Women and Gaming

[Gindil]

Clarification: No, I'm not female. I just find some things odd. That's why I always question things.

I've played TF2 for quite some time. I've seen as people go to make a female TF2 cast that can keep up with the guys. Most of the ones out now are either too sexy or just impractical. Seriously why would the heavy be a little child? If anything she would be like this [http://alciha.deviantart.com/art/TF2-Heavy-Weapons-Girl-87684513] to say the least.

It got me thinking about women in the gaming industry. Sure, they're our music designers, our programmers, and great for a Sims game or two. But are they represented in the game industry? With 43% of females playing games [http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2009.pdf] and increasing per year, it's only a matter of time before we see a Modern Warfare with a Cpl name Rodriguez who happens to have a higher pitched voice than Sgt Foley. It's happened before: Meet Private Jeanette Vasquez [http://www.jenettegoldstein.com/images_film/Vasquez2.jpg], "Heavy Weapons Girl" of Aliens fame.

Hell, I've looked at a number of wargames, and there's not ONE female in them. It's as if War is supposedly male territory. But I'm fairly sure that a woman as a medic, coming to get a person that's fallen, or female espionage agent isn't a tip of the imagination. Still don't believe me? Still think I'm off my rocker? How about this. How many NBA Live games can you count on your hand. Go ahead, use google. I'll wait.

...

Done? Ok. Now, how many WNBA Live games are there? In a land where games have so much potential, it seems we've fallen into a rut. It's obvious that these arguments come up again, and again. But the questions bear repeating: Can we have stronger female roles? Can we have stronger lead characters who aren't just eye candy?

Samus did a great job. The first action girl when no one knew what it was. Jade from Beyond Good and Evil was a magnificent piece. Folks, we need more. What do you think?

 

[CloakedOne]

You're 100% correct about women in gaming. We need more representation of women in video games, and, preferably, that are not bitches like that **** in WET. we need women like Alex in Eternal Darkness and Joanna from Perfect Dark. Good observation and, with your help, we can correct it.

 

[Axeli]

My only problem with women in video games is that they inevitably get Rule 34'd & forever change how I see them when playing the game.

Mind you, that is my only problem. And not a significant one at that.

If you think Rule 34 applies only to female characters, then you clearly don't understand the spirit of it. I do envy you.

But still, I don't get this comment. Seeing a character sexualized changes your perspection of them? Never mind that it's not even canon, but does that apply to your real life as well? If you saw your friend naked or having sex (okay, fairly mild when compared to what Rule 34 can do to your soul), you'd think differently of them?

See, I don't understand this: According to what many feminists seem to think, I can't possibly feel sexually attracted to a character while still respect them. That seems twisted to me.

 

[Axeli]

My only problem with women in video games is that they inevitably get Rule 34'd & forever change how I see them when playing the game.

Mind you, that is my only problem. And not a significant one at that.

If you think Rule 34 applies only to female characters, then you clearly don't understand the spirit of it. I do envy you.

But still, I don't get this comment. Seeing a character sexualized changes your perspection of them? Never mind that it's not even canon, but does that apply to your real life as well? If you saw your friend naked or having sex (okay, fairly mild when compared to what Rule 34 can do to your soul), you'd think differently of them?

See, I don't understand this: According to what many feminists seem to think, I can't possibly feel sexually attracted to a character while still respect them. That seems twisted to me.

First point: Apparently so. Zoey was never sexy until I saw "Zoey startled the Witch" & I laugh when I see this in-game, something I never did before.

Second point: Having never seen any of my friends naked or having sex, I wouldn't know.

That sounds more like laughing at parts of the original work because it starts reminds you of a parody than it does that the parody is really changing the original work.

And she just suddenly became sexy? I'm pretty sure you'd have to think she was attractive before that, though I do realize there's more subtle kind of attraction than what you get when you make a character with huge rack and tiny clothes (which I feel insults my intelligence if that character's clothing seems very impractical for what she's doing and if a person with her personality would hardly even wear something like that). But why would sexiness or sexuality stop me from seeing anything else in a character?

 

[hotdogoctopus]

Fable II - Hammer. Beast of a woman.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I liked the female TF2 characters people have been making, myself.

 

[likalaruku]

Not a problem for me, since I play almost nothing but western turn-based or real-time RPGs, where everything is gender-balanced. Hell, the Aveyond series is made by a woman, & it takes me back to the old 2D days of Zelda & Final Fantasy. The one thing they need to work on is the clothing; either the women get real armor or the men start dressing like Monican agents (cookies if you get that reference).

 

[Gindil]

Meh. I don't see how one's gender has to come into anything. I'm just a human, she's just a human, he's just a human, and whatever either of us has on the monitor is - well, not even human given its nature.

Plus the whole point about females supposed to be "attractive" is being made pretty clearly in our culture. I mean, how many realistic female warriors do you see in games or what not. I'd say, if you were swinging that 2 hand sword around, you wouldn't run around in chain mail bikini, looking like a model. You'd have pretty huge muscles, which is often considered unfeminine in our culture.

