cinderwick

(Original article written in October 2001)

When I go out to do battle with the enemy, I strap on my nipple protectors, shimmy into my hot, pink g-string, sling my gun over my shoulder and I’m ready for anything. But wait…let’s not forget the matching stiletto heels! At least I’ll look sexy when I die, all sprawled out. Round one… I’m hit, moaning *ahhh*…my body ripples with the impact as my bouncy, abundant breasts heave forward bursting from my tight leather. I hear the cheers from my opponents as they scream “kill the whore!” The assault increases, more jolting, more orgasmic moaning. I collapse to my knees, well-rounded and naked buttocks gleaming in the lantern light as I fall forward… I lay battered…defeated…but yet – teasingly hot all sprawled out! The killers reap their praise, “you got the whore!”, “good job!” Round two…the whore changes her model to a nondescript male skin and the flaming taunts quickly die down. I am a woman gamer, a generic gamer, not an object to be taunted because of my skimpy outfit, but just a gamer—like everyone else.

It’s been over five years since I wrote that article about “Women in G-strings” and it was by far the most commented on, by women, men, gamers and non-gamers alike. I received hundreds of responses either bashing or applauding my opinion. I also received a lot of “why don’t you just make your own model if it bothers you so much?” advice. As a woman gamer I have always customized my model in one way or another but my point is—why should I have to?

Five years later, it is obvious that game developers still cater to men and have not faced the reality that women make up a large segment of gamers. I had high hopes that designers and/or gaming developers would see the need to include models that are of the non-humongous-breasted variety, but I see that variety is not what we got. It seems we have the same narrow-minded bimbo-themed models showing up in all genres of games, they cast spells, tantalize and whimper seductively.

My more recent foray into Dark Messiah started off great with the demo, showcasing cool effects, decent models and all the makings of an epic game, but then fell flat with the full release and the giggly, jealous bimbo sideline story. I ditched the game for that reason and for the obvious, it was buggy as hell. But the point is… they turned a potentially exceptional game into a mediocre sham by not offering ONE main female model, while the main male model interacts with fawning, stupid women, who want nothing more than to garner his attention. *tsk* Dark Messiah developers. Is this what female gamers want in a game? We already subject ourselves to the incessant flaming and harassment that goes on in game just because we are female, so why wear a model that looks something like a stripper or worse, play as a man with annoying bimbo sidekicks.

I’ve played a lot of games over the years and each time I participate in the forums, I ask about plans for female models, characters, etc. It is troubling to read (as in the case of Dark Messiah forums) that “historically speaking women were not warriors”, therefore there are no female warriors in the game. This is where I point out that ‘historically speaking’ mages did not kill with sticky magical fire grenades that bounce on the ground, explode and kill. My point got lost in the heated “historical fact” conundrum and I gave up. This issue of gender often gets lumped in with the political online debate that all ethnic groups should be represented or the game should be historically accurate, or worse be educational in terms of skill. I do not care whether a game accurately reflects history, but I do care that almost half of the gaming population have no choice but to play as stupidly dressed females or as men. Why not throw in some solid female peripheral characters or a main character that can be customized to be male or female? I understand that including both male and female main characters may not be so easy to do for single player games, since it involves changing dialogue, voices, interactions, and the physics of the game, but at least have some solid side characters.

There is hope as there are some developers that realize the potential in including decent female models and have adapted their games to include competent side characters. Half Life II did it right. In both HL I and II even though the main character is male, the females in the game are fighters, decently dressed and not stupidly orgasmic in sound. In other words, they are normal. I quite liked playing as Doctor Freeman because the gender-issue wasn’t an “issue” at all. For one, he doesn’t speak and the other characters treat him as somewhat gender neutral. His side-kick Alyx is the best damn looking female model I have ever seen—she’s tough, dressed normally AND smart. Even though she subtly flirts with Doctor Freeman from time to time, it is unobtrusive.

I don’t play online as much anymore as I’d rather spend the time on single player but I know that popular opinion on many forums is that women should stop whining and just play. I like to think I have a choice, but frankly when a new game comes out and its main character is male and the only other females in game are bimbos, then there is no choice. It is inherently impossible to enjoy such a game as a woman gamer.

Frankly I still believe that more women would take up gaming if their sexuality was not an issue during game play and modelers/developers responded with suitable model choices. My advice to any woman wanting to take up any game; wear a generic model/skin and/or purchase games that offer choices. Perhaps in our collective purchasing power, we can force developers to consider the other half of the spending gaming community.