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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Faith, Creation, Resurrection

Beyond the blood and the rust and the Saran-wrapped burn victims of Silent Hill, the eerie dogma of the Order permeates everything. A cult as twisted and complex as the town itself, the Order's faith is directly involved with the existence of the series's signature monsters and terrifying Otherworld. While its tenets are heavily rooted in the Christianity of Silent Hill's original settlers, many of its key players -- including its deity -- are female. From the Holy Woman sect to the canonized Jennifer Carroll, the Order is awash in sacred femininity.

As many religions have done in the past, the faith of the Order originated from a blend: specifically, that of the aboriginal Native Americans and the Christian settlers that invaded them and set up camp in a place that would eventually become Silent Hill. The members of the Order were always a minority, however, as they eventually faced terrible persecution under the Christians. It's unclear why the Order's god is female (perhaps the natives worshipped a goddess?), but it isn't farfetched to suspect that this was one of the many factors involved in the Christians mockingly naming her Samael, a title typically thought to be the true name of Satan.

Along with the persecutions came martyrdom, ironically bringing the Order even closer to its Christian roots. There is a statue in Rosewater Park that's dedicated to the slaughtered Jennifer Carroll, who in her death was elevated to Saint Jennifer, a true servant of their god. From Jennifer's canonization stems the Order's Holy Woman sect, in which Dahlia of the original Silent Hill is a priest.

The Order's god as a woman has always fascinated me. In many ways, she acts just like her derivative Abrahamic god, and could have very easily been male. The caveat, I suppose, is her resurrection, a "second coming," if you will: she must be physically born into the world. While reproduction is central to this process, it is interesting that there is no man involved in the process; a ritual impregnates a girl with god, and, in the series, this has been instigated twice by other women (Dahlia and Claudia).

Women are saints, and their god is a woman -- is this a matriarchal organization? Surprisingly enough, no. There are both female and male priests, and no clear hierarchy that orders them. Interestingly enough, there does appear to be a bit of a divide in the sects: Dahlia is the only specified member of the Holy Woman sect, and the only specified members of the Valtiel sect are men.

Valtiel: an angel, an attendant of god. The Valtiel sect was founded in his honor by Jimmy Stone, and, instead of focusing on the Holy Woman's ritual for resurrecting god, the followers of Valtiel seek the fulfillment of the 21 Sacraments, kicking off the plot for Silent Hill 4. Even a male "host" is used in this process. It is important to note, however, that Valtiel is a vassal of god, not her replacement, and the end goal of the 21 Sacraments is indeed her revival. I'm not certain if the gender divide was done purposely, but it does open some fascinating doors.

So, if the Order celebrates womanhood so much and in such an unusual environment, and if all the (genuinely faithful) cult members want is the second coming of their god so Paradise can be delivered, how did everything get so horribly fucked up?

Let's consider the effects of Silent Hill itself. So many horrible, hateful things happened there, and the mind easily shapes the world around you. The many paintings and teachings about the Order's god differ greatly from how they actually appear -- Valtiel the red angel is actually a scrabbly butcher who chokes nurses; God herself looks like a corpse. Based on the grisly hatred used in the ritual to nurture god in Silent Hill 3, we can only assume that the world will be just as fucked up if the god does come back and gets her way. It's the effect of the town, cursed since the Christian settlers first arrived and attacked its original inhabitants.

It's vital to remember that The Order has real power in the world of Silent Hill. Its tenets actually exist, from the incarnations of god to the angels (Valtiel) to the saints (Jennifer Carroll) to even god herself (albeit in a twisted, mutated sort of way). So, perhaps at one point, god really did look kind and nurturing and Valtiel was a sprightly little angel helping her along the way.

In the end, god is weakened and warped by human thought, like so many things in Silent Hill. The hatred and cruelty provoked by Claudia (and Dahlia) twists her. The persecution by the Christians, and even that of the Native Americans themselves changed everything. Though the Christians dubbed God as Samael, Dahlia refers to her as such in a powerful example of the evil becoming truth, not just in mind or in theory but in actual living, breathing reality.

Silent Hill is defined by the Order, and probably would have stayed a nice little lake town if not for the fear and acrimony that drove them to mutate their own god. It presents a very new take on women's roles in religion, and how everyone -- both male and female -- weaken and suffer while trapped in their own enmity.

(Thanks to Zone of the Gamers for the amazing pics.)

