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Friday, July 18, 2008
Women Worshipers
 There are a lot of different flavors of sexism out there, and very much like garbage, they each have their own unique stench. Some are so obvious you can smell them from a mile away, while others you don't notice until you get right up close to them. There is a type of sexism that I liken to the smell of mold--perfumey sweet, with a curl of nausea about it. That would be the Women Worshipers. To the untrained eye, Women Worshipers may not seem sexist at all. They proclaim their love for women, going so far as to say they're better than men, even if said Women Worshiper is a man himself (which many of them are). And while loving women isn't the problem, it's the reasons they have for loving women: because women are naturally so pure, so chaste and nurturing--so much better than violent, aggressive men. Women have a natural instinct for being caring, peaceful, and selfless, according to them. Okay, some may ask, so what's wrong with that? Isn't it nice that people think of women as being so great? Women Worshipers think of women in such a way that it puts women on a pedestal from which we can't budge. It reduces women's humanity and turns us into an unrealistic symbol of All That is Right in the World. I see this attitude often when it comes to female characters in video games. For example, when I was doing research for my article on the character Krystal from the Star Fox series, I came across a similar attitude toward her: many of Krystal's fans love her not only because she's a pretty blue fox, but also because she is "kind," and "caring." Which is all true: Krystal goes out of her way in both Star Fox Adventures and Assault to save planet Sauria. However, those same fans were dismayed about her character development in SF Command. In my article "There's Something About Krystal," I talked about how I love that Command revealed Krystal's stubborness and desire to get even after Fox unfairly breaks her heart; I love that it gives her flaws and makes her more than just a 2-D love interest and sex appeal for the Star Fox series. Those fans who were dismayed about Krystal's newly-revealed traits because she was no longer a perfect ambassador for peace and love. They were putting Krystal on a pedestal, unhappy that she was showing her selfish side. There are many more female video game characters treated this way by some fans, such as Shadow Hearts's Alice and Xenosaga's MOMO. Women Worshipers can be trouble in many ways. For instance, because they expect women to be perfectly good and peaceful, if a woman displays aggression or selfishness, for example, she is being un-womanlike, and the Women Worshiper may be hostile toward her. However, one of the most troubling aspects about Women Worshipers revolves around the subject of sex. Women Worshipers tend to think of sex as a sinful thing--something a woman would never actively want and should protect herself from it, acting as a gatekeeper to men. If a woman does want to have sex, she is labeled a slut. Extreme Women Worshipers may take the Goddess Image of women to such an extreme that they justify rape and/or are turned on by it; after all, women are naturally chaste, so a "proper" woman who has sex before marriage is one that is raped, not one that consents. This keeps the woman pure while still making her sexually available. I consider Women Worshipers to be one of the most dangerous kinds of sexism: they effectively dehumanize women and reduce them to symbols of virtue and objects to acquire. To make mistakes, to get angry, to have flaws is human, and those who want a woman who is flawless do not want a woman who is human. Labels: PlasmaRit, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Monday, July 14, 2008
Mrrow?
 I've always been a huge comics fan growing up. It's perhaps the geekiest part about me besides my love for video games. Not only did I happily collect Wonder Woman and Spider Girl, I obsessively followed a bunch of superhero cartoons as well, including Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men, and Spider-Man. Ahh, the good old days. Of course, when I heard about Midway's upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fighter, I was thrilled right down to my toes. A chance to beat the crap out of Liu Kang with Wonder Woman? to watch the Flash run circles around Scorpian? to really kick some ass with Catwoman -- Catwoman?  Oh God, Selina Kyle, what have they done to you?! This has become quite the chorus for me: shock and disgust followed by the sinking realization that I'm not at all surprised. This is how it's going to be for every fighting game ever in existence, isn't it? Just check out the newest crop of screens from the game. All of the dudes -- Batman, Flash, Shang Tsung, Scorpion -- are all badass and muscley and tearing shit up. However, Catwoman and Sonya Blade (complete with a very classy thong tan line) are flickering around hitting themselves in the eye with some fresh boob jobs. As usual.  Okay, I get it, video game designers. Boobs are going to keep inflating and costumes are going to keep shrinking with every new fighter that gets made. It seems I can't enjoy some good old-fashioned video game combat without staring down all the shameless nerd masturbatory material. Quite frankly, I don't know how many times I can complain about the objectification of female characters in these games, because it's the same old song and dance. There's nothing out there that's different, there's nothing out there that's fresh or inventive. There's simply new physics engines for boob movement and slavering fanboys waiting in the wings.Here, as always, is the deal. This hypersexualization in such a gross majority of fighters is nothing less than flippant misogyny. The exaggerated appearances actively distance these caricatures from the possibility of female combat prowess. Rather than competent fighters, these women pout and thrust out their jubblies like porn stars. The character designers are laughing at the thought of an intimidating female fighter and churning out nothing but wank material. At this point, every fighter is starting to mimic Dead or Alive, and I'm sick of it. It doesn't help that female superheroes / supervillains already have a bad rap in the comics universe. Now we have everything that's wrong with video games making things worse. Poor Selina Kyle. I mean, she's already in a freaking cat suit, and she already wields a freaking whip. What a disaster. I'll just put it this way: at this point, I don't have high hopes for Wonder Woman's splashy new design. (If you're a comics fan like me and you're interested in feminist commentary about superheroes, go check out Girl-Wonder.org.) Labels: BomberGirl, Fighter, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Monday, June 2, 2008
Exploring androgyny in video games.
