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Monday, 6 July 2009 06:31 pm
Video Game Heroines
I don’t know how many of my readers will take interest in this, but I felt like making a top 10. It’s not based on a survey and certainly not pretending to be objective; it’s me expressing personal preferences. If you want credentials, I can name more than 100 video games I’ve played over the years, counting computer games but not the ones that come with the computers or can be found free online.
As even non-gamers may have guessed, the video game industry has always been dominated by men. It comes as no surprise that most characters are male, and the females tend to be overly feminine (like Princess Peach Toadstool) and/or prone to fanservice (like Lara Croft). Fortunately, the ratio of female players to male players has risen considerably, and this may have something to do – whether as cause, effect, or both – with the presence of some heroines I can truly respect.
For my 10 favorites, I had a few criteria. First, they have to be controllable, so Midna from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is disqualified. Second, they have to be unique and not a member of a class of clones, so the assassins from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction are out of the running (if their kinky attire wasn’t enough). Third, they cannot be personally customizable, so forget anything like The Sims. I had briefly planned to add that they have to have premiered in a video game, but my list of possibilities was short enough already; besides, I’d hate to leave out two of my highest.
You’ll find a few arguably sexy women on the list. Believe me, that factor does not increase my rating. Anything that hints at sexism is a liability in my book.
( No Samus Aran here )
I don’t think I’ll go into honorable mentions, but if you’d like to mention some of your own favorites in comments, go right ahead.
As even non-gamers may have guessed, the video game industry has always been dominated by men. It comes as no surprise that most characters are male, and the females tend to be overly feminine (like Princess Peach Toadstool) and/or prone to fanservice (like Lara Croft). Fortunately, the ratio of female players to male players has risen considerably, and this may have something to do – whether as cause, effect, or both – with the presence of some heroines I can truly respect.
For my 10 favorites, I had a few criteria. First, they have to be controllable, so Midna from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is disqualified. Second, they have to be unique and not a member of a class of clones, so the assassins from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction are out of the running (if their kinky attire wasn’t enough). Third, they cannot be personally customizable, so forget anything like The Sims. I had briefly planned to add that they have to have premiered in a video game, but my list of possibilities was short enough already; besides, I’d hate to leave out two of my highest.
You’ll find a few arguably sexy women on the list. Believe me, that factor does not increase my rating. Anything that hints at sexism is a liability in my book.
( No Samus Aran here )
I don’t think I’ll go into honorable mentions, but if you’d like to mention some of your own favorites in comments, go right ahead.