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Videogames: A Woman's Touch

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The M.O.B said:
Hopefully most would agree with me on this one.

A VG woman shouldn't wear skirts,metal thongs(Nariko needs one,Ivy should lose it) ,high heels,or thin pieces of strips for clothing.Unless they are just sipping tea.

A VG woman should wear some kind of armor,Suitable shoes, and a average breast size.Unless they are just sipping tea.

Even though these games are fantasy like,It shouldn't mean a man's fantasy.

Edit:I worded that wrong

Make games that are a women's fantasy too. Games shouldn't have their female characters degraded into looking like boring average people just to please some sexless eunuchs and feminists. Things need to made equal. There needs to be games out that that appeal to female fantasies.
 
Pimpbaa said:
Make games that are a women's fantasy too. Games shouldn't have their female characters degraded into looking like boring average people just to please some sexless eunuchs and feminists. Things need to made equal. There needs to be games out that that appeal to female fantasies.
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Since we're naming characters, I'll join in.

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I don't see Mona Sax (Max Payne 2's version of her) mentioned often in these threads, but she's strong, capable, smartly-dressed, and isn't in any kind of helplessly-dependent relationship with the male lead. She succumbs to the genre by being a femme fatale in the end, but she's become one of my favorite playable female characters since I finished MP2 just yesterday.
 
Pimpbaa said:
Make games that are a women's fantasy too. Games shouldn't have their female characters degraded into looking like boring average people just to please some sexless eunuchs and feminists. Things need to made equal. There needs to be games out that that appeal to female fantasies.

Pretty much. If that happened, you'd never see me complain about Team Ninja's obsession with mammaries.
 
CrushDance said:
Commitment:lol

What Ryu isn't manly enough to satisfy you? Tehehe.

Ayami Kojima does her best in the fight towards equality, but alas, it is not enough.

PS: I wouldn't mind games with strong female leads (hint hint Lenneth hint hint) that don't flop their goods about all the time.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
Ayami Kojima does her best in the fight towards equality, but alas, it is not enough.

PS: I wouldn't mind games with strong female leads (hint hint Lenneth hint hint) that don't flop their goods about all the time.
That's what I think most are saying. There's nothing wrong per se with having an attractive female character, but the way that they are typically used in "The story" is lame.

And then we have things like Soul Calibur 4 :lol

Edit: What do you people mean by "female fantasies" Who the heck goes "Oh Marcus Fenix...you're so big and hairy!" ???

Final Fantasy 9 pulled the relationship off pretty good. Garnet didn't always rely on Zidane and did things by herself, even cutting her hair. That was a good example of the dynamic that should exist.
 
This thread did not deliver on Jade Raymond pics. It is fail.

CrushDance said:
Final Fantasy 9 pulled the relationship off pretty good. Garnet didn't always rely on Zidane and did things by herself, even cutting her hair. That was a good example of the dynamic that should exist.

I think Tidus/Yuna from the FFX/FFX-2 is strongest in its "equality" of sorts. Yuna looks the dependent frail sort but isn't really at all, and she gets a game of her own in X-2 as well. If you look at the "ultimate" ending of X-2, you'll realize its parallel with X's opening scene.
 
arias said:
This thread did not deliver on Jade Raymond pics. It is fail.



I think Tidus/Yuna from the FFX/FFX-2 is strongest in its "equality" of sorts. Yuna looks the dependent frail sort but isn't really at all, and she gets a game of her own in X-2 as well. If you look at the "ultimate" ending of X-2, you'll realize its parallel with X's opening scene.
No way. Yuna was useless she always seemed "omg I'm about to break!" type, maybe it was just her animations.

And FFX2?:lol Yeah okay. I bought that game and my dad asked me where I got it from. The camera angles, dialogue etc? It was a "guys" game.
 
CrushDance said:
What is that from? That's some amazing art! Is it a girl?...I'm going to assume so since were talking about the subject.

Edit: Hey! That looks like Dragona's avatar...

Yes it does. That's Hrist from Valkyrie Profile. I was going to post a picture of Lenneth, but that'd be too predictable.

...
Ah, screw it, the art is too nice to not post:

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M3d10n said:
Yes it does. That's Hrist from Valkyrie Profile. I was going to post a picture of Lenneth, but that'd be too predictable.

...
Ah, screw it, the art is too nice to not post:

The elder sister of Lenneth and Silmeria, Hrist is a Valkyrie that serves Odin's will with great zeal. She is ruthless and even somewhat evil in this regard. When Barbarossa, king of the city of Dipan was fooled into an unethical search for immortality by his three mages, Hrist unjustly executed the innocent king, and laid the entire city to waste.

