1 00:00:00,103 --> 00:00:03,256 “Amazing.” “My god, look at that.” 2 00:00:03,733 --> 00:00:05,744 “Good night nurse!” 3 00:00:05,431 --> 00:00:08,466 “Ooh! That’s definitely stimulating my economy.” 4 00:00:28,066 --> 00:00:30,815 In the late 90s, developer Rare wanted to replicate 5 00:00:30,815 --> 00:00:33,264 the success of their landmark 1997 shooter GoldenEye, 6 00:00:33,264 --> 00:00:36,305 but didn’t want to make another James Bond game. 7 00:00:36,305 --> 00:00:39,625 Instead they began work on a science fiction spy thriller 8 00:00:39,625 --> 00:00:40,970 called Perfect Dark. 9 00:00:40,970 --> 00:00:41,305 For the game’s star, 10 00:00:41,305 --> 00:00:43,772 they wanted to create a striking new type of special agent 11 00:00:43,772 --> 00:00:45,835 who wouldn’t just live in James Bond’s shadow, 12 00:00:45,835 --> 00:00:47,128 so they drew inspiration from figures 13 00:00:47,128 --> 00:00:50,054 ranging from Joan of Arc to The X-Files’ Dana Scully. 14 00:00:50,054 --> 00:00:52,334 Her name was Joanna Dark. 15 00:00:52,334 --> 00:00:55,172 A few years earlier, Eidos Interactive’s Lara Croft 16 00:00:55,172 --> 00:00:57,090 had rapidly become one of the most famous 17 00:00:57,090 --> 00:00:58,877 and recognizable game characters of all time, 18 00:00:58,877 --> 00:01:01,515 so it was reasonable to think that an action game 19 00:01:01,515 --> 00:01:03,313 with a female protagonist could be a smash hit. 20 00:01:03,313 --> 00:01:06,530 Alas, Joanna Dark never reached quite the levels 21 00:01:06,530 --> 00:01:08,285 of fame occupied by Lara Croft, 22 00:01:08,285 --> 00:01:10,533 but Perfect Dark was still a big success. 23 00:01:10,533 --> 00:01:12,586 Let’s take a look at a commercial for the game: 24 00:01:12,586 --> 00:01:15,821 "Welcome to 2023. 25 00:01:15,821 --> 00:01:21,118 Big businesses now merge with alien nations. 26 00:01:21,118 --> 00:01:27,631 An ancient war is being fought under the sea. 27 00:01:27,631 --> 00:01:32,049 The president is about to be cloned 28 00:01:32,049 --> 00:01:37,519 And it’s your job to try and save the world. 29 00:01:37,519 --> 00:01:42,011 So you’ve got an important decision to make: 30 00:01:42,011 --> 00:01:47,010 What are you going to wear to work? 31 00:01:47,010 --> 00:01:51,071 From the team you brought you GoldenEye for N64, 32 00:01:51,071 --> 00:01:55,780 meet special agent Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark, 33 00:01:55,780 --> 00:01:59,971 where you’ll find out that the only person man enough 34 00:01:59,971 --> 00:02:01,487 to handle a job like this 35 00:02:01,487 --> 00:02:05,056 is a woman.” 36 00:02:05,056 --> 00:02:08,516 Can you imagine an ad exactly like this, 37 00:02:08,516 --> 00:02:10,554 only with Marcus Fenix or Master Chief, 38 00:02:10,554 --> 00:02:12,142 getting out of bed naked, 39 00:02:12,142 --> 00:02:14,048 taking a sexy slow-motion shower, 40 00:02:14,048 --> 00:02:15,364 putting on his sexy underwear, 41 00:02:15,364 --> 00:02:16,391 and the narrator saying 42 00:02:16,391 --> 00:02:18,098 that he has an important decision to make: 43 00:02:18,098 --> 00:02:19,619 what is he going to wear to work? 44 00:02:19,619 --> 00:02:22,775 "Welcome to 2016. 45 00:02:22,775 --> 00:02:26,807 There’s a war out there...somewhere. 46 00:02:26,807 --> 00:02:29,117 You’re not sure where, exactly. 47 00:02:29,117 --> 00:02:31,081 Anyway, the important thing is, 48 00:02:31,081 --> 00:02:33,662 you’re Special Agent Jake Grimshadow. 49 00:02:33,662 --> 00:02:37,089 It’s your job to save the world. 50 00:02:37,364 --> 00:02:41,697 The only question is: What are you going to wear? 51 00:02:41,697 --> 00:02:43,690 …. WAIT... WHAT?? 52 00:02:43,690 --> 00:02:47,015 A commercial like that would never happen, 53 00:02:47,015 --> 00:02:48,219 nor should it. 54 00:02:48,219 --> 00:02:49,846 But Joanna is treated differently 55 00:02:49,846 --> 00:02:51,127 than her male counterparts. 