 The word "androgyny" comes from a combination of the Greek words "andros" and "gynaika," man and woman. "Androgynous" refers to the blending of male and female characteristics in a person, often to the point of indeterminate sex. In video games, many character designs achieve androgyny through the removal, concealment, or even a combination of sex signifiers, such as rounded hips or a lack of typical body fat. The degree of androgyny varies on a wide scale, and each stage as such achieves different goals.The most common form of physical gender-blending I've observed is what I'll call Minor Androgyny. In this class are the Pretty Boys of many a Japanese RPG and action heroes such as Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 4, or Devil May Cry's Dante. It's fairly obvious that there's quite a smattering of feminine-looking men right across the boards in gaming, with silver-haired villains taking the lead (Ghaleon or Sephiroth, anyone?). The popularity of androgyny in Japanese culture has no doubt influenced many of these character design decisions, as seen in the gender-neutral aesthetics of Visual Kei (Japanese glam rock) and pretty boys in anime and manga. However, this form of Minor Androgyny isn't always accepted. Metal Gear Solid 2's Raiden is probably one of the most notorious pretty boy leads. Metal Gear fans were crushed to discover that the protagonist of the game was not, in fact, the much-beloved and super macho Solid Snake, but that they were stuck playing the role of a stranger: the lithe and fair-haired Raiden. The series's creater, Hideo Kojima, intended for gamers both female and male to identify with Raiden's feminine and masculine appearance. However, the backlash against this feminine intruder was so great that Metal Gear Solid 3 parodied the fiasco with the flamingly gay Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov, whose identical appearance and similar name leave little to question about Kojima's intentions. My next stage of androgyny is Major Androgyny. These characters effectively exhibit both male and female characteristics in a design that leaves sex indeterminate. Unfortunately, despite their convincing appearances, many Major Androgynes in video games are given sex-specific pronouns. Observe Lunar 2's main villain, Zophar:  Quite clearly lady on the bottom, with a more-or-less masculine face and a male chest (as seen in other states of, er, dress). However, Zophar is always a "he," and no character ever bats an eye at his androgynous appearance. Final Fantasy IX's Kuja (pictured at the top) is another great example. His features are arranged in much the same fashion: rounded hips, a flat chest, and flowing hair. Still, as always, this tiger-tailed Genome is forever a "he."Curiously enough, the only character I've found whose sex has never been determined or assigned -- even by the game developers themselves -- is FFIX's Quina, who is referred to in-game as s/he.  Finally, we've come to our last stage: Neutrois. While Neutrois isn't actually a category of androgyny, it refers to a complete sexual neutrality in appearance and identity. Characters such as Homunculus in the 2001 Konami adventure game Shadow of Destiny or the titular NiGHTS from the popular Sega franchise exhibit zero sex signifiers in either the male or female direction. Takashi Iizuka of Sonic Team USA stated in a 2007 interview that NiGHTS "is a mirror of the child's personality, so when the children dream, they become him. So from a boy's point of view, NiGHTS will be a boy, from a girl's point of view, NiGHTS will be a girl." This view, that the player should be able to identify with the protagonist of the game no matter their gender identification, is similar to Hideo Kojima's but differs in some fundamental ways. NiGHTS's fantasy-oriented context allows for a true fluidity of gender in a way that the more (but admittedly not much more) realistic approach of Metal Gear Solid cannot. However, Kojima's self-parody with Major Raikov puts a sour spin on what should have been an admirable attempt at breaking social conventions. NiGHTS's appeal and popularity shows that video game protagonists don't have to be macho and male to appeal to gamers.In the end, androgyny is truly no stranger to video games old and new. However, I'm sure that many of you have noticed a marked lack of "female-leaning" androgynes in this post. "Male" androgynes are far, far more common, and I can only wonder as to the reason why. My best hypothesis is that a long history of the sexualization and objectification of the female form has lended feminine characteristics with more aesthetic appeal than masculine, justifying more feminine men with soft beauty than your more masculine woman with strong features. Readers, are there any "female" androgynes out there that you can think of? Why do you feel that they're largely absent when their male counterparts are so popular? Labels: BomberGirl, LGBT, Sexuality
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
My Quest for Asexuality in Persona 3
Update Number One  As you may recall, at the beginning of this month I decided to make it my business to get through Persona 3 without forming a romantic relationship with any of the characters.So far I’m about sixty five hours into the game, and it’s almost the end of October. I’ve still got quite a bit to go until the end of the school year! Still, I’ve made some interesting observations. With the opportunities for dating the female cast aside, there are a few moments in the game when the player has heteronormativity thrust upon hir. For me, the most awkward—yet unsurprising—of these has been the SEES group’s summer vacation to Yakushima.  “Operation Babe Hunt” is admittedly humorous, especially since the young men fail at most of their attempts to flirt with the women. They even hit on a transsexual for a while (their greatest success).While the game didn’t give me the opportunity to avoid flirting with girls (or to flirt with a bunch of “beach dudes” instead), it did allow me to treat the occasion as a hassle and to foil the attempts of my peers at every turn. It ultimately didn’t make a difference in how everything turned out, as Persona 3 seems to be pretty linear so far… but I certainly felt better about it! Yukari has also presented a few special challenges to me so far. Not only do you have the whole game seemingly structured to get you together with her (including a shower scene when fighting the “Lovers” Shadow), her Persona has the Lovers arcana. She’s also your contact for the Lovers social link.  I found that one out on accident! After being kind to her during a rough moment during the Yakushima event, I recoiled after my attempts to be nice were misconstrued as romantic. Later in the game, it turns out she wanted to talk about what happened. I was fine with her representing the Lovers arcana, but then the dialogue ended with something to the effect of “Yukari seems to think of you as someone you can talk to, but you’re still just friends.” I was forced to run the other way!I’m a little worried, because I expect that Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Aigis all have S. Links associated with them as well. What a shame, as I suspect the men in my party do not have their own links. So far my quest is hurting me in this game. As far as the storyline is concerned, it doesn’t seem to make any lasting difference. The S. Links are a significant power-up, though! At the very least, it seems that I’ll be missing four of them by the end of the game. Fortunately, I’ve got my other S. Links to carry me through the final chapters. More to come as it is revealed! Labels: Calabar, Persona, RPG, Sexuality
Friday, March 21, 2008
Zero Suit Scandal
 Super Smash Bros. Brawl was finally unleashed to the public last week--and to my delight, right smack in the middle of my Spring Break. And for that week I experienced the peaceful life of a hermit, serenely kicking ass in front of my Wii with little food, drink, or sleep. So deep was my meditation in front of that glorious flickering screen that, alas, there was simply no time for updates last Friday. Adventure mode in particular is fun and engaging, and being the Nintendo fangirl that I am (hell, I grew up on the stuff), each cheesy cutscene left me in giggles. After a few stages, I arrived at the research facility, and I finally got to see Zero Suit Samus in motion. Guys? Remember, a few months ago, when I expressed the reservations I had about how Zero Suit Samus would be treated? Christ on a cracker, I was right. Practically every cutscene Zero Suit Samus is in, it seems there's a camera stuck to her boobs or her ass. They seemed inescapable, thanks to her exaggerated proportions. I felt like Lewis Black was behind me with every cutscene, shouting "Ass-ass! Titties-titties-ass-ass!" I couldn't wait to get her Power Suit so I could stop speculating how uncomfortable it would be to wear such a frighteningly vaccumm-sealed suit. But it wasn't just the creepy camera-ogling, either; Zero Suit Samus has a distinctly more feminine air to her, even if she's just standing in one place. The body language she emits before and after she obtains her Power Suit are jarringly different.  As a fighter, Zero Suit Samus isn't too bad. She's much faster out of her suit, which is nice, but as a hardcore Metroid fan I feel I must nitpick here. Isn't her Power Suit supposed to make Samus faster and more agile than the average human? I would understand if Zero Suit Samus were easier to knock off screen, but I'm not convinced she would be faster without her suit. The laser whip thingy she carries isn't as SexySexy Danger as I had anticipated, thank god, but it is significantly girlier than Power Suit Samus's grappling beam. Overall, Zero Suit Samus is certainly not a downgraded version of Power Suit Samus, in spite of her cheesecakey tendencies. For that I applaud Nintendo.However, I am still disappointed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for confirming my fears about Samus. She was the only human female of the Smash Bros. series who wasn't superfemme, but now Nintendo, like Activision did with Guitar Hero III, has succeeded in feminizing all of its female characters. Ugh, I'm going to go beat up some Waddle-Dees. Labels: Body Language, Fighter, Metroid, PlasmaRit, Sexuality, Super Smash Bros.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tempting the snake in the Garden of Eden.
