Poll: Team Fortress 2: Why you no have Females?

[Moonlight Butterfly]

It amazes me how many people take such offense to this suggestion. Do you really despise the presence of women that much that you have to be bothered about their addition to a cartoony slapstick game?

Fanart [http://www.deviantart.com/download/143198963/More_female_Heavy_stuff_by_ChemicalAlia.jpg] has shown that there could be proportioned characters to be able to recognise characters fast but people still argue that they would all be ridiculous, skinny and slutty.

Have you ever thought maybe the developers could take female characters SERIOUSLY? perhaps.
Sorry to burst your world view bubble but were real life female medics. spies and engineers working in war zones as early as world war 2...

It would be a nice addition and wouldn't take anything away from the game. Why is it such a problem for people?

 

[Mandalore_15]

I'd rather Valve spent their time doing something useful, like actually developing the next Half-Life game...

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I can think of three off the top of my head. First, because neither Team Fortress nor Team Fortress Classic had female characters. Second, because the overwhelming majority of people who play the game are male. Third, because the visual design of characters in TF2 serves to help identify a class at a glance at any distance under most any lighting conditions. Doubling the number of character models makes this prospect just a hair more difficult and would serve no real purpose.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

This reminds me of all the controversy over Brink. I didn't get it then and I don't get it now. It's a first-person game... who cares what your character looks like?

And this coming from someone who references a game where you can greatly customise your character, and talking about a game where people are willing to hand over rare weapons in exchange for hats to customise their appearance. In an online FPS people care greatly about their appearance.

That said, I've heard hearsay that the TF2 was considering making a female team but that that got scrapped due to time and money restraints. So take that as you will.

I would like to see a female team mind you, providing they are their own characters and not basically girls crossplaying as the guy team. And that their hitboxes are more or less the same.

I think it's because both teams are a sort of "boys only club".
It looks more like a bunch of man-children with weapons, which makes it easier to not take seriously, and imo adds a more comedic, laid-back feel.

And borderline psychotic females who take their job with the same disregard as the dudes somehow WOULDN'T add to the comedic laid-back feel? I'm sure people in cinemas in 1977 were amused by Leia snatching the gun from Han, blasting down several Stormtroopers and improvising an escape route for them. People like action girls.

 

[Chemical Alia]

It amazes me how many people take such offense to this suggestion. Do you really despise the presence of women that much that you have to be bothered about their addition to a cartoony slapstick game?

Fanart [http://www.deviantart.com/download/143198963/More_female_Heavy_stuff_by_ChemicalAlia.jpg] has shown that there could be proportioned characters to be able to recognise characters fast but people still argue that they would all be ridiculous, skinny and slutty.

Have you ever thought maybe the developers could take female characters SERIOUSLY? perhaps.
Sorry to burst your world view bubble but were real life female medics. spies and engineers working in war zones as early as world war 2...

It would be a nice addition and wouldn't take anything away from the game. Why is it such a problem for people?

Agreed, it's kind of disheartening to hear so many people believe that female characters could never be made to "fit in" or that the very idea is offensive. I think it speaks to the state of maturity in this industry, and as long as developers keep perpetuating the same standard, it's unlikely to change. Though if I had to trust any developer to design non-shitty female characters, it would be Valve hands-down.

Glad you liked the drawing, by the way.

 

[Zarmi]

Don't give a single shit. Why not just stick with the current characters? They do their job just fine.

 

[manic_depressive13]

It amazes me how many people take such offense to this suggestion. Do you really despise the presence of women that much that you have to be bothered about their addition to a cartoony slapstick game?

Fanart [http://www.deviantart.com/download/143198963/More_female_Heavy_stuff_by_ChemicalAlia.jpg] has shown that there could be proportioned characters to be able to recognise characters fast but people still argue that they would all be ridiculous, skinny and slutty.

Have you ever thought maybe the developers could take female characters SERIOUSLY? perhaps.
Sorry to burst your world view bubble but were real life female medics. spies and engineers working in war zones as early as world war 2...

It would be a nice addition and wouldn't take anything away from the game. Why is it such a problem for people?

Agreed, it's kind of disheartening to hear so many people believe that female characters could never be made to "fit in" or that the very idea is offensive. I think it speaks to the state of maturity in this industry, and as long as developers keep perpetuating the same standard, it's unlikely to change. Though if I had to trust any developer to design non-shitty female characters, it would be Valve hands-down.

Glad you liked the drawing, by the way.