56 00:02:51,127 --> 00:02:53,592 Even though Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter 57 00:02:53,592 --> 00:02:56,498 and, as a result, you rarely see her in the game itself, 58 00:02:56,498 --> 00:02:58,597 by focusing on her getting dressed, 59 00:02:58,597 --> 00:03:00,809 this ad encouraged players to think of Joanna’s appeal 60 00:03:00,809 --> 00:03:02,850 as being rooted in her sexual desirability 61 00:03:02,850 --> 00:03:04,979 rather than her skill as a special agent. 62 00:03:04,979 --> 00:03:07,860 A character’s clothing is one of the first things we notice. 63 00:03:07,860 --> 00:03:09,998 It’s an important part of our first impression 64 00:03:09,998 --> 00:03:12,189 of who that character is, and as such, 65 00:03:12,189 --> 00:03:13,768 it’s a way for designers 66 00:03:13,768 --> 00:03:15,337 to immediately communicate to players 67 00:03:15,337 --> 00:03:17,478 what is most important and noteworthy about them. 68 00:03:17,478 --> 00:03:20,236 Female heroes in video games might be special agents 69 00:03:20,236 --> 00:03:22,480 or soldiers or treasure hunters by trade. 70 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,520 They often find themselves in dangerous, 71 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,225 physically demanding situations, 72 00:03:26,225 --> 00:03:28,046 fighting off bad guys and saving the world. 73 00:03:28,046 --> 00:03:30,376 They are typically performing activities that call for 74 00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:32,531 practical or protective clothing. 75 00:03:32,531 --> 00:03:34,064 But when we look at the types of outfits 76 00:03:34,064 --> 00:03:36,212 that female characters are made to wear, 77 00:03:36,212 --> 00:03:37,923 we can see that they are often 78 00:03:37,923 --> 00:03:39,831 both sexualized and completely absurd. 79 00:03:39,831 --> 00:03:42,692 Ivy from the Soulcalibur games is a bold warrior 80 00:03:42,692 --> 00:03:44,142 who finds herself in battles 81 00:03:44,142 --> 00:03:46,055 where sharp, deadly weapons are being used 82 00:03:46,055 --> 00:03:47,616 and protective armor would be a must, 83 00:03:47,616 --> 00:03:50,502 but the clothing she wears--or lack thereof- 84 00:03:50,502 --> 00:03:52,285 -is not exactly intended to keep her safe. 85 00:03:52,285 --> 00:03:54,443 Cammy from the Street Fighter series 86 00:03:54,443 --> 00:03:56,639 is a British special forces operative 87 00:03:56,639 --> 00:03:58,479 whose thong leotard does a better job 88 00:03:58,479 --> 00:03:59,751 of calling attention to her butt 89 00:03:59,751 --> 00:04:01,905 than of offering any kind of protection. 90 00:04:01,905 --> 00:04:06,158 Jessica Sherawat from Resident Evil: Revelations 91 00:04:06,158 --> 00:04:09,559 is a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance 92 00:04:09,559 --> 00:04:12,621 and regularly faces deadly infected mutants in combat, 93 00:04:12,621 --> 00:04:14,637 but her outfits appear to be designed for... 94 00:04:14,637 --> 00:04:16,938 yeah, I don’t even know. 95 00:04:16,938 --> 00:04:20,115 And this is just a small fraction of the vast number 96 00:04:20,115 --> 00:04:21,634 of female characters who are forced into 97 00:04:21,634 --> 00:04:25,168 impractical and objectifying clothing while in dangerous situations. 98 00:04:25,168 --> 00:04:27,386 “You’ll learn respect!” 99 00:04:27,386 --> 00:04:33,580 “You’re a fool to come back here.” 100 00:04:33,580 --> 00:04:39,151 “All right, let’s begin! 