0:00:28.857,0:00:31.048 At their annual BlizzCon event in 2014 0:00:31.108,0:00:32.770 the wildly successful game studio 0:00:32.770,0:00:34.323 Blizzard Entertainment showed off a new 0:00:34.338,0:00:36.347 game they had in the works called Overwatch. 0:00:36.495,0:00:38.245 And from that first reveal it was clear 0:00:38.245,0:00:39.510 the appeal of Overwatch 0:00:39.510,0:00:40.936 resided in its cast of characters: 0:00:40.936,0:00:43.564 a diverse assortment of heroes, each with 0:00:43.564,0:00:45.250 unique traits and abilities. 0:00:45.250,0:00:46.790 The roster revealed at BlizzCon included 0:00:46.790,0:00:47.417 men and women, 0:00:47.417,0:00:50.057 sentient robots, and super intelligent gorillas. 0:00:50.277,0:00:51.186 However, for all 0:00:51.186,0:00:52.781 apparent variety and diversity 0:00:52.781,0:00:54.552 in the heroes Blizzard showed off at 0:00:54.552,0:00:56.375 the game's debut, there wasn't much 0:00:56.375,0:00:58.239 diversity to be seen in the body types 0:00:58.239,0:01:00.323 represented by the female heroes. 0:01:00.323,0:01:01.629 The male characters introduced that day 0:01:01.699,0:01:03.679 included the towering knight Reinhardt, 0:01:03.679,0:01:05.399 the sturdy engineer Torbjorn, 0:01:05.419,0:01:07.299 the agile archer Hanzo, 0:01:07.299,0:01:09.314 and the hulking simian scientist, Winston, 0:01:09.454,0:01:10.544 among others. 0:01:10.544,0:01:12.396 The five female characters introduced 0:01:12.396,0:01:15.427 consisted of the slender adventurer, Tracer 0:01:15.517,0:01:17.170 the slender healer, Mercy 0:01:17.170,0:01:19.421 the slender support character, Symmetra 0:01:19.421,0:01:21.304 the slender sniper, Widowmaker 0:01:21.304,0:01:22.994 and the slender but well-armored 0:01:22.994,0:01:24.404 security chief, Pharah. 0:01:25.134,0:01:26.574 Overwatch was hardly alone in 0:01:26.574,0:01:27.820 having all of its female characters 0:01:27.820,0:01:29.351 share a similar physique. 0:01:29.351,0:01:30.869 In Ultra Street Fighter IV 0:01:30.869,0:01:33.199 characters such as Dhalsim, Hakan, E. Honda 0:01:33.199,0:01:34.318 Rufus, and Vega 0:01:34.318,0:01:35.784 represent a significant range 0:01:35.784,0:01:36.750 of male body types. 0:01:36.780,0:01:37.976 Looking at the roster 0:01:37.976,0:01:39.712 of female characters, however 0:01:39.712,0:01:40.558 while some may be 0:01:40.558,0:01:42.324 a bit taller than others, or have 0:01:42.324,0:01:44.149 ...slightly larger thighs, not one of 0:01:44.149,0:01:45.714 them represents a notable departure 0:01:45.714,0:01:47.547 from the slender body type that has been 0:01:47.547,0:01:49.162 established as the standard of 0:01:49.162,0:01:51.546 conventional female attractiveness. 0:01:51.546,0:01:52.874 Similiarly, when we look at the 0:01:52.874,0:01:54.435 champions on offer in the hugely popular 0:01:54.435,0:01:56.146 MOBA, League of Legends, we see the 0:01:56.146,0:01:57.797 designers employing a wonderful range of 0:01:57.797,0:01:59.480 body shapes and proportions across 0:01:59.480,0:02:01.554 dozens of male characters, from the 0:02:01.554,0:02:03.820 classic muscular warrior physique of Taric, 0:02:03.820,0:02:05.751 to the hefty beer belly of Gragas, 0:02:05.751,0:02:07.265 to the cartoonishly disproportionate 0:02:07.265,0:02:08.623 body of Dr. Mundo. 