In Conclusion

       I can't believe my blog is finally coming to a close. I tackled several video game companies and just thought I would go over a few main themes. While traditionally video games have not had good female representation, this has changed in the last decade. Some companies have done better jobs than others with evolving with the times. The worst offender in my opinion is "NetherRealm" studios which has horribly sexist characters with over the top revealing clothes for their female characters. But, not all companies are like that. Many companies like "Level-5" have well designed characters of both genders. Companies like "Nintendo" have some sexist games, and some that are not sexist at all. In the future I hope that video games will continue to evolve and that we will eventually be in a place where there is no sexism with games or the community. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blog posts!

Level-5

       Level-5 studio is one of my favorite companies. I think "Yo-Kai Watch" is such a fun game, it really takes me back my childhood. The third game, not yet released in America, has the player switching between two protagonists, one female and one male. I thought this was a really cool idea, especially since one character is in America and one is in Japan. It allowed the player to get a really unique experience.

       I haven't played any of the "Dragon Quest" games so I do not have much to say about that series, but I have played some of the "Ni No Kuni" and "Professor Layton" games. These games are all amazing! "Ni No Kuni" is very tragic and also very beautiful. The game is so much fun and one of the best experiences I have ever played. Similarly, "Professor Layton" is visually stunning. I've never had or heard a complaint about these games from people of either gender. These games are for a younger audience, so they are not sexualized like other games. In conclusion these games are refreshing and enjoyable for people of all ages. 

Ubisoft

      Wow! I was so surprised when I started this post to see how many games are actually made by "Ubisoft." Best known for the "Assassin's Creed" and "Rabbids" franchise this company is also responsible for "South Park: The Fractured But Whole," "Far Cry,""Rayman Legends,"as well as other smaller titles. They also have made many video game adaptations of board games such as "Monopoly."
      "Assassin's Creed" mostly takes place in the past, so it is a little hard to judge based off of characters. From what I have played of the games, the earlier games are filled with well thought out characters who are very interesting. I don't really have much I can say about the game, besides the fact that they are fun and present interesting characters. I have heard that this goes downhill in some of the newer games though.
       The "Rabbids" series is another game that is fairly gender neutral, and in my opinion a fun franchise. I recently picked up a copy of "Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battle," and the game is so much better than I could have expected. The games are well thought out and enjoyable. They are very silly, but I have always enjoyed playing them.
       The "South Park" games are of course sexist and offensive. I do not think this reflects on "Ubisoft" though. Since it is a video game adaptation of a tv show, a lot of the inappropriate comments and actions come from the source material. The game itself is fun, but relies heavily on shock value. Overall, Ubisoft does a pretty good job with their female characters. Their games are fun to play, and while they're not all my cup of tea I think that they are fun games.

Activision-Blizzard

      I'll be honest I am not a fan of Blizzard. Everyone I know loves the game "World of Warcraft" and I just can't get into it. I also don't really like "Call of Duty" so I'll admit that I wasn't looking forward to this post. Acitivision-Blizzard is overall a solid company that has big names including "Skylanders," "Destiny," and "Overwatch." They also makes phone games such as "Candy Crush" that I will not talk about in this review, since they are not as interesting.
       While none of these games are really for me, I know that they are popular for a reason. The gameplay is solid for all of them. For the most part all of these characters have well designed armors and solid gameplay, I have one major complaint about the female characters. They almost all have the same base design. It is a little annoying when all the girls look really similar, but the males have unique designs. That being said, overall this is not that bad.  Overall, while not for me the Activision-Blizzard games are all solid.

Insomniac Games

        I'll admit that I'm VERY biased on this one. I am so excited for the new "Spider-Man" game that "Insomniac Games" is already high on my list. Not to mention "Ratchet and Clank" is one of my favorite franchises of all time. So needless to say, I tend to enjoy the game play and story of "Insomniac Games." 

        The other big title from this company is "Spyro," which is one of the best trilogies of all time. I have so many memories of playing all their games. Best of all every title I have played from this company have always treated their female characters with respect. The girls never feel like sex objects and overall the dialogue quality is consistent with each character.

       Another title from the company that I would like to talk about is "Song of the Deep." This game is seriously beautiful and features a girl trying to save her father. The story is so pure and the game is so much fun. Overall, I think "Insomniac Games" does a great job of representing characters of both genders and producing fun games for people of every gender.