101 00:04:39,151 --> 00:04:42,110 “And instead of donning a shirt plate, 102 00:04:42,110 --> 00:04:42,912 you dash into battle, shirt open, navel and… 103 00:04:44,752 --> 00:04:45,002 whatnot exposed!” 104 00:04:46,475 --> 00:04:49,450 Because clothing can shape our first impressions of a character 105 00:04:49,450 --> 00:04:51,438 and has a tremendous influence 106 00:04:51,438 --> 00:04:52,194 on our sense of who they are 107 00:04:52,194 --> 00:04:53,240 every time they are on screen, 108 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,179 sexualized outfits can contribute to what’s called 109 00:04:55,179 --> 00:04:58,079 the hyper-sexualization of female characters. 110 00:04:58,079 --> 00:04:59,611 Hyper-sexualization in the media occurs 111 00:04:59,611 --> 00:05:02,342 when a character is designed to be valued primarily 112 00:05:02,342 --> 00:05:04,400 for their sexual characteristics or behaviors. 113 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,762 In hypersexualized characters, these attributes 114 00:05:06,762 --> 00:05:08,415 are highlighted above all else 115 00:05:08,415 --> 00:05:10,219 and made the center of attention, 116 00:05:10,219 --> 00:05:12,260 while everything else about the character is made secondary. 117 00:05:12,260 --> 00:05:20,548 Games and other media often work 118 00:05:20,548 --> 00:05:22,803 to frame this sexualization as a positive thing for women. 119 00:05:22,803 --> 00:05:25,316 They blur the distinction between female sexualization 120 00:05:25,316 --> 00:05:27,913 and female power, and as a result, 121 00:05:27,913 --> 00:05:30,385 sexualized female characters are sometimes celebrated 122 00:05:30,385 --> 00:05:32,394 for being perceived as “owning” their sexuality 123 00:05:32,394 --> 00:05:33,981 in a way that is empowering. 124 00:05:33,981 --> 00:05:36,098 But it isn’t actually empowering 125 00:05:36,098 --> 00:05:38,138 because the sexuality these characters exude 126 00:05:38,138 --> 00:05:41,867 is manufactured for, and presented as existing for, 127 00:05:41,867 --> 00:05:43,878 the presumed straight male player. 128 00:05:43,878 --> 00:05:46,770 Bayonetta is a quintessential example of such a character. 129 00:05:46,770 --> 00:05:48,846 When the camera caresses her body 130 00:05:48,846 --> 00:05:50,890 as it does in the opening scene of Bayonetta 2, 131 00:05:50,890 --> 00:05:53,535 establishing the player’s relationship with the character, 132 00:05:53,535 --> 00:05:55,076 she is frozen in time, 133 00:05:55,076 --> 00:05:56,869 the passive object of the male gaze. 134 00:05:56,869 --> 00:05:59,070 The camera is putting her and Jeanne 135 00:05:59,070 --> 00:06:00,536 on display for the player, 136 00:06:00,536 --> 00:06:02,032 breaking them down into what the game 137 00:06:02,032 --> 00:06:03,768 is communicating is most important about them: 138 00:06:03,768 --> 00:06:04,788 their sexualized parts. 139 00:06:04,788 --> 00:06:07,033 And when Bayonetta starts moving, 140 00:06:07,033 --> 00:06:08,310 it’s the player who has the power 141 00:06:08,310 --> 00:06:10,623 to control her sexuality as a weapon throughout the game, 142 00:06:10,623 --> 00:06:12,678 both literally and figuratively. 143 00:06:12,678 --> 00:06:15,489 She has an assortment of special moves 144 00:06:15,489 --> 00:06:17,641 called “torture attacks” which involve devices 145 00:06:17,641 --> 00:06:20,118 meant to suggest BDSM and that look like something 146 00:06:20,118 --> 00:06:21,215 you might expect to see 147 00:06:21,215 --> 00:06:23,578 in an exaggerated stereotype of a sex dungeon. 148 00:06:23,578 --> 00:06:25,331 But these sexualized moves 149 00:06:25,331 --> 00:06:26,897 have nothing to do with sex: 150 00:06:26,897 --> 00:06:28,714 they just obliterate her enemies. 