Labels: BomberGirl, Getting it Right, Motherhood, Silent Hill, Survival Horror

Posted by BomberGirl
11:03 AM + Link to this post
2 comments

Monday, October 1, 2007

The Journey to Paradise

(I'll be celebrating the entire month of October with Survival Horror themed posts! Today I'm kicking things off with a character spotlight on Silent Hill 3's astounding antagoniste, Claudia Wolf!)

(Silent Hill 3 plot spoilers follow!)

To be honest, Claudia Wolf forever changed my view of female villains. After finding myself surrounded by an endless parade of whip-snapping dominatrices and smoldering temptresses, I was resigned years ago to a general dislike for the baddies of womankind. If every villain was just going to be shallow, written for men, and busting out of her bustier, then why shouldn't I shun them all?

Oh, how wrong I was. As soon as Claudia's eyebrowless visage appeared on my TV, I knew that I was in for something big.

And it is her appearance that hits you first. The white-blond hair, the blanched skin, the black schoolmarmish dress, and, yes, the lack of eyebrows collectively give her character an odd, unsettling air. She's like nothing you've ever seen before right off the bat, drawing you in, leaving you curious about where she's come from and what she's doing in a shopping mall that's about to be transported straight to hell.

As a priest of the mysterious Silent Hill cult, the Order, Claudia is a devout believer in this crazy religion without coming off flat. She possesses neither the flowing robes nor the enthralling charisma of a stereotypical cult leader, and nor does she come off as apathetic and unfeeling as a common sociopath. In her conversations with fellow priest Vincent -- who funds the cult for the power instead of the faith -- she appears to be a bit of an underdog, alone in her struggles to hasten the rebirth of the Order's god. As well, the discovery that Claudia grew up alongside Alessa (and thought of her as a sister, to boot), paints an unusual shade of sympathy into the woman who has Harry Mason eviscerated.

While I love a villain I can absolutely hate, I still find myself intrigued by Claudia's almost anti-villainhood. Being raised in a doomsday cult is no picnic, I'm sure, and, when that cult's solution to a world entrenched in suffering means the apocalypse, it's not difficult to see where her motivation comes from. Throughout the game, Claudia is unwavering in her faith, stating over and over that what the world needs is God. Granted, in order to bring about Paradise she undergoes some pretty unspeakable acts of cruelty and violence, but it's clear that she genuinely wants to end all hardships. It's a warped form of altruism, and she even cites that she does not expect to be accepted into Paradise when all is said and done.

Faith and a lifetime of apocalyptic dogma aren't Claudia's only motivating factors, however. At one point in the game, creepy-ass Vincent reveals that Claudia was physically abused by her father, Leonard:

The pain and suffering of the world has been very real -- and very personal -- to Claudia since she was just a child. Faith in the Order's god and in the possibility of Paradise are survival mechanisms for her, desensitizing her to the present suffering of others if it means a beautiful heaven for all.

In short, Claudia renewed my faith in the awesomeness of female villains back in 2003. It just goes to show that a single shining example within a limitless sea of darkness can do wonders for the battered psyche. Now if only other games -- particularly those of the mainstream -- would just take the hint.

Readers, who are some of your favorite female baddies?

(Thanks to Gamespot for the pic.)

Labels: BomberGirl, Character Spotlight, Getting it Right, Silent Hill, Survival Horror

Posted by BomberGirl
3:17 PM + Link to this post
4 comments

Monday, August 6, 2007

I have a crush.

Let me just make this clear: I love Heather Mason.

But then, what girl gamer couldn't? As Silent Hill 3's primary character, it's already refreshing to see someone of the female persuasion in the SH universe that isn't (a) spooky, (b) crazy, or (c) dead (although Cybil Bennett does come damn close to achieving such an ideal). On a larger scope, her overall capability and more or less realistic behavior in the face of danger also earns her a gold star from me.

And isn't that precisely what makes her so likable? Her personality is extremely well-written, granting her a range of emotions not often seen in video game characters. She's a smartass, she's tough, she's humorous, she gets pissed off, and she even (gasp!) expresses genuine fear. And even though she's been thrown into an extraordinary situation, she still acts like a realistic teenager, and at her age (seventeen) I was easily able to identify with her.

One of my favorite things about Heather is her love for her father. She shows it without it being sappy or overdone. One of my favorite cutscenes is at the very beginning of the game when she gets ready to leave the mall. She calls Harry on a pay phone and ends the conversation by saying, "I love you, too, Dad." Because of the grisly events that take place during SH3, there's very little opportunity to show this side of Heather.

