Sexualized characters that were done right.

[Joseph Alexander]

so wait, whats the exact context of what your looking for?

if its "they're sexy but awesome" then for a male and female example i'd say:

She-hulk(Jennifer Walters), sexy but also kick-ass and actually fought in court for super-human rights(read civil war, also fuck you,Tony Stark). she has been on numerous team and dealt with some of the most dangerous forces in the marvel universe.

Nightwing(Dick Grayson), in all of the DC universe(fuck the nu52) he has the most leadership experience of any of the capes, add to that hes a better fighter then Batman and doesn't have the stunted emotional development.
hes basically a better batman then Batman.


or just damn sexy and that all? in which case that is mostly subjective and in general boring.

 

[MetalShadowChaos]

As far as sexualised male characters go, I'd say Dunban from Xenoblade chronicles is a pretty great example. Bonus points for being ridiculously sexy even with a broken arm, was to be a role model to people with injuries like that.

I also like the way it's (sort of) implemented into the game. He has a series of skills that increase his stats by a tonne if he's naked. It's glorious. And it means less armour stat management.

 

[ceeqanguel]

Wynne, the "elderly" mage from Dragon Age Origins.

-She got her sexuality played intelligently. She has a few very mature yet sometimes incredibly funny situations where she speaks about sexuality in many different ways, all of them very well written in context. She shows concern, curiosity and may hand out clinical advices about sex as much emotional ones.

- She gets several compliments, some poetic, some crass (although funny) from the male characters, even from the Grey Warden, about her looks.

- She will warn you of the dangers of STDs if you elope with Morrigan ,the wicked witch, and watches your relationship with Leiliana with a concerned eye, reminding you that given your low chances of survival, one of you or both might get hurt. And she won't comment if you hire a prostitute.

-She is a beautiful older lady who doesn't hide her age nor shies away from it. She is often stern and matrimonial, but she is concerned about the wellfare of all her team like a teacher would be. And what an awesome teacher she would be in real life, like the chemistry tutor who would permit beer at a student party, but only if it were beer her student would have brewed themselves.

-As sexiness goes, she IS in her twilight years and readily admits it. (although let's be frank: her semi-nude character model would suggest that alcohol conserves things greatly), but she still has a playful side to her that completly takes Alistair aback when she says something along the lines of:
"Watch out. It wouldn't be the first time I woke up next to a younger man."¸ Alistair is so speechless that he makes a deliberate effort to treat her like a grandmother afterwards. The fact that she owns her sexy side and even makes others blush is worthy of note, as we all know real-life examples of wiser ladies who are completely at ease about sex, and sometimes even more than younger ones. She is Dragon Age's Mrs. Robinson.

Those are just a few examples of how real people deal about real issues on sexuality. All of that coming from a character you can't romance in the game. (not that you haven't tried ;-)

 

[EbonBehelit]

- Zero Suit Samus, although I've never played a Metroid game.

You might be singing a different tune if you'd actually played the games (or perhaps not, who knows).

ZSS to me is extremely insulting, and objectifies a character that has no business having 'sex appeal'. It's not a part of her character, and never has been.

It's actually rather iconic of the problem: characters that are depicted as 'sexy' only on the surface, with nothing else to define them.

They have no sexual aspects of their personality (if they even have a personality to begin with) to tie in with their visual design, and are simply made to pander to young men who either have no knowledge of female sexuality, or actually seem to be intimidated by it (Japanese/Asian character design tropes reflect this particularly strongly in my eyes).

 

[Chris Tian]

snipped for space issues

You are right with the design priorities after ME1.

I like Mirandas outfit, but obviously not for battle. I actually hate it very much if my companions got to battle in something like that, so that counts too for Jacob, who wears almost the exact same outfit as Miranda just for boys or Mordin who wears his labcoat.

I have to heavily disagree with you on the justification of Isabelas outfit being okay for battle though. Mainly because I actually have some sword training and quite alot of edged weapons training (knife fighting training basically). In a firefight you are alot less likely to get hit than in a sword/knife fight, at least if you are on the winning side. Taking smaller cuts and glancing blows even if you are winning is almost unavoidable in a sword fight, especially on your forearms and thighs and thats where Isabella waers almost nothing (she has a glove on her right arm and elbow patches both if I remember correctly). So even if you have to choose mobility over armor, if you ever get in and edged weapons fight, wear at least thick clothing or some leather protective gear.

So she falls in the same "why in gods name do you think THATS appropriate for battle?"-category for me than Miranda and Jacob and so on.

