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The Truth About Hot Heroines (From a Girl Gamer)

The Truth About Hot Heroines (From a Girl Gamer)

Video game protagonists are as varied as the stories they reside in. Some are human, some animal, others alien or ghostly, and still others are even inanimate objects (Here’s looking at you I Am Bread ). Most simple is the mere human. Human protagonists are the most common because players can empathize with them. Not only that, but to a degree that can put themselves in the main character’s shoes easier. Have you ever tried putting on a pair of Turian shoes? It’s a nasty business for humans… In any case, what I’m stalling to lead up to is this, many video game protagonists are male. That’s not to say that there aren’t any games that feature a female main character. That would be an incorrect, and frankly silly, statement to make.

This is especially proven by the fact that a great many new games have been announced that feature, you guessed it, women. Bayonetta 3 is in the works, as well as a new Tomb Raider game. The case to be made here is that more and more video games are coming out that feature female leads. When a revelation such as this is made, many people start to flail fingers around looking for someone to blame. Some people like to assume that more female protagonists means developers are catering to women.

This isn’t entirely wrong, I mean, Tomb Raider was very clearly made to empower women. The new series took a very weak and naive Lara Croft and showed that even she could become a bada$$. But what about Bayonetta ? I think most of us can agree that the game’s design and marketing strategies are geared more towards men than women. There was even a Playboy photo shoot done to market Bayonetta .

But what is wrong with either of these examples? So Tomb Raider wants to inspire women, and Bayonetta wants to turn on men. Lara Croft definitely still turns on men, and Bayonetta could still be seen as an empowering figure for women. All of these female protagonists in video games still serve their various purposes. Plus there’s no doubt that plenty of women are probably still attracted Bayonetta . I know I love the games for that swanky walk she’s got going on. And Lara Croft probably inspires a lot of men too, like if she can overcome her fears, then they can do.

The Truth About Hot Heroines (From a Girl Gamer)

Why does the gender of a video game character have to start an argument amongst gamers? It’s one of those cases that really makes me think that we have run out of things to complain about. If there’s nothing major to be upset about in our lives, then we find things to be upset about. What’s wrong with just enjoying video games as they come? Ignore what the main character has between their legs and just judge the game on whether or not its good. Some would say that the Bayonetta games are awful, others might say the same about the new Tomb Raider games. Others laud both of them as fantastic games in their own genres.

While there may be a lot more games coming out with women as the star of the show, we don’t need to make that into something it’s not. Don’t start pointing fingers at feminists or blaming the handful of girl gamers you know. Just enjoy the game. At the worst we all get a nice booty and boobs to watch while we play, and I’ve frankly never understood why anyone would complain about that. Female protagonist equals beautiful backside that we love to watch walk away from us. Where’s the negative here?

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