151 00:06:28,714 --> 00:06:31,020 And a number of her attacks literally leave her naked, 152 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:33,553 because, you see, she’s attacking the enemies 153 00:06:33,553 --> 00:06:35,820 with her hair and her hair is also her clothing 154 00:06:35,820 --> 00:06:37,828 so when she’s using her hair to attack her enemies 155 00:06:37,828 --> 00:06:40,645 it can’t be covering her body and… 156 00:06:45,442 --> 00:06:46,262 In these ways, the game deliberately links 157 00:06:46,262 --> 00:06:48,381 Bayonetta’s sexuality to power, 158 00:06:48,381 --> 00:06:50,151 selling a version of sexual objectification 159 00:06:50,151 --> 00:06:51,560 that we’re all supposed to feel good about 160 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,235 and find “empowering.” 161 00:06:53,235 --> 00:06:55,053 Every aspect of Bayonetta’s existence, 162 00:06:55,053 --> 00:06:57,368 from the way the camera is magnetically drawn 163 00:06:57,368 --> 00:06:58,419 to her sexualized body parts 164 00:06:58,419 --> 00:07:01,092 to the pole dance reward for completing the game, 165 00:07:01,092 --> 00:07:03,781 is expertly designed to be sexually affirming 166 00:07:03,781 --> 00:07:06,436 and satisfying for a presumed straight male audience. 167 00:07:06,436 --> 00:07:09,426 If it seems like I’m frequently repeating the fact 168 00:07:09,426 --> 00:07:10,950 that the player is presumed to be a straight male, 169 00:07:10,950 --> 00:07:13,292 that’s because it’s vital to remember. 170 00:07:13,292 --> 00:07:15,314 This presumption influences and shapes 171 00:07:15,314 --> 00:07:17,082 so many creative decisions that are made 172 00:07:17,082 --> 00:07:18,938 in the development of many games. 173 00:07:18,938 --> 00:07:20,491 “Let’s see, target market - mostly male, 174 00:07:20,491 --> 00:07:24,219 18-24 years old, interests - senseless violence, 175 00:07:24,219 --> 00:07:26,019 high tech weaponry, pain, humiliation… 176 00:07:26,019 --> 00:07:28,909 hey! Maybe this’ll do the trick.” 177 00:07:29,161 --> 00:07:31,820 Of course, characters like Bayonetta are a fictional fantasy 178 00:07:31,820 --> 00:07:35,283 But in reality, we exist in a culture where women are often valued 179 00:07:35,283 --> 00:07:37,319 primarily for their sexual desirability to men. 180 00:07:37,319 --> 00:07:40,796 So while characters like these are incredibly powerful in the physical sense 181 00:07:40,796 --> 00:07:43,707 able to slay entire armies and bring down gods, 182 00:07:43,707 --> 00:07:47,591 there’s nothing empowering about the fact that they are sexually objectified. 183 00:07:47,591 --> 00:07:50,458 In fact, this connection between objectification 184 00:07:50,458 --> 00:07:52,502 and empowerment is extremely damaging. 185 00:07:52,502 --> 00:07:55,266 It’s harmful to women because rather than 186 00:07:55,266 --> 00:07:57,392 asserting that women have intrinsic value as people, 187 00:07:57,392 --> 00:07:59,642 it communicates that the kind of power available 188 00:07:59,642 --> 00:08:01,666 to women comes from men finding them desirable. 189 00:08:01,666 --> 00:08:04,320 And it’s damaging to men because it suggests 190 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:06,439 that women who are liberated and empowered 191 00:08:06,439 --> 00:08:09,648 are also women whose sexuality is always available to men. 192 00:08:09,648 --> 00:08:12,294 When we conflate the sexualization of women 193 00:08:12,294 --> 00:08:13,085 with power for women, 194 00:08:13,085 --> 00:08:15,096 we internalize this harmful myth 195 00:08:15,096 --> 00:08:17,940 and begin to think sexualization is the only way 196 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:19,736 to achieve gender equality. 