Women in video games: which ones do it right?

[chinangel]

Maybe because I'm a complete misogynist by nature (or just someone who doesn't want character development to get in the way of killing people and breaking things if I'm playing a non-simulation), but I quite like the way women are portrayed by Team Ninja.

er...I think that Team Ninja has the absolute worst characterization of women i've ever seen in any media. They're all big-breasted bimbo's. >_<

OT: I could go with the easy Shepard/Samus answers (and to be fair, they ARE good characters) but I'm going with Zelda and Presea...with a little bit of Aerith thrown in there. Now now, lemme explain.

Zelda in OoT actually took an active role! This is was unseen before, she was usually just the target in the crystal, now she was helping and fighting!

Presea because she's the antithesis to the typical JRPG girl character, both in combat and out. In combat she's a tank, absorbing obscene levels of damage and dishing it out as well. Outside of combat she's subdued and tolerates a lot of garbage (particularly from Zelos).

Finally Aerith, who wasn't a doormat like Yuna. Very forgiving of others, very optimistic and yet she could be aggressive and combative when time called for it. Also, it takes a LOT of courage to knowingly go to your death.

However Aerith had some stereotypical bits about her which almost disqualifies her...still anyone who can make a whole generation of gamerse sob with her death deserves mention.

 

[Ultress]

In addition to quite a few already mentioned I'll throw in Virgina from Wild Arms 3 for her awesome development from a somewhat naive daddy's girl to a capable leader of a team of Drifters.Plus she's attractive without running Filgia in her undies.

 

[jowo96]

I don't think the issue of womens depiction in gaming is as big a problem as some people seem to think it is.
The majority of games represent women in a respectable way, they may not always be particularly deep or interesting characters but thats another issue entirely as bad characterisation isn't a problem exclusive to women.
There is the occasional game that takes the piss such as Dead or Alive or X Blades but on a whole I don't think there are that many cases of women being depicted particularly unfairly. Then again it is possible I am playing the wrong games.

But on the note of good characters that are women, I would say that Mass Effect does an excellent job as do most Valve games. I also liked Mona Sax from Max Payne.

 

[Eduku]

Neither are over sexualized, but DMC does it better.

Um...

 

[jowo96]

Maybe because I'm a complete misogynist by nature (or just someone who doesn't want character development to get in the way of killing people and breaking things if I'm playing a non-simulation), but I quite like the way women are portrayed by Team Ninja.

er...I think that Team Ninja has the absolute worst characterization of women i've ever seen in any media. They're all big-breasted bimbo's. >_<

It seems that you don't know what a Misogynist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misogyny] is or perhaps I don't know what sarcasm is?

 

[WhoaItsBrett]

I want to answer, but there isn't really a "right" way to do it.
So I can't think of a good answer to give you.

 

[Rawle Lucas]

And I really adore Rosalina from Mario Galaxy. She's one of my most favorite characters ever.

Do you mind expanding that. I played mario galaxy and she didn't seem that special at all. I am somewhat perplexed now.

See this Game Overthinker video [http://gameoverthinker.blogspot.com/2008/04/episode-two-super-mario-sacred-feminine.html] for details on that.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Enslaved Odyssey To The West
and HydroPhobia.

 

[Rawle Lucas]

I want to answer, but there isn't really a "right" way to do it.
So I can't think of a good answer to give you.

Everyone always talks about how things need to change, so I asked them to come up with examples while offering a few of my own, rather than making up abstractions. If they want to change developers' minds, they would need to show them how to do it right.

That's why I started this thread.

 

[Gentleman_Reptile]

The girls in Uncharted have fantastic presence and really fit their roles.

 

[number2301]

I refuse to add Mass Effect 2 onto this list of good female characters simply because of the game's immature obsession with making the camera show off Miranda's arse.

No, ME2 gets excluded because of Jack. The first time I saw her I thought have we not yet moved beyond those kind of outfits in a reasonably mature game? It's not even like it's attractive.

Conspicuous by her absence from the thread so far is Chell from Portal, typical Valve silent protagonist, her gender is a non-issue, she just is.

Unless you want to get really deep and start questioning why they used a female protagonist in a predominantly non-violent game. But we'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Another honourable mention goes to Grand Theft Auto for ... nah just kidding

 

[MasterNeon]

Zoey from Left 4 Dead because she's not the WOMAN of the group, she's just another zombie killer on par with the rest of team.

 

[MasterNeon]

Oh and Zelda in Ocarina of Time, she's only actually captured for like a half hour and spends the rest of the time teaching Link how to kick ass when she's Sheik.

 

[Valiance]

Since all the best ones are already taken...

Ivana from UT if you played as the Dark Phalanx?

 

[Dr. Paine]

I refuse to add Mass Effect 2 onto this list of good female characters simply because of the game's immature obsession with making the camera show off Miranda's arse.

No, ME2 gets excluded because of Jack. The first time I saw her I thought have we not yet moved beyond those kind of outfits in a reasonably mature game? It's not even like it's attractive.

Conspicuous by her absence from the thread so far is Chell from Portal, typical Valve silent protagonist, her gender is a non-issue, she just is.

Unless you want to get really deep and start questioning why they used a female protagonist in a predominantly non-violent game. But we'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Another honourable mention goes to Grand Theft Auto for ... nah just kidding

Agreeing entirely with Chell- and Portal isn't non-violent, it's just not as blatantly violent as, say... Half Life. Keep in mind, this is set in a place where you've got a computer that would make HAL nervous slowly killing everyone inside for science, has driven at least one guy completely bonkers, and is filled with all sorts of death traps.

... as for Jack, you need to take into account the fact that she is completely out of her mind. Yes, the starting outfit (thank god for the loyalty mission) is more or less blatant fanservice, but it also works with her character.

I'd also say Samus did it right, in the Prime games above all others. YMMV. (And of course, Fem!Shep/most other female characters in Mass Effect, Alyx, Zoey, blah blah blah I'm treading old ground.)

 

[Ekonk]

Any game in which women aren't just sex dolls.

Good: Half-Life 2

Bad: God of War

 

[Rawle Lucas]

Any game in which women aren't just sex dolls.

Good: Half-Life 2

Bad: God of War

Would you say that games rated "E" or "E10+" are less vulnerable to this?

 

[Mookalakai]

If you play as a woman in Mount and Blade Warband, I think it's done pretty realistically. Most of the people in the game treat poorly to begin with, but once you've killed enough of their personal friends, you can actually start to garner respect.

 

[Blue_vision]

Alyx Vance.

/thread?

Yep, you win.

I also liked Farah in Prince of Persia.

 

[Ekonk]

Any game in which women aren't just sex dolls.

Good: Half-Life 2

Bad: God of War

Would you say that games rated "E" or "E10+" are less vulnerable to this?

Those games don't portray anyone right, but at least they do it consistently and without over-sexualisation.