...but that day is not today. ^^ I'm not sure if a day in which there is nothing left to say is something that computes in my reality. Then again, neither did constructive thought on an Internet article's comment board, and yet.
It happened this morning - I was flipping through Wired after reading an article M sent me on shared bicycles in NYC with GPS trackers that you could rent through your cell phone (there's, as the saying goes, an app for that) when I noticed the heading "Geek Culture's 26 Most Awesome Female Ass-Kickers" and paused.
It's a worthy preface that Emily Murphy was my childhood hero; she stood out because she moved to ensure that women were recognized as "persons" under the law in the province of my birth. As a Canadian child of the 80s, this was both curious - of course women and men were people, that's just what they were! - and frightening - you mean there was a time that women weren't? - but the fact that I saw myself as a person, and those around me did as well means that the cause she fought for had definitely moved forwards.
In some, if not in all media. Over the course of mulling over and writing this post, the idea of gaming as a frontier world/media/escapism has presented itself; perhaps, as one of the last 'boys' clubs' in modern Western society, the metaphor fits.
But not easily.
As Activision (Call of Duty, DJ Hero) faces considerable brouhaha for its "lose the chick" mindset on creating female lead characters for its games, the response ranges from well-thought-out to the horror of "dumb broad, now get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich". Reading through the articles, and particularly the comment boards, is generally disappointing on behalf of the entire human race. The levels of guttural defensiveness and "LOLZ IF YOU PLAY AS A GIRL UR A PANSY" (augh, gender roles/perception = FAIL and that's a completely different post for another time) rippling from those who ID themselves as gamers and even those that ID as developers/writers/programmers ("girl games don't sell!" "there are no good girl characters!" "girl games are pink and sparkly and shit!"**) is scary. At least they're not arguing that there aren't any girl gamers anymore.
Yes, trolls exist, largely to be incendiary mouthbreathers who enjoy provoking the ire of others. But even with trolls considered, this approach by Activision and the gamers' response do little to expand on/improve the public perception of those who enjoy video games and/or identify as gamers, particularly when the story generates enough buzz to land on mainstream websites like the Guardian. And let's face it: the public perception of "gamers" is almost always unflattering.
So this is my challenge to you, gaming world. Open your heads (and maybe even your heart) to the idea of not switching over a cool-sounding heroine to a weak Jet Li-wannabe in True Crime:HK just because GTA is "what sells". Be innovative! I like male heroes, just like I like linguini alfredo. But variety is good - sometimes pad thai is nice! Or take the Fable route and offer both! ...now that's bang for your buck. XD
But. Right. Back to the "26 Ass-Kickers". The list isn't half-bad; it's skewed towards current films/books/comics (I'm pretty sure Trinity and Eowyn could take out Black Widow and Hit Girl without breaking a sweat, despite not making the list) but what was encouraging was the pages (and pages!) of comments recommending other awesome characters, and not disparaging any of the choices out of hand or saying that X male character was way better anyhow. So much so that Wired compiled the comments and made a Voted-In Top 26! I'm pretty sure that fifteen years ago, the list wouldn't be quite as long as it is today.
Everything evolves. Everything changes, over time. I'm hoping that, in a few years, someone will be writing a "26 Ass-Kickers" blogpost about videogame girls - and in the end, as a storyteller myself, I can't wait to see where their stories will take us.
**...as an aside, I have to agree with the statement that most games blatantly "marketed" to Girls Only are awful. But I don't have enough fingers and toes to count girl friends who can more than keep up with our guys as we've grown up from Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time to Mass Effect and Halo; who have level shfiftytenepic WoW characters and balance that interest with an active, successful life; who work in/are affiliated with the gaming industry. I'm a casual gamer at best, myself - I'm more fascinated by the culture because I know I could be sucked right in to the escapism that they offer. I'm looking at you, Bioshock and Final Fantasy.
TL;DR? We girls are out there. Some stats say that girls make up 40% of gamers today, and you can bet your boots though we don't mind seeing the world through Snake eyes (and, okay, might check out his backside on occasion) we wouldn't mind seeing more stories from, say, Joanna Dark. More explosions, complex characters, and twisty plots; fewer dress-spheres, kthx?
