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Seriously, blond Shep is the worst. I have nothing against blondes, but that colour definitely does NOT match her make-up... : O
As much as I understand where you are coming from I can't help feel that this isn't as much of a big deal as people are making it out to be.
At the end of the day it's the boxart of a videogame. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
At the end of the day it's the boxart of a videogame. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I voted for FemShep5 because I thought she looked the best and I honestly can't give 2 fucks if that makes me "shallow" or whatever.
Whiners gonna whine.
Whiners gonna whine.
Reminds me of that dweeby little Joffrey(sp?) shite from Game of Thrones. That's not a good thing, I want to punch that kid so hard.
But yeah, why all of the pre-sets couldn't be put in so we have some choice? Hardly massively difficult I imagine, and I agree with the rest BLONDE Shephard is easily one of the more dull ones.
But yeah, why all of the pre-sets couldn't be put in so we have some choice? Hardly massively difficult I imagine, and I agree with the rest BLONDE Shephard is easily one of the more dull ones.
Do people realize that Shepard looks what you want? That we can change the appearance in game? Because I hate the standard male Shepard, but I am not going ape shit about him, I just create my own, or we become so entitled that Shepard must look different in the box to match individuals?
No idea why people voted for that FemShep. She was seriously my least favorite of the bunch.
And for the record, I'm married to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman :)
And for the record, I'm married to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman :)
Also, I hope she breaks down in tears and turns into a little girl when she sees a Collecter. </still bitter about Other M>
1. Shepard was sexualized to begin with. 95% of those Femshep players are horndog men between ages 15 and 23
2. It takes ten seconds to change the hair color. Quit the pity train and get the fuck over it
2. It takes ten seconds to change the hair color. Quit the pity train and get the fuck over it
All I read was "wah wah wah, FemShep doesn't look the way I want her to!"
Also: why does it even matter? Guess what, you can customize Shepard's look in-game, so you'll never have to deal with girl #5 anyway.
Also: why does it even matter? Guess what, you can customize Shepard's look in-game, so you'll never have to deal with girl #5 anyway.
The vote was fair. I don't see a problem with the democratic process.
Perhaps we can bitch about how fucked it is we didn't get to vote on how male-shep looks seeing as he looks like a douche straight from an aftershave advert.
We won't bitch about that tho because male-shep is a male and we can't apply the same tired arguments about sexual stereotyping to him that we can to a blonde woman.
Perhaps we can bitch about how fucked it is we didn't get to vote on how male-shep looks seeing as he looks like a douche straight from an aftershave advert.
We won't bitch about that tho because male-shep is a male and we can't apply the same tired arguments about sexual stereotyping to him that we can to a blonde woman.
None of those girls look like a soldier in my opinion. They look like chicks who just had armor put on them but the blonde Shepard didn't look like anything special. In a recent study scientist did a survey with men of all races to see what skin color they find more attractive, the majority picked lighter skin.
Being a black man it's kind of sad to see it but it's been in so much media for decades from Hollywood or just advertising. I hope this will go away one day.
Great post, I really enjoyed it. Two good posts in one week, not bad Destructoid.
Being a black man it's kind of sad to see it but it's been in so much media for decades from Hollywood or just advertising. I hope this will go away one day.
Great post, I really enjoyed it. Two good posts in one week, not bad Destructoid.
I still loathe the blonde. I was appalled to see it getting so many votes, "the typical image of western beauty". Having people vote on the look of something that many had their own version of made sense, but at the same time...I would have preferred to see their version.
Thank you so much for this editorial! Between the 'vote for who you want to be the cover FemShep' for ME3 and the 'vote for the new female companion' MML3, I was noticing a disturbing trend in using female character designs for cheap beauty pageants.
Why is it the female characters that get trotted out for the fanbase to vote on? We never voted on ManShep, even though the first ME game also had a huge amount of advertising and press coverage for the year before its release. It just seems like cheap misogynistic (and heteronormative) fanservice.
Why is it the female characters that get trotted out for the fanbase to vote on? We never voted on ManShep, even though the first ME game also had a huge amount of advertising and press coverage for the year before its release. It just seems like cheap misogynistic (and heteronormative) fanservice.
I honestly don't see the problem with asking fans which FemShep they'd like to see in marketing. It's going to result in more copies sold, which means more and better games in the future. Would it have been better if they would've chosen that specific FemShep without asking the fan-bases' opinion?
And the best part is that your character doesn't have to look like her.
I honestly don't understand what the problem is. Is it that we got to vote on it? Is it the selection that won the vote? Is it jealousy over the stereotypical image of beauty in America? What is the problem here?
And the best part is that your character doesn't have to look like her.
I honestly don't understand what the problem is. Is it that we got to vote on it? Is it the selection that won the vote? Is it jealousy over the stereotypical image of beauty in America? What is the problem here?
