell. If the character were a man I feel he would have played it very similar. Even male hero characters are allowed to feel sympathy towards others in the appropriate moments. It makes any character seem more likable and human who may otherwise be a hardened warrior type. The trick is to put it in an appropriate moment and direct it towards an appropriate target.

It's not that women characters can't get teary-eyed, it's that some writers have them get like that in inappropriate moments (it sounds like your Lara Croft Anniversary did this) thinking that 'women are more sensitive, so this makes her more realistically female' when the fact is there is no inherent emotional traits that are more 'male' or 'female'. It just depends on who the character is and what situation they are in. I know some very insensitive women business people and one training to be a soldier personally, but if i have an emotional issue to talk about, it's a very sensitive male friend of mine who i think of first. Having Lara Croft get emotional over defending herself doesn't make her a more believable female, in my eyes it just makes her a less believable tomb raider.

 

[Nudu]

I've never really gotten the impression that there are that many realistic dudes in video games either.