0:02:08.623,0:02:09.692 There isn't any one 0:02:09.692,0:02:11.351 male body type that is presented as the 0:02:11.351,0:02:13.729 standard default male body type, and the 0:02:13.729,0:02:15.459 value of these characters is definitely not 0:02:15.459,0:02:17.698 connected to their sexual desirability. 0:02:17.698,0:02:19.504 But when we look at the female heroes, 0:02:19.664,0:02:20.936 there is nothing approaching the 0:02:20.936,0:02:23.556 diversity we see on the male side of the roster. 0:02:23.601,0:02:25.262 There are few noteworthy variations from 0:02:25.262,0:02:26.362 the standard. 0:02:26.362,0:02:27.635 Illaoi is somewhat more muscular 0:02:27.635,0:02:29.450 than many of the female characters 0:02:29.450,0:02:31.167 Jinx has smaller breasts 0:02:31.237,0:02:33.329 and there’s the cute, gnome-like Tristana. 0:02:33.329,0:02:35.075 But the overwhelming majority of female 0:02:35.075,0:02:36.420 characters make it clear that 0:02:36.420,0:02:38.154 a slender figure with prominent breasts 0:02:38.154,0:02:39.204 is viewed as the standard 0:02:39.204,0:02:41.079 for female character design. 0:02:41.079,0:02:42.874 Likewise, in Dota 2, male heroes can be 0:02:42.874,0:02:44.293 handsome or comical 0:02:44.293,0:02:45.683 outlandish or grotesque, 0:02:45.683,0:02:47.013 while female heroes are 0:02:47.013,0:02:48.619 mostly relegated to being standard 0:02:48.619,0:02:50.366 humanoid characters with conventionally 0:02:50.366,0:02:51.796 attractive facial features. 0:02:52.086,0:02:53.726 Where are all the female rock creatures, 0:02:53.926,0:02:54.968 skeletal priests, and... 0:02:54.988,0:02:57.412 whatever this thing is? 0:02:57.412,0:02:58.837 This isn't just an issue in fighting 0:02:58.837,0:03:00.558 games, MOBAs, and other titles that give 0:03:00.558,0:03:02.533 players a range of characters to choose from. 0:03:02.803,0:03:04.306 Female characters across the board 0:03:04.306,0:03:06.301 are often limited to that same specific 0:03:06.301,0:03:07.194 body type. 0:03:07.314,0:03:09.978 "I should kill you." 0:03:10.128,0:03:11.343 "Doing all right there?" 0:03:13.723,0:03:14.995 (singing) 0:03:14.995,0:03:16.510 "Stay away from her!" 0:03:16.510,0:03:18.360 "Sure you want to let him go?" 0:03:18.360,0:03:19.853 (singing) "You are..." 0:03:25.113,0:03:27.618 "And this guy wants me to trust him..." 0:03:27.618,0:03:29.021 It's as if male characters are free to 0:03:29.021,0:03:30.350 embody whatever physique best 0:03:30.350,0:03:32.477 communicates their personality or abilities. 0:03:32.477,0:03:33.419 But when it comes to the 0:03:33.419,0:03:34.919 designs of female characters, 0:03:34.919,0:03:36.737 that kind of imagination and creativity 0:03:36.737,0:03:38.383 often doesn't seem to exist. 0:03:38.383,0:03:39.140 Rather than seeing 0:03:39.140,0:03:40.976 such an exciting range of female 0:03:40.976,0:03:42.757 characters, we mostly get the same body 0:03:42.757,0:03:44.357 type, over and over again: 0:03:44.357,0:03:46.300 one designed to be sexually appealing 0:03:46.300,0:03:48.553 to the presumed straight male player. 