9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
“Fantastic!”[br]

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Theme Music

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This episode comes with a content warning[br]for game footage involving

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hypersexualized female characters[br]and is not recommended for children.

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As always, remember that it is both[br]possible and even necessary

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to be critical of the media we enjoy.

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That’s going to be especially[br]important to keep in mind

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
given the video game franchise[br]we are about to discuss…

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In 1987 Nintendo released a 2D[br]action adventure game for their

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Nintendo Entertainment System[br]which departed

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from traditional video game conventions.

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Metroid starred a bounty hunter[br]named Samus Aran

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who is covered head to toe in the[br]now iconic cybernetic “power suit”.

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The game’s manual referred to the[br]protagonist with male pronouns

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and described his identity as[br]“shrouded in mystery”.

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Metroid was notable as an[br]early example of a game

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that employed multiple alternative[br]endings which could be unlocked

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based on the player’s gaming[br]skill and performance.

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If the player is able to complete[br]the game in under five hours

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a short cutscene will play featuring the[br]protagonist without their armored helmet,

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revealing that Samus Aran is, in fact,[br]a woman.

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This was a significant moment[br]in gaming history,

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especially for many female gaming fans,[br]because, at the time,

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nearly all protagonists were just[br]assumed to be male by default.

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Remember this was back[br]before the internet,

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when you couldn’t just hop online to find[br]out about all the secrets and spoilers,

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so for many players, the ending of[br]Metroid came as a genuine surprise.

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Still, the subversion only worked[br]provided players were skilled enough

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to achieve the surprise ending.

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In retrospect, Samus’ gender reveal perhaps[br]should not have been as shocking as it was,

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considering that Metroid is[br]heavily influenced by the Alien films.

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Sadly the alternate endings[br]did not stop there

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the two “best” endings make Metroid[br]one of the first games

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to exploit the Women as Reward trope,[br]

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as both reveal Samus[br]in various states of undress.

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The better a player does,[br]the more clothing is removed.

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If the player completes the game in under[br]3 hours Samus is shown without her armor

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and in a leotard.

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If the player finishes in under 1 hour[br]they are treated to Samus in a bikini.

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So yes, Samus wasn’t a damsel’ed woman[br]waiting at the end of the game as a trophy

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rather, her body itself became the prize[br]awarded to players for a job well done.

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Later games in the Metroid series[br]continued the convention of

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rewarding players with endings featuring[br]Samus in various states of undress.

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In one sense Samus Aran definitely did[br]subvert traditional gender tropes

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of the 1980s by taking on the role[br]of intrepid hero.

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However she and her body were still[br]presented to players as prizes to be won.

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The convention, of earning access to[br]cutscenes or ending vignettes

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with eroticized female bodies can be found[br]in many titles over the past 30 years.

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“Apollo”

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“Whoa! Whoa!”

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(Audience laughter)

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“Oh!”

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We can trace the roots of the[br]Women as Reward trope all the way back

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to the beginnings of the medium itself.

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As we discussed in our[br]damsel in distress mini-series,

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upon successful completion[br]of many arcade games

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players were rewarded with the[br]related Smooch of Victory trope, so named

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for the kiss the hero received as a reward[br]for rescuing a kidnapped princess.

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Sometimes the prize is blatant as with the[br]Standard Hero Reward

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in which a king will give his[br]daughter to the hero.

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On other occasions, it’s taken a step further[br]by employing the parallel

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Sex of Victory or Rescue Sex trope.[br]Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is:

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instead of a kiss, sex with the rescued[br]victim is the player’s reward.

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“That was gonna get ugly. You saved us!”

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“My pleasure, ladies.”

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“Thank you, thank you. Thank you.”

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“You saved my life. A bit of joy as[br]recumpence is not too much to ask.”

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“I’m intrigued. It’s been a tough day.[br]I think some joy might do me good.”

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(Moaning)

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We’ve coined the Women as Reward trope[br]to describe a long-running pattern

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found in interactive media.

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It occurs when women[br]or more often women’s bodies

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are employed as rewards for[br]player actions in video games.

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The trope frames female bodies as[br]collectible, as tractable or as consumable

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and positions women as status symbols

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designed to validate the masculinity[br]of presumed straight male players.

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There’s some overlap between the[br]Damsel in Distress and Women as Reward

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but they function differently.

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While the Damsel in Distress[br]trope uses women

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as a plot device to motivate male heroes,

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the Women as Reward trope presents women[br]as a formalized reward mechanism,

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meaning that the reward is coded[br]into the game system itself.

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The result of this incentive structure is[br]that access to women’s bodies,

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women’s affection or women’s sexuality is[br]reduced to a simple equation that guarantees

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delivery as long as the correct set of[br]inputs are entered into the system.

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In this way the Women as Reward trope[br]helps foster a sense of entitlement

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where players are encouraged to view women[br]as something they’ve earned the right to

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by virtue of their gaming actions,[br]skills or accomplishments.