Warning! MGS3 spoilers follow!  In 2004, Konami released Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the prequel to its stealth-action Metal Gear series. Snake Eater sets itself apart from the rest of the series by moving the action from urban environments into the heart of the Soviet jungle, requiring players to utilize camouflage and various survival techniques. The game's Cold War era setting also imbues it with a James Bond feel, complete with a kitschy theme song and opening. With every Bond movie, there is also a so-called Bond Girl, and Snake Eater's irritating symbol of sexism is a frisky lady named EVA. Our pal EVA is a KGB spy working alongside Snake in his mission to destroy the Shagohod, a nuclear-equipped ancestor of the first Metal Gear. She poses as a Russian woman named Tatyana to infiltrate the traitorous Colonel Volgin's forces, feeding Snake information from her position as a mole. She also repeatedly takes her clothes off (guess her boobs need some air), flirts with Snake in literally all of her scenes to the point of sexual harassment, and gets groped by male characters no less than three times over the course of the game. Oh, but she's tough, though! Tough and she wants to do you.Yes, she's one of those characters: the tired "Beautiful but Deadly" stereotype we're all sick of. EVA fairly jiggles her way from scene to scene, pausing only to unzip her motorcycle onesie down to her crotch for no particular reason, and the more voyeuristic gamer can take advantage of Snake Eater's first person cutscene viewer to join Snake as he repeatedly ogles the goods. I have to admit, I laughed the first time, but does our intrepid hero really have to stare at her tits in every single scene as if they contain the meaning of life?  It's no surprise as well that EVA is boring as all hell. She's a tough chick, blah blah, she rides a motorcycle and can apparently fly a plane as well, she's a super spy with a kickass gun, whatever. In a series known for characters who are interesting (sometimes to a fault -- especially when you're covered in bees!), EVA is predictable and stale. Her lines are generously peppered with double entendres, she's a master of charming any and all foes with her smoldering good looks, and she falls in love with Snake at the end . . . even though she's not supposed to! How shocking.Unfortunately, things get worse. While oversexed leading ladies are no strangers to all sorts of media, EVA's case is made more disturbing by the sexual violence inflicted on her. While posing as Tatyana, she is repeatedly raped and tortured by the sadistic Colonel Volgin over the course of the game. Fortunately, these scenes are never shown, but Snake does observe a number of scars caused by Volgin during one of EVA's "skip around in my underwear" scenes. Rape is not often addressed in video games, and the way it's presented here is cringe-worthy at best. While the act itself is (thankfully) never sexualized, EVA endures it as part of her mission -- something that no male agent would ever be expected to do. As well, EVA was trained to seduce her foes, a technique that places her in this victim's role intentionally. It's horrifying and sick, and treads dangerously into "She was asking for it" territory. After all is said and done, she's also a centerfold in a men's magazine the player can obtain in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Metal Gear Solid 3's female lead, EVA, is one of the worst examples of a female character I can think of. Two-dimensional and stereotyped, she's the Sultry Vixen With a Gun that we've seen thousands of times. Even more problematic is the sexual violence she repeatedly suffers, the effects of which are never even mentioned. I love the Metal Gear series, but EVA's design and presentation severely soured my experience with Snake Eater. I can only hope that her return in MGS4: Guns of the Patriots doesn't make things even worse. Labels: BomberGirl, Metal Gear, Sexuality, Stealth, Stereotypes, Violence
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Sexy Space Women of Mass Effect
 In Bioware's latest action RPG, Mass Effect, players are introduced to an expansive universe populated by diverse races, dazzling planets, and compelling adventure. Players explore this universe as the customizable Commander Shepard, and along the way questgivers range from the hulking krogan to the jellyfish-like hanar. One of the game's most advanced races is the asari, the first beyond the ancient Protheans to acquire space travel.I have mixed feelings about the asari. Despite their ability to reproduce with those of any sex, the Galactic Codex refers to them as "an all-female race," and they definitely look just so. It's not surprising that the most human-looking race is also the only one that's all-female, but I'll get to more of that in a minute. In many ways, I really like the asari. First off, their scientific prowess enabled them to be the first modern race to take to the stars. Their culture is one that values observation and logical reasoning before action, owing to their impressively long lifespans. They possess an intellectual capacity that is unmatched, celebrating interspecies communication and inclusion. Their breeding method emphasizes unity, both literally and figuratively: during a process called "melding," the asari and her partner essentially become a single functioning nervous system.  During their 1000-year lifespans, the asari experience three stages of life. The first is the curiously-named Maiden stage, wherein the asari is characterized by a need for restless exploration. The Matron stage comes next, bringing with it the inclination for settling down and reproducing. Lastly, the Matriarch stage marks asari that are old and wise with experience, often becoming councilors for the younger members of their race.It's not hard to see the uncanny subtext beneath the classification of these stages. Maidens are, by definition, "young unmarried women," and I find it puzzling that a term specifying the necessity for men is being applied to an all-female race. Similarly, matrons are denoted as "married women," falling perfectly into step with a stage in life that's uncomfortably close to the good old "biological clock" myth. Words like maiden and matron have long, traditional histories that tie in directly with the patriarchal system of heterosexual marriage, and to be used in this situation is a misnomer at best and thinly-veiled sexism at worst. "Matriarch" is, however, spot on, and it pleases me that they didn't continue the trend with something like "old bat." Though the asari live to a ripe old age, a complex system of cell regeneration keeps them from showing it. They all stay forever young-looking, even the wise matriarchs, which, while being pretty cool, doesn't keep me from raising an eyebrow. There's a lot to be said about how demonized female aging is in our own culture, and it's no coincidence that a race comprised totally of women is not only uniformly slim and comely, but totally ageless so that they can stay this way.  While the asari are just as diverse in personality and motivation as any other race, their presentation in the game is a mixed bag. They are strong, competent leaders, and their representative in the galactic Council is one of the most outspoken and shrewd. However, the first time Shepard encounters a group of asari (either in the Consort's Chambers or Chora's Den), they are all sex workers (prostitutes in the former, strippers in the latter). I hate to say it, but neither of these cases surprised me in the least. It would have been much less ick-inducing had there been even a reference to male sex workers, or at least members of other species. Also unsurprising is the skimpy wardrobe employed by many of them. Poor Matriarch Benezia is so strapped into her top that her boobs look like they're struggling to escape.Overall, I've found Mass Effect's depiction of women to be overwhelmingly positive. However, just like most games, it has its missteps. I'm very fond of the asari for the most part, although their (unfortunately expected) objectification makes my skin crawl (see also: the Viera). Despite the many points in the game's favor, it becomes just another example of how difficult it is to find female video game characters -- and particularly those of an all-female race -- that are designed without bias. Labels: BomberGirl, Mass Effect, RPG, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Monday, December 10, 2007
2007 Spike TV Video Game Awards