Even when things seem completely out of control, though, Heather stands firm. I also love this scene when she comes to Harry's defense during her first meeting with the crazy-ass Vincent (another favorite character of mine):

As I've said before, Heather is the sole female lead of the Silent Hill series. I have so much respect for the game developers for not making her offensively girly because of this fact. Again, she's more like an actual person than a caricature of a girl: she's tomboyish, wears a thick padded vest and a denim miniskirt, dyes her hair blond but doesn't wear makeup, and official sources describe her as "a normal girl who loves shopping." It's a perfect balance of character traits that round her off without making her boring or offensive.

Throughout her story, we come to root for Heather. She's not perfect; she has flaws, from her short temper to the freckles on her face. She stands as my most favorite video game character of all time (just take a look at my icon!). And here at Girl in the Machine, game developers hand us so much to be negative about, and it feels wonderful to celebrate the positive aspects of women in games.

So, here's some homework for our readers! Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite female video game character. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Labels: BomberGirl, Character Spotlight, Getting it Right, Silent Hill, Survival Horror

Posted by BomberGirl
12:09 AM + Link to this post
7 comments

Monday, June 4, 2007

Hookers on Parade

Possible Silent Hill 4 spoilers! You've been warned.

So, I'm here today to talk about one of many long-time conventions of Survival Horror games: the alternate costume. Specifically, let's dive into those of the amazing Silent Hill series.

The first Silent Hill game to implement alternate costumes was Silent Hill 3 with Heather Mason's formidable slew of T-shirts, whose codes you could gather throughout subsequent play-throughs of the game as well as from different gaming magazines. Among them is my favorite, this kick-ass design from the now-defunct GMR magazine:

Silent Hill 4, the oft-referred "black sheep" of the series, features alternate costumes as well, although in a, erm, slightly different manner:

Why don't we talk about the difference here?

First of all, it's important to note that the SH4 costumes are only available for these two characters, Cynthia and Eileen respectively, and, as opposed to the twenty-eight choices you have in SH3, these are the only options you have: dominatrix for Cynthia and sexy nurse for Eileen.

Now, I have no problem with the sexy sexy nature of these costumes. In theory, it adds a touch of humor to the game that pervades the entire series (Exhibit A). However, in SH3 you were only able to dress up Heather, the single playable character, as opposed to, oh, gussying up creepy villainess Claudia in a rubber unitard and fishnet stockings. In SH4, protagonist Harry receives no alternate costumes at all, and the option to slap one of these on our lovable Walter Sullivan is absent as well.

So, our first problem is that only the female characters receive this extra treatment. And their meager options are what can only be deemed "stripper outfits." It transforms SH4 from a tense, psychological experience to a rendered polygon jiggle-fest in ways that not even Heather's Pretty Magical Girl outfit ever managed.

The game's Survival Horror tag obviously warrants buckets of blood and violence. Here's where things for our pals Cynthia and Eileen get even more problematic. Their sexy new costumes provide for scenes where they look exactly like Dead Hookers on Parade.

The sexualization of the poses, highlighted by the stripper duds, puts a titillating gloss on what should only be seen as alarming and horrifying. It's also important to note the striking difference between Walter's attacks on Cynthia and Eileen and those of their male counterparts. While all are similarly graphic, Cynthia and Eileen's are far less disfiguring (if at all), allowing them to, of course, stay nice and pretty (as they're blinking through all that blood). Compare Richard Braintree's huge bulging forehead veins to Eileen's ketchup-stained face. It looks like she'd be A-OK with a sheaf of napkins and a mirror.

The breakdown is, in all Survival Horror games, as with many horror films, every character is fair game for predators, but the "girls" must ALWAYS be sexy, even in their death throes. The treatment of these characters exudes a desperate attempt for male control over the female body. While I have no problem with characters in a Survival Horror game getting attacked or killed while just happening to be female, the tendency to twist the violence against them in a way that's never done to male characters is nothing less than misogynistic, particularly when it's given a sexual spin. Add a couple of hooker outfits to the mix and things get even more fun.

Right. Have fun, ladies.

(Thanks to Zone of the Gamers for the SH screens.)

Labels: BomberGirl, Sexuality, Silent Hill, Survival Horror, Violence