0:03:48.553,0:03:49.765 This reliance on the same 0:03:49.765,0:03:51.664 same body type for so many female characters 0:03:51.664,0:03:52.847 isn't just boring; 0:03:52.847,0:03:53.980 it's harmful. 0:03:53.980,0:03:55.470 It links our value as human beings 0:03:55.470,0:03:56.290 within the culture 0:03:56.290,0:03:58.201 to our desirability to men, 0:03:58.201,0:04:00.535 and it reinforces our culturally-influenced ideas 0:04:00.535,0:04:02.393 about who gets to be considered desirable 0:04:02.393,0:04:03.648 and who doesn't. 0:04:03.648,0:04:04.903 The problem is exacerbated 0:04:04.903,0:04:06.058 by the fact that when we do 0:04:06.058,0:04:07.058 see representations of women 0:04:07.058,0:04:08.149 with different body types, 0:04:08.149,0:04:09.452 they're often presented as 0:04:09.452,0:04:11.120 a joke, as in Fat Princess, 0:04:13.600,0:04:15.235 (fart noises) 0:04:15.235,0:04:16.975 or they're pathologized and presented as 0:04:16.975,0:04:17.740 a twisted transgression 0:04:17.740,0:04:19.576 of the established feminine ideal 0:04:19.636,0:04:20.262 as in the case of the 0:04:20.372,0:04:22.856 evil, lesbian, psychopath, Jo Slade 0:04:22.856,0:04:23.956 in Dead Rising. 0:04:24.006,0:04:25.937 "Let’s see just how shameless you are, 0:04:25.937,0:04:28.474 you dirty little skank! 0:04:28.474,0:04:30.751 Say hello to my little friend!” 0:04:30.751,0:04:34.669 “Oh, no.. not again!” 0:04:34.669,0:04:35.714 When the majority of the women who 0:04:35.714,0:04:37.199 populate these game worlds are designed 0:04:37.199,0:04:39.235 from the same narrow template, the problem 0:04:39.235,0:04:40.732 isn't just what we're seeing in games: 0:04:41.082,0:04:42.817 it's what we're not seeing. 0:04:42.817,0:04:43.950 The fact that fat women, 0:04:43.950,0:04:45.064 and women with different body shapes 0:04:45.064,0:04:46.528 aren't featured in these worlds, 0:04:46.528,0:04:47.668 reinforces the false notion that these 0:04:47.668,0:04:49.929 women are less valuable, and less worthy 0:04:49.929,0:04:51.880 of recognition, than those women whose 0:04:51.880,0:04:53.252 bodies come closer to matching the 0:04:53.252,0:04:55.103 cultural beauty standard. 0:04:55.263,0:04:57.497 These limitations on creativity when it comes 0:04:57.497,0:04:59.304 to female characters don't stop with 0:04:59.304,0:04:59.784 body type. 0:04:59.784,0:05:00.954 We also don't see the same 0:05:00.954,0:05:02.935 range of ages commonly represented as 0:05:02.935,0:05:04.814 we do with male characters. 0:05:04.814,0:05:05.984 It's not unheard of to see 0:05:05.984,0:05:08.155 male soldiers, fighters, and heroes 0:05:08.155,0:05:11.326 who appear to be in their 40s, 50s, and even older. 0:05:11.457,0:05:13.673 "You're right." 0:05:13.673,0:05:15.180 Playable female characters, on the other hand, 0:05:15.190,0:05:16.866 are almost always young; 0:05:16.866,0:05:17.929 and it's for the same reason 0:05:17.929,0:05:18.842 that so many of them 0:05:18.842,0:05:20.127 have the same body type. 0:05:20.127,0:05:21.772 They're intended to be sexually appealing 0:05:21.772,0:05:23.457 to straight male players. 0:05:23.457,0:05:24.210 The result is that we have 0:05:24.210,0:05:26.135 plenty of representations of male 0:05:26.135,0:05:28.005 characters who communicate that men 0:05:28.005,0:05:29.606 can continue to be active, vital, and 0:05:29.606,0:05:31.917 powerful over the course of their lives. 