Two Hours I’ll Never Get Back  As far as video game awards go, I’m not sure how much of a big deal the Spike TV awards show is, but I knew I was setting myself up for a frustrating night—I mean, it’s a “men’s network” named after a phallus. After watching the show, I don't have a very high impression of the awards. Fortunately, good games are still good games, and being featured on the Spike Network doesn't necessarily hurt their enjoyability. On the runway before the show, I saw naked women painted all swirly and psychedelic with the Spike Video Games Awards logo screen printed on their bodies. I soon learned that these women would be presenting the awards. Samuel L. Jackson, the master of ceremonies for the evening, later commented, “And the winner is. . . all of us.” When he heard my surprise, a friend commented, “It’s Spike TV.” The problem is that it’s never okay no matter what the channel is. Each award had a different woman painted up in a fashion corresponding to the winning game. The idea in and of itself is cool—maybe different costumed people giving out the awards. The Spike VGAs laid it all out on the table, though. They made no effort to hide the objectification. The intro begins with a group of buff men infiltrating the hotel in Las Vegas, jumping over railings, doing flips over banisters, and handstands down escalators. How extreme. I mean, the gymnastics are cool and all, but I came here to see a show about video games. As I mentioned earlier, was hosting—his jokes and stuff at the beginning of the show were hardly tolerable, but at least I knew who he was. I’m not exactly up to date on pop culture, so was a bit disinterested in the majority of the guests. I was pretty psyched to see Tila Tequila in the audience. It’s shameful how much I enjoy A Shot at Love. Even though she doesn’t look like a real human being (perhaps an anime character?) and probably doesn’t actually play video games, I still like her. They did a special edition of her show, actually, where she had to make her final choice over the new consoles. Look at the Wii, she praised it for being active an fun for all ages. The PS3 was both a high roller and high maintenance—just like her. For Xbox 360, I’m not sure what it means but “the name says it all” and they have the same curves. It turns out she’s trigame-ual and ends up picking all three. I was also a little disappointed that the Video Games Live Orchestra only played during the commercials and one short retro-medley featuring games like Pong, Donkey Kong, and Tetris. During Kid Rock’s musical performance, some women in leather bodices and short skirts paraded up and down the catwalk. They also had a segment during the commercials called “Hot Girls with Cheat Codes” sponsored, of course, by Tag. Last Night’s Awards: Hottest Newcomer — Kristen Bell (from Assassin’s Creed) Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Shows — The Simpsons Best Team Sports Game — Madden NFL 08 Best Individual Sports Game — Skate Best RPG — Mass Effect Best Handheld Game — Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Best PS3 Game — Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Best Graphics — Crysis Best Action Game — Super Mario Galaxy Best Driving Game — Dirt Best PC Game and Breakthrough Technology — The Orange Box Studio of the Year — Harmonix Most Addictive Video Game — Halo 3 Best Rhythm Game — Rock Band Best Soundtrack — Rock Band Best Shooter Game — Call of Duty 4 Best Military Game — Call of Duty 4 Best Xbox 360 Game — Bioshock Best Original Score — Bioshock Game of the Year — Bioshock The quotation of the night preceded the Best Shooter award. Referring to the first Medal of Honor game, a man said, “What the fuck? A World War II game with no blood? That’s pretty gay!” I got exactly what I expected from the Spike VGAs, and now I wish I could get those hours back. They’re gone forever. Labels: Calabar, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Gender Switcheroo
Happy Halloween, Readers!  After I’ve played a game a few times, I enjoy thinking about what would happen if one or two small things about the game had changed. Some people might not consider it such a small thing, but I like to change the sex of one or several of the characters in my imagination. The idea is that our assumptions about the essential nature of the characters haven’t changed, but our expectations make the situation somehow different. In the spirit of Halloween, masks, and passing, here are a few of my favorite considerations: Final Fantasy X: Surfer girl Wakka and that gothed-out punk Lulu make one helluva pair. It makes me giggle to think of spunky, carefree girl-Wakka terrorizing the quiet and withdrawn male-Lulu. Poor guy. Final Fantasy X-2: Imagine the campy adventures of male Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. Oh, wait. It’s already painfully campy. Maybe we just shouldn’t think about it at all? Thousand Arms: This is an old one. I really would have enjoyed the game so much more if Meis had been a woman (or gay) and surrounded by a harem of men. It just sucks that, on top of the crappy game play, you have to go on dates with the women to power them up! . . . Nelsha in particular would’ve been so adorable! Phantom Brave: This game just makes me melt as it is—I love the dynamic between poor Marona and Castille. If one of them were to become a boy, I would insist that the other change sex as well. Their relationship is so pure and sweet because it lacks romantic potential. Of course, they could be homosexual--and I totally support the idea that they're gonna grow up to big big ol' lesbians together--but I don’t think it would be so overt (Although Nippon Ichi does try to pull some pretty interesting things with its characters!). The Legend of Zelda: My mom has been playing Twilight Princess on the Wii for a while, and it’s a trip to watch. One of the best parts is that she renamed Link “Princess.” When I pointed out that Link was a male, she countered with, “No, Princess is a butch lesbian.” Touché. Kingdom Hearts: Sora, Riku, and Kairi—changing the sex of any one of the characters makes the story far more interesting to me. Imagine the lesbian tones of female-Sora and Kairi seeking to find each other. Female-Riku could have added an interesting jealous love triangle to the game. . . but who’s to say that isn’t already there? Then there’s the full-blown homoerotic adventure when you include male-Kairi, making the Kingdom Hearts series my number one candidate for giving a character a sex change. Feel free to share your own ideas in our comments section. Also, let us know if you’re doing any video-game related costumes to celebrate, and watch out for crazies tonight! Labels: Calabar, RPG, Sexuality
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Coming Out of the Gaming Closet
A Brief Look at the Past [Editor’s Note: October is LGBT History Month, and so I have decided to spotlight a series of LGBT characters.] Even though we can see gender and sexual orientation inequity in video games today, things have improved by leaps and bounds over the last twenty years. When I sat down to do research on queer characters from the earlier days of gaming, I didn’t come up with much. While society and “the times” play a significant role, the lack of diversity is largely due to the actions of the game publishers themselves.  For example, Nintendo has always been a “family friendly” company and remains so to this day. In the past, however, it had a strict code for monitoring the content of its games. Anything from drugs and tobacco to religious imagery to sexually explicit content was banned from their games. It was this very same code that resulted in Super Mario Bros. 2’s Birdo, the first transsexual video game character, becoming censored into a female in 1988. Nintendo’s main competitor of the era, Sega, also had a video game censorship policy. While Sega’s policy was decidedly more liberal—such as allowing blood and female enemies—homosexuality remained off limits.Early depictions of homosexuality were either highly feminized and comedic or lecherous and predatory. We haven’t fully escaped such stereotypes today, but it often appears as though there are more positive models in today’s games than before. Shadow Hearts: Covenant’s Joachim can be over the top, but he’s nothing compared to the Cho Aniki brothers. If nothing else, games like The Sims and Fable that allow characters to choose their character’s orientation are a major step, especially since it results in no significant change to the game play. All I can hope is that in the next twenty years, people look back at the games we’re playing now and wonder, “Why are there so few queer characters? How strange!” Labels: Calabar, LGBT, Sexuality
Monday, October 15, 2007
Live in Purity and then Die
 In the Playstation 2's chilling 2001 release, Fatal Frame, an ancient custom called the Strangling Ritual ensures that the gate to hell beneath the Himuro Mansion remains shut. When the ritual goes wrong, however, the consequences bring hell itself to life. To ensure success, the Strangling Ritual requires what come as no surprise for such a religious and superstitious practice: the passive, virginal bodies of young women.The central figure of the Strangling Ritual is the Rope Shrine Maiden. Chosen at age seven from a group of other young girls, the maiden is sequestered away from all human life for ten years. Even her attendants wear masks to hide their faces. When the day of the ritual comes, the maiden knows nothing but her own suffering, and, after purifying herself in the Moon Well, willingly submits to her own sacrifice. Her wrists, ankles, and neck are tied to wheels, and, as they are turned, her limbs and head are strangled from her body. The bloody ropes are used to bind the door to hell. It isn't difficult to see the "virginity on a pedestal" themes in this ritual. First of all, the word "maiden" itself denotes an unmarried woman, implying virginity. Secondly, it is imperative for the success of the ritual that the maiden maintains her purity through her own isolation from anyone who could possibly corrupt her. The maiden is chosen as a child, and her imprisonment preserves this childlike purity by suppressing education, information, and relationships. It's important to point out that the people overseeing this ritual are all men, particularly the Master of the Himuro family. The young girls do not choose to compete to be the next maiden; the maiden has no say in whether or not she wants to fulfill her duty. While the ritual requires the maiden's willingness and dedication to her duty, neither of these are necessarily genuine. They are coerced, brainwashed into a young woman who has spent more than half of her life in captivity, isolation, and suffering, making her a passive pawn rather than an active player. To underscore this passivity, it is not even the maiden's body -- secluded and abused -- that closes the gates of hell, but the grisly ropes that tore it apart.  