WEBVTT 00:00:00.893 --> 00:00:01.836 “Amazing.” “My god, look at that.” 00:00:03.733 --> 00:00:05.744 “Good night nurse!” 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.495 “Ooh! That’s definitely stimulating my economy.” 00:00:28.606 --> 00:00:30.815 In the late 90s, developer Rare wanted to replicate 00:00:30.815 --> 00:00:33.264 the success of their landmark 1997 shooter GoldenEye, 00:00:33.264 --> 00:00:35.509 but didn’t want to make another James Bond game. 00:00:07.946 --> 00:00:08.196 Instead, they began work on a science fiction spy thriller 00:00:37.735 --> 00:00:38.145 called Perfect Dark. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For the game’s star, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they wanted to create a striking new type of special agent 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who wouldn’t just live in James Bond’s shadow, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so they drew inspiration from figures 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ranging from Joan of Arc to The X-Files’ Dana Scully. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Her name was Joanna Dark. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A few years earlier, Eidos Interactive’s Lara Croft 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 had rapidly become one of the most famous 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and recognizable game characters of all time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so it was reasonable to think that an action game 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with a female protagonist could be a smash hit. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Alas, Joanna Dark never reached quite the levels 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of fame occupied by Lara Croft, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but Perfect Dark was still a big success. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Let’s take a look at a commercial for the game: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Welcome to 2023. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Big businesses now merge with alien nations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 An ancient war is being fought under the sea. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The president is about to be cloned 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it’s your job to try and save the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So you’ve got an important decision to make: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What are you going to wear to work? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 From the team you brought you GoldenEye for N64, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 meet special agent Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where you’ll find out that the only person man enough 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to handle a job like this 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is a woman.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Can you imagine an ad exactly like this, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 only with Marcus Fenix or Master Chief, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 getting out of bed naked, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 taking a sexy slow-motion shower, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 putting on his sexy underwear, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the narrator saying 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that he has an important decision to make: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what is he going to wear to work? NOTE Paragraph 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Welcome to 2016. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There’s a war out there...somewhere. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You’re not sure where, exactly. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Anyway, the important thing is, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you’re Special Agent Jake Grimshadow. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s your job to save the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The only question is: What are you going to wear? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 …. WAIT... WHAT?? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A commercial like that would never happen, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 nor should it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But Joanna is treated differently 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 than her male counterparts. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Even though Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and, as a result, you rarely see her in the game itself, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by focusing on her getting dressed, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this ad encouraged players to think of Joanna’s appeal 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as being rooted in her sexual desirability 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 rather than her skill as a special agent. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A character’s clothing is one of the first things we notice. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s an important part of our first impression 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of who that character is, and as such, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it’s a way for designers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to immediately communicate to players 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what is most important and noteworthy about them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Female heroes in video games might be special agents 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or soldiers or treasure hunters by trade. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They often find themselves in dangerous, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 physically demanding situations, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fighting off bad guys and saving the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They are typically performing activities that call for 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 practical or protective clothing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But when we look at the types of outfits 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that female characters are made to wear, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we can see that they are often 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 both sexualized and completely absurd. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Ivy from the Soulcalibur games is a bold warrior 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who finds herself in battles 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 where sharp, deadly weapons are being used 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and protective armor would be a must, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but the clothing she wears--or lack thereof- 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 -is not exactly intended to keep her safe. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Cammy from the Street Fighter series 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is a British special forces operative 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 whose thong leotard does a better job 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of calling attention to her butt 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 than of offering any kind of protection. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Jessica Sherawat from Resident Evil: Revelations 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and regularly faces deadly infected mutants in combat, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but her outfits appear to be designed for... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 yeah, I don’t even know. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And this is just a small fraction of the vast number 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of female characters who are forced into 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 impractical and objectifying clothing while in dangerous situations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “You’ll learn respect!” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “You’re a fool to come back here.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “All right, let’s begin! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “And instead of donning a shirt plate, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you dash into battle, shirt open, navel and… 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 whatnot exposed!” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Because clothing can shape our first impressions of a character 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and has a tremendous influence 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on our sense of who they are 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 every time they are on screen, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sexualized outfits can contribute to what’s called 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the hyper-sexualization of female characters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Hyper-sexualization in the media occurs 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when a character is designed to be valued primarily 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for their sexual characteristics or behaviors. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In hypersexualized characters, these attributes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are highlighted above all else 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and made the center of attention, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 while everything else about the character is made secondary. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Games and other media often work 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to frame this sexualization as a positive thing for women. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They blur the distinction between female sexualization 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and female power, and as a result, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sexualized female characters are sometimes celebrated 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for being perceived as “owning” their sexuality 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in a way that is empowering. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But it isn’t actually empowering 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because the sexuality these characters exude 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is manufactured for, and presented as existing for, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the presumed straight male player. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Bayonetta is a quintessential example of such a character. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When the camera caresses her body 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as it does in the opening scene of Bayonetta 2, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 establishing the player’s relationship with the character, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 she is frozen in time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the passive object of the male gaze. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The camera is putting her and Jeanne 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on display for the player, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 breaking them down into what the game 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is communicating is most important about them: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 their sexualized parts. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And when Bayonetta starts moving, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it’s the player who has the power 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to control her sexuality as a weapon throughout the game, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 both literally and figuratively. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She has an assortment of special moves 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 called “torture attacks” which involve devices 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 meant to suggest BDSM and that look like something 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you might expect to see 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in an exaggerated stereotype of a sex dungeon. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But these sexualized moves 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have nothing to do with sex: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they just obliterate her enemies. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And a number of her attacks literally leave her naked, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because, you see, she’s attacking the enemies 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with her hair and her hair is also her clothing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so when she’s using her hair to attack her enemies 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it can’t be covering her body and… 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In these ways, the game deliberately links 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Bayonetta’s sexuality to power, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 selling a version of sexual objectification 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that we’re all supposed to feel good about 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and find “empowering.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Every aspect of Bayonetta’s existence, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from the way the camera is magnetically drawn 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to her sexualized body parts 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to the pole dance reward for completing the game, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is expertly designed to be sexually affirming 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and satisfying for a presumed straight male audience. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If it seems like I’m frequently repeating the fact 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that the player is presumed to be a straight male, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that’s because it’s vital to remember. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This presumption influences and shapes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so many creative decisions that are made 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the development of many games. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “Let’s see, target market - mostly male, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 18-24 years old, interests - senseless violence, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 high tech weaponry, pain, humiliation… 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 hey! Maybe this’ll do the trick.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In fact, this connection between objectification 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and empowerment is extremely damaging. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s harmful to women because rather than 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 asserting that women have intrinsic value as people, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it communicates that the kind of power available 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to women comes from men finding them desirable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it’s damaging to men because it suggests 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that women who are liberated and empowered 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are also women whose sexuality is always available to men. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When we conflate the sexualization of women 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with power for women, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we internalize this harmful myth 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and begin to think sexualization is the only way 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to achieve gender equality. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But the truth is that sexualization doesn’t actually 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 bring us any closer to equality. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In her book Enlightened Sexism, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Susan J. Douglas sums up the issue. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ”Under the guise of escapism and pleasure, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are getting images of imagined power that mask, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and even erase, how much still remains to be done 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for girls and women, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 images that make sexism seem fine, even fun, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and insist that feminism is now utterly pointless-- 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 even bad for you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 True power here has nothing to do with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 economic independence or professional achievement: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it has to do with getting men to lust after you 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and other women to envy you.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some gaming fans have come up with all sorts of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ridiculous defenses for the sexualized costumes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 female characters are often made to wear, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 like the idea that they dress in these outfits as a tactic 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to help them distract their male opponents. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s not unheard of for developers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to sometimes rely on this harmful logic, too. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The superintelligent AI companion Cortana 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from the Halo franchise 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has always been depicted as naked, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and when asked about why this is, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 franchise director Frank O’Connor said, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "One of the reasons she does it is to attract and demand attention. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And she does it to put people off so they’re on their guard 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when they’re talking to her 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and that she has the upper hand in those conversations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s kind of almost like the opposite of that nightmare 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you have where you go to school in the nude, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and you’re terrified and embarrassed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She’s kind of projecting that back out to her audience 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and winning intellectual points as a result." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Meanwhile, male AIs in the Halo universe do wear clothing; 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the idea of them trying to “win intellectual points” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by walking around naked is ridiculous. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But we rarely question 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the extremely widespread association 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of sexualization and power 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when it’s applied to female characters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Usually, the games themselves don’t go into much detail 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to explain or justify why 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 female characters are sexualized. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Players are simply meant to unquestioningly accept 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the impractical outfits these characters are wearing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sometimes, however, as in the case of Quiet 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 developers build convoluted and absurd tales 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 about a character’s past into the game 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in an attempt to justify their blatant sexualization. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “She, uh, refuses to wear clothes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The last staff member who tried to dress her - 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 breathing through tubes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Other than that, she’s completely cooperative. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She understands English, she never speaks, sweats, or breathes.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “What?” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “Well, not with lungs at least. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She breathes through her skin. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Clothing would suffocate her. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Showers are okay, but she can’t be submerged.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “What’s wrong with her?” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “She’s drinking. Through her skin.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So you see, she can’t wear clothing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because she breathes through her skin! 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These ludicrous narrative justifications don’t “make it okay.