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4 comments:
I hope that day doesn't come. It'd make for a boring conversation.
I think mainstream gaming is dominated by males. That's why you get biased articles pointing out that there's a lack of female gamers or game leads.
There are female gamers, I can list tons who play way more than I do, and plenty of female game leads. All you have to do is look.
I also think as with any medium, the ratio of male/female leads is roughly accurate. How many female action heroes are there in movies? For every movie Angelina Jolie stars in, I think you'll find a Jade (Beyond Good and Evil) or Alice.
As well, most games are war games (Call of Duty, Halo, Battlefield). What is the proportion of male-to-female soldiers in the army now? Sometimes it just makes more sense for a male lead.
I believe that the industry will have more and more female leads as soon as the industry gets more females. Currently, it is dominated by the boys who grew up playing Battletoads and Street Fighter. As soon as all those girls who grew up with Final Fantasy 8 and every other JRPG start taking up managerial roles, you'll see more female leads. Jade Raymond (Assassin's Creed) is a start; and eventually, they'll be more.
You're right - one-sided conversations can be interesting to watch but definitely not participate in! ^_~
I agree with your reply for the most part, particularly the 'as FF8-girl-grads grow up and hit the industry, things may start to change' (paraphrased). More female action heroes in film has been an upwards trend though, as of late, particularly successful ones. Arguably, this may be due in part to the Emma Peel-watching film students of the 60s and 70s. ^_~ Like the Sony exec who teased Angelina Jolie about wanting to be a Bond girl, Jolie replying that she wanted to be Bond, and said exec calling her up at a later date to offer her the role of Salt. Not that she's a girl and can do it better/worse/more sexily, just that hey, Tom Cruise can't make it work, but she might like the role and can kick butt too.
You noted that "I also think as with any medium, the ratio of male/female leads is roughly accurate." I'd say as media goes, books have the best balance; TV/movies are pretty similar, but not quite as strong as books; games may be the least balanced but then that is impacted by target audience, which, even in the age of dual-gender lead character options in blockbusters like Mass Effect, and more social gaming consoles like the Wii, is still a male-dominant pastime. There's nothing wrong with that. At all. And you're right, a girl might look kind of silly amidst the muscle-bound team of Gears of War, but it could be a fascinating bonus level, and could definitely encourage players to rethink their strategies and engage new ways of looking at the mission. As might playing as, say, a female Marine in a stage of CoD4. (It wouldn't work in the earlier games, but women have been engaged as Marines since the Korean War... and I doubt that one level or two would alienate any serious male gamers, while possibly expanding the game's target audience.)
The point of my original post was definitely convoluted (you know how my brain works!) but I think at the root of it was disappointment that, in said age, Activision didn't have the courage to go with the more innovative-sounding game that their developers had created. (That, and HOLY CATS, are internet forums scary places.)
I've got nothing against playing to your audience, and gaming is an industry, so there's something to be said for playing it safe. But as companies go, Activision's huge. They could afford to innovate, and could, from the sound of the Internets certainly benefit from it.
One thing that may bode well in Activision's future is how Bungie handled the protagonist in Halo Reach. Obviously any Halo game isn't going to be comparable to a Fable or Bioshock in terms of story, but they deliberately left all imagery of the protagonist out of their promotional material, since he or she can be of any gender, and have their appearance customized to a wide degree (within reason; you're still an armor-clad space marine after all).
Sure, it's a seemingly small step. But then you realize that this is *Halo*, a significant franchise. And then one realizes that since Bungie has an exclusive contract with Activision for their next "big blockbuster franchise", Activision's corporate policy may change in the face of Bungie's progressive character design.
Jobias, you make a solid point! I have to admit I don't follow the Halo franchise too closely, but can recognize its market share and massive impact on gamer society. It's cool to hear that it's been created and marketed to be that inclusive. I'll be keeping the odd tab on Activision as the year goes on just to see where things go. ^_~
On a different tack, how much would you say that Create-Your-Hero is the way of the future? As technology advances, it certainly seems easier to customize the voice acting/facial features/body types both at production and gameplay levels. (Part of me thinks that games that create/present iconic characters will still remain, but the draw of making your own hero/avatar is also a strong one...)
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