Ubisoft, Feminism, and the Place of Women in Videogames
by Gary Alexander Stott
One of my favourite characters from the last generation of gaming was known only to me. Her name was Alice, and she was my first Skyrim character – and my best. As a male gamer, playing within the confines of a male-dominated market, you'd think I would prefer to play as a male character, wouldn't you? You'd think I'd prefer to play as a character I had more in common with, one who could appeal to my demographic.
Except you wouldn't really think that, would you? Just because the majority of gamers are male doesn't mean the majority of characters need to be male – or anything like us at all. One might even make the 'absurd' suggestion that characters who are unlike us can be more compelling, interesting, and memorable.
Except you wouldn't really think that, would you? Just because the majority of gamers are male doesn't mean the majority of characters need to be male – or anything like us at all. One might even make the 'absurd' suggestion that characters who are unlike us can be more compelling, interesting, and memorable.
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Let's be clear: this article isn't so much an attack on Ubisoft and their recent misteps as it is an attack on those who would deny that the representation of women in videogames is a problem - because it is. If I had to bet, I would say Ubisoft, as one of the biggest corporate entities in the games industry, places their trust in numbers. Stick a male character on your box art and you're sure to sell copies. Why is this? I have no idea, and perhaps even Ubisoft doesn't know. They just want their games to sell, and so they're following a tried and tested formula, at least with regard to Assassin's Creed: Unity and Far Cry 4, which each belong to two of the industry's biggest franchises. As for their responses to this controversy, they can be dismissed as the comments of employees who tried to end the debate before it even began (perhaps a little sloppily).
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Too many gamers – and people in general – carry the attitude that feminists are simply angry women who over-analyse things and in doing so, attempt to drain the fun out of otherwise enjoyable activities, such as gaming. This is not the case.
Feminism is simply the belief that women have the same intellectual potential as men, and as a consequence, deserve equal status and treatment. This belief is not unreasonable, nor is it restricted to female adherents. I consider myself to be a feminist, and so should you – regardless of your gender. Nor do feminists want to strip the enjoyment out of things. Rather, we want to make sure everybody is included in the fun.
Feminism is simply the belief that women have the same intellectual potential as men, and as a consequence, deserve equal status and treatment. This belief is not unreasonable, nor is it restricted to female adherents. I consider myself to be a feminist, and so should you – regardless of your gender. Nor do feminists want to strip the enjoyment out of things. Rather, we want to make sure everybody is included in the fun.
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With regard to gender, the human race is split roughly 50/50. Can the same ratio be applied to the lead characters of the games industry? This question is rhetorical. Of course this isn't the case. The question is: should it be?
The answer is yes. Art should express and explore as much of the human experience as it possibly can, and half of this range is comprised by the lives of women. Gaming does not yet have the same social status that mediums such as film or literature have, but it does have equally-valid status as an artistic medium, one with its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique forms of expression. |
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It's time we had female characters that aren't defined by their gender. It's time we had female characters that are believable and real, and are impressive because of their personal attributes. And for god's sake, it's time we had female characters that aren't over-sexualised. Voluptuousness has its place when relevant to the character in question – Jessica Rabbit, for instance, isn't sexualised without good reason. It's part of who she is, and it defines how she reacts with other characters. When you have female warriors wearing little-to-no armour compared to their male counterparts, it makes no sense.
For my money, gaming's greatest female character is Ellie from The Last of Us. No part of her character is defined by the fact she is female, nor are any of her strengths impressive in spite of the fact. Furthermore, she is believable. She feels like a real person. If we had more female characters like Ellie, perhaps the sales figures would be kinder to games featuring lead female protagonists, and perhaps the industry would move one step closer to treating women in the same way it treats men. Sadly, sex sells, and if the majority of the audience is male, its hard to see certain trends fading away any time soon.
There is another element to consider here. We've talked at length about how the majority of gamers are male (and how this shouldn't affect the ratio of male-to-female characters), but we haven't discussed why this is the case. Could it be that women are less willing to explore a medium which seems to focus primarily on male characters?
There is another element to consider here. We've talked at length about how the majority of gamers are male (and how this shouldn't affect the ratio of male-to-female characters), but we haven't discussed why this is the case. Could it be that women are less willing to explore a medium which seems to focus primarily on male characters?
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I'm aware I'm approaching a double standard here; let me address this first. Earlier in this article, I stated that male gamers should be perfectly open to experiencing narratives from the perspective of female characters, even if they're less able to relate to these characters, as exploring new perspectives and territories can make for great stories. Now I seem to be saying that the opposite is true of women, that perhaps there are less female gamers because there are less female characters to explore, and perhaps the abundance of male characters leaves little for women to relate to. But there is another factor that must be considered.
Male gamers have plenty to relate to with regard to the abundance of male characters, and we have the option of experiencing things from another perspective – even if this option is limited. Potential female gamers have little to relate to with regard to the abundance of male characters, and are limited to a mere handful of experiences that might mean something more to them. |
I don't mean to segregate men and women by their gender. That's not the point at all. Indeed, one need only ask the female hardcore audience if male characters prevent them from enjoying games, and the answer is of course deeply in the negative. However, the difference here is that I'm talking about potential female gamers as opposed to confirmed female gamers. Whatever set of circumstances led this hardcore minority into the lifestyle, the overall appeal to women is weaker than it is to men due to the poor representation of female characters.
To be fair, the dominance of male characters might be attributed to something as simple as the fact that games are traditionally combat-based, and the physical advantages of men make more sense in a narrative context. Following this line of thought, it's true that other types of games, such as interactive dramas, tend to feature more key female characters. Perhaps if virtual reality takes off, and more and more games stray away from combat, we'll see a golden age for women in games. Then again, perhaps it'll just be more men with guns, running off to rescue another helpless princess. In the end, women have a place in videogames, even if videogames have yet to realise it – and I'll welcome the day that they do.
To be fair, the dominance of male characters might be attributed to something as simple as the fact that games are traditionally combat-based, and the physical advantages of men make more sense in a narrative context. Following this line of thought, it's true that other types of games, such as interactive dramas, tend to feature more key female characters. Perhaps if virtual reality takes off, and more and more games stray away from combat, we'll see a golden age for women in games. Then again, perhaps it'll just be more men with guns, running off to rescue another helpless princess. In the end, women have a place in videogames, even if videogames have yet to realise it – and I'll welcome the day that they do.
Where are all the women? Here
