Women in Games

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Women in Video Games is a polarizing topic. Often discussions about it end in claims of misogyny or being a femnazi. All to often, when trying to discuss this topic, it devolves into a shit flinging contest. I think that this is quite a shame, because it deserves better.

Women in Videogames is an interesting topic for many reasons. And while I personally am more a fan of talking about general character building in games, without putting the gender into the equation, today I will, as in the past with these Women in Games post, focus solely on the female side of things.

My main problem with this debate is that all the big players participating, like them or not, are looking at it from a negative angle. I will try to explain this via the example of Rosalina from the Super Mario Galaxy series. Also I'll try to take you to my viewpoint of things, so that you hopefully understand why I don't have a problem with such characters.

Lastly, before we start, let me say that I don't have a problem with sexy characters. I don't think everything is sexiest, everything is racist and everything is misogynistic. I try to look at this Topic from a positive angle, and I hope that you do the same.

The Core Problem:

I think the core problem with the criticism about oversexualization in Video Games stems from this, honestly quite childish, thought that games have to grow up. Well Games have already grown up. Never has the gaming landscape been more diverse. You have a wide arrange of games and genres to choose from. And that is where the problem comes from. The criticism is often generalized between all of these genres, but you can't hold a game like Street Fighter to the same standards than a game like Uncharted. One game strives for realism, while the other clearly doesn't. When taking a look at sexualization in games you have to consider the theme of the game. The way it's portrayed. They frame it's put in. That is something often overlooked, when discussing this topic. So let me explain this with two examples.

At first let's examine the realistic came.

For that we'll take a look at Uncharteds Elena Fisher.

Source:Uncharted 4

Does this look oversexualized to you? Of course not. Just like Nathan isn't.

Source: Uncharted 4

Of course both are beautiful people, but this is a broader phenomena. People like beautiful people as their protagonists. Also you have to realize that Nathan and Elena aren't Avatars for your player. They are their own characters and not a proxy for you to insert yourself into the gameworld.

Games that are build on that idea most of the time offer a character builder, so that you can create your dream hero. No matter how he looks.

I think the simple truth behind beautiful heroes and heroines in any kind of fictional work is that we lust like to see beautiful people. Even if we don't live up to those standards ourselves. In the end they are just fictional characters. Every feature on their bodies has been handcrafted, so it shouldn't devalue how you feel about yourself.

The next argument is that people like Lara Croft or Nathan Drake don't have ordinary bodies. Of course they don't have the body of an ordinary person. Because they aren't ordinary persons. Especially these two spend their lives exploring old ruins, fighting and climbing crumbling stone structures. That's not easy to do, when you are obese. Their lifestyle simply doesn't allow them to be fat.

Never forget that games like Uncharted strive for realism. In games like Overwatch it doesn't matter when a character like Roadhog runs and jumps around effortlessly, but in games like Uncharted it would just seem unbelievable. It would destroy the immersion.

Games not only differ in their genre, but also in the way they try to suck you in.

So in games like Uncharted it absolutely makes sense to have a group of fit and capable people as your protagonists. Anything else would be stupid.

Then what about games like Street Fighter. Because this is clearly sexualized.

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Yes it is, just like this.

Source: Street Fighter 5

You see Street Fighter is a series that doesn't strife for realism. And that is an important factor to consider, when talking about it's sexualization. This games put everything over the top, so of course their characters, male just as female, are over the top as well. It simply fits the mood the game creates.

So is this hurtful? I would say no. First of it's just a videogame and second it's not even a realistic video game. Street Fighter is too far detached from a realistic world.

But, and that is important, everything in this game fits together. Men and Women are pretty sexualized. They don't clash against eachother. And that is why I don't have a problem with Street Fighters characters. Everything in this game is unrealistic. The look and personality of the characters, the physics, etc. The sexuality is woven directly into the core of the game itself, it's theme and frame.