*cough* Dragona *cough*
 
CrushDance said:
*cough* Dragona *cough*

When Barbarossa, king of the city of Dipan was fooled into an unethical search for immortality by his three mages, Hrist unjustly executed the innocent king, and laid the entire city to waste.

That's one nasty perma ban.
 
The problem with games appealing to female fantasies is that more guys play video games, what a surprise. I suppose this is more pertinent now that graphics have improved, but, uhh, what would those types of games actually entail? A muscular dude running around in a Speedo and killing bad guys? We already have that, it's called an action hero.
 
Death_Born said:
The problem with games appealing to female fantasies is that more guys play video games, what a surprise. I suppose this is more pertinent now that graphics have improved, but, uhh, what would those types of games actually entail? A muscular dude running around in a Speedo and killing bad guys? We already have that, it's called an action hero.

That sort of presents a chicken-and-egg scenario, though, doesn't it? Women don't play games because there are no games for women because women don't play games.
 
As far as "PC/Empowering/Non-stereotypical" female VG character depictions go

I always liked Agrias, the Holy Knight, in FFT

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"Life is short---Bury! Steady Sword!"

"Absorb power in the sky and strike! Lightning Stab!"

"Heaven’s wish to destroy all minds---Holy Explosion!"
 
Campster said:
There are no games for women

Are you kidding me? Women can play any game they want, it's not like games are specifically designed for men. The most "manly" game I can think of might be an FPS like Counter-Strike, but I don't see how games can be made "woman-friendly" when they're already fine for both genders. I think video games just appeal more to men because of their more aggressive and competitive nature.

If you want to give armor to female fighters in video games, so be it. I think scantily-clad female warriors are cliche and stupid. I'd rather have women realistically depicted than some sort of nerd fantasy with giant boobs.
 
M3d10n said:
That's one nasty perma ban.
:lol Nah, it was all in good fun. I always wondered what her avatar was from, seemed like the art from the first final fantasies.
Death_Born said:
Are you kidding me? Women can play any game they want, it's not like games are specifically designed for men.
Very true. Most games can be enjoyed by both sexes fine, I think people are confusing having male leads and female leads. Yes not everyone wants to play a Marcus Fenix type character but for the most part games can be enjoyed by everyone.
 
Death_Born said:
Are you kidding me? Women can play any game they want, it's not like games are specifically designed for men. The most "manly" game I can think of might be an FPS like Counter-Strike, but I don't see how games can be made "woman-friendly" when they're already fine for both genders. I think video games just appeal more to men because of their more aggressive and competitive nature.

If you want to give armor to female fighters in video games, so be it. I think scantily-clad female warriors are cliche and stupid. I'd rather have women realistically depicted than some sort of nerd fantasy with giant boobs.

Non-insulting armor or not, violent power fantasies typically are the domain of pubescent males (and male gamers), not so much the domain of women. Not to say there aren't plenty of women who love Halo, but there are very few games that aim at women without being condescending.
 
Campster said:
Non-insulting armor or not, violent power fantasies typically are the domain of pubescent males (and male gamers), not so much the domain of women. Not to say there aren't plenty of women who love Halo, but there are very few games that aim at women without being condescending.
I'm not understanding how generic FPS A and generic Mario Game B are condescending. What type of games would be for women then?
 
Campster said:
Non-insulting armor or not, violent power fantasies typically are the domain of pubescent males (and male gamers), not so much the domain of women. Not to say there aren't plenty of women who love Halo, but there are very few games that aim at women without being condescending.

Lots of female RPG/SRPG/Adventure game fans. Think PoliceQuest and the like; many women I know stopped playing games once these died out. Women aren't averse to "blood and gore"; it isn't as if our psyches prevent it.

Really, even with "traditional"-type games (especially in the genres above) with reputable female leads, it would be a great step forward.

Course, we're in a thread where people are posting pictures of female game designers and drooling. Not talking about their talents as designers.

Such is GAF.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
Lots of female RPG/SRPG/Adventure game fans. Think PoliceQuest and the like; many women I know stopped playing games once these died out. Women aren't averse to "blood and gore"; it isn't as if our psyches prevent it.

Really, even with "traditional"-type games (especially in the genres above) with reputable female leads, it would be a great step forward.

Course, we're in a thread where people are posting pictures of female game designers and drooling. Not talking about their talents as designers.

Such is GAF.
:/

Such is western society.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
As is eastern, northern and southern.