The most notable shrine maiden, Kirie, is the one that defied this ritual long before the main plot of Fatal Frame takes place. When Kirie's ten years of confinement end and she is briefly freed, she meets a beautiful visitor to the Himuro Mansion and the two meet frequently in the garden to talk. When the Master discovers that she has formed this attachment to the living world, he becomes so furious that he has the unnamed visitor put to death. When Kirie is sacrificed, her heart is full of regret, tainting the ritual and cursing the mansion.Kirie's curiosity and love for the stranger figuratively deflower her, rendering her completely useless for the ritual. The current Master -- a male relative of hers in great power, possibly her father or grandfather -- is enraged at the idea that she finds favor in something other than her intended purpose. The unnamed lover, who deigned to show sympathy for a woman, particularly a woman whose body does not belong to her, dies for his transgression. It's a fantastic situation that, disturbingly, mirrors real life in more than one way. An important trait of Kirie's character comes into play during Fatal Frame's multiple endings. Both Normal and Nightmare Mode endings involve Kirie's ghost assenting to her "duty" and tying herself to the ropes on the Hell Gate, closing it and freeing the souls trapped in the mansion. Ultimately, it is best for her to shun herself to protect the greater good, and while this can be seen as a noble example of self-sacrifice, it also coincides with the inevitability of female submission to male will. However, the Xbox release of Fatal Frame has its own special ending. In it, Kirie's ghost is joined by that of her lover's, and, instead of Kirie tying herself to the gate, the two join together to seal the gate and free the lost souls. Admittedly, it's a cheesier, "they all lived happily ever after" sort of way out, but it also avoids the implication that it was Kirie's disobedience and not the cruelty of the Strangling Ritual itself that brought ruin to the Himuro family. Fatal Frame is, in my opinion, one of the most terrifying experiences on the Playstation 2, beating its two sequels by a landslide when it comes to scares. Its estrogen-enriched cast is one of its many perks, and a storyline that details young women overcoming the cruelty brought upon them by old, superstitious tradition is a more than relevant parallel to the experiences of women today. Labels: BomberGirl, Fatal Frame, Sexuality, Survival Horror
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
To Be a Hero
 Retro Spotlight: Brad Evans from Wild Arms 2 [Editor’s Note: October is LGBT History Month, and so I have decided to spotlight a series of LGBT characters.] One of the first three characters players meet in Wild Arms 2, Brad is a wartime hero who was imprisoned for his involvement in the Slayheim Liberation Army. Despite his incredible battle skills and fighting abilities, Brad is a truly compassionate man who looks forward to the day the world no longer needs heroes like him.  When I first played Wild Arms 2, I took notice to the relationship between Brad and a friend of his from the war, Billy. The two of them are very close; in fact, Billy is Brad’s only friend left from the war. Unfortunately, Billy suffered several injuries during the liberation war and has since endured significant brain damage. Brad sticks with him through it all, and many fans believe that the two were/are romantically involved.I find all of the talk surrounding Brad Evans to be fascinating. Many hardcore fans violently protest the possibility that he could be gay. They ask, “Why is Brad gay just because he’s close friends with Billy?” In response, I ask, “Does being gay make Brad less of a hero?”  I prefer to think that Brad is gay. It’s a nice departure from games that indulge in stereotypes. In a way, I almost think that it’s good that his homosexuality was underplayed because it demonstrates how being gay is only one part of a person’s larger identity. I mean, let’s face it—the whole relationship with Billy is merely a side-story in the grand scheme of things. The truth of the matter is that we don’t have conclusive proof one way or the other. In the English version, at least, players have to read between the lines to catch Brad and Billy’s relationship. Supposedly, their relationship is more open and apparent in the Japanese version, but I honestly can’t say that I have the linguistic ability to verify this claim. But what’s all that matter? The fact remains that, gay or not, Brad has some of the highest hit points, defense, and strength in the game. Go Brad! Bust some skulls! Wild Arms 2 is probably third on my list of favorite Wild Arms titles, but that’s not as low as it sounds. The characters are memorable and the music is amazing. I’d definitely recommend checking it out—if you can get past the graphics (which really aren’t that bad for the PSOne), the gameplay is awesome and the storyline is top notch. For that genuine retro feel, dust off your good ol’ Playstation One and get to gamin’! Labels: Calabar, Character Spotlight, Getting it Right, LGBT, RPG, Sexuality
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Quest for Humanity
 Retro Spotlight: Asellus from Saga Frontier [Editor’s Note: October is LGBT History Month, and so I have decided to spotlight a series of LGBT characters. I didn’t realize BomberGirl was also doing a focus this month, but I’m so excited about this topic that I can’t back down. Enjoy!] In the game Saga Frontier, players can choose one of seven characters in a large, open-ended adventure. The world remains the same no matter which character you pick, but the stories are vastly different. In all honesty, I find many of them to be forgettable. However, one character, Asellus, has remained close to my heart since I first played the game in 1998. Her quest begins as Asellus wakes up alone in a strange castle of thorns, and after some exploration she learns that she has become a “prince” of Fascinaturu, the kingdom of the Mystic race. She was killed twelve years ago when the Charm Lord Orlouge trampled her in his carriage, but he took her back to his castle and, thanks to a transfusion of his blood, managed to revive her. Unfortunately, Asellus is no longer human; through Orlouge’s magic, she has become the world’s first and only Half-Mystic. Like all women brought to Orlouge’s castle, Asellus is destined to become his bride. Horrified by his nightmarish world, Asellus flees with the help of White Rose, the kindest of all of Orlouge’s princesses. I find Asellus simply amazing because of her delicate position in the power structures of her world. Not only is she treated as an object by Orlouge’s patriarchy, but she also suffers from the prejudice of both humans and Mystics who are unable to accept her mixed heritage. Despite this, she manages to overcome the obstacles before her and gather together a female super-team (several members of which are Orlogue’s other wives) to slay the Charm Lord and end his cruelty once and for all. One of the most compelling aspects of Asellus’s quest is her bleak search for her own place in the world. She must make choices about whether to hunt for the remaining shreds of her humanity or to embrace the powers and privilege of her newfound Mystic heritage. The game has three endings to reflect the player’s choices.  Personally, I like seeing the happy ending where she regains her human capacity or the bittersweet ending in which she finds a balance in her new life as a half-mystic. Maybe it’s the “cheese factor,” but I like to imagine that everything works out okay. In the chilling “Full Mystic” ending, Asellus takes Lord Orlouge’s place as Fascinaturu’s tyrannical despot; she has taken the human girl Gina as her first bride, and the other Mystics fear the beginning of her cruel reign. Yes, that’s right. Asellus takes Gina to be her bride. Throughout the game and regardless of the ending you receive, the local Fascinaturu dressmaker Gina always speaks of Asellus with open affection. Similarly, later in the game, we see the relationship between Asellus and Princess White Rose develop into a romance. I find Asellus to be a refreshing change from the usual straight white male protagonist and the scantily clad, big breasted female protagonist. While her costume is somewhat immodest, it was chosen for her by Orlouge (and the game designers), so I feel that it’s unfair to hold it against her. Besides, she’s actually the strongest character in the game because she combines all of the best parts of human and Mystic stat gains. Not to mention how awesome it is to play as a lesbian character who doesn't fall prey to countless stereotypes. I fully recommend giving Saga Frontier a try if you didn’t play it back in the day. Asellus’s quest alone makes the game worth it. It is a truly gripping story about a young woman desperately seeking a way to define herself. Labels: Calabar, Character Spotlight, Getting it Right, LGBT, RPG, Sexuality
