Topic: Extra Credits Megathread [True Female Characters]
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
You know what, I would totally be willing to play either a game that explores motherhood (ie, protecting your children across a warzone, Team Ico style), or a game that explores societal roles.
Great episode, AAA games industry don't let me down!
IP: Logged |
posted
Call of Duty: Maternal Assist. You thought taking your kids to school was a chore? Try taking them to school -- IN NAZI OCCUPIED GERMANY. Battle traffic AND tanks to make sure they arrive on time AND in one piece. Use both a traditional arsenal of weapons and the mom-centric weapons: including ironing boards, gardening implements, and the boomerang high-heeled shoe.
Posts: 1204 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
You're being a little silly, did you watch the video?
quote:Originally posted by Aros: Call of Duty: Maternal Assist. You thought taking your kids to school was a chore? Try taking them to school -- IN NAZI OCCUPIED GERMANY. Battle traffic AND tanks to make sure they arrive on time AND in one piece. Use both a traditional arsenal of weapons and the mom-centric weapons: including ironing boards, gardening implements, and the boomerang high-heeled shoe.
quote:Originally posted by Aros: Call of Duty: Maternal Assist. You thought taking your kids to school was a chore? Try taking them to school -- IN NAZI OCCUPIED GERMANY. Battle traffic AND tanks to make sure they arrive on time AND in one piece. Use both a traditional arsenal of weapons and the mom-centric weapons: including ironing boards, gardening implements, and the boomerang high-heeled shoe.
Don't forget the 360 degree "trouble radar" that players can unlock by getting the "Eyes in the Back of Her Head" acheivement on the first level.
Posts: 1087 | Registered: Jul 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Someone suggested having her need to get across the street with fast moving cars, and call it "Pregger."
quote:In all seriousness I would like to see games that take a stab at this issue.
You're not worried that recent contractions in the market would reduce the viability of such a game?
I'd link to the study that discusses these contractions, but I don't have time to find it right now. If you google for it, be sure to see Section 3.
Posts: 1087 | Registered: Jul 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm sorry--I was just punning ("see section" as "c-section"). I'm not aware of any actual article.
Posts: 1087 | Registered: Jul 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh. I actually caught the part about the contractions but assumed it was unintentional (or thrown in because it happened to work).
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm amused that the first guess as to how to "feminize" a game is to make the main character have kids to protect. What, do men not have kids to protect?
Is this really exploring gender roles or just reinforcing them? Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: I'm amused that the first guess as to how to "feminize" a game is to make the main character have kids to protect. What, do men not have kids to protect?
Is this really exploring gender roles or just reinforcing them?
Because its motherhood and is thus genetic, watch the video it discusses this in two parts; the genetic reasons of what makes a female character and the societal reasons of what distinguishes a female character from a male one.
quote: Ico sucks. Just saying.
While I have yet to play it yet if Yahtzee likes it, it can't be bad.
IP: Logged |
posted
I do think the talk focused a little too quickly on motherhood. I don't think it was WRONG per se. There are some differences between motherhood and fatherhood (which we HAVE seen a serious attempt at, in Heavy Rain). But the way they zeroed in on it first, talked about it for almost half the episode, and ignored the parallels with fatherhood showed a bit of bias.
This is not about video games, but I think it's an interesting effort by a male person in a male dominated field to think about why there aren't as many females in his field and what the differences between male and female rationalists might be. I think it's relevant. (Also curious what any women here think of the ideas - is he actually on the right track at all? Does he come across as insulting?)
I consider Portal to essentially be a feminist deconstruction of the First Person Shooter. I don't think it was intended to be (Valve didn't sit around saying "hey, you know what would be great? A feminist deconstruction of first person shooters!) But I DO think it they intentionally said "what are all the ways we can turn FPSs on their head?" And since FPS games are the most masculine-centered ones out there, the end result of flipping it on its head is a more female-oriented game. And it's regarded as one of the best games ever.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think there were two good articles that discussed the idea. One of them is here. I think it gets the sentry-guns wrong - it assumes they are male, boyish voices when I considered them female - but otherwise I think the points make sense. (I could repeat them here but it's probably worth just reading the article).
The lead designer of the game was a woman. I don't think she was thinking at all about the points from the article. But I do think her perspective as a woman was one of the things that produced a game that could be analyzed from a feminist perspective, regardless of original intent.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just saw the video. Not convinced the first thing could make a good game. You need to solve what you precisely doing the game evaluate it to be a good. Also, a lot of games with the best stories (Silent Hill, Ico, NWN2, KOTOR, Planescape Torment, RDR), are actually lower tier just as games. Especially the ones that arent action titles or RPGs.
The second part started to sound dumb until he starts to qualify it. Then I was cool with it. Yeah, the characters have to be complicated. I agree.
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote:I always heard GladOS as a female voice and the sentry guns as male voices.
I could see it either way, but the gender of the sentry guns is not a point I'd hang a feminist argument upon, one way or the other.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Oh. I actually caught the part about the contractions but assumed it was unintentional (or thrown in because it happened to work).
Yeah, the contractions bit was intentional. That is seemed unintentional means that I probably need to work on my delivery.
Posts: 1087 | Registered: Jul 1999
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