So is the sexualization of women hurtful? Generally no. With characters like Bayonetta, where it is a cornerstone of their personality, I don't see any problem. I also don't have a problem with characters like R. Mika, where the whole game is build as an over the top experience.

And lastly I don't see Characters like Lara Croft and Elena Fisher as sexualized. Yes they are fit and beautiful women, but given their circumstances it makes sense.

That doesn't mean that there aren't hurtful sexualiziations in video game, but they are very few. It's not running rampant, as some people may want you to believe.

So when taking a look at a female character never forget the framing of their game, and never forget that women can have flaws too.

No for the second part of this post, let us take a look at a character from a Nintendo game. And let us take a look at her from a positive and a negative angle.

Princess Rosalina:

Princess Rosalina was introduced to us in 2007 when Super Mario Galaxy released. In that game she took the role of a guide. At least sort of. She watched over the hub world and opened up net areas, when Mario had collected enough power stars. She instantly became a favorite among fans and, while to a lesser extend than Peach, also attracted some criticism. She was just another damsel in distress Princess that needed Mario to save her and her space ship.

Without him she would never get back the Power Stars, which power the Comet Observatory. Of course there is more to it, but for now let us take a look at her from two different angles.

What I want to do now is take a look at different aspects of Rosalina character. Once with a negative mindset and once more with a positive one. So let's start:

Rosalinas Past:

Source: Super Mario Galaxy

Rosalinas backstory is one of the best pieces of Story telling in any Mario game. And I include the RPGs in that statement. It's told over the course of the adventure by Rosalina himself. She reads the Story to her Luma children. All is presented in the style of a childrens book and, to be honest, quite charming.

The Story is that one day a young girl met a lost star child inside a chrashed space ship. The child was looking for his mother, who traveled the stars on a comet. At first the young girl waited with the Luma, but after several years she decided that if the comet wouldn't come, then they had to look for it. Together they fixed the space ship and started their search.

After a while the two of them encountered a comet made of ice and starbits. Lumas mother was nowhere to be found, but the two decided to use this comet as their means of travel from now on.

One night the young girl dreamed of her own mother, and when she awoke her face was wet with tears.

The two searched for a long time, but they couldn't find the Lumas mother. The Star child cried bitter tears, but the little girl said: I'll take care of you. With that a warm spark lit up in the Girls heart.

More time passed and the Girl and the Luma build a house on the comet. It was an awfully big house for only two inhabitants.

Then one day the comet encountered a small planet. And from this planet a Luma emerged. The two Luma started dancing and calling the little Girl Mama. The scene was quite funny to watch and so the Girl started to laugh loudly. At that exact moment many more Luma came forth from the small planet and started dancing around the girl.

After visiting over a hundred comets the girl one day thought to herself if her own planet was still as blue as she remembered. She looked into her fathers telescope and after some searching she found a small blue dot. As she zoomed in, she started to remember things.

She remembered rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she followed her father up the hill to look at the stars...

She remembered how she and her brother would sled down that hill...

She remembered having picnics with her mother on that hill on bright and windy days... And...

The young girl begins to cry, because she feels incredibly homesick. She wants to go home and see her mother, but she knows that she is not there. She isn't out there in the stars either. It's because the girls mother was, from the very beginning, sleeping under the tree on the hill.

More time passed but the sadness of the girl wouldn't go away. That is when the Luma, the first one she met and took in as her child, came to her and said: I will transform into a soaring comet, that can carry you all on this journey.

The Girl watched in amazement as exactly that happened. All of the other Lumas gathered around her and told the Girl that this was their destiny. They would grow up and become Stars, Comets or Planets.

And with that the Girls tears dried up and upon the newly born comet they set out to journey to the girls home planet.

And so the new family of the young Girl continued to grow. She would care for the Star children and once they were ready to leave she would send them out with a smile. And with that the young girl became a Mother of her own.

''But once very hundred years'', she thought to herself, ''I'd like to return home and take a nap in my favorite sleeping nook.''

