Monday update
As promised, here's my Monday Public Holiday post. It's an amazingly beautiful beach-perfect day in Durban and I'm stuck inside working. Bah! At least we'll probably be going for an afternoon cycle in the game reserve, and I can put my new bike (more about that later) through its paces.
Anyway, as a filler, here's my feature article that appeared in the September issue of GEAR magazine:
Girls In Games
It’s a fact that more women are playing games. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) reports that almost 40% of all gamers are women. According to Microsoft as much as 70% of all casual game players are female.
The question needs to be asked then if there are more game-playing women, does that translate to more girls IN games? Where can female characters be found? More importantly, are the women anything more than pathetic princesses in peril, bland background characters or eye candy for male gamers? A look at the main game genres produces some interesting, sometimes unexpected, answers.
First Person Shooters
In the most macho game genre it’s unusual to find female characters of any prominence. At first glance they are either completely absent or receive a Duke Nukem 3D treatment, where they are restricted to breast-flashing strippers and half-naked prisoners.
A closer look, though, uncovers No One Lives Forever, a rare award-winning shooter with a female lead character, and a sense of humour. Forever follows the exploits of cat burglar-turned-secret agent Cate Archer in an outlandish spoof of 1960s James Bond thrillers.
Recently, the revived SiN and Half-Life 2 franchises have also highlighted strong female characters. Sin Episodes sees the return of villainous corporate CEO Elexis Sinclaire. In Half-Life 2: Episode 1, freedom fighter Alyx Vance gets a larger role, with hero Gordon Freeman reliant on her help in bigger battles.
2005’s F.E.A.R. also deserves mention for its use of a supernatural little girl as one of the creepiest game villains of recent years.
Fighting
Female characters have a good track record of appearances in fighting games. They are present as both heroes and villains, and in terms of fighting ability, are just as powerful as male characters. Mortal Kombat’s memorable female figures include Special Forces lieutenant Sonya Blade, and violent ‘twins’ Mileena and Kitana. Tekken’s purple-clad anti-heroine Nina Williams proved so popular she even received her own Action game, Death by Degrees, in 2005.
Real Time Strategy
With the exception of WarCraft III, strategy games are not typically character driven. However, the Command & Conquer series and StarCraft have produced 2 of the most celebrated female figures in gaming history. Military commander Tanya (played by Kari Wuhrer in cut scenes), and betrayed psychic turned Zerg, Sarah Kerrigan, both have cult followings.
Sport
Gamers looking for female characters in the sporting genre have a very weak selection. While rugby, football and even professional wrestling are treated realistically, women’s sport games are dirty jokes. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Rumble Roses make use of ‘jiggle’ technology, switching the games’ focus from sporting action to the massive bouncing breasts of the Anime-style heroines.
Role Playing
If the Japanese make titillating women’s sports games, their treatment of female characters in RPGs is more positive. The Final Fantasy series, in particular, presents the player with numerous playable women of assorted dispositions and backgrounds.
In terms of Western RPGs, female characters dominate promotional artwork for online games like Guild Wars and EverQuest. In the games themselves female characters usually form part of the supporting cast. Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic were both praised for complex female figures like morally-conflicted Jedi Bastila.
Action Adventure
As one of the most accessible gaming genres, popular with both men and women, Action Adventure, or simply Adventure, has a long history of proactive female leads. Although obvious exceptions include Leisure Suite Larry’s bimbos, Deathtrap Dungeon’s borderline smut, and Playboy-posing BloodRayne, most of the genre’s female figures remain fully clothed and likeably identifiable.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s The King’s Quest series saw Princess Rosella transform from a helpless damsel in distress into a questing heroine. Scalpel-wielding Laverne set the future right with her wacky ingenuity in Day of the Tentacle. Whether he realised it or not, Guybrush Threepwood needed Elaine’s help in the Monkey Island games.