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Regardless of whatever absurd explanation 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a game might provide, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it should go without saying that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the only real functionality of outfits like this is to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 titillate the presumed young straight male player base. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Out of all the arguments that are tossed out 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to defend the impractical and objectifying 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 clothing that women are made to wear in games, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there is one in particular that I hear the most often 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and that is perhaps the most pernicious. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That argument is: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “Maybe that’s what she wants to wear!” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Which is ridiculous. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These women are fictional constructs. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That means that they don’t dress themselves 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or pick out their own clothing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I can’t believe I have to say this. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 All these visual designs are deliberate choices 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 made by the developers, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and they serve a specific purpose: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they communicate to straight male players 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that these characters exist primarily as sex objects 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to be consumed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In doing so, they also reinforce the larger notion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our culture that the value of real human women 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is determined largely by their sexual desirability to men. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s not hard to imagine 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what more practical clothing options 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 might look like for some of these characters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But if you’re having a hard time envisioning that, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I will let you in on a little secret: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For those of you who aren’t familiar, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there is this thing called a sports bra. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sports bras are designed to keep breasts held in place 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to better facilitate athletic activities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In other words, they are used 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to prevent “jiggle physics” in real life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 In the real world, there are many female 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 martial artists, athletes, and women in combat roles 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that developers could use as inspiration 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when designing and dressing their female characters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It’s important to note that the amount of skin shown 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is not the crux of the problem. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Many female athletes wear minimal form-fitting clothing 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it’s more conducive to their activities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 However, their outfits are not designed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with the primary goal of sexualizing the athletes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for the benefit of spectators. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The problem of female characters wearing impractical, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sexualized and objectifying attire and being 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 put on display for players is not a difficult one to solve, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and developers already know how to do it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Even many fighting games that have 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 several sexualized female characters on the roster 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 often have one female option who is in more practical attire. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Dark Souls games are generally pretty good 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 about not making armor appear significantly different 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on female characters than it does on male characters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Natural Selection 2 and XCOM also have 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 examples of women in practical armor. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And Assassin’s Creed Syndicate put female 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 gang members in outfits very similar 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to those worn by the male gang members. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 None of this is to say that characters in games 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 should never be sexual; far from it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sexuality and sexualization are very different things. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The sexualization of female characters is about 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 designing them, dressing them or framing them 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in ways that are specifically intended to be 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sexually appealing to presumed male viewers or players. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Women’s sexuality, on the other hand, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 exists for themselves, and for those 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 they care to consensually share it with. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And sexuality can be expressed or experienced 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in any kind of attire. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “Come here lover boy!” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Unfortunately, examples in games of female characters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 expressing sexual desire in ways that aren’t sexualized 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are exceedingly rare. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These next few examples aren’t great depictions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of what we’re talking about. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They’re just some of the only examples that exist at all, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which serves to illustrate how rare it is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for female sexuality in games to be presented in ways 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that are humanizing rather than sexualizing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Last of Us: Left Behind features female characters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who express romantic feelings for each other, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 rather than exuding a sexualized energy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that is directed outward at the player. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “What do we do now? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “We’ll figure it out.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And in Firewatch, though it’s only heard and not seen 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Delilah expresses sexual desire for the player character, Henry. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “I wish I was over there.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “I wish you were too.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 “We could sit outside, we could talk, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 without these radios. We could, um, you know.” 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 These moments aren’t presented 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as titillating morsels of sexuality for players. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Rather, they function as expressions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of the characters’ sexuality that deepen our investment 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the characters and their relationships to each other. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 To clarify, the act of sex isn’t the problem, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but rather how its presented. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I’d love to see great representations 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of healthy, consensual sex in games. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But sadly, when consensual sex does occur, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it’s often presented as a transaction 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or as a reward for player accomplishment. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Whether that accomplishment is completing quests 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or just choosing all the right dialogue options 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to get the sex cutscene to play. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When fictional female characters in games are dressed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in impractical armor or clothing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it encourages players to view them as sex objects, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and reinforces the already pervasive and harmful notion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our culture that sexualization is the most viable 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or only real route to power for women. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 By contrast, when those characters are dressed 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in clothing that is truly practical and functional 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for the work that they are doing, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and when they express sexuality and sexual desire 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in ways that aren’t served up as sexualized treats 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 designed primarily for straight male players 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to consume and enjoy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it encourages players of all genders 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not to view those characters as sexual objects 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but to be invested in them as people.