Just to mention a well done opposite: Merril. She looks pretty good and wears chainmail and leather protection even though she is a mage.

 

[Angelblaze]

Balthier from Final Fantasy 12.

Accomplished man? Check.
Awesome voice? Check.
Basically does whatever the fuck he wants while still being a 'respectable' human being? Check.

 

[Angelblaze]

When some say "oh it's still a man's world" (implying it's a problem) they seem to be forgetting that's it's primarily because men have played the dominating role in creating everything as we know today and driving progress in all fields.

Change that and media will change accordingly. Change consumer trends and media will change accordingly.

And things ARE changing, it's just that we need to wait many more years/decades to see it happen.

People think "raising awareness" and labelling it as a "problem" is going to speed up change, but really it's not going to do squat over a global scale. Change in fictional media will happen when it needs to, at the pace that it wants to.

In other words, check your privilege, dude.

My only privilege appears to be the ability to take a step back and look at the broader picture : /

Hey quick question

If you don't say you want a cupcake, how am I supposed to know you want a cupcake?

By you saying you want a cupcake.

Same story here. Raising awareness that you want something in your media is what makes change happen in the first place. Things aren't just changing because of the passing of time, they are changing because women are beginning to rake in the dough irl and are starting to speak with their money. Approximately 4/10 households has a woman being the breadwinner nowadays. That's whats changing the landscape.

Not saying anything and sitting idly by is what the catered to do.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

When everyone thinks "sexualization" they immediately think revealing clothes, ridiculous proportions, etc. But not all sexualization is physical.

Think about Alyx for a second. Shes Intelligent(upgrading dog) Strong, Brave and independent(fighting off the combine) Endearing and charming (with her goofy jokes etc) and Incredibly attractive, but realistically so.

But most of all she bonds with the player, showing deep feelings for the player, despite the fact that they haven't said anything.

She "likes" the player even though the player hasn't necessarily done anything to earn that.

wul3n, that's not what we're talking about... You're misunderstanding this thread, and are rather besmirching Alyx's legacy. All you're actually saying is that 'Alyx Vance is a cut above the rest' - and that's largely because from a design POV she's not sexualised. If anything, she's rather sexless (which is fine, given the contexts of the story).

But then again, as I said before, this whole thread started off on a completely skewed note because erttheking didn't define his usage, but he seemed to be saying 'when can something wrong be done right!'.

What we're looking for here is videogame characters who possess a sexuality without any of the incongruous artifice that makes you step back and go "really? C'mon guys...".

---that doesn't seem to fit the lowbrow criteria of this thread, though, and it'd be a far harder character type to find - seeing as how videogames don't really do sex and sexuality very well at all, and a male defined culture doesn't rarely let women be sexual without some caveats in tow.

...but showin' some skin=sexism has always seemed way too easy an answer in my book and way too fraught with the specter of (I don't even really like typing this word) 'slut-shaming.'

Pointing out a character is objectified by the male gaze isn't slut-shaming, if that's what you were alluding to. 'Showing skin' often comes up as a problem because of its prevalence with female characters, especially when they lack agency as actual characters to begin with, or their design is incongruous relative to the environment, plot, or character narrative.

I think you cited one example which is good (and which fits Princessbabe's clearer definition) - ergo it doesn't really fit the alluded-to criteria of the OP:

1) Kinzie Kensington and Shaundi, SRIII and SRIV (moreso in the latter for both of them). Yes, Shaundi's the eye candy and Kinzie talks dirty, but they are solidly designed characters with full personalities, their own wants and desires, their own preferences, and inner strength that doesn't just come from men in their lives.

In the contexts of the series' heightened reality, yeah, Kinzie's especially brilliant in SRIV. Some of the brief back and forth's between she and Laura Bailey's Boss are fantastic, and likely represent very rare examples of two female characters riffing on their own sexual proclivities (mostly at the expense of Kinzie, to be fair). That's because SRIV (I've not played any of the earlier entries) is inclusive as hell.

For the most part, Street Fighter does a fine job with sexualization. Cammy is the exception.

Whoah, let's not say anything we'll regret...

 

[wulf3n]

wul3n, that's not what we're talking about... You're misunderstanding this thread,

I like to think of it as transcending this thread

Why limit "sexualisation" to only the visual. Personality is just as, if not more important to the sexualisation of a character.

and are rather besmirching Alyx's legacy.

Only if you consider sexualisation to be inherently bad.

All you're actually saying is that 'Alyx Vance is a cut above the rest' - and that's largely because from a design POV she's not sexualised. If anything, she's rather sexless (which is fine, given the contexts of the story).