Women have traditionally been degraded. It's a pan-cultural thing. You kinda get used to it.
A good matriarchy ought to clean the pipes. Shall I prepare the boiling oil?
 
Segata Sanshiro said:
Why did Campster post a picture of half-naked underage boys?

I have no idea. But I know now that I do not want to enroll in any Boys' Clubs, and that perhaps I should warn my young cousin.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
Lots of female RPG/SRPG/Adventure game fans. Think PoliceQuest and the like; many women I know stopped playing games once these died out. Women aren't averse to "blood and gore"; it isn't as if our psyches prevent it.
Also, I think it's the very lack of appealing roles in other genres that in part makes the rpg genres most popular. Specifically, because they allow those female gamers to tweak or outright create a role that they actually find appealing. MMOs, especially. Simulation games, too, since they have that same sense of control and customization.

So it's not so much that females are just somehow magically more rpg inclined, but rather that the popularity is just indicative of the shortcomings (of the female roles) in other genres.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
As is eastern, northern and southern.

Women have traditionally been degraded. It's a pan-cultural thing. You kinda get used to it.
:( wtf. Dragona killed the thread!

Jokes aside, maybe it's because I'm seeing it from the POV of a male. But I don't think that the lack of many women in gaming is because of the games availible. I mean even you yourself said it, it's not like women cannot understand what makes FPS's enjoyable or something like Ninja Gaiden for example.

And what's the difference between Heavenly Sword and Devil May Cry type games? I don't think the situation is so that girls are either turned off or refuse to play games just because of male leads like some seem to suggest.

I know several girls who enjoy playing Halo for example, and they've never brought it up while we played.

Otherwise that would be very limited choice for women. I can understand the need for better portrayls of female characters and I'm for that as well. Besides as it's well known most males use female avatars in games :P

Edit: Nevermind I'm wrong, I wouldn't want to play as a girl 24/7 either.
 
You guys talk of females as if they're all one mysterious collective entity all with the same tastes and wants from a game...wrong.

I know just as many girls who LOVED games 'cos of Lara Croft as did hate games 'cos of her. It all has to do with taste, whether you're male or female. Just as in movies, Japanimations & comics...sometimes certain characters are depicted a certain way or "type-cast", if you will, to be a strong icon for inner strength or a sexual symbol for outwardly projected strength. Balance is key, just as with life.

It all comes down to taste...immediatly a topic like this is raised and we start posting pics of what we think female characters should LOOK like when what the *real* thing that should be pondered is what roles female characters/developers should have...not how they look!
 
Personally i like how the female characters look in doa, i also i understand that its probably not appealing to anyone older then 18-21 and not of the male gender. So thats why i am going to say that i am not in favor of completely getting rid of the idealized look. Well that ends the pointless part of this post.

I am all for developers making games more appealing to any women that might play them, of course this will probably require the input from that gender if the development staff is primarily composed of men. I just think the real problem is that most of the games out there are targeted at the male consumer, but that type of marketing doesnt only apply to games. There are movies and novels out there that are meant for the women and usually they are heavily slanted in that direction that the male consumer probably will not be interested.

Of course maybe i am just an idiot and i didnt entirely think this through.

Edit: I talk of women this way because honestly i have no clue what they want, i am quite aware everyone has different tastes and opinions. But personally i dont even know the simplest things like what male character would be attractive.
 
Fairly Incredible said:
:lol :lol

As Bill Maher said . . . there are no 'mutual fantasies' . . . its not like there is some mutual fantasy where a guy and girl are running across a wheat field at each other in slow-motion and then the guys comes on her face. (Paraphrased.)
 
I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to devs and the like, but, the lady working on Assassins Creed, seems ace. Can't forget Kojima though!


As for ladies in games...Alyx and The Boss all the way. The boss had her moments, like the last fight with her chest half way exposed, but, she was an exceptional character. Alyx just flat out owns, regardless of what she wears (which is normal considering how fast things move in the HL universe).
 
Jade Raymond is probably the worst thing to happen for women in gaming in a long time, IMO. It's bad enough the industry objectifies the female characters in games, though to be utterly truth I'm not entirely upset about it >.>, but as I say it's bad enough we do it with characters, and yet here comes Jade Raymond prancing about all for the sake of PR and potential sales and hype as the fanboys ogle her. She's spitting in the faces of all other women who work in the industry, IMO. Maybe, it's entirely innocent and unintended and I apologize if it is, but the fact that ever since the "OMG JAAAAADE!!!!!1one" explosion, she now show's up every time there's an interview is pretty telling, again IMO.

Also...

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... YES!
 
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