tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post7172170150913270474..comments2024-03-09T03:49:50.699-05:00Comments on Your Critic is in Another Castle: Beyond the Girl Gamer 1.1: Strength of CharacterK. Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06554183349391372039noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-45895485070763663392011-03-30T01:34:04.591-04:002011-03-30T01:34:04.591-04:00post number three, and by far the shortest:
i fin...post number three, and by far the shortest:<br /><br />i find it interesting that, of the four action heroines that you mention in the post, two--the most recognizable ones--have been the centerpieces of entire series, and more importantly, have been written (and designed) by a variety of people.<br /><br />i confess that i know little of comics--it isn't really my geekery--but there's something about, say, lara croft or samus aran (especially earlier iterations of her) that strikes me as if their characters are in fact <i>not</i> realistic because of their symbolic weight. or, perhaps another way to put it: in the same way that wonder woman has undergone a variety of iterations (or spider man, or batman), resulting in a character that is more icon than actual person, i wonder if there isn't a similar sort of thing that happens with video game characters that face the interpretation of a multitude of authors/directors/designers.<br /><br />don't get me wrong, because i've always found lara croft to be a problematic character for a number of reasons (e.g., the two absurdly large ones on her chest), and the way that samus's character design has gone in recent years has been disappointing--<br /><br />but i think i could conceivably argue in favor of both being part of the canon of strong female characters, less so because of any individual iteration of each and more because of the range represented in each. they are heroes in a classical sense: larger than life, iconic, something human but also more than human.<br /><br />they are always, of course, subject to critique at every level, and with both samus and lara croft i think there are significant critiques to be made (including yours). but i do find it interesting--important, even--that there are female <i>icons</i> in the pantheon of strong, memorable video game characters.<br /><br />this, of course, is tangential to your post, which is really trying to understand what makes a good <i>character</i>, so i will end my contribution to the thread here. and, really, we could just sum up this whole business as "come on, game producers: get your heads out of your asses and write better women in your games", amiright?enstarstarstarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-91284819897546803772011-03-24T09:36:58.035-04:002011-03-24T09:36:58.035-04:00it is an example of a game digging its feet in and...<i>it is an example of a game digging its feet in and saying, in essence, that a woman's story is just as universally compelling as a man's ... jade is a strong character because she is written as a person first and a hero second</i><br /><br />Those are really good points, and really good ways of phrasing it. And I promise I'm going to play the game eventually; I think I even own it through GOG, I just haven't had time to get to it yet. ;)<br /><br />Also it's an interesting discussion you raise around NOLF. First-person games have a way of not really giving you much <i>character</i> to work with at all -- for obvious and intentional design reasons -- so it's interesting to hear that such a memorable leading lady should appear in that kind of title.K_Commenterhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-67103923158257650602011-03-24T09:33:16.328-04:002011-03-24T09:33:16.328-04:00Here's what I like about Kate: she has a missi...Here's what I like about Kate: she has a mission, and a set of interests. And when whiny, demanding boyfriend on the phone gets whiny and demanding? She dumps his ass and continues her adventures through the frozen tundra.K_Commenterhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-20622980651882762342011-03-23T10:32:37.298-04:002011-03-23T10:32:37.298-04:00I'm sure every gamer's got a few examples....I'm sure every gamer's got a few examples. Of the few I mentioned, Jade's the one I'll stump for with polite nerditry. I was thinking though, Zoe Castillo, despite my grumps about Dreamfall is a strong character, , but I don't recall much about Kate in Syberia that really fleshed her out, was their more in the sequels? It's also been a while. <br /><br />Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the series!hcduvallnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-33841557268480051342011-03-22T14:42:29.478-04:002011-03-22T14:42:29.478-04:00Yeah, I think you're mostlly right about "...Yeah, I think you're mostlly right about "beloved video game characters". Though I think one of the most compelling images that a video game has ever showed me is the visor reflection of Samus' face.DoctorJaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-33895032981168140472011-03-22T13:49:33.872-04:002011-03-22T13:49:33.872-04:00Hey! I'm not a gamer, but I wanted to pop in a...Hey! I'm not a gamer, but I wanted to pop in and say how much I enjoyed this post. I particularly loved this part: <i>These women have been at the center of their own lives, not only playing the hands they are dealt in a passive or reactive sense, but instead determining the courses of their own fates with active, determined steps... When made to work within disadvantageous systems, these women have have found ways to force the systems to change around them. And if that's not strength itself, what is?</i><br /><br />It's a wonderful description of many strong women (and men) I know.SWNCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-73801973519255368292011-03-22T13:45:04.641-04:002011-03-22T13:45:04.641-04:00Great post.
I was all geared up to write a commen...Great post.<br /><br />I was all geared up to write a comment on April Ryan once I saw the title, and it turns out you were way ahead of me. Clearly, I need to read this blog more.wsnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-38446804056032633042011-03-22T13:08:17.527-04:002011-03-22T13:08:17.527-04:00I'm totally foolhardy enough to dip into Japan...I'm totally foolhardy enough to dip into Japanese-developed gaming, and suggest Aya Brea from the <i>Parasite Eve</i> series--mostly though, fan of their games I may be, Japanese developers are even more prone to formula than Western developers so there isn't a single jrpg example that isn't loaded with baggage. But I liked the lead from <i>Eternal Darkness</i> as well, and I would argue for a space for older versions of Samus. I think the general lack of sexualization--well, that's not always bad, let's say titillation instead--in their design still makes that approach worthy of noting, given the climate of gaming. People seem to like Bayonetta as example of doing it well, but I haven't played the game.<br /><br />I like April Ryan the best of the bunch in the most modern round of adventure games, but that's mostly because I didn't really like the other two games nearly as much. But the big omission is Jade from <i>Beyond Good and Evil</i>. The bee knees, that one.hcduvallnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-31323109895775260422011-03-22T12:03:17.897-04:002011-03-22T12:03:17.897-04:00Isn't it the case the videogame characters, be...Isn't it the case the videogame characters, be they male, female, or lizards, have a much stronger association with violence? Do you think that this is more so or less so for women? <br /><br />By the way, you left out one of my favorite female videogame characters - Joanna Dark of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_Dark" rel="nofollow">Perfect Dark.</a> I played it a ton on the N64. Shooting, stealth, problem solving.DoctorJaynoreply@blogger.com