So a recent thread about women in COD got me thinking of how many video games I have actually played where women play the main role or an important side role. And I realized that very few games if any, that I have played starred a women as the main role. So I was wondering my fellow escapists, are you as sexist as I when it comes to video game choices? I was just curious to see whether people play games regardless of the gender of the main role, and if so, what there favorite game was with a woman as the main character?
Women In Video Games
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Metroid is hands down my favorite game with a female protagonist.
If the game lets me dismember aliens/zombies/fasists then I am happy, the gender/sexual orintation/race of the main character take a back seat to the slaughter.
If the game lets me dismember aliens/zombies/fasists then I am happy, the gender/sexual orintation/race of the main character take a back seat to the slaughter.
A better question would be "are there any games that feature an UGLY woman as the main character?". My guess would be no as they only feature a woman on the basis that they are hot (in the mind of the designer) and are normally pretty damn athletic/ well endowed to get the kids/ young adults/ frustrated older men all excited.
I have no problem with playing as Zoey or Rochelle in the two L4D games and most of my characters were female in Fallout 3. I also had no problem with having a female character in GTA 4's multiplayer so no, I don't think it bothers me. Not forgetting Mirrors Edge and the old Tomb Raiders either.
I don't see it as sexist that most characters are men though, the majority of gamers are male so they would usually wish to play as their own sex.
If the characters weren't attractive in some way then nobody would want to be them. The reason female characters usually have looks as opposed to brains is due to the fact mentioned before; that most gamers are male, and most males are heterosexual.
I don't see it as sexist that most characters are men though, the majority of gamers are male so they would usually wish to play as their own sex.
True, but how many male main characters are shown as unattractive either? Sure, some of them aren't handsome, but they make up for it by either being really smart or funny.Batfred said:
If the characters weren't attractive in some way then nobody would want to be them. The reason female characters usually have looks as opposed to brains is due to the fact mentioned before; that most gamers are male, and most males are heterosexual.
I typically play both genders in role-playing titles like Fallout, Oblivion, Mass Effect and the like... I used Lilith in Borderlands for a bit...
Games like Tomb Raider, Wet, and Perfect Dark just never really appealed to me, and it had nothing to do with the protagonist, and more to do with the gameplay.
Games like Tomb Raider, Wet, and Perfect Dark just never really appealed to me, and it had nothing to do with the protagonist, and more to do with the gameplay.
Anachronox, though they aren't the primarly PC - there is a scientist one and an Assassin one who join your party... And they get some of the better linesAdeptGamer said:
Though it was an excellently written game anyways; very funny and witty. Sadly let down by a very dated graphics engine and being linked with the sinking of the SS John Romero [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Romero] - Deus Ex had these problems too, and as also awesome.
I don't believe its sexism as availability. In Torchlight i am playing the female character 1. because she's hot 2. because she looks like my girlfriend and 3. to mix it up a bit.
Just looking up at my xbox collection.
I would happily play a woman in assassin's creed
There would be no difference if Chief was a woman.
Nor Jack from Bioshock.
Why am i Issac in Dead Space when i could easily be his broad.
The only one where my choice shows is my male commander Shephard and male Nerevarine.
I would happily play a woman
Just looking up at my xbox collection.
I would happily play a woman in assassin's creed
There would be no difference if Chief was a woman.
Nor Jack from Bioshock.
Why am i Issac in Dead Space when i could easily be his broad.
The only one where my choice shows is my male commander Shephard and male Nerevarine.
I would happily play a woman
You're not sexist, you're just falling victim to availability. The simple truth is that women are rarely the playable character, usually shunted into support/love interest/sexy villain roles. We never get to save the day, we just get to make sure the boy is healthy enough so that he can.AdeptGamer said:
In some games, playing as a female would be wildly inappropriate and would damage the story, but that's certainly not always the case. As David Bray above me mentioned, there's no reason Isaac had to be a man, for example. The game would have the same emotional touchstones, play the same, be just as scary if it's a woman searching for her male lover instead of the other way around. But the default is for the protagonist to be male, the thinking being (I assume) that guys will be turned off by playing as a chick.
Well you have the pile of RPGs that lets you choose.
Perfect Dark
Mirror's Edge(one of the few to feature a female main character who don't have a double D bust)
Starcraft Ghost if it had been released *sadness*
I acctualy prefer playing as femele in most RPGs, ther is something appealing about a kick-ass woman
And on a side note I recomend playing Mass Effect as female because of Jennifer Hale's superb voice acting.
Perfect Dark
Mirror's Edge(one of the few to feature a female main character who don't have a double D bust)
Starcraft Ghost if it had been released *sadness*
I acctualy prefer playing as femele in most RPGs, ther is something appealing about a kick-ass woman
And on a side note I recomend playing Mass Effect as female because of Jennifer Hale's superb voice acting.