197 00:08:19,736 --> 00:08:22,668 But the truth is that sexualization doesn’t actually 198 00:08:22,668 --> 00:08:24,615 bring us any closer to equality. 199 00:08:24,615 --> 00:08:26,596 In her book Enlightened Sexism, 200 00:08:26,596 --> 00:08:28,147 Susan J. Douglas sums up the issue. 201 00:08:28,147 --> 00:08:30,606 ”Under the guise of escapism and pleasure, 202 00:08:30,606 --> 00:08:33,353 we are getting images of imagined power that mask, 203 00:08:33,353 --> 00:08:35,625 and even erase, how much still remains to be done 204 00:08:35,625 --> 00:08:36,689 for girls and women, 205 00:08:36,689 --> 00:08:39,713 images that make sexism seem fine, even fun, 206 00:08:39,713 --> 00:08:42,519 and insist that feminism is now utterly pointless-- 207 00:08:42,519 --> 00:08:44,003 even bad for you. 208 00:08:44,003 --> 00:08:46,216 True power here has nothing to do with 209 00:08:46,216 --> 00:08:48,270 economic independence or professional achievement: 210 00:08:48,270 --> 00:08:50,649 it has to do with getting men to lust after you 211 00:08:50,649 --> 00:08:52,166 and other women to envy you.” 212 00:08:52,166 --> 00:08:55,140 Some gaming fans have come up with all sorts of 213 00:08:55,140 --> 00:08:57,203 ridiculous defenses for the sexualized costumes 214 00:08:57,203 --> 00:08:59,214 female characters are often made to wear, 215 00:08:59,214 --> 00:09:01,692 like the idea that they dress in these outfits as a tactic 216 00:09:01,692 --> 00:09:03,730 to help them distract their male opponents. 217 00:09:03,730 --> 00:09:05,495 It’s not unheard of for developers 218 00:09:05,495 --> 00:09:07,836 to sometimes rely on this harmful logic, too. 219 00:09:07,836 --> 00:09:10,226 The superintelligent AI companion Cortana 220 00:09:10,226 --> 00:09:11,280 from the Halo franchise 221 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,372 has always been depicted as naked, 222 00:09:13,372 --> 00:09:14,890 and when asked about why this is, 223 00:09:14,890 --> 00:09:17,068 franchise director Frank O’Connor said, 224 00:09:17,068 --> 00:09:20,328 "One of the reasons she does it is to attract and demand attention. 225 00:09:20,328 --> 00:09:23,597 And she does it to put people off so they’re on their guard 226 00:09:23,597 --> 00:09:24,654 when they’re talking to her 227 00:09:24,654 --> 00:09:26,941 and that she has the upper hand in those conversations. 228 00:09:26,941 --> 00:09:29,674 It’s kind of almost like the opposite of that nightmare 229 00:09:29,674 --> 00:09:31,433 you have where you go to school in the nude, 230 00:09:31,433 --> 00:09:33,065 and you’re terrified and embarrassed. 231 00:09:33,065 --> 00:09:35,107 She’s kind of projecting that back out to her audience 232 00:09:35,107 --> 00:09:37,570 and winning intellectual points as a result." 233 00:09:37,570 --> 00:09:41,481 Meanwhile, male AIs in the Halo universe do wear clothing; 234 00:09:41,481 --> 00:09:43,964 the idea of them trying to “win intellectual points” 235 00:09:43,964 --> 00:09:46,365 by walking around naked is ridiculous. 236 00:09:46,365 --> 00:09:47,123 But we rarely question 237 00:09:47,123 --> 00:09:49,503 the extremely widespread association 238 00:09:49,503 --> 00:09:50,564 of sexualization and power 239 00:09:50,564 --> 00:09:52,798 when it’s applied to female characters. 240 00:09:52,798 --> 00:09:55,068 Usually, the games themselves don’t go into much detail 241 00:09:55,068 --> 00:09:56,498 to explain or justify why 242 00:09:56,498 --> 00:09:58,187 female characters are sexualized. 243 00:09:58,187 --> 00:10:00,713 Players are simply meant to unquestioningly accept 244 00:10:00,713 --> 00:10:02,536 the impractical outfits these characters are wearing. 