This is a complaint that people were given a choice. I don't know what to say about that.
But it's the internet, let's be outraged as much as possible.
But it's the internet, let's be outraged as much as possible.
I'm more offended that male Shepard is based off of a Dutch male model's appearance. Is that what a "hero" - or a man - is supposed to look like? I doubt very seriously that the general male demographic of ME players look anything like Mr. Puffyjaws, and if they do, they'll likely expend more time in front of a mirror than doing anything remotely heroic.
Ms. Prell, consider this as a more pragmatic and realistic reason for the "beauty pageant":
BioWare, going into the third entry in their smash hit series, recognizes the fan enthusiasm for "FemShep" and wishes to promote her in the official artwork, commercials and other promo material.
They, however, quickly realize that they have backed themselves into a corner by basing Male Shepard on a real person; if they did the same for FemShep by, say, hiring a model or an actress to base her likeness on, the players would have no way to represent her in their previous games short of some sort of official patch or DLC, which they probably don't want to do.
The only solution to this would seem to be basing a Shepard off of the female face types that have been creatable in the previous games, which the FemShep models they presented to us to vote on clearly are. They then felt that this might be something the fans would like to vote on, because everyone has their own take on her.
A significantly less sensational and nefarious explanation, I know, but I'm guessing it's closer to what happened. What do you think?
BioWare, going into the third entry in their smash hit series, recognizes the fan enthusiasm for "FemShep" and wishes to promote her in the official artwork, commercials and other promo material.
They, however, quickly realize that they have backed themselves into a corner by basing Male Shepard on a real person; if they did the same for FemShep by, say, hiring a model or an actress to base her likeness on, the players would have no way to represent her in their previous games short of some sort of official patch or DLC, which they probably don't want to do.
The only solution to this would seem to be basing a Shepard off of the female face types that have been creatable in the previous games, which the FemShep models they presented to us to vote on clearly are. They then felt that this might be something the fans would like to vote on, because everyone has their own take on her.
A significantly less sensational and nefarious explanation, I know, but I'm guessing it's closer to what happened. What do you think?
@Travosaga
Oh boy, here we go. Prepare for the stupid comments, Sophie.
Also the irony of women complaining about how they're perceived and than giving the author an insult concerning her appearance that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT just further proves we still have so many damn problems.
Oh boy, here we go. Prepare for the stupid comments, Sophie.
Also the irony of women complaining about how they're perceived and than giving the author an insult concerning her appearance that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT just further proves we still have so many damn problems.
@Travosaga
Oh boy, here we go. Prepare for the stupid comments, Sophie.
Also the irony of women "complaining" about how they're perceived and than giving the author an insult concerning her appearance that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT just further proves we still have so many damn problems.
Oh boy, here we go. Prepare for the stupid comments, Sophie.
Also the irony of women "complaining" about how they're perceived and than giving the author an insult concerning her appearance that is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT just further proves we still have so many damn problems.
I voted for the long-ishblack haired woman, would we have another of these on destructoid as well then?
Eitherway, Male PC Shepard masterrace
Eitherway, Male PC Shepard masterrace
I like my Shep's scarred, ugly, and with a thousand yard stare. Also, for those of you too infantile to understand what she's writing about (she's whining, its not that big a deal, etc) please take a woman's study class.
Haha. People voted for what they wanted. And apparently it was a blonde-haired blue-eyed white woman, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's ever looked at studies on what women are the most desirable. Not my personal choice, but oh fucking well.
TL;DR People voted, game over. And they said Jim was a troll?
TL;DR People voted, game over. And they said Jim was a troll?
For the record, my vote was for number six. Not because she was the "prettiest" in my mind, but because she seemed like a close female version of the male. She just seemed "right".
I do see where you're coming from, though I doubt that that was their intention. The first Shep probably didn't get any kind of vote because it wasn't an established franchise. I saw this vote as more of a way to involve the fan base in the creative process.
But I've never really cared for dehumanizing things like beauty pageants. I've also never considered women to be anything less than equal, and at times I'm still baffled by our society's continuing trend of sexism.
I do see where you're coming from, though I doubt that that was their intention. The first Shep probably didn't get any kind of vote because it wasn't an established franchise. I saw this vote as more of a way to involve the fan base in the creative process.
But I've never really cared for dehumanizing things like beauty pageants. I've also never considered women to be anything less than equal, and at times I'm still baffled by our society's continuing trend of sexism.