As you can see Rosalinas Backstory is a deeply emotional tale of a girl coming to terms with the death of her mother and finding a new lease on life. It is a beautiful story of new beginning. So now let us take a look at it.

• Starting with the negative side on things it is a classic tale of a women finding her reason to life in motherhood. It doesn't emancipate the young girl, but rather devalues her into the role a cosmic care taker. It implies that Rosalina isn't capable of dealing with the death of her mother and move on, but instead just becomes a mother of her own. She only finds her peace after accepting this fact. It is not even an active decision, but forced upon her when the Luma danced around Rosalina and called her mother. In the end this tale shows us one thing. You can travel around the galaxy on a comet. You can (probably) experience countless adventures. But you'll only become truly happy, when you become a mother.

• On the positive side of things Rosalinas Backstory is a tale of healing and acceptance. Yes she is a Mother, but she is the Mother of the Stars. It isn't so much a tale about motherhood, but about the strength that a family can provide. The Lumas and Rosalina form a strong bond. And while she clearly misses her old home, which is understandable and never devalued during the story, the company of her family, not her children but her family, is what gives her strength. To me this is a tale of a new start. A tale of letting the past go, without forgetting it.

Rosalinas Present:

Source: Super Mario Galaxy

In Super Mario Galaxy you meet Rosalina during a time of crisis. Bowser has stolen the Power Stars and the Comet Observatory has run out energy because of that. When Mario arrives she asks him to help her. Without the Power Stars they won't be able to travel through the Galaxy and that means Mario is unable to reach the Center of the Universe, where Bowser keeps Peach. Because of that the two form an alliance. Mario will venture out into the different Galaxies and take back the Power Stars and with their help Rosalina will be able to bring Mario to his beloved one. Now let us take a look at this from two angles.

• First of, if we want to look at Marios and Rosalinas relationship from a negative angle, then Rosalina is nothing more than a glorified Damsel in Distress. When you first meet her, the whole Comet Observatory has gone dark. Only through Marios action the light and hope returns. Through the whole adventure she only takes the role of a passive guide. We are told that she is this cosmic caretaker and mother of stars, but without Mario she wouldn't be able to protect her children. In the end Rosalina is nothing more than another damsel in distress without any independence.

• Now let us take a look at her with a positive mindset. On first glance it may seem as if Rosalina is nothing more than a Damsel in Distress, but then this could be applied to any character in any fictional work, who needed help ever. Yes it is true that Rosalina can't get the Power Stars without Marios help. But why is this bad? Mario has spend his life fighting against Bowser and his armies. He is the right man for the job. If you accept the help of someone more capable in a particular field, this doesn't make you weak. I think it makes Rosalina more relatable, that she isn't all powerful, despite being the Mother of the Stars. I wrote it many times before, when talking about Rosalina, but I really like the dynamic relationship between her and Mario. She can't get the Power Stars without him, and he can't travel the Universe without her. Both need eachother to achieve their goals. It doesn't make either of them weak, but instead shows that you'll always can count on your friends to cover your weaknesses. Only together Mario and Rosalina can save the Universe.

Rosalinas Future:

Source: Super Mario 3D World

Now we'll head into speculative territory. What does the future have in store for Rosalina? Well if you take a look at her appearance in Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros. I don't think she will go anywhere in the near future. It's clear that she has become an important part of the Mario Universe and is here to stay.

Maybe she'll even get her own game one day. From all Mario Side Characters I think she would be the one most suited for it.

Also I hope Nintendo keeps the same direction with her, than they did during Galaxy. Rosalina is one of the most fleshed out Nintendo Characters. She has clear strength and weaknesses and is a relatable character. Handled right she could be an inspiration for young girls, and a great character that even adult men enjoy playing as.

So in the end I think we should look at Rosalina from a positive angle. She is a great character and she deserves it.

This is a topic that always sparks some heated discussions. I would like to know your stance on all of this, and if we disagree, then please tell me your opinion. Hopefully it can lead to a good discussion. It's not often the case, but I remain optimistic.

And as always

thanks for reading