She's not "visually" sexualised in the standard game/comic book sense, and to a lot of people that's more appealing.

But what I'm saying is that if there was a checklist for what male nerds desired most out their love interest, Alyx would tick every box with flying colours.

And to me, that is an example of sexualisation of a character done right.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I love how people hold up Bayonetta as a sexualised character done right. She's a female character whose clothes come off when a male gamer pushes a button. The only reason her clothes come off is to titillate. Calling it "empowering" is laughable and whether she is a badass or not is largely irrelevant. A badass woman whose clothes come off is still a naked woman. Bayonetta is eye candy for men, not a symbol of "female empowerment".

 

[Princessbabe]

I was going to let it lie when I noticed it but you guys brought up Alyx Vance again. Half Life 2 (while being a fantastic game) is actually one of the most expertly crafted power fantasies in videogame history and Alyx has the most torque of any tool in Valves tool chest.

You are (The One) Free Man, mythologized hero of both Vortigaunts and humanity, secret weapon of trans-dimensional powers, theoretical physicist and crowbar Knight in power armour. Everything Alyx does, from what she says to the way they made her eyes track you around the room or sheepishly look at the ground, shoulders forward in deference and rubbing her elbow lets you know that your presence is exciting and awe-inspiring. "You probably don't remember me, but..."

You know what else Gordan Freeman is? He is you. He doesn't speak because he is a blank vessel you project yourself into. The theoretical physicist thing is a clue here, they let you know specifically that Gordon isn't a Duke Nukem or BJ Blazkowitz, he gets his strength from the HEV suit and being the right man for the job, the intelligent one.

While Alyx does seem to have a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Gordon, she isn't sexualised and she doesn't make herself sexually available. Instead it is the power fantasy taking effect that you might believe that you could reach out and take her if you wanted to. She isn't sexualised, you as the player are sexualising her.

She's not "visually" sexualised in the standard game/comic book sense, and to a lot of people that's more appealing.

But what I'm saying is that if there was a checklist for what male nerds desired most out their love interest, Alyx would tick every box with flying colours.

And to me, that is an example of sexualisation of a character done right.

Are you familiar with the Madonna/Whore complex?

 

[Erttheking]

I love how people hold up Bayonetta as a sexualised character done right. She's a female character whose clothes come off when a male gamer pushes a button. The only reason her clothes come off is to titillate. Calling it "empowering" is laughable and whether she is a badass or not is largely irrelevant. A badass woman whose clothes come off is still a naked woman. Bayonetta is eye candy for men, not a symbol of "female empowerment".

Here's the thing though. Bayonetta is sexualized, but is she sexy? I honestly can't say so. Her legs are WAY too long, her hairdo is stupid, and above all I find it hard to find her stripping sexy when at the same time a giant angel is being torn to shred by the hellspawn her hair turns into. Besides, Bayonetta is always in control of the situation, is servilely confident in her ability to kick twelve different kinds of ass, and really her sexual nature works towards her domineering nature and sexual dominance. Really it's only a male sex fantasy if that male is a sub or a masochist, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the end point is that the woman is in control.

 

[The Crispy Tiger]

I love how people hold up Bayonetta as a sexualised character done right. She's a female character whose clothes come off when a male gamer pushes a button. The only reason her clothes come off is to titillate. Calling it "empowering" is laughable and whether she is a badass or not is largely irrelevant. A badass woman whose clothes come off is still a naked woman. Bayonetta is eye candy for men, not a symbol of "female empowerment".

Who said she had to be empowering to be a good character. She not empowering, I don't know or see anyone claiming she is. I know people that think that she's a fun and overall good character with an interesting back story. We're not here debating politics. We're here to say who our favorite sexualized characters are. That's it.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

I like to think of it as transcending this thread

Hm, I guess I can let you off with that one, then...

Only if you consider sexualisation to be inherently bad.

As my previous post alluded to, I'm a bit of a Cammy White fan, and she's not exactly a subtle design - she's objectified. But as the next quote makes clear, it seems like we're using the same sets of words with different contexts and/or meanings.

Why limit "sexualisation" to only the visual. Personality is just as, if not more important to the sexualisation of a character.

Because that's how society commonly limits that definition, and that's the context for this rather superficial thread? A 'sexualised' character is, I think it's fair to say, commonly objectified visually at the expense of their actual character.

And to me, that is an example of sexualisation of a character done right.

...which isn't how the rest of society or the industry sees it. You're fine to use your own subjectively constructed definition, but ultimately it's as useful to do as calling a tractor a lawnmower...