Great article. You absolutely nailed the root of the issue. People arguing about which Shepard won are really just contributing to the overall problem--the fact that the vote existed in the first place. There's nothing wrong with the blonde Caucasian look, even if is perhaps a little cliche (I mean, we already have Samus), and if Bioware had just come out and said, here's your official FemShep (which is just an asthetics thing for promos since who the hell uses a stock character design in a WRPG?), it wouldn't be that big a deal. Yeah, there's maybe still a debate about "whitewashing" as it were, but that's a whole different, less intense, thing. But the whole "beauty contest" as you put it (nice comparison, by the way) is pretty insulting. And I say that as a Caucasian male. Because I'd like to believe that we as a society are above such things. Clearly we're not.
Fact: We're lucky we even have a choice.
Most of the time we just get what we get. Do we bitch then? No. Be glad we had one in the first place. This story is so tired.
Most of the time we just get what we get. Do we bitch then? No. Be glad we had one in the first place. This story is so tired.
I really can't see why anyone cares about this. I always complained about Shepard's character being kind of dull and boring, all around from a design perspective and how he's written. I'm usually one to go with the defaults or what I perceive as the creators vision. But then a friend pointed out to me that making that move was my own fault, since ME lets you do what you want with your character before you start your game. If you don't like the defaults, ignore them and create your own Shepard. That's what it's there for. In the end, her design won't really make a difference either way. I doubt we're going to be seeing her much aside from the CE (why they're even putting her on the box I don't know, seems stupid since male Shepard has always been the poster boy) and character creation screen anyway. Femshep has never really been relevant to anything outside the game except this contest, and that's the way it's looking to stay.
Oh and...don't want to hear about the "but it's the principle!" either. It really...doesn't matter. All the designs sucked anyway. She just happened to be the least sucky because she was the most different or not completely horrible like the other ones. I'm not really that fond of it myself, but I certainly haven't lost sleep let alone put much thought to it.
Oh and...don't want to hear about the "but it's the principle!" either. It really...doesn't matter. All the designs sucked anyway. She just happened to be the least sucky because she was the most different or not completely horrible like the other ones. I'm not really that fond of it myself, but I certainly haven't lost sleep let alone put much thought to it.
I have to say that I wasn't particularly happy with the final choice, I tend to prefer playing female characters that are a little more powerful looking... and less Barbie Doll... but I honestly don't see a problem with how Bioware did this. At least they did have some input and it wasn't the choice of some team at Bioware - instead they talked to gamers.
Bioware was screwed whatever they chose to do. If they created a new femShep on their own they would still have people complaining that she wasn't right... that there was something wrong with their choice. You're quite right that this way they have absolved themselves of that decision, but additionally they may have gained insight into the way gamers think and what gamers want in female characters. A better way may have been to gather input from female gamers (we tend to be the ones who care most about what our avatar looks like) but that too would have been a decision fraught with controversy because many men also enjoy playing as a female lead in Mass Effect (just as some women will choose a male character).
All in all, I'm just happy to see gamer input on some of these decisions and while I may not be happy with the outcome, I certainly don't hold it against Bioware.
Bioware was screwed whatever they chose to do. If they created a new femShep on their own they would still have people complaining that she wasn't right... that there was something wrong with their choice. You're quite right that this way they have absolved themselves of that decision, but additionally they may have gained insight into the way gamers think and what gamers want in female characters. A better way may have been to gather input from female gamers (we tend to be the ones who care most about what our avatar looks like) but that too would have been a decision fraught with controversy because many men also enjoy playing as a female lead in Mass Effect (just as some women will choose a male character).
All in all, I'm just happy to see gamer input on some of these decisions and while I may not be happy with the outcome, I certainly don't hold it against Bioware.
LOL
some of you are acting as if 9/10 video game females aren't designed to be as attractive as possible in the first place.
and why complain that something is beautiful? i suppose you people go out and buy ugly furniture for your ugly house, and ugly clothes for your ugly wife right?
some of you are acting as if 9/10 video game females aren't designed to be as attractive as possible in the first place.
and why complain that something is beautiful? i suppose you people go out and buy ugly furniture for your ugly house, and ugly clothes for your ugly wife right?
Notice how in her picture, the author of this idiotic article has brown hair much in the same style as the "original" default Female Shepherd? And now that she's butthurt and whining about patriarchy and evil whites and etc bla bla bla.
This is why no feminist should be respected. You are the most privileged entitled whiners on the internet. No one, NO ONE besides other radical feminists takes you seriously. Thank you for further illustrating why women should not have equal rights.
By the way, the next default shepherd needs to be a tranny omnisexual black midget with a peg leg. If you disagree you're an anti-handicapable heteronormative racist bigot!
This is why no feminist should be respected. You are the most privileged entitled whiners on the internet. No one, NO ONE besides other radical feminists takes you seriously. Thank you for further illustrating why women should not have equal rights.
By the way, the next default shepherd needs to be a tranny omnisexual black midget with a peg leg. If you disagree you're an anti-handicapable heteronormative racist bigot!
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