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The Changing Role of Female Characters in Video Games

January 12, 2010 in Blog comments 10

GameZone's Dan Liebman discusses the changing role of women in video games and how they have progressed from being a damsel in distress to strong heroines.

It may seem like a silly thing to consider, yet the portrayal of women in video games has changed significantly since their introduction. You needn’t be a grizzled ancient or sociological bigwig to appreciate the differences. In the earlier days, arcade button-mashers relied on simple stories to drive the action, typically pandering to a young male demographic. The imperative of Double Dragon centered on the heroic duo rescuing a damsel in distress. Mario was compelled to rescue Princess Peach, Link risked life and limb for Princess Zelda, and even the Ninja Turtles had their April O’Neal to liberate. Saving the world would sure look nice on a resume, yet the panicked cry of a girl in peril always provokes an animal response.
Caspel via gamezone.com »
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  • 0
    Daweii Jan 12, 10
    Personally I haven't seen much change as while yeah they are now used as leading characters, they are still explicitly used for sex appeal and nothing more. Very few female leads actually have convicing back stories or any reason to be there other than a pair of tits.
  • 2
    chautemoc Jan 12, 10
    Bayonetta should've been mentioned.
  • 3
    dwg14390 Jan 12, 10
    I'm so glad that Samus Aran is a respectable protagonist and is in one of the most popular video games by Nintendo, she wasn't thrown in their just for tit's and you don't mess with her

    Wait...the new metroid is being made by Team Ninja?

    ...never mind then.
    • 1
      Zerpent Jan 12, 10
      NOW WE CAN MAKE HER BOOBS BOUNCE! WEE!
  • 0
    Zerpent Jan 12, 10
    Well, like Daweii said, female characters are still pretty much all about sex appeal. Which is kind of sad, but since a large portion of gamers seem to be male I can kind of see why many game developers have male leads, which the player can relate to, and sexy females at the side. But there are plenty of female gamers these days, so they should probably rethink their ways a bit.
  • 1
    athmaus Jan 12, 10
    I like the angle that was taken in this article, it was very interseting and I do agree
  • 2
    DragoniteBallZ Jan 12, 10
    They haven't made a game called the sandwich-maker yet.
    • 0
      Big A2 Jan 13, 10
      Burger Time comes pretty close though.
    • 0
      Caspel Jan 13, 10
      what about Diner Dash? that has to count
  • 0
    Play ISDF Jan 13, 10
    It's to be expected isn't it? As gaming gets seen as less of a medium directed towards guys and more as a medium directed towards all people, it's to be expected that female leads become more apparent. A lot of the best games I've played have had female leads. These days it's just not a big deal if your playing as a girl and not a guy. And that, is a very good thing.

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