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This is illustrated in arcade classics[br]like Joe and Mac

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and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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after players save the damsel[br]in both games,

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she will bestow a kiss on the character[br]who earned the most points on that stage.

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“I owe you one.”

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Entitlement to women is made even more[br]explicit in many versions of Double Dragon.

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At the end of the game, after the[br]final boss has been defeated

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and the damsel in distress saved, player[br]one and player two must fight each other

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over who “gets” to “have” Marian and[br]with her, the smooch of victory.

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Notice that Marian’s desires are not part[br]of the equation, she has no say in the matter

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she simply fills the role of a trophy for[br]whichever player is ultimately victorious.

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This scene serves as inspiration[br]for similar scenarios

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in more contemporary games[br]like Castle Crashers.

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We’ve identified 6 primary ways the Women[br]as Reward trope manifests in video games.

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Over the course of this episode[br]we will examine each in turn.

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In addition to the “earned cinematics”[br]we’ve already discussed, we will cover

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the trope as it relates to[br]Easter Eggs, Unlockable Costumes,

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Experience Points, Collectibles,[br]and Achievements.

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Easter Eggs are intentionally[br]hidden secrets or jokes

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which developers conceal[br]inside of their games.

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Like the eggs at a[br]children’s easter egg hunt,

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these secrets are usually difficult to find[br]but are meant to be discovered as rewards

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for particularly industrious gamers.

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Easter Eggs can be hidden messages, items,[br]secret characters or random events,

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and their inclusion encourages[br]experimentation with the game’s systems

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and mechanics in order to[br]uncover these extra treasures.

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Some can be found[br]inside game environments,

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while others require a[br]cheat code to unlock.

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For example, if players input a specific[br]button sequence while starting up

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the 1991 role-playing game Rings of Power[br]the title screen would change.

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By pressing down, right, A, B, C and the[br]start button, players were rewarded

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with an image of a topless woman[br]next to the Naughty Dog logo.

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Easter eggs are, of course,[br]not inherently problematic,

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and gaming history is filled with[br]examples of neat secrets

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that designers have hidden[br]away for players to discover.

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But too frequently, Easter eggs[br]are used as another way

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to reward players with women’s bodies.

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Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 included a secret[br]unlockable character named Daisy,

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who bore the likeness of[br]porn star Jenna Jameson.

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Daisy’s sexualized appearance and[br]skateboard tricks are designed as a reward

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for those players who unlocked her.

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One way to do that is[br]by entering this code

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Probably one of the most famous[br]Women as Reward easter eggs

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
brings us back to Samus Aran.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The original Metroid used a password[br]system to save progress.

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By inputting the secret code[br]“Justin Bailey” into this system,

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gamers would unlock a powered-up[br]playable version of Samus

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wearing only her[br]leotard-style bathing suit.

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Incidentally this is the same outfit we[br]covered earlier as an end-game reward,

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only here she has the powers of the Varia[br]Suit and its associated color pallete swap

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which changes her hair color to green.

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Players can then play the entire game as[br]Samus without her space armor.

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So she ends up exploring[br]a hostile alien world

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and fighting off deadly monsters[br]in her underwear.

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“Welcome to the Hovercon intergalactic[br]hoverboard competition!”

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There’s a bizarre easter egg[br]in the original Ratchet & Clank:

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If the player does a series of side-flips[br]in front of a green-skinned alien,

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the woman’s breasts will[br]suddenly begin to inflate.

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The more gymnastics stunts performed,[br]the larger her boobs will become.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are so many Women as Reward-style[br]easter eggs in the Metal Gear Solid series

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that it would take several hours[br]to go over them all.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
First released for the PlayStation in 1998[br]and then remade for the GameCube in 2004,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Metal Gear Solid featured not one[br]but two separate easter eggs

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that allow players to see[br]Meryl Silverburgh in her underwear.

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The second of these easter eggs requires[br]players to follow Meryl into the ladies room

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and interrupt her while she is changing.[br]If this is done quickly enough

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the next cutscene will play with[br]Meryl in her underwear.

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“Anyway, how did you recognize me in disguise?”

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
“I never forget a lady”

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Jumping ahead to the fourth game,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the protagonist is assigned a psychologist[br]for PTSD counseling.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
During these remote sessions, if[br]players shake their Playstation controller

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the psychologist’s breasts will[br]bounce and jiggle in response.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
“Memories began to resurface[br]from his childhood,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"when he fought for Solidus[br]in the Liberian Civil War.”

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Keep in mind that easter eggs[br]are not accidents or glitches.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They are intentionally put into the game[br]by the designers,and as a result, indicate

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the value that the designers themselves[br]place on these female characters.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They communicate to players that yes,[br]these women exist for players to exploit

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or experiment with[br]for their own amusement.