It would have been great if they had designed a female character for the Team Fortress franchise, but they didn't. Forcing one in after the fact for the sake of political correctness would probably not result in very good character design. I'm a girl and frankly I like the established characters. They don't need anything else except more hats.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

It would have been great if they had designed a female character for the Team Fortress franchise, but they didn't. Forcing one in after the fact for the sake of political correctness would probably not result in very good character design. I'm a girl and frankly I like the established characters. They don't need anything else except more hats.

Well it doesn't have to be 'forced in for political correctness' as you put it just added for fun. :/

 

[Jennacide]

No, we don't, for a very simple reason. The concept of the game is that it takes place during the quazi 1950's. A period where women did not really serve in the military, let alone in the front lines. If you want female models, they've been made, go grab them. Especially those by Chemical Alia, which are very well done, and remain tasteful, unlike 95% of the female pyro ones, which are gross and tacky.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

No, we don't, for a very simple reason. The concept of the game is that it takes place during the quazi 1950's. A period where women did not really serve in the military, let alone in the front lines.

Women worked as spies and medics on the front lines during world war 2 and often as engineers in occupied areas such as Port Alexandria. Sorry but It's kind of insulting to their memory to say that.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

Spoiler: Big Image of Girl's

i have only had TF2 for a brief period 2 months at the most and im a Free to player. but i thought that having Female's would have been a really good idea to have in a game and would have personally been on my list of things to Add to TF2.

if they did add Girls then there are more characters instead of the same people running around with a Top hat and stuff. they wouldn't even need to change any hats. even if you type Girl's in TF2 lots of photos and drawing of it pop up.

So alot of people are after it, but i want the Escapist's opinion here. Do we need girls in TF2?

please Explain your answer

I said nay but I am not wholly against it. The whole point of tf2 is the characters and I think that all of the characters represent the manliness of their work. Adding women would be difficult (all new set of characters to portray) and would mess up the already masculine man characters so for purely logistical reasons it is implausible. Seriously, why would you want to add girl avatars. Women playing the game should be able to understand that the man characters are there for a reason and not take it personally.

Also is speculating about the femininity of the Pyro not enough for you people.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Spoiler: Big Image of Girl's

i have only had TF2 for a brief period 2 months at the most and im a Free to player. but i thought that having Female's would have been a really good idea to have in a game and would have personally been on my list of things to Add to TF2.

if they did add Girls then there are more characters instead of the same people running around with a Top hat and stuff. they wouldn't even need to change any hats. even if you type Girl's in TF2 lots of photos and drawing of it pop up.

So alot of people are after it, but i want the Escapist's opinion here. Do we need girls in TF2?

please Explain your answer

I said nay but I am not wholly against it. The whole point of tf2 is the characters and I think that all of the characters represent the manliness of their work. Adding women would be difficult (all new set of characters to portray) and would mess up the already masculine man characters so for purely logistical reasons it is implausible. Seriously, why would you want to add girl avatars. Women playing the game should be able to understand that the man characters are there for a reason and not take it personally.

Also is speculating about the femininity of the Pyro not enough for you people.

Can you explain why it would mess up the male characters and what is the reason we should have to understand and not take personally, just curious?

 

[ShadowsofHope]

If the game were not a first person shooter and you do not see your character anyways (and only other people's), then sure, I would be all for it.

But now? What's the point? You'll only see the character choosing it, anyways. Otherwise, your just an arm with a gun. Male or female.

 

[s0p0g]

*need*? no.
it's about the gameplay, not the gender of the avatars, so why care?

nice to have? maybe; if they would not make them look too slutty, go for it.

 

[C117]

Yes. But let whoever draws the webcomic Nerf Now! design them. Otherwise... it just wouldn't be... you know...

 

[Pharsalus]

Combat is a masculine activity, read John Keegan. I didn't read they whole thread yet but I doubt there are many good arguments for their inclusion other than "ooh dey're outfits are sxy" and the rantings of the cabal of those who secretly like to hear female pain noises.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

Spoiler: Big Image of Girl's

i have only had TF2 for a brief period 2 months at the most and im a Free to player. but i thought that having Female's would have been a really good idea to have in a game and would have personally been on my list of things to Add to TF2.

if they did add Girls then there are more characters instead of the same people running around with a Top hat and stuff. they wouldn't even need to change any hats. even if you type Girl's in TF2 lots of photos and drawing of it pop up.

