Thursday, June 20, 2013

SHODAN Rejects you, insect - The Female Function in Games


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In the narrative context of video games, where lies the boundary between the substantial portrayal of the female ethos VS the sexist objectification of it? At two main places: in personality portrayal - or, in the complete lack of it - and, in your mind. Both aspects are crucial. The entertainment industry long has realized that the female figure and its inherent symbolic message is the ONE no marketing campaign or movie poster can go non-efficient with, simply because women are the BEST, but it takes men to recognize this.

You're perfect, yes, it's true, but without me, you are only you."
- Faith No More

The following is observable: whether we are talking about female or male protagonist characters in video games, they almost always tend to approximate the average attractive archetype per both genders. Counter-examples are accessible, but those surely represent a mini-minority. You would have a hard time naming a deliberately obnoxious main character in a triple A title. The misplaced and fruitfully antiquated assumption is that the video game woman has a moral obligation to exhibit optimal physical characteristics, whereas the truth is much more uncomfortable: women are autonomous unique individuals and it takes work and commitment to simulate and portray such a being. Read on to know more about it.

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