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Gaming, Identity, and Sexuality
You may have heard the news already, but take a look at this: "Shanda (Nasdaq: SNDA) subsidiary Aurora Technology has frozen game accounts of male players who chose to play female in-game characters in its in-house developed MMORPG King of the World, reports 17173. Aurora stipulates that only female gamers can play female characters in the game, and it requires gamers who chose female characters to prove their biological sex with a webcam, according to the report." Article from Pacific Epoch Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited’s homepage does not include any news of the ban. The company is one of the leading online entertainment providers in China, offering everything from MMOs to casual online games. I’m not about to get involved in a discussion leagues outside of my area of expertise (particularly China’s stance on topics like transsexuality and gender bending), but I do feel comfortable enough to say that I find this simultaneously fascinating and horrifying. My fascination comes from my inability to relate to the individuals responsible for this ban. Their fear and ignorance leave me dumbfounded. I am horrified because I see this as a stepping stone to something worse—the notion that this ban could be a reflection of policies that may affect real life. Perhaps I’ve read too many dystopian novels. I'd like to focus on one particular facet of this ban, as Shanda has not publicly explained their decision for implementing the plan. Before continuing, I’d like to include a quotation from Technologies of Gender: Essays on Theory, Film, and Fiction by Teresa De Lauretis: “For since the very first time we put a check mark on the little square next to the F on the form, we have officially entered the sex-gender system, the social relations of gender, and have become en-gendered as women; that is to say, not only do other people consider us females, but from that moment on we have been representing ourselves as women. Now, I ask, isn’t that the same as saying that the F next to the little box, which we marked in filling our the form, has stuck to us like a wet silk dress? Or that while we thought that we were marking the F on the form, in fact the F was marking itself on us?” (pp 12) Lauretis was referring to a concept known as interpellation, or the process through which social representations of identity are accepted and internalized by an individual. This example extends beyond the male-female binary it initially suggests and instead suggests that all conceivable genders are limited when equating sex with gender. Shanda’s ban serves as an example of one of those imposing sources attempting to restrict our definition of self. Personally, I feel that this kind of imposed thought-filtering fetishizes the so-called “perversion.” By focusing on eliminating these desires from ourselves, we actually think about them a great deal, and they don’t simply go away. After all, we’ve invested so much time and energy into the act of renunciation. In terms of the ban, this means that if a male player wants to play as a female, he may initially go along with the rules to play as a male. As he continues to deny those desires, however, he acknowledges their presence. Eventually, he may wish so strongly to play as a female character that he has a female friend create the character for him to play. I find it absurd that the individuals responsible for this ban would attempt to limit the ways in which others could construct their identities. We don’t know gender through our bodies, but rather the stories we tell about them, even in video games. Because of the society in which we live, our sex burdens us with faulty expectations and limit our self-expression. The self is not such a simple concept, however, and it is impossible to choose a single element that contributes most to our socially constructed gender identities. The problem with this issue is that we do not know official reason that the Shanda company implemented this policy, and this is why my views on the matter may seem somewhat narrow. To broaden them, it’s important that we consider the “why” of the matter. Was it because of intolerance on the part of the company, or were players being intolerant of one another? Could it be to limit problems with sexual harassment, or does this policy amount to harassment in and of itself? Please feel free to share your thoughts or concerns in our comments section. Labels: Calabar, LGBT, MMORPG, Sexuality
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sexy Bunnygirls Want to Play With You
One of the staples in any good RPG is the element of exploration. A fantasy-world opens up to the player, along with a host of varied and exciting locales. It's not uncommon for the towns and villages of these worlds to be themed, and it's likely for the player to find herself exploring villages populated by ninjas, wizards, magical creatures -- or even entirely by women.  Final Fantasy XII picks up on this theme with the all-female Viera of Eruyt Village. The Viera -- as displayed upfront by FFXII's main black mage, Fran -- are a race of bunny people that, because they are bunny people, run around in stiletto heels, thongs, and assorted lingerie.Okay, so maybe I'm not being fair. The Viera are a deeply spiritual people that have a close bond with nature and are particularly skilled in archery. Their bunny ears allow them to hear over great distances and listen to the voices of spirits. Because of this ability, they can summon monsters from -- I'm sorry, I just can't get past this. The only all-female society in Ivalice just happens to resemble a clutch of Playboy Playmates. This wouldn't creep me out as much if, say, Fran was the only one suffering from an awkward gait because of the leather G-string three miles up her ass. However, every single other lapine-eared lady, from leader Jute's silky teddy to the NPC extras' thigh-highs, has apparently decided that bedwear is completely fitting for patrolling their jungle home. I'm all for being able to choose whatever the hell you want to wear, but there isn't a single Viera who doesn't look like she belongs in Hugh Hefner's mansion. Add to that the consistently cookie-cutter faces and it almost makes my blood run cold. Final Fantasy XII is a fantastic game, so it's a shame that the overall experience -- and so much potential for a group of strong female characters -- suffers because of such blatant sexism. And it isn't the Vieras' fault; they also appear in Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, Tactics: A2, and FFXII: Revenant Wings with much more varied character designs, from the sexy to the sensible. It's not the sexy itself that gets to me. I won't mince words: this entire society, set apart from the many others of Ivalice as being made up entirely of women, has been rendered to a collection of sex objects simply by their character design. Conversely, Final Fantasy IV's matriarchal kingdom, Toroia, avoided this beautifully. For example, while the sprites of the Toroia guards could have been replaced by the scantily-clad dancers, they're in fact decked out in armor. Because they're . . . guards, and, male or female . . . you get the idea. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for female characters to be subjected to this kind of hypersexualization and objectification, and even less so for women in power to have their status mocked by such. The sad truth is that it's just as common an RPG staple as our aforementioned town themes. If only there were something other than the obligatory Hot Sexy Chicks Who Would Love To Sex You Up that leaves female gamers left out in the cold. Labels: BomberGirl, Final Fantasy, RPG, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I Love Girls with Big Swords. . . Waitaminute