Alyx Vance isn't a 'sexualised character done right'. She's just, by and large, 'a character done right'.

Instead it is the power fantasy taking effect that you might believe that you could reach out and take her if you wanted to. She isn't sexualised, you as the player are sexualising her.

I think she's a flawed A.I. sidekick, sure - often a patronising in-game help avatar, as opposed to a character. But power fantasy? Not sure of that reading.

 

[Something Amyss]

This is kind of a loaded term. When you talk about sexualisation in gaming, you're rarely talking about someone who's simply sexy. You're instead talking about a character who is, frankly, pandering. When people complain about sexualisation they're not talking about the kind that can be "done right" in the first place. And context matters, otherwise we end up with the word game sophistry of Ken Ham or Ray Comfort.

If we're talking potentially sex-positive characters, the list could go on a while. The problem being, even then the definition's a tricky one.

It seems like, however, this is at best a failure to define our terms and at worse, a case of false centrism.

I do love it when guys tell us whats empowering...or that theyre "just apreciating the beauty of women"

The latter confuses me, because "appreciating" female beauty seems to translate into "distorting women almost beyond recognition through some sort of haunted funhouse mirror." I mean, the characters in question are usually caricatures. Bayonetta is a prime example.

no you see "bros" are cool about it not because they are inherently more stoic than those silly hysterical females, its because most media has a very wide spectrum of male charachters, most media doesn't put them into narrow roles, most media (even that meant to be of wide appeal) is aimed at them

Actually, men don't even need to be a minority to get their "undies in a twist." Just look at the reaction to Twilight. The franchise that launched a million cries of outrage.

 

[KazeAizen]

Honestly I'd have to say a vast majority of of the female fighters in League of Legends. With special mention of Jinx and Syndra. Syndra is very sexualized in her appearance and choice of attire. Yet her entire back story is that she is a very powerful sorceress with dark magic that was caged and when she realized her teachers were holding her back she up and kills them then makes a private castle in the sky to plot her revenge. She is sexy and made to look that way but it doesn't define her in the slightest. Her pursuit of power is what defines her.

Jinx on the other hand is sexualized since she is wearing a bikini top and short shorts and that's it. However she is also the only human female in that game that actually doesn't have a chest to speak of. Yet her character is not defined by that either. Her character is pretty much defined by how bored she is. When she is bored she finds that the best way to alleviate that boredom is to just start causing all manner of chaos and destruction.

 

[Princessbabe]

Instead it is the power fantasy taking effect that you might believe that you could reach out and take her if you wanted to. She isn't sexualised, you as the player are sexualising her.

I think she's a flawed A.I. sidekick, sure - often a patronising in-game help avatar, as opposed to a character. But power fantasy? Not sure of that reading.

I can't tell here if you understood my meaning that being Gordon Freeman is the power fantasy, and "you as the player" specifically referring Wulf3n sexualising her as a symptom of buying a touch too heavily into that power fantasy. Sort of like when you're at a cafe and the waitress smiles as she gives you your coffee and you misconstrue your financial power as sexual power.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

snip

Ah, okay, 'pologies. Your "while being a fantastic game" line seemed to suggest you were being critical of Alyx's design in particular.

 

[Dragonbums]

I do love it when guys tell us whats empowering...or that theyre "just apreciating the beauty of women"

[sub/]not assuming your a girl[/sub]

So far this has been a fairly one-sided subject considering I can't simply retort to you with "I do love it when women tell us what's empowering"...because to males ANYTHING can be classified as empowering, even hot sexualized male characters (as rare as those are).
Most male gamers tend to not be not too bothered or worried by what classifies as "empowering" or "objectification", most of them understand it's not something really worth fussing over or getting worked-up about.

But with female characters we gotta be really careful because this is such a touchy and sensitive topic for so many people. Every female character these days seems to get pigeonholed into either being sexually objectified or defying sexual objectification purely for the sake of stirring up a shitstorm.

E.g. Frozen, a movie that got some of my facebook friends hysterically claiming as the ultimate defiance against misogyny, patriarchy, sexism, etc (all the trendy feminism terms) and the ultimate statement towards the strength of females not needing males to help them. They were trumpeting that shit from the rooftops as if it was the next big things since women got equal voting rights LOL. Talk about over-blowing things to batshit crazy proportions!

Well men generally don't care because they often have the most variety to choose from. You got the slobs, the uglies, the handsome, the devilish, the playboy, the geeks, etc. And they all come in a variety of dress, body types, and levels of attractiveness.

The same can't be said for female characters unless they are comedic relief for background characters. So for us it's a much bigger deal.