Capcom

      This week I want to talk about "Capcom." This company is best known for the "Street Fighter" franchise, which are a series of fighting games. I will confess that I'm honestly not a big fan of "Street Fighter." While I usually love fighting games, this one just isn't my favorite. Its nothing against the mechanics or story, it just doesn't stand out to me.

      Other games by "Capcom" include "Devil May Cry," "Mega Man," and "Resident Evil." I ADORE "DEVIL MAY CRY." The game play is really fun and I really like the story. Plus Dante, is a super funny character that keeps the story interesting. I also really like "Mega Man" and "Resident Evil." These are both solid series that are fun to play.

    "Capcom" also makes "Monster Hunter." I will leave this game off of the rest of my summary,but I do want to write a bit about this game. This is one of the few franchises that I actively hate. I have so many friends who love these games, but I just can't get into it. 

      Overall, "Capcom" does a pretty good job with female characters. "Devil May Cry" tends to have overly sexual characters, but since this goes for all of their characters I have no real complaints about it. "Mega Man" is a fun game that has well written characters all around. And "Resident Evil" is the same way. 

      "Capcom" wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't more "Street Fighter." While not all of the characters are bad Cammy and R. Mika are both overly sexual for the sake of being overly sexual. This is a common problem in many fighting games. While these two are not the worst examples, I think they bring down the quality of the game. In general though "Capcom" is pretty good with their female characters and do make fun and enjoyable games.

The Sad Truth

                This week I wanted to talk about something different. Usually, I’d review a specific game company and how they portray their characters. But I want to talk about the industry today and how horribly toxic it can be. Yes, I know that not all men are awful. That not all companies are horrible. That this isn’t always the norm. But the toxicity needs to be addressed.

                I’ve always loved video games and tabletop games. I prefer video games, so that’s what I decided to focus on for this blog, but I want to talk about both for a minute. I have experienced “you can’t play that game, you’re a girl” type comments since kindergarten. I have dealt with store owners assuming that I have no idea what I’m talking about.

                But recently it feels like this type of behavior has increased. My favorite game store’s owner made sexual comments to me a few weeks ago. Guys at my local club suddenly seem to think I’m not a person, merely the “girlfriend” of a gamer. And it sucks. It starts to feel like I can’t be a gamer. I get tired of fighting. Of having to prove that I actually do play the games.

                My point is that it’s a hard industry and a hard thing for people to get into. I think it is horrible that people want to be cruel to people trying to get into these things simply to make themselves feel better. I don’t understand why the industry is remaining as toxic as it is now.

                I honestly feel burnt out. I’m tired of having to defend myself. Of being treated like I don’t know what I’m talking about. It seems like I can’t even like anything without being told I’m wrong or can’t because I’m a girl. While I suspect this type of behavior from the 60+ crowd, I am getting it from every age group. The industry is going to suffer as long as this happens, and I don’t know how to fix it.

Telltale Games

      "Telltale Games" is a video game company that makes story based games. They take an intellectual property that already exists and turn it into a game. Some of their best known games are based off of things like "Batman," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "The Walking Dead."

       This company is a little harder to categorize since it does adaptations. That being said these games are amazing. The general concept is that every decision you make shapes the outcome of the game. This becomes very interesting when you have the chance to play characters the way the are written in their original properties or have them create a path they normally would never take.

       Overall, this is a company that makes enjoyable games regardless of gender. The properties they generally decide to cover feature strong female leads, and have personalities fitting their characters. While there is some sexual content, especially in games like "Wolf Among Us," it never comes off as sexist to me. I think what is important with this company is that the characters stay true to who they are. They don't seem to try to make female characters different than how they are portrayed in other properties. The game play style for this company is unique, and while not everyone likes it, I think they are one of the best video game companies currently.
      Here is the location of the company:

Nintendo

Hello everyone! I’m back and ready to tackle the video game giant that is “Nintendo.” First, I want to say that I LOVE “Nintendo.” It has been a personal favorite of mine since I started playing video games. And I am happy to say for the most part their modern games do an amazing job with female characters, with a few exceptions. For this post I am only going to focus on games that are owned by “Nintendo.” This includes games like “Pokemon” which “Nintendo” owns part of.           
            The “Mario” games are the best known “Nintendo” games. They are generally a lot of fun and have featured several female characters over the years such as Pauline, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, and Toadette. These characters are generally in the spin-off games such as “Mario Party” and the various sports games. None of them are dressed particularly badly except for Pauline. So overall, these characters have good representation. Sure, Peach is always saved, but at least these characters are good in the spin-offs.

