Gearbox Wants Female Duke Nukem Game

[Aisaku]

I thought Lara Croft was the female Duke Nukem XD. Now seriously, I think I'd be more likely to play this plausible 'self centered oversexed gun totting female maniac' than the upcoming Duke.

 

[Byere]

the stereotypical female might have a stable of beefcakes do her fighting for her, until they all get wiped out and she has to step in to take care of business.

Sounds like the future of the franchise is an RTS spin-off!

 

[MacGuges]

I think this would actually create a very interesting double standard to arise. One which, I think is not talked about at all. Or not much anyway.

Were there to exist this "stereotypical female character" in a game, I have a feeling that this character (Daisy Nukem, let's say) would immediately come under fire from feminists/women's rights groups saying that it is an offensive stereotype of women everywhere because not all women act like this/believe this/would take this action etc. Now let's take a step back.

Why, then, are not more male groups offended by this game's interpretation of the stereotypical masculine man? This is a double standard and an interesting one. This game, I think at least, is not offensive towards women because it is a character sketch (allbeit a very charicatured one). Should it be considered offensive towards men who don't fit this hyper form of masculinity? Would a game featuring a "stereotyped" female character cause a ruckus? Should this game cause questions to be asked concerning what we value in men in society? Is this all reading way too far in to be relevant?

I don't really know the answer to these questions, but I think the only way that games will ever achieve even a modicum of relevance and respect in this society is if they can be used to ask these difficult questions - if they can use their characters, environments, etc. to foster discussion rather than falling back on the old, tired excuse of "it's just a game." While this statement might be true, it only serves to undercut any legitimacy a game can make in society.

I imagine that a forum is like a river from which we all drink. You can take a small sip or a gulp, however you like it. You don't need to ask for permission to drink more deeply (even if some others may look at you funny).

You've connected to a point I made earlier, that creating such an "over-the-top" gender-reversed Duke would not satisfy the feminist complaint about the game. This deliberately obtuse suggestion exposes sexism by the game developer, as opposed to the character's. I think if we're really honest with ourselves we can admit that the Duke is a sexist hero, but I imagine that many of his fans want to identify with him a little too much, and that's the problem.

 

[Sojoez]

Probably said in the other pages, but I think that this is possible and probably even enjoyable to play. (let alone very interesting)

BUT!

There is a catch. In order for a female Duke Nukem to succeed it needs to be done by an entire team of mostly women. Because Duke is seen as a stereotypical man, but from a males point of view.
If Daisy Nukem isnt done by an all women dev team, I don't think it will be successful.
(it would also shut up the feminist screaming about how all men are pigs)

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

Ain't Bayonetta the female Duke Nukem?

No, cooking mama is.

*snerks at the thought of a cooking mama style duke nukem*

step by step instructions for how to properly clean a gun, and shoot it at enemies.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

Duke Nukem,the badass version of Johnny Bravo turned into a woman?
Interesting and strange.I like the idea though see it somewhat odd.
Sure would be funny to see the feminist extremism that Daisy would do so I am all in for the idea!

 

[CanadianWolverine]

I would like to point to two characters that were female and kicked ET ass to save others:

- Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies (and games and comics and books)
- Julie from the Heavy Metal FAKK2 movie (and games and comics)

Those should be characters who are considered female versions of Duke Nukem ... only, they were made before Duke Nukem, so should Duke Nukem be considered the male version of them? Think about it, personally I get a boner thinking about how awesome Ripley and Julie are, kicking ass and taking names.

Plus, the character shouldn't be called Daisy Nukem, that is a terrible name IMHO. It should be something like Betty "Plutonium" Blonde or Rachel "Radioactive" Red.

 

[Baresark]

I think that Gearbox is on to something. The problem is if anyone complained they'd say that she isn't being protrayed as a proper woman and is showing negative protrayals of women.