245 00:10:02,536 --> 00:10:05,543 Sometimes, however, as in the case of Quiet 246 00:10:05,543 --> 00:10:07,669 from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, 247 00:10:07,669 --> 00:10:10,414 developers build convoluted and absurd tales 248 00:10:10,414 --> 00:10:12,272 about a character’s past into the game 249 00:10:12,272 --> 00:10:15,286 in an attempt to justify their blatant sexualization. 250 00:10:15,286 --> 00:10:18,614 “She, uh, refuses to wear clothes. 251 00:10:20,169 --> 00:10:23,612 The last staff member who tried to dress her - 252 00:10:23,612 --> 00:10:26,407 breathing through tubes. 253 00:10:26,407 --> 00:10:30,027 Other than that, she’s completely cooperative. 254 00:10:30,027 --> 00:10:35,727 She understands English, she never speaks, sweats, or breathes.” 255 00:10:35,727 --> 00:10:37,374 “What?” 256 00:10:37,374 --> 00:10:40,799 “Well, not with lungs at least. 257 00:10:40,799 --> 00:10:42,555 She breathes through her skin. 258 00:10:42,555 --> 00:10:45,742 Clothing would suffocate her. 259 00:10:45,742 --> 00:11:00,015 Showers are okay, but she can’t be submerged.” 260 00:11:00,015 --> 00:11:08,123 “What’s wrong with her?” 261 00:11:08,123 --> 00:11:11,270 “She’s drinking. Through her skin.” 262 00:11:11,270 --> 00:11:17,027 So you see, she can’t wear clothing 263 00:11:17,027 --> 00:11:18,790 because she breathes through her skin! 264 00:11:18,790 --> 00:11:24,607 These ludicrous narrative justifications don’t “make it okay.” 265 00:11:24,607 --> 00:11:26,388 Regardless of whatever absurd explanation 266 00:11:26,388 --> 00:11:27,972 a game might provide, 267 00:11:27,972 --> 00:11:29,377 it should go without saying that 268 00:11:29,377 --> 00:11:31,710 the only real functionality of outfits like this is to 269 00:11:31,710 --> 00:11:34,835 titillate the presumed young straight male player base. 270 00:11:34,835 --> 00:11:36,898 Out of all the arguments that are tossed out 271 00:11:36,898 --> 00:11:38,710 to defend the impractical and objectifying 272 00:11:38,710 --> 00:11:40,866 clothing that women are made to wear in games, 273 00:11:40,866 --> 00:11:42,915 there is one in particular that I hear the most often 274 00:11:42,915 --> 00:11:45,041 and that is perhaps the most pernicious. 275 00:11:45,041 --> 00:11:45,852 That argument is: 276 00:11:45,852 --> 00:11:48,325 “Maybe that’s what she wants to wear!” 277 00:11:48,325 --> 00:11:49,613 Which is ridiculous. 278 00:11:49,613 --> 00:11:51,425 These women are fictional constructs. 279 00:11:51,425 --> 00:11:53,715 That means that they don’t dress themselves 280 00:11:53,715 --> 00:11:55,307 or pick out their own clothing. 281 00:11:55,307 --> 00:11:57,321 I can’t believe I have to say this. 282 00:11:57,321 --> 00:11:59,779 All these visual designs are deliberate choices 283 00:11:59,779 --> 00:12:01,111 made by the developers, 284 00:12:01,111 --> 00:12:02,869 and they serve a specific purpose: 285 00:12:02,869 --> 00:12:04,919 they communicate to straight male players 286 00:12:04,919 --> 00:12:07,149 that these characters exist primarily as sex objects 287 00:12:07,149 --> 00:12:08,675 to be consumed. 288 00:12:08,675 --> 00:12:11,698 In doing so, they also reinforce the larger notion 289 00:12:11,698 --> 00:12:13,741 in our culture that the value of real human women 290 00:12:13,741 --> 00:12:17,191 is determined largely by their sexual desirability to men. 291 00:12:17,191 --> 00:12:18,941 It’s not hard to imagine 292 00:12:18,941 --> 00:12:20,224 what more practical clothing options 293 00:12:20,224 --> 00:12:22,210 might look like for some of these characters. 