 My one complaint about this franchise is “Super Princess Peach.” This game attempted to make Peach the hero for once but suffered obnoxious flaw: Peach’s powers were emotions. That’s right, the player picked what emotion she had to unlock powers. It is honestly offensive that those are the powers they decided to give her.

I don’t want to spend too much time talking about “Metroid” because I talked about it in my first post. But I will say, that Samus is an amazing protagonist. She is strong and a lot of fun to play as. The concept of not showing her gender until the end of the game, was great. But it does lose points since you could unlock a bikini outfit for her.
   Another classic “Nintendo” game with a female character is “The Legend of Zelda.” In the series Link’s general goal is to save Princess Zelda and Hyrule. Nothing about Zelda really stands out in the original games until they introduced Sheik. Sheik is a mysterious warrior who is actually Princess Zelda in disguise. This secret identity adds both personality and makes her a pretty awesome character. Add strong female characters like Impa and this game ends up being great game.

  Not all the games by “Nintendo” are redeemable when it comes to female characters. The “Xenoblade Chronicles” specifically “Xenoblade Chronicles 2” is awful! This game was what inspired me to make this blog. The gameplay of the second game is amazing. The animation is styling, and this game should be great. But the female designs are so awful. They go beyond normal over sexualization. Most of the female characters are large breasted in skimpy outfits. It makes the girls of “Mortal Kombat” look like nuns. When this game first came out I couldn’t decide whether to get it, because the thought of supporting the misogynistic view on characters made me feel sick. But the gameplay did win me over eventually.  It is shocking to see something so awful when compared to the rest of the “Nintendo” line up.

The “Fire Emblem” franchise also struggles with their female character design. These games are seriously fun to play, but many of the female characters are in skimpy outfits for no good reason. The two “Fire Emblem: Fates” games are the worst about it. For some reason they think that girls do not need any armor like the guys do. The series has some strong and amazing characters of both genders. In many of the modern games the character gets to pick their gender, and the character has the same story either way. The only difference is what the support conversations look like. Overall, the well written characters and solid game play make it one of “Nintendo’s” best franchises, and worth playing.

On the flip side I want to talk about “Kirby” and “Animal Crossing.” These games are great! I have so many fond memories of playing them both as a child and an adult. There is nothing in them that has ever made me feel uncomfortable about being a girl playing games. I honestly don’t know anyone who has played either of these games and not fallen in love with them.             

“Pokemon,” which is by far my favorite franchise ever, also does a great job with its female characters. Starting with “Pokemon Crystal” every game has had the option to be a girl or a boy. Except for minor dialogue differences this has no impact in the games, which is refreshing. Even with the changed dialogue, there is no impact on the story based on gender.

Overall, “Nintendo” does an amazing job with their characters! While there are some games that don’t do great when it comes to the outfits that their females wear, the characters tend to be well written. The company does such a good job of making games that cater to everyone. Even if they aren’t always perfect, they are probably the best when it comes to female characters. "Nintendo" games are a lot of fun to play as person regardless of gender.

               

NetherRealm Studios

I want to take some time to talk about what I consider to be the most sexist game company: “NetherRealm Studios.” This game company is best known for the series “Mortal Kombat” which I touched on in my last post. The problem is not that the studio used to have poorly designed characters, the problem is that they still have poorly designed characters.

Their games such as “Mortal Kombat” and “Injustice” are actually a lot of fun to play.  I personally really love fighting games, and the studio’s decision to be over the top gory in all of their games sets them apart from other fighting games. The gameplay tends to be quick, and the stories themselves are really fun. Each game I have played by them has offered something new from the last one to keep the games from just being repeats of each other.

But then you have the design of the characters. Every female I have seen has had a tiny waist and giant breasts. In many of the games there is even an animation to make the girls’ breasts jiggle when they move. Do people really need that in their game? On top of that, they always seem to be wearing next to nothing. Their design is straight up offensive.