So alot of people are after it, but i want the Escapist's opinion here. Do we need girls in TF2?

please Explain your answer

I said nay but I am not wholly against it. The whole point of tf2 is the characters and I think that all of the characters represent the manliness of their work. Adding women would be difficult (all new set of characters to portray) and would mess up the already masculine man characters so for purely logistical reasons it is implausible. Seriously, why would you want to add girl avatars. Women playing the game should be able to understand that the man characters are there for a reason and not take it personally.

Also is speculating about the femininity of the Pyro not enough for you people.

Can you explain why it would mess up the male characters and what is the reason we should have to understand and not take personally, just curious?

I'll give it a shot. Firstly, Why you should not take it personally. I am a believer of equal rights but I acknowledge that there are differences between the genders. TF2 plays off some of the stereotypes of males character (the brute russian, the man up soldier, the charismatic british sniper, the french ladies man) and thus are personified as men. Nowhere is it written that these are traits that women cannot have but for the sake of the stereotyping on which the agreeably hilarious characters of TF2 are based simpler is beter. Female gamers therefore should look at it this way (I am talking to you), the game is "Sexist" on purpose not as an insult to women but as a simple joke.

Secondly Add women characters to the mix, sure nothing would change technically but think of the characters already in place, how would they react to the presence of women on their battlefield (spy excluded). Answer: they would not be able to, those caricatures of males have no concept of the empowered woman, therefore it would make little sense to implement them into the game, you could only play off their confusion for so long. Eventually it would result in the breakdown of both sets of characters (the male set and female) each of which would lose their individuality as they no longer have their original personalities to play off.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

. Female gamers therefore should look at it this way (I am talking to you), the game is "Sexist" on purpose not as an insult to women but as a simple joke..

I appreciate your explanation but I disagree. I don't think the female characters would take anything away from the current range of characters or affect them at all. I don't think the fact that they didn't include women was sexist but merely for expediency. It would be fun to have equally as stereotyped characters for the females. I think someone earlier in the thread said the 'east German swim team type' for the female heavy and you could have a french femme fatale for the spy. (I'm pretty sure the sniper is Australian? *shrug*)

Don't you think it would be amusing and comical to have them go up against female counterparts, when as you say, they are already stereotyped to have no comprehension of women coming at them in such a way.

Outside of TF2 in particular, I can also say personally that I am tired of the male character being the default setting for games. I get into games much better when I'm playing a female avatar, it feels more personal rather than that I'm watching a story about someone else. As an example I see Alcatraz in Crysis 2 as a Marine guy I'm observing while I see my Fallout Vegas character as an extension of myself. I love both games equally but the story has a different impact. I'm not sure I have explained that succinctly enough but that's how I feel anyway.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

. Female gamers therefore should look at it this way (I am talking to you), the game is "Sexist" on purpose not as an insult to women but as a simple joke..

I appreciate your explanation but I disagree. I don't think the female characters would take anything away from the current range of characters or affect them at all. I don't think the fact that they didn't include women was sexist but merely for expediency. It would be fun to have equally as stereotyped characters for the females. I think someone earlier in the thread said the 'east German swim team type' for the female heavy and you could have a french femme fatale for the spy. (I'm pretty sure the sniper is Australian? *shrug*)

Don't you think it would be amusing and comical to have them go up against female counterparts, when as you say, they are already stereotyped to have no comprehension of women coming at them in such a way.

Outside of TF2 in particular, I can also say personally that I am tired of the male character being the default setting for games. I get into games much better when I'm playing a female avatar, it feels more personal rather than that I'm watching a story about someone else. As an example I see Alcatraz in Crysis 2 as a Marine guy I'm observing while I see my Fallout Vegas character as an extension of myself. I love both games equally but the story has a different impact. I'm not sure I have explained that succinctly enough but that's how I feel anyway.

Interesting, I agree with the idea that it would be interesting to begin with. There would be a whole surprise element with trailers in which the male characters where confused by the skill of the females but this can only last so long and I feel that once the initial boom wears off the result will be lesser than the original.

Also I did not say that the exclusion of the women was the sexist part, I meant that the behavior of the male characters is sexist in it's depiction, showing males as the only characters that go to war (pyro still may be female though). As I said it is purposefully done.

 

[Windcaler]

I dont see any problem with it. It wont pull away from development of extra content since it would be handled by Valve's art department so I dont see any reason why it shouldnt be done.

The point, to me, would be allowing female gamers to play their sex. I tend to hear this a lot from my girlfriend, she would like to see some female characters instead of playing guys the whole time. Ive heard it while playing killing floor, bad company 2, TF2 and other games