294 00:12:22,210 --> 00:12:24,403 But if you’re having a hard time envisioning that, 295 00:12:24,403 --> 00:12:25,661 I will let you in on a little secret: 296 00:12:25,661 --> 00:12:27,668 For those of you who aren’t familiar, 297 00:12:27,668 --> 00:12:29,618 there is this thing called a sports bra. 298 00:12:29,618 --> 00:12:31,914 Sports bras are designed to keep breasts held in place 299 00:12:31,914 --> 00:12:34,459 to better facilitate athletic activities. 300 00:12:34,459 --> 00:12:36,219 In other words, they are used 301 00:12:36,219 --> 00:12:38,433 to prevent “jiggle physics” in real life. 302 00:12:38,433 --> 00:12:43,186 In the real world, there are many female 303 00:12:43,186 --> 00:12:45,673 martial artists, athletes, and women in combat roles 304 00:12:45,673 --> 00:12:47,247 that developers could use as inspiration 305 00:12:47,247 --> 00:12:50,154 when designing and dressing their female characters. 306 00:12:50,154 --> 00:12:52,444 It’s important to note that the amount of skin shown 307 00:12:52,444 --> 00:12:54,162 is not the crux of the problem. 308 00:12:54,162 --> 00:12:56,694 Many female athletes wear minimal form-fitting clothing 309 00:12:56,694 --> 00:12:58,743 because it’s more conducive to their activities. 310 00:12:58,743 --> 00:13:00,516 However, their outfits are not designed 311 00:13:00,516 --> 00:13:02,858 with the primary goal of sexualizing the athletes 312 00:13:02,858 --> 00:13:04,650 for the benefit of spectators. 313 00:13:04,650 --> 00:13:07,017 The problem of female characters wearing impractical, 314 00:13:07,017 --> 00:13:09,515 sexualized and objectifying attire and being 315 00:13:09,515 --> 00:13:12,073 put on display for players is not a difficult one to solve, 316 00:13:12,325 --> 00:13:14,010 and developers already know how to do it. 317 00:13:14,010 --> 00:13:15,941 Even many fighting games that have 318 00:13:15,941 --> 00:13:18,089 several sexualized female characters on the roster 319 00:13:18,089 --> 00:13:21,387 often have one female option who is in more practical attire. 320 00:13:21,387 --> 00:13:26,146 The Dark Souls games are generally pretty good 321 00:13:26,146 --> 00:13:28,812 about not making armor appear significantly different 322 00:13:28,812 --> 00:13:30,622 on female characters than it does on male characters. 323 00:13:30,622 --> 00:13:34,852 Natural Selection 2 and XCOM also have 324 00:13:34,852 --> 00:13:37,481 examples of women in practical armor. 325 00:13:37,481 --> 00:13:39,010 And Assassin’s Creed Syndicate put female 326 00:13:39,010 --> 00:13:41,921 gang members in outfits very similar 327 00:13:41,921 --> 00:13:43,493 to those worn by the male gang members. 328 00:13:43,493 --> 00:13:45,942 None of this is to say that characters in games 329 00:13:45,942 --> 00:13:48,209 should never be sexual; far from it. 330 00:13:48,209 --> 00:13:51,481 Sexuality and sexualization are very different things. 331 00:13:51,481 --> 00:13:54,314 The sexualization of female characters is about 332 00:13:54,314 --> 00:13:56,636 designing them, dressing them or framing them 333 00:13:56,636 --> 00:13:59,020 in ways that are specifically intended to be 334 00:13:59,020 --> 00:14:01,547 sexually appealing to presumed male viewers or players. 335 00:14:01,547 --> 00:14:04,232 Women’s sexuality, on the other hand, 336 00:14:04,232 --> 00:14:06,014 exists for themselves, and for those 337 00:14:06,014 --> 00:14:08,106 they care to consensually share it with. 338 00:14:08,106 --> 00:14:10,721 And sexuality can be expressed or experienced 339 00:14:10,721 --> 00:14:12,510 in any kind of attire. 340 00:14:12,510 --> 00:14:13,502 “Come here lover boy!” 341 00:14:14,709 --> 00:14:17,159 Unfortunately, examples in games of female characters 342 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,098 expressing sexual desire in ways that aren’t sexualized 343 00:14:20,098 --> 00:14:21,625 are exceedingly rare. 344 00:14:21,625 --> 00:14:23,139 These next few examples aren’t great depictions 345 00:14:23,139 --> 00:14:24,670 of what we’re talking about. 