So, yeah.

There's ways to actually do this right. First, a female rogue is going to wear something other than skimpy leather armor. It just makes sense. I'd applaud if a game breaks a few conventions in showing a few things with female characters:

A) They're stronger in a believable way.

B) There's more types of women than the "Hot Blonde"

Ripley was a strong woman. She turned out to have a motherly instinct that helped her take care of Newt. Vasquez was a damn fierce fighter with a BFG. Both broke this stereotype that women were Damsels in Distress that have to use their looks to get what they want.

If we're really going to get into Amazons, I'm fairly sure we could get into women warriors that were every bit as skilled as a male, but different. Just because they have the Most Common Superpower [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostCommonSuperPower], it doesn't mean that's the only thing they should have going for them in gaming.

Who would want to watch WNBA, let alone play a game of it? And before you get on your high horse about sexism, I don't say that because I don't like women, I say it because their standard of basketball is very low by comparison to the men's game.

Perhaps more women? But it's funny how the WNBA has been around for 15+ years and no one likes it to the point of marketing it. Also, if you look at the coaches, most are men. Not sexist, just the truth.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Let's face it, the army that everyone loves to make games about (For the dim-witted: The United States Army and United States Marine Corps) doesn't allow women in combat roles. If you thus want to keep the game realistic, you have to keep women from not occupying those roles in the game.

But sure, let me indulge you with a few games where the protagonist is/can be a female soldier:
Mass Effect, Rainbow Six (from the first up to Raven Shield as you could choose which team members to bring along, then again in Vegas 2), No One Lives Forever (well, an operative but Kate Archer is hardcore) and Velvet Assassin(and once again, technically an operative).

As a woman, I am not all to concerned with the lack of female soldier protagonists. They have been around for a while and as women take more space on the gaming market, we can expect the number to rise.

 

[EeveeElectro]

My media essay question was going to be, "Is the representation of women in video games fair and/or realistic?"
But I dropped media due to sucking at coursework. I wrote a powerpoint too! DX ah well.
Samus was a good role model, but they've sexed her up now.
I think both genders will always be seen as eye candy, I doubt we could put a stop to that =/

 

[Axeli]

Snorpt

Woah, hey now.
I don't stop seeing anything but the tits of a game woman after I see a Rule 34, it's just a vague kind of... there.

I never found Zoey attractive until that thought of her getting it on with the witch. I even remember thinking "I guess it's good that they've put an NPC woman into a game who isn't a mega-babe", but now it's there, that background static of "She's hot".

Well **** you too [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snorpt]. But anyways...

I don't see the problem. Does it distract you so much that the characer is hot? I think you might have a crush on her. =)

 

[Axeli]

Snorpt

Woah, hey now.
I don't stop seeing anything but the tits of a game woman after I see a Rule 34, it's just a vague kind of... there.

I never found Zoey attractive until that thought of her getting it on with the witch. I even remember thinking "I guess it's good that they've put an NPC woman into a game who isn't a mega-babe", but now it's there, that background static of "She's hot".

Well **** you too [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snorpt]. But anyways...

I don't see the problem. Does it distract you so much that the characer is hot? I think you might have a crush on her. =)

[sub]If only you knew...[/sub]
I don't think you understand how little this bothers me. I see a character get Rule 34'd, I think about that when I play as/around them. Doesn't detract from the experience in any way.

But that does sound like it bothers you more than a little. You my friend need a mental barrier between everything you see on the internet and everything else.

But this topic was not supposed to be about the effects of Rule 34, so let's try to rerail.

 

[Hiphophippo]

Snorpt

Woah, hey now.
I don't stop seeing anything but the tits of a game woman after I see a Rule 34, it's just a vague kind of... there.

I never found Zoey attractive until that thought of her getting it on with the witch. I even remember thinking "I guess it's good that they've put an NPC woman into a game who isn't a mega-babe", but now it's there, that background static of "She's hot".

Well **** you too [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snorpt]. But anyways...

I don't see the problem. Does it distract you so much that the characer is hot? I think you might have a crush on her. =)

Are you talking about Vasquez? Because I do. That ***** is a little crazy and a little hot.

I like my women crazy.

 

[Woodsey]

My only problem with women in video games is that they inevitably get Rule 34'd & forever change how I see them when playing the game.

Mind you, that is my only problem. And not a significant one at that.

If you think Rule 34 applies only to female characters, then you clearly don't understand the spirit of it. I do envy you.

But still, I don't get this comment. Seeing a character sexualized changes your perspection of them? Never mind that it's not even canon, but does that apply to your real life as well? If you saw your friend naked or having sex (okay, fairly mild when compared to what Rule 34 can do to your soul), you'd think differently of them?

See, I don't understand this: According to what many feminists seem to think, I can't possibly feel sexually attracted to a character while still respect them. That seems twisted to me.

What's Rule 34?

It's not like Order 66 is it? Why would you do that to women?!