Descendants of these pioneering female characters include feisty Farrah in the revived Prince of Persia franchise, Jade in Beyond Good and Evil and the First Lady of Gaming herself, Lara Croft, an iconic figure whose popularity in the Tomb Raider series encouraged the appearance of more women in games.
These more recent female leads include darker characters for gamers who like grittier entertainment. Max Payne’s Mona Sax is a genuine film noir creation while American McGee’s Alice is tormented goth chic. Meanwhile, following the family-friendly tradition of Carmen Sandiego, Kate Walker and Zoe are the softer, puzzle-solving leads of Syberia, and this year’s Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.
--
Whether they appear in high profile titles or not, there’s little doubt that female characters have a strong tradition of girl power in gaming. Their diversity is also a healthy indication that gamers, whether men or women, appreciate and align themselves with female characters who transcend stereotypes.
[Side mini-feature]
These Girls Got Game
In terms of gaming girls of the unpixelated kind, there are many women working within, or associated with, the gaming industry.
Game designer dames
At first glance it would seem the game industry is lacking female game designers as famous as Sid Meier, Peter Molyneux and John Carmack. Roberta Williams is an exception. A pioneer in the Adventure genre, Williams co-founded Sierra, and designed all games in the classic King’s Quest series.
The queens of competitive gaming
Women have occupied high profile positions in the competitive gaming scene since the mid 1990s. Stevie ‘Killcreek’ Case and Kordelia, the undisputed ‘Queen of Quake’, were some of the first female stars. Today, the likes of all-girl Xbox gaming team The Frag Dolls continue to challenge male players.
Girl gamer movie stars
Like her The Fast and the Furious co-star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez is a long-time gamer, enjoying RPGs and tactical titles. Rodriguez has already starred in 2 films based on games, Resident Evil and BloodRayne. She has also provided in-game vocal work for Halo 2, True Crime: Streets of LA and Driver3.
Character models make good
Although never technically a booth babe, Rhona Mitra attended many events and posed for many photographs as the first ever, official Lara Croft model. After being retired as the real life Tomb Raider, Mitra achieved success on TV, with starring roles in hits Boston Legal and Nip/Tuck.
Anyway, as a filler, here's my feature article that appeared in the September issue of GEAR magazine:
Girls In Games
It’s a fact that more women are playing games. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) reports that almost 40% of all gamers are women. According to Microsoft as much as 70% of all casual game players are female.
The question needs to be asked then if there are more game-playing women, does that translate to more girls IN games? Where can female characters be found? More importantly, are the women anything more than pathetic princesses in peril, bland background characters or eye candy for male gamers? A look at the main game genres produces some interesting, sometimes unexpected, answers.
First Person Shooters
In the most macho game genre it’s unusual to find female characters of any prominence. At first glance they are either completely absent or receive a Duke Nukem 3D treatment, where they are restricted to breast-flashing strippers and half-naked prisoners.
A closer look, though, uncovers No One Lives Forever, a rare award-winning shooter with a female lead character, and a sense of humour. Forever follows the exploits of cat burglar-turned-secret agent Cate Archer in an outlandish spoof of 1960s James Bond thrillers.
Recently, the revived SiN and Half-Life 2 franchises have also highlighted strong female characters. Sin Episodes sees the return of villainous corporate CEO Elexis Sinclaire. In Half-Life 2: Episode 1, freedom fighter Alyx Vance gets a larger role, with hero Gordon Freeman reliant on her help in bigger battles.
2005’s F.E.A.R. also deserves mention for its use of a supernatural little girl as one of the creepiest game villains of recent years.
Fighting
Female characters have a good track record of appearances in fighting games. They are present as both heroes and villains, and in terms of fighting ability, are just as powerful as male characters. Mortal Kombat’s memorable female figures include Special Forces lieutenant Sonya Blade, and violent ‘twins’ Mileena and Kitana. Tekken’s purple-clad anti-heroine Nina Williams proved so popular she even received her own Action game, Death by Degrees, in 2005.