0:05:31.917,0:05:33.970 Meanwhile, the absence of older, playable 0:05:33.970,0:05:36.116 female characters wrongly suggests that 0:05:36.116,0:05:37.562 women's value is tied directly to their 0:05:37.562,0:05:39.105 beauty and youth, and that when they 0:05:39.105,0:05:41.829 are older, that value is all used up. 0:05:41.829,0:05:43.162 There aren't many good examples of 0:05:43.162,0:05:44.798 prominent, positive representations of 0:05:44.798,0:05:46.275 women with different body types in major 0:05:46.535,0:05:48.528 contemporary games. In Life is Strange, 0:05:48.528,0:05:50.761 there’s the minor character Alyssa, a 0:05:50.761,0:05:52.310 classmate of Max, the protagonist. 0:05:52.310,0:05:53.296 “I didn't know you were a 0:05:53.296,0:05:54.761 sci-fi geek like us. 0:05:54.847,0:05:56.350 What’s your favorite?”[br] 0:05:56.350,0:05:57.512 In Assasin’s Creed Syndicate, there’s 0:05:57.632,0:05:59.682 Agnes MacBean, owner of the train which 0:05:59.682,0:06:02.145 becomes the heroes’ base of operations. 0:06:02.145,0:06:03.712 "And may I present to you, 0:06:03.712,0:06:06.942 Agnes and Bertha: lady and locomotive.”[br] 0:06:06.942,0:06:07.833 And in Star Wars: 0:06:07.833,0:06:09.485 Knights of the Old Republic II, 0:06:09.485,0:06:11.425 Kreia is a great example of a capable, 0:06:11.425,0:06:13.429 powerful, older, female character. 0:06:13.429,0:06:15.864 “I am Kreia, and I am your rescuer. 0:06:15.864,0:06:17.107 As you are mine.” 0:06:17.107,0:06:19.022 Let's go back to Overwatch for a moment. 0:06:19.022,0:06:20.899 Since that initial reveal, a few female 0:06:20.899,0:06:22.736 heroes have been added to the roster. 0:06:22.736,0:06:24.564 There’s Mei and Zarya, both of whom have 0:06:24.564,0:06:26.053 body types that are notably different 0:06:26.053,0:06:27.746 from those of the originally announced 0:06:27.746,0:06:29.336 female characters. 0:06:29.716,0:06:32.082 "Ana, reporting for duty." 0:06:32.082,0:06:33.477 And more recently, Blizzard announced 0:06:33.477,0:06:35.588 the game's next hero, Ana, who is both 0:06:35.588,0:06:40.362 an older woman and a woman of color. 0:06:40.362,0:06:41.518 These characters are welcome and 0:06:41.518,0:06:43.277 encouraging additions, but really they're 0:06:43.277,0:06:44.913 just a start. Game developers need to 0:06:44.913,0:06:47.394 continue to actively working towards 0:06:47.394,0:06:49.061 creating the same range and diversity of 0:06:49.061,0:06:50.864 female body representations that we see 0:06:50.864,0:06:52.086 among male characters. 0:06:52.086,0:06:53.309 When female characters' bodies 0:06:53.309,0:06:54.532 are liberated from the need 0:06:54.532,0:06:56.641 to uphold narrow, limiting cultural 0:06:56.641,0:06:58.470 beauty standards, the resulting range 0:06:58.470,0:07:00.353 of representations can not only make 0:07:00.353,0:07:01.941 games themselves more interesting, 0:07:01.941,0:07:03.100 it can encourage us 0:07:03.100,0:07:04.469 to see all women as the 0:07:04.469,0:07:06.885 desirable, valuable, autonomous, 0:07:06.885,0:07:09.169 fully human individuals that we are.