In response to "Holding Out for a Heroine" from The Escapist Forum: Just when I get burnt out reading or writing or discussing anything video game related, the Escapist comes out with another hard-hitting essay. I love this. It's even got me reconsidering how I play into the idealized female archetype in my own stories, and rethinking them.
I think the problem is two-fold. On the one hand, video games have traditionally been marketed towards young men. That much is obvious. But as Gerard Jones said (I LOVE that book), it's just as much that it excludes female gamers from the target demographic as it is that it particularly caters to the males. But this is yesterday's news.
The other issue, I think, is that most of the people writing these video game plots and characters are males. How equipped is a male author to write a truly believable female character? I consider myself a good writer, but I will admit that one place I struggle is accurately depicting the many particular complexities of being a woman - in the normal world, let alone a fantasy or sci-fi world where she is faced with impossible challenges on top of her normal struggles. So what my female characters end up being are bits and pieces of different media archetypes I've seen on TV, in games, in books, with a little bit of real world inspiration for good measure. I have no real frame of reference, since I am not a woman. So we need to see some more women writers in the industry.
- Godheval
In the end of the day, men and women are different - they think differently and they act differently. I think it will be better if women act like women, and men act like men, instead of doing a "strong female chracter, that is actualy a lesbian" or a "emotional male character, who is actualy gay" where you umix things up.
A women can save the world, but not the same way a men would. I men can be emotional, but not the same way as a women.
- N1ghtNinja
I can tell right now that when someone finally releases a game with a proper female lead, many gamers wont be able to accept it. Well right away anyways. especially the Xbox people with their big tough manly games.
- Zera
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In response to "Sociolotron: How the Other Half Plays" from The Escapist Forum: Really appreciated the article. The insight into avatar-human relations was really interesting, particularly the progression from objectification (focus upon appearance) to personalization (felt the need to protect; empathized) to identification (feelings of guilt, shame, feeling as if you were participating in the acts instead of the character). I'm sure most of us who play online games have gone through things like that, but this article managed to encapsulate so much in relatively little word space.
- DM
Would your emotional response have been different it were all text and no visuals - "traditional" cybersex (what a concept!), I wonder? The presence of an avatar and another character creates a sort of personhood for both of you that you're stuck with, whereas with text you are free to use your imagination or change anything at any moment.
Sure the most significant lesson learned here - and it's one that very few men can grok - is the physical vulnerability that women live with 24/7. It doesn't have to affect their whole worldview, and I've known some women whom it would damned dangerous to mess with; but the simple fact of I-can-be-raped is something that women have and men don't, at least if they're not in prison. I get the impression you caught just a glimpse of that reality.
-EWAdams