Real Time Strategy
With the exception of WarCraft III, strategy games are not typically character driven. However, the Command & Conquer series and StarCraft have produced 2 of the most celebrated female figures in gaming history. Military commander Tanya (played by Kari Wuhrer in cut scenes), and betrayed psychic turned Zerg, Sarah Kerrigan, both have cult followings.
Sport
Gamers looking for female characters in the sporting genre have a very weak selection. While rugby, football and even professional wrestling are treated realistically, women’s sport games are dirty jokes. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Rumble Roses make use of ‘jiggle’ technology, switching the games’ focus from sporting action to the massive bouncing breasts of the Anime-style heroines.
Role Playing
If the Japanese make titillating women’s sports games, their treatment of female characters in RPGs is more positive. The Final Fantasy series, in particular, presents the player with numerous playable women of assorted dispositions and backgrounds.
In terms of Western RPGs, female characters dominate promotional artwork for online games like Guild Wars and EverQuest. In the games themselves female characters usually form part of the supporting cast. Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic were both praised for complex female figures like morally-conflicted Jedi Bastila.
Action Adventure
As one of the most accessible gaming genres, popular with both men and women, Action Adventure, or simply Adventure, has a long history of proactive female leads. Although obvious exceptions include Leisure Suite Larry’s bimbos, Deathtrap Dungeon’s borderline smut, and Playboy-posing BloodRayne, most of the genre’s female figures remain fully clothed and likeably identifiable.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s The King’s Quest series saw Princess Rosella transform from a helpless damsel in distress into a questing heroine. Scalpel-wielding Laverne set the future right with her wacky ingenuity in Day of the Tentacle. Whether he realised it or not, Guybrush Threepwood needed Elaine’s help in the Monkey Island games.
Descendants of these pioneering female characters include feisty Farrah in the revived Prince of Persia franchise, Jade in Beyond Good and Evil and the First Lady of Gaming herself, Lara Croft, an iconic figure whose popularity in the Tomb Raider series encouraged the appearance of more women in games.
These more recent female leads include darker characters for gamers who like grittier entertainment. Max Payne’s Mona Sax is a genuine film noir creation while American McGee’s Alice is tormented goth chic. Meanwhile, following the family-friendly tradition of Carmen Sandiego, Kate Walker and Zoe are the softer, puzzle-solving leads of Syberia, and this year’s Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.
--
Whether they appear in high profile titles or not, there’s little doubt that female characters have a strong tradition of girl power in gaming. Their diversity is also a healthy indication that gamers, whether men or women, appreciate and align themselves with female characters who transcend stereotypes.
[Side mini-feature]
These Girls Got Game
In terms of gaming girls of the unpixelated kind, there are many women working within, or associated with, the gaming industry.
Game designer dames
At first glance it would seem the game industry is lacking female game designers as famous as Sid Meier, Peter Molyneux and John Carmack. Roberta Williams is an exception. A pioneer in the Adventure genre, Williams co-founded Sierra, and designed all games in the classic King’s Quest series.
The queens of competitive gaming
Women have occupied high profile positions in the competitive gaming scene since the mid 1990s. Stevie ‘Killcreek’ Case and Kordelia, the undisputed ‘Queen of Quake’, were some of the first female stars. Today, the likes of all-girl Xbox gaming team The Frag Dolls continue to challenge male players.
Girl gamer movie stars
Like her The Fast and the Furious co-star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez is a long-time gamer, enjoying RPGs and tactical titles. Rodriguez has already starred in 2 films based on games, Resident Evil and BloodRayne. She has also provided in-game vocal work for Halo 2, True Crime: Streets of LA and Driver3.
Character models make good
Although never technically a booth babe, Rhona Mitra attended many events and posed for many photographs as the first ever, official Lara Croft model. After being retired as the real life Tomb Raider, Mitra achieved success on TV, with starring roles in hits Boston Legal and Nip/Tuck.
Comments
As a freelancer I don't get to hear much in terms of reader feedback, but your comments, and some of the remarks in the GEAR magazine letter column make me think people really enjoyed the feature.