346 00:14:24,670 --> 00:14:27,362 They’re just some of the only examples that exist at all, 347 00:14:27,362 --> 00:14:28,896 which serves to illustrate how rare it is 348 00:14:28,896 --> 00:14:31,589 for female sexuality in games to be presented in ways 349 00:14:31,589 --> 00:14:34,182 that are humanizing rather than sexualizing. 350 00:14:34,182 --> 00:14:37,399 The Last of Us: Left Behind features female characters 351 00:14:37,399 --> 00:14:38,926 who express romantic feelings for each other, 352 00:14:38,926 --> 00:14:41,035 rather than exuding a sexualized energy 353 00:14:41,035 --> 00:14:43,244 that is directed outward at the player. 354 00:14:43,244 --> 00:14:49,782 “What do we do now? 355 00:14:49,782 --> 00:14:53,465 “We’ll figure it out.” 356 00:14:53,465 --> 00:14:56,697 And in Firewatch, though it’s only heard and not seen 357 00:14:56,697 --> 00:14:59,789 Delilah expresses sexual desire for the player character, Henry. 358 00:14:59,789 --> 00:15:00,828 “I wish I was over there.” 359 00:15:00,828 --> 00:15:04,841 “I wish you were too.” 360 00:15:04,841 --> 00:15:09,147 “We could sit outside, we could talk, 361 00:15:09,147 --> 00:15:14,819 without these radios. We could, um, you know.” 362 00:15:14,819 --> 00:15:16,390 These moments aren’t presented 363 00:15:16,390 --> 00:15:18,933 as titillating morsels of sexuality for players. 364 00:15:18,933 --> 00:15:20,495 Rather, they function as expressions 365 00:15:20,495 --> 00:15:23,208 of the characters’ sexuality that deepen our investment 366 00:15:23,208 --> 00:15:25,266 in the characters and their relationships to each other. 367 00:15:25,266 --> 00:15:27,842 To clarify, the act of sex isn’t the problem, 368 00:15:27,842 --> 00:15:29,529 but rather how its presented. 369 00:15:29,529 --> 00:15:31,658 I’d love to see great representations 370 00:15:31,658 --> 00:15:33,446 of healthy, consensual sex in games. 371 00:15:33,446 --> 00:15:36,364 But sadly, when consensual sex does occur, 372 00:15:36,364 --> 00:15:38,660 it’s often presented as a transaction 373 00:15:38,660 --> 00:15:40,660 or as a reward for player accomplishment. 374 00:15:40,660 --> 00:15:43,138 Whether that accomplishment is completing quests 375 00:15:43,138 --> 00:15:44,932 or just choosing all the right dialogue options 376 00:15:44,932 --> 00:15:46,776 to get the sex cutscene to play. 377 00:15:46,776 --> 00:15:51,195 When fictional female characters in games are dressed 378 00:15:51,195 --> 00:15:52,762 in impractical armor or clothing, 379 00:15:52,762 --> 00:15:55,494 it encourages players to view them as sex objects, 380 00:15:55,494 --> 00:15:58,566 and reinforces the already pervasive and harmful notion 381 00:15:58,566 --> 00:16:01,053 in our culture that sexualization is the most viable 382 00:16:01,053 --> 00:16:03,094 or only real route to power for women. 383 00:16:03,094 --> 00:16:05,535 By contrast, when those characters are dressed 384 00:16:05,535 --> 00:16:08,250 in clothing that is truly practical and functional 385 00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:09,786 for the work that they are doing, 386 00:16:09,786 --> 00:16:12,091 and when they express sexuality and sexual desire 387 00:16:12,091 --> 00:16:14,387 in ways that aren’t served up as sexualized treats 388 00:16:14,387 --> 00:16:16,511 designed primarily for straight male players 389 00:16:16,511 --> 00:16:17,881 to consume and enjoy, 390 00:16:17,881 --> 00:16:19,978 it encourages players of all genders 391 00:16:19,978 --> 00:16:22,356 not to view those characters as sexual objects 392 00:16:22,356 --> 00:16:24,632 but to be invested in them as people.