I agree with you 100%. The sick part, it's not like Duke is in fact a proper portrayal of men either. I've been around lots of steroid pumped gym heads who are tame compared to Duke. I love the world we live in. My girlfriend is a fine example of a great woman who isn't what the media makes women out to be like. She thinks Capture the Babe his hilarious.

How many people do you think would be angered by that?

 

[DanDeFool]

Cooking Mama is the female Duke Nukem.

Think about it. Duke Nukem is supposed to be the stereotypical male gender ideal taken to the Nth degree. Therefore, a "female Duke Nukem" would be the stereotypical female gender ideal taken to the Nth degree.

Hence, Cooking Mama.

Now you guys can queue up to explain to me why I'm wrong.

 

[Snotnarok]

I'd rather see a female game done well vs what they all become rather than a female Duke, which I'm sure you can find with a google image search in a instant.

You know Other M, making the girl useless and cowardly. Or 3rd Birthday, making Aya the "Look I'm a sexy girl in a game buy me, I mean the game" . Just ...Girl, main character that isn't wearing a bikini and taking on things please for God sakes. Why must every good female protagonist get turned into a stereotype.

 

[mrblindcat1]

I smell DLC!

So thats what that smell was.

 

[Negatempest]

Here is a thought provoking question. How can a male become overly sexualized? To be honest, in my own opinion, a man does not have the curves, the posture, the clothing, or personality/characteristics that makes a woman "sexy". Same could be said vice versa with the personification of what makes a male attractive using a female. Just think, what would a sexy woman look like if she was sitting on a sofa the same way Al Bundy does? What about a male like Kratos who has a walk like a female super model? Sure, the attractiveness could very easily be put in "sexualizing" a the character because it's easy, which is true......

I'm just going to stop here, I already feel another paragraph in the back of my head to go into deeper details.

 

[Korusho]

Too true, too many people worried about women in video games when they utterly missed the entire point of it. Its Duke, if you aren't Duke, you aren't important (at least to Duke). Just another case of OMG I can't believe they did that!

 

[MationMac]

Isn't "Duke" a title?
So Daisy Nukem would be like calling him Denis Nukem.

 

[AngloDoom]

"He is ego-centric and everything in his world revolves around him," he continued. "And women can offer him something different than men can. So if, to Duke, women are less than him, it's not because they're women, it's just because they're not him."

Pitchford points out how Duke actually puts himself "at great risk" to make sure women are safe, which is the premise of Duke Nukem Forever.

...So it's not sexist because, in the end, he whisks the women off their feet from horseback and rides into the sunset?

If Duke was shown being an ass, and the other characters treating him like he was an ass, I'd be all for that. If he saved a woman's life, hinted he wanted her to give him 'something' because he saved her, and she turned around and call called him an ass and stormed off, then I'd happily say the game is mocking Duke and that's all fine.

However, I'm pretty sure the formula will go: Woman in danger, Duke saves women, woman thanks Duke by getting on her knees, Duke finds another women in danger, Duke saves women, etc, etc.

 

[Optimystic]

Definitely Bayonetta, though Lara Croft can come close than if you MUST have a western example.

 

[Jonci]

I imagine a female Duke would have twice the crotch-punching, at least.

 

[Gerdneek]

XD my head exploded a bit. Daisy Nukem I love it just image the one liners, the sex jokes and the bubblegum. WANT!

 

[dunnace]

Surely Duchess Nukem...

I think Duke Nukem is no more sexist than any comedy character. We're laughing at Duke, really. It's like Greyson in Bulletstorm, we love the guy, but we know he's actually a really shit person. It's all about understanding that the reason these people are funny is not because they're right, but because they're horrible horribly wrong. In Duke's case, the entire world feeds into his ego, in a way the real world doesn't. What would make Duke Nukem genuinely upsetting is if it wasn't funny. But it is. So nothing is meant by it.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Female Duke Nukem?

Rubi mallone from WET?