I recently listed my top ten games on my tumblr blog following a nomination from Stella. Because my tumblr is mostly visual I added a set of ten images to accompany the list, and saw that most of the images had women in them.
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I then realised that...
...four of the games (Tomb Raiders IV and II, Beyond Good and Evil and Portal) had canonical female protagonists...
...two of the games (Mass Effect 3 and Fallout 3) gave me the option to make the protagonist a woman...
...three of the games (Final Fantasy X, The Last of Us and Deadly Premonition), while featuring male protagonists, let me play as one or more women to some extent, with Final Fantasy X featuring three female members in the central party, one of whom is the most powerful and important character in the game, both in plot and gameplay terms.
Only Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception didn't let me play as a woman, but it has three very strong female characters including Katherine Marlowe, one of gaming's most subtly brilliant villains. Ok, so it might not pass the Bechdel test, but none of the women are objectified, they don't need need saving, and they all have agency.
Games industry, do you have ANY idea how much money I have spent on video games in my life, and how much more I might continue to spend on games that interest me?
JUST SAYING.
I then realised that...
...four of the games (Tomb Raiders IV and II, Beyond Good and Evil and Portal) had canonical female protagonists...
...two of the games (Mass Effect 3 and Fallout 3) gave me the option to make the protagonist a woman...
...three of the games (Final Fantasy X, The Last of Us and Deadly Premonition), while featuring male protagonists, let me play as one or more women to some extent, with Final Fantasy X featuring three female members in the central party, one of whom is the most powerful and important character in the game, both in plot and gameplay terms.
Only Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception didn't let me play as a woman, but it has three very strong female characters including Katherine Marlowe, one of gaming's most subtly brilliant villains. Ok, so it might not pass the Bechdel test, but none of the women are objectified, they don't need need saving, and they all have agency.
Games industry, do you have ANY idea how much money I have spent on video games in my life, and how much more I might continue to spend on games that interest me?
JUST SAYING.