Or, Advertisers make me crazy!  Here I was trying to enjoy some music, when all of the sudden—bam! I got hit by a massive advertisement for the recently released PS3 game Heavenly Sword. I visited the game’s official website to learn more about it, hoping that my initial impressions about the game were incorrect—when I saw the sexy, long-haired woman with virtually no cloths and a gigantic sword spinning in circles ala Magical Girl style, I assumed the worst. I was immediately treated to an animated video that details the origins of the protagonist, Nariko, The video explains: “So many were sacrificed, and even that fateful moment claimed one more treasured life. Our long awaited savior—the returning heavenly warrior—was born a worthless girl, a violation of the prophecy, the death of our hopes. How would this thing save us?” As it turns out, her father chooses to keep his daughter alive (the video makes it clear that he considered infanticide), but she lives alone and receives the blame for all of her clan’s misfortunes. As her father hones her into a powerful warrior over the years, her clan seems to accept that she may be their only hope. After her father’s death, she goes on a journey for revenge, hoping not only to avenge him but also to redeem herself in the eyes of her people.  That’s some pretty heavy stuff. I’d consider the story much more substantial than the usual “pretty girl runs around with a big sword and kills stuff” games, and it seems to have plenty of RPG story elements mixed in with exciting action parts. I do have one major gripe, though. The game’s catch phrase is, “Heavenly Sword. Vengeance has never been so beautiful.” Once I’m done thrashing in place and screaming inside, I take a second look at the line. It’s a perfect example of the expectations marketers have for their consumers—it dismisses the majority of the female gaming population. A certain game with similar themes of revenge and courage would never have been advertised like that. The ad simply doesn’t make sense to me. From my understanding of the game, beauty is the last thing on Nariko’s mind. I can understand making her attractive—even as a gay guy, I would vastly prefer playing a striking character like Nariko rather than a scabby, scarred, misshapen character. It’s part of the fantasy of gaming; however, I don’t like that Nariko is being objectified and that sexuality is being used to sell the game when it is completely irrelevant. Prettiness is unrelated to a blood hunt. I haven’t played Heavenly Sword yet (and won’t for a long time—I don’t even have a TV right now, let alone a PS3! Make your donations to Girl in the Machine today!), so I can’t get into too much detail about the game—but I do think it has potential to bring out another strong female lead. Any readers have this one yet? Can you tell us more? (Images from Pandora Radio and the media page at the Heavenly Sword official website.) Labels: Action Adventure, Calabar, Sexuality
Monday, July 16, 2007
Bra? What Bra?
 In the vast and exciting paradigm of video games, fighters provide some of the most common examples of grossly exaggerated stereotypes in femininity and masculinity. Granted, what's important in a fighting game is the gameplay of the combat itself and not an engrossing story or deep characters. However, game developers far too often fall back on needlessly overused gender roles to delineate these characters. There are many familiar faces among the hulking and emotionless specimens of raw masculine power and slender, buxom portraits of smoldering feminine beauty. Why do we see these particular archetypes in fighting games again and again?The age-old disparity between male strength and female strength burns brightly on in fighters: men must be physically strong while women must be alluring. However, these stereotypes are severely amped up in the fighting game context. Often enough, "masculinity" reaches levels of pure machismo (preposterous amounts of muscle, extreme aggression) and "femininity" approaches misogyny in its emphasis on sexual characteristics (comically large breasts, crotch-exhibiting moves). For example, in the Soul Calibur series, there are no female equivalents to the thundering heavyweights Astaroth, Rock, and Necrid, while pretty Sophitia and Seung Mi-na run around flashing their white panties with every kick and leap.  This disparity unsurprisingly reveals just what it always does: men dominate, women seduce. A particular trait of machismo attests to a superiority in fitness and strength. In the framework of a fighter (wherein all participants are obviously in combat), the exaggerated gender roles make the strangeness of female physical prowess more "acceptable." While there is a wealth of opportunity to see women beating the crap out of men, or even beating the crap out of each other without the tired "cat-fight" cliche, their frequent hypersexualization keeps the notion of female strength from being taken seriously. The gratuitous panty shots and exorbitant breasts lovingly rendered to move independently of their owners facilitate the idea of a physically superior female by transforming women fighters into strippers and porn stars. One need not look farther than Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball to find sufficient evidence of this manner. As grim as it all appears, this isn't all true across the board. While fighting games certainly have their formulaic characters, we have more choices than just Impassive Over-Muscled Strong Guy and Hot Booby Ninja Chick Who Wears No Bra. Feminine men often make appearances, such as resident pretty boys Vega of Street Fighter or Alba from King of Fighters, and sometimes we get pleasant rarities like Guilty Gear's Bridget, a young yoyo-wielding boy dressed as a nun. Unfortunately, these exceptions are usually just as the above: all male. Even more unfortunate is the irregularity of women of color in the character rosters. Fighters' hyperbolic gender roles present a conspicuously male bias. Simply reversing the roles reveals their absurdity: imagine playing a game full of robust female body builders and men performing spin-kicks around enormous, turgid erections. And honestly, as fun as that would be, I can't imagine it would get by very well in today's society. Labels: BomberGirl, Fighter, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Monday, July 9, 2007
The Grand Dominatrix Phenomenon
 Welcome, friends! Buckle up your favorite studded collar, oil up your leathers, and lace those whalebone corsets tight -- it's time for us to talk about the timeless Dominatrix Phenomenon of Video Games!I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed this obvious trend in female villainy. From Maniac Mansion's sadistic Nurse Enda in the 1980s to the whip-tastically femdom antics of Soul Calibur's Ivy Valentine of today, women baddies have typically walked the fine line between sultry femme fatale and disciplining dominatrix. So what's the deal? (Not that I'm here to knock on dominatrices in practice or in theory. I happen to know a couple, and they're quite the fun crowd. Rock on, dommes of dungeons dark, rock on.) Let's consider our leather-clad villainesses from a gamer's perspective. Why is it every other female villain I run into a whip-wielding vixen who's turned on by pain? Why is it that for every self-titled "mistress" there is a voluptuous little minx of a mastermind who wants some screwin' to go with her kicking of ass? Wherefore the sexy danger, often completely devoid of relevance to the character herself? Hmm. Dictionary time! Dominatrix. Noun. 1. a woman who plays the dominant role in a sado-masochistic sexual relationship or encounter. 2. a woman who dominates. From the Latin "dominatrix," a female ruler or mistress. Can't get much more cut and dried than that, folks.  A good starting point is the bare-bones etymological origin of our title. What more is a typical video game villain than a ruler, a holder of power? Oftentimes it's as simple as that. So, we have a woman -- our dominatrix -- who takes a dominant role -- that is, she poses as a powerful force for our hearty protagonists to overcome. That's not unusual by any means. Throwing in a nice handful of sadism doesn't change things much at all, either. It doesn't take much to recall a plethora of male villains who take joy in harming others, so what's so special about their female counterparts who do the same?Here's where our roads diverge. Because it isn't the same. The female villain fashioned into a dominatrix is a completely fetishized view of a woman in power, done so in a way that rarely (at best!) occurs with her male counterpart. When was the last time you saw Ganondorf in a harness, anyway? As the dominatrix, the villainess obtains her power through sexualized male fantasy instead of through other means (that could, conceptually, involve actual character development instead of an age-old stereotype). Game developers fashion their villainous dominatrices specifically for the target audience of video games: the young male demographic. The male gamer becomes the metaphorical "sub" to the villain's professional "domme," the client who purchases a sexual fantasy. If we are to consider the balance of power in a typical dominant/submissive interaction, the sub has theoretically more power over the domme (owing to the sub's ability to stop the action whenever she or he feels is necessary). In this way, the female villain as a dominatrix implies a superior power in the male player, who finds his sexual fantasy bought and paid for.  The conspicuousness of this stereotype varies, of course. The drow queen, or Valsharess, in the Neverwinter Nights expansion Hordes of the Underdark wields a whip and vaguely BDSM-style accouterments. Besides a rather unhealthy appetite for inflicting pain, there's little else to attest to her kinks (and at the very least, female drow are naturally dominant). However, Veronica from Shadow Hearts: Covenant leaves very little to the imagination. Not only does she strut around in the full leather get-up (complete with riding crop!), she also routinely tortures captives in a dungeon, femdom-style, complete with a fettered cross and extreme electrostimulation! Don't try that at home, kiddies.In the end, I believe that it's fair to say that, while sexuality is cool and empowering and getting kinky with things is even better, defining a female villain solely by the stale stereotype of a whip-cracking nymphomaniac domme is definitely not cool. If this weren't such a frequent occurrence, I'd give it a pass, but the only trend I'm seeing here is the concept of a woman in power as a simple sexual fetish. And that really yanks my leash. Labels: BomberGirl, Sexuality, Stereotypes
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thanks, Nintendo; I had No Idea She was a Chick.
