These days the game industry is overrun with women all too willing to jiggle their naughty bits for your gaming dollar. While there is a place for this kind of thing, gamers really should not let this natural urge determine what games they would choose over another. I’ve been thinking about it and it seems that any time there is a female character in a game’s story, the fact that they are female tends to greatly define who they are.

Many hardcore gamers say they are sick and tired of the same old cliché characters and want something new. But when a game like Beyond Good & Evil with its practical lead Jade comes along, they would rather spend their money on games Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball. That’s right! Both games being released in 2003, gamers spent more considerably more money on the gimmick title DOA: EBV then they did a legitimately compelling and interested game like Beyond Good & Evil.



Too many times unique game heroines do not get their due respect. Even if in a successful game, they can often be overlooked. A perfect example is Hammer from Fable 2. Sure she did not exactly have a huge billing in the game but she was something that is few and far between in the game industry. She was a strong, independent woman with a less than perfect figure. Other than Hammer there is the rare occasion where a less than attractive female is cast into a video game. But then they are almost always used for comic relief or to signify ignorance.



But all hope is not lost. There can be a female character in games that earns the respect of gamers AND does not have to drop her pants when the player wants them to. I am of course talking about Alyx Vance from Half-life. Alyx managed to come across as a real character while not letting her sex define who she is. Perhaps this can be attributed just as much to the way other characters in the game act towards her as much as it does her own actions. A female character can act serious and be all business, but that behavior is pointless if all the other characters are still treating her like a sex object.



How do you feel about the topic? Do you feel a female character has to go to great lengths to NOT be attractive in order to be taken seriously? Taking Alyx out of the equation certainly seems to make that the case. Should us gamers just rub one out before we go game shopping? Comment!

Holes in my argument: I realize that I bitch about hardcore gamers not supporting the unique titles that come to market, but fail to recognize that “hardcore” gamers actually make up a fairly small percentage of the overall gaming populous.

Some argue that the only reason Alyx Vance comes across as a strong female character is because there is not a strong vocal male player character. Although I like the character of Gordon Freeman, I cannot argue with someone who hates a silent protagonist.

Yes. During the writing of this article I assume that the majority of readers are male. Sorry ladies.