For the most part, the female characters do have well thought out personalities though. Characters like “Sonya Blade” in the “Mortal Kombat” are tough individuals who really kick butt in their stories. The female characters are always shown to be able to hold their own against the rest of the characters. So it is very frustrating that characters who have a lot of potential look so horrible.

Overall, this company does a bad job of representing females. As a girl, I hate spending money on a game that feels of misogynistic, but the solid gameplay always wins me over. It feels like they care more about appealing towards the male audience than making a game that everyone can enjoy. I think if they worked on the physical design on their characters it would be a lot better. Luckily, this is one of the worst examples in the industry. Next week I will talk about a company that does a much better job with their characters. 

Evolution of Female Characters

Hello! The first thing that I want to talk about is how females have evolved in video games. I think it is important to acknowledge how much progress has been made in this front. As the industry itself has evolved so has the quality of characters.

The first arcade game was created in 1971 and it was called "Galaxy Game." In the following years games like "Pong," "Gun Fight," "Space Invaders" and "Pac-Man" were created. None of these games featured fleshed out characters. It was not until 1981 when arcade games started to feature actual heroes. The game centered around "Donkey Kong" kidnapping Pauline and Mario having to save her. There's not really much to say about Pauline as a character. She was a damsel in distress whose only contribution was to give Mario a reason to take on "Donkey Kong." 

The year after "Ms. Pac-Man" was released in North America. This game was an updated "Pac-Man" that featured "Ms. Pac-Man" who was "Pac-Man" with lipstick and a bow. This was a great start for the industry.

In 1986 "Metroid" was released. This game featured a fully armored character named Samus. It is not until the end of the game that Samus takes her mask off. It is revealed to the player that they have been playing as a girl the whole time. While this could have done to prove that the gender of the character does not matter, that fact is undercut by the fact that if you beat the game in a certain amount of time you unlock a bikini costume for Samus.

The next major game worth noting is the original "Mortal Kombat" in 1991. Another arcade game, this franchise is best known for the over the top level of violence. The playable female character Sonya Blade was scantily clad in tight clothes. This is a trend that has continued all the way into the modern "Mortal Kombat" games.

In 1996 Sega Saturn released a video game with a female lead. "Tomb Raider," featured a strong female lead, and while still having a lot of fan service, managed to be empowering. This change was exciting, because it showed that a game could be successful with a female as the main character. Now, it is not uncommon for a game to have a girl be the main character or at least in the main party of a game. While many female characters fit into the "damsel" stereotype, or are the "healers," overall there has been an increase in the number of female characters and the number of fighting female characters. Of course the costumes and personalities of these characters range from well-done to offensive.

There are some games that allow the main character to pick their gender. One of the best known ones is "Pokemon." In the 1999 (in North America) game "Pokemon Red" and "Pokemon Blue," the player was forced to play as a boy. It wasn't until "Pokemon Crystal" which came out in 2001 (in North America) that players had the option to play as a girl. Now the "Pokemon" franchise and many other roleplaying games give the option for a player to play as either gender. Some of these games have slightly different dialogue for characters of a different genders while others do not. Overall, these games tend to play the same regardless of gender.

Her is a link to an article about the general history of arcade games if you would like to read more: https://www.wired.com/2014/05/arcade-history/

Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Hallee Haar and I have been a Gamer all of my life. Some of my first memories are playing video games.  My favorite past time to this day is sitting down and playing video games. With this blog I hope to shed some light onto what it is like playing video games as a girl. Specifically, things game companies do both good and bad when it comes to their female characters. I will focus on the design of the female characters, and the overall feel to games. Each week I will focus on a different company, going over specific games that they have created. I will also touch upon the gaming community itself.

I am the right person to write this blog, because I have been a gamer my whole life. I played Pokemon before it was an option to play as a girl. I have played video games on every Nintendo and PlayStation console. I think through my years of experience I will be able to accurately portray the good, bad, and ugly of gaming as a girl. 

I hope that my readers will get a taste for what the industry looks like to a girl. I want people to understand how great some companies do portraying female characters, and how awful others do. I also want my readers to learn why these problems are important and how much (most) game companies have approved in the last twenty years. I can't wait to dive right into it next week!