 I am incredibly excited about Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It's one of two games I'm waiting to buy a Wii for (the other one being Animal Crossing, if you want to know). I can hardly wait to see all the beautiful new battle arenas and additional characters Nintendo's designing. While I do try out every fighter, I always go back to my tried and true characters: Fox and Samus. So when I found this clip from E3 last year, I watched it with great anticipation. Like I expected, I saw some of my favorite fighters in action, but something else I noticed makes me a little . . . worried. See it now? Okay, I'll give you a hint.  Here's everyone's favorite bounty hunter as we normally see her. Along with her signature orange suit, Samus stands strong, like a formidable warrior. Her left hand is balled into a fist. She's crouched into a battle stance--look at how much space she's taking up. Like her face, she's got her arm canon pointed straight at you, ready for the kill. Just looking at this image, you get a sense of tension and power. Girl looks dangerous. Now, here's Samus in her Zero Suit:  Her body is now in a straight, graceful line, taking up as little space as possible. Instead of a fiery orange and yellow, Samus is garbed in a soft sky blue. She appears to be in mid-jump, rather than in any extreme position, such as the beginning or end of the jump. One leg is bent to show off her round ass. Her back is arched to look over one shoulder. Her body itself is angled away from the viewer, and the fingers on her left hand are softly splayed out in a feminine manner. I call total bullshit here. Can you honestly see Samus in her power suit posing like this? Instead of the intimidating figure she cut in the first image, she now looks almost harmless. There is absolutely no reason why she would change her body language just because she's not in full armor. One of my favorite things about Samus has been that she is a badass bounty hunter first--and she hardly ever found herself in cheesecakey poses (if at all). Now that she's out of the suit, she's been forced into the infamous tits-and-ass pose. At the very least, the suit itself has no strange cutouts like some of her past suits have had (as seen in various Metroid game endings). Her boots are flat and functional, and her hair is sensibly tied back into a ponytail. I do wonder how she gets all that hair into her helmet, though--it's not quite that long in Metroid Prime (although it was in Fusion), but I'm nitpicking here.  From what I've heard, Zero Suit Samus's blaster can also turn into a laser whip; if the designers aren't careful, Samus could be treading dangerously close into Sexy Sexy Danger territory. It really disappoints me (although doesn't surprise me) that my favorite character is being turned into a sex object just because you can actually tell she's a woman now--like this greenlights the ogling of fanboys everywhere. I don't like the fact that Samus has to cover up her body in order to act badass as per her real personality. I want to see Zero Suit Samus in the same in-your-face poses she's always been in. My point is, it's just not Samus's personality to be in these cheesecake poses. Why can't she be depicted in fierce battle stances like she's always been? I don't like the fact that her unique character has to come second to the fact that she has teh boobies. Unlike Lara Croft, Samus is famous for her tough-as-nails exterior and her drive to clear out both metroids and space pirates, not for her sexiness. So, I'm awaiting SSB Brawl with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. I'll hold my breath and hope that Nintendo won't turn my favorite video game icon into just another girly show for rabid fanboys--and that she'll remain the tough and intimidating fighter I know and love. And if I see a single hip pop from her, there's going to be hell to pay. Special thanks to IGN.com for the images Labels: Body Language, Fighter, Metroid, PlasmaRit, Sexuality, Super Smash Bros.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Lara Croft's Ten-Year Mam Jam
 Like most people over the years, I've played my share of Tomb Raider games. While the controls weren't really the best, I enjoyed solving puzzles and kicking some ass along the way. The crapfest that was TR: Angel of Darkness put me off from the series, and I moved on to more interesting games. I hadn't given Lara Croft much thought until I saw a rather irritating commercial advertising Gametap's Tomb Raider Ten-Year Anniversary bonanza thing. So, I decided to check out the weekly documentary discussing the franchise's history; what I saw didn't make me very happy. I admit, I was naive. I went into the documentary with the tiny hope that perhaps we've made some progress in the past ten years--that maybe, just maybe, we could see Lara Croft as the smart, strong heroine that she is. Yes, as the doc stated over and over, Lara is a video game icon. Is it for the groundbreaking gameplay in Tomb Raider I? No. I believe a quote from the Gametap commercial pretty much sums it up: "What would [gamers] rather look at: a hedgehog, a plumber, or Lara Croft's fair bum?" For chrissake, people. It doesn't help that Lara's original design called for insanely unrealistic proportions that rival a Barbie doll. According to the doc, her measurements started out as 35" hips, 24" waist, and a 36" bust--and, in my opinion, a really freaky bobblehead. It's anyone's guess how she managed to raid any tombs without snapping in half from that tiny waist. From all the ads, the commentary, and the Lara Croft model search, the sad truth is that Lara's claim to fame rests only on her body.  At the very least, Lara has gone through a bit of a makeover; instead of the lollipop-headed hourglass freak show she once was, she's now more or less been appropriately equipped with a human-sized head and a torso that allows for a ribcage and the proper muscles to hold up her enormous endowments. Yes, she still has that bust, but I don't have a problem with that. Thousands of women all over the world have large breasts, and there's no reason to discriminate; I'm sure they'd like an icon to look up to as well. But. When a woman has large breasts in our society, they become her identity. She automatically becomes free game for exploitation, and she as a person fades into the background. It's frustrating, and we as a society don't seem to be growing up any. It's as if these people have never seen breasts before, for crying out loud. It was a nice try, but no cigar for me. Lara Croft is still known for her mams and has received the dubious honor of being a video game icon because of them. Perhaps one day the gaming industry will learn to grow up and see that large-busted women were not put on this earth to be boobs with people attached to them. Special thanks to Gametap and Wikipedia for images Labels: Action Adventure, PlasmaRit, Sexuality, Tomb Raider
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