Representation In Video Games Part 1: Women In Video Games

What Am I Doing?

Ok so after my last trilogy of articles on video games as an art form I have decided to tackle another serious topic to do with video games, representation. So what better place to start off than female representation. I am a man who believes in equality and equal representation (as all should) and whilst female representation in video games has improved recently there is still a long way to go before there is true equality in video games.

Now when tackling this topic I have decided to get the views from other people including many women (because you know they’ll probably know the best when it comes to female representation. Just a thought :P). I have my own views on what I believe makes a good female character but to write purely from my own perspective stating that certain characters are strong without other peoples opinions isn’t going to show us the whole picture of what makes a good female character. It’s important to get other peoples views when thinking about a topic like this because of how important it is.

Now I got my answers from two different places, first of all, I asked a number of my friends a couple of questions on female representation in video games. Secondly, I asked people in the Geek Asylum Facebook page who the best female character was in their opinion and who the worst was. I got some amazing replies thank you all so much. If I interviewed you or you replied to my post and you’re not in this article, sorry there was just way too much content to cover and if I talked about every good reply I got, the article would be more like a small novel rather than an article. Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply to me :).

Now, this article is very different to what I usually do, it has ended up as half the internet featuring me 😛 with about 75% of it being quotes from other people which is a great thing as this is what I wanted this article to be, a compilation of the views of the world on female representation. Just sit back relax and enjoy other peoples opinions on female representation in video games along with my own opinions scattered in there :).

Female Sexualisation In Video Games

So when talking about sexualisation in video games I am reminded of my time when playing Persona 5. The character Ann Takamaki is a strong character who fights against the man who wishes to objectify her and that’s great, however, the game itself sexualises her almost as much as her oppressor does. She constantly has her butt out (even shoving her ass into the air when she has fainted in battle), this wouldn’t be too bad if sexualisation was part of her character but it clearly isn’t, she’s a high achieving high school student, who in cutscenes and dialogue shows no desire to be sexualised, but suddenly when in a fight she becomes a stripper (she doesn’t actually strip although I haven’t actually beaten the 100+ hour campaign yet so who knows she might, I hope not though). So I’m completely against sexualisation? No. If the character warrants it, it’s completely fine. Bayonetta, for example, has her sexiness as one of her major characteristics. She might be sexualised but you can guarantee she’ll be stronger than any men in the room, she clearly enjoys being sexy and that’s completely fine.

So quick summary of what my views on sexualisation are if it fits the character go ahead if not then nope.

Both Laura Haynes and Ryan Johnson had this to say about sexualisation in video games ‘I love female characters but I find they are what we call “Fan service” in animation. Barely any clothes, panty flashes and boob jiggles. I can’t say male characters get the same treatment in games other than a six pack you don’t see crotch shots and bad armour choices. I love cosplay but it’s a shame they feel they have to sexualise a character for her to be a good one. A female character can be attractive just for being bad ass not need to strip her down to side boob and mini skirts. 😊’  – Laura Haynes and ‘Almost all females in video games seem to have been designed as essentially eye candy, they tend to serve very little purpose in games other than fawning over the male leads, whilst wearing next to nothing and adding next to nothing to the games. One my favourite exceptions to this is Anya Stroud from the Gears of War series. The most skin you see is her arms when she’s wearing full combat armour, which is exactly the same armour as a lot of the male NPC’s wear, and she adds a lot to games. Her character develops throughout the series, and even though she’s a supporting member of the cast, you still build a connection with her. I find her to be one of the best written female characters in recent gaming history’ – Ryan Johnson.

Natalie Kemble also talked about armour and female characters in general so this is what she had to say ‘Ok, as a PC gamer, and being relatively novice, I actually really like most female characters – they tend to be mouthy and cheeky. I just SERIOUSLY hate the armour we get. Not only is it really impractical (and subsequently ridiculous to cosplay) but it’s more the fact there isn’t a choice. It’s like -tiny bikini black “armour” or skintight leotard “armour”. The main exception was back when I played The Old Republic online. A couple of my characters actually looked and sounded pretty badass (without spending money on things)’ – Natalie Kemble.

Elizabeth Mc Connon views the sexuality of Bayonetta in a similar way that I do ‘Bayonetta. Girl uses sexuality to distract and kill her enemies. It might seem really sexualised and sexist. But she knows she is hot. Owns her body and skills and uses it to win. It’s kinda empowering. 😁’ –  Elizabeth Mc Connon.

Rachel Hanlon had this to say about Bayonetta, ‘Worst Bayonetta… only played a few times and it is a good game but the whole getting naked thing just not about it. She might be strong but just another piece of eye candy’  – Rachel Hanlon. Some of my friends viewed Bayonetta in a similar way to Rachel. ‘Even though she is powerful she is still be sexualised for men’s pleasure which is what we need to get away from stereotypically in video games’ – Zara Tozer, ‘Though its a step towards female empowerment it suggests that women can only be in control of a situation through some sort of sexualisation’ – Bronte James, ‘Like at least she’s strong and in control but I find sexualisation in games to be really uncomfortable’ – Meg.

Ok, so I asked some of my female friends whether sexualisation could be linked to empowerment in video games, these are the responses I got, enjoy.

‘I think that on the whole, sexualisation of female characters can’t be linked to empowerment as it is usually intended to purely gratify male players. However, I do think that a female character can be empowering as long as she is portrayed as having personality traits e.g intelligence, mental strength, kindness EVEN IF she is physically portrayed as slightly sexualised. I do think on the whole though, that video games with sexualised female characters tend to portray them in a negative light and continue the cycle of women being there for the pleasure of men’ – Meg 

‘Sexualisation can sometimes be a way of empowering women, however, particularly in the gaming industry, it acts a hindrance to women. The gaming industry is mainly targeted towards men so sexualised female characters would purely be for the men’s entertainment rather than for the empowerment of women’ – Bronte James

‘Can sexualisation present a female character as empowered? No. I don’t think you can gain empowerment through being sexually objectified. This reduces women to figures of (often male) pleasure and tends to encourage exploitation for gratification. Sexualisation of female characters almost feels like commercialisation of the female body, which is ultimately degrading, as this places an increased emphasis on the idea that a woman’s power and value is linked to the way that we look (rather than, for example, character assets)’ – Jennie Glas

‘I think that if a woman is sexualised they are being taken advantage of by the male players yet they still are strong or even sometimes have the equivalent strength of males in the game – so they are kinda like underdogs’ – Megan Charles

‘Oh god defo not empowering at all just objectifying making them seem like they’re only good for one thing. Women are just seen as objects and not taken seriously in games they’re just the prize if you get me they’re just there to look pretty’ – Bex Fisher

Whilst I believe sexualisation can be linked to empowerment for both women and men it’s definitely interesting to see what women had to say on the topic.

Damsels In Distress Archetype In Video Games

Spoilers for Super Mario Odyssey 

To be honest, the only time I think that there should be damsels in distresses in video games is in very special cases. Braid and Shovel Knight, for example, use the damsel in distress archetype as a way to mess with the player (both in very different ways which I won’t get into because I have already done an article on Shovel Knight and how it deals with the damsel in distress archetype https://mainstream404.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/how-shovel-knight-does-the-damsel-in-distress-right/ and I hope to do an article on how Braid does it in the future). Also at certain points starting as a damsel in distress gives the character a clear arch in the game to move away from such as Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite who starts off as the damsel in distress but becomes the strongest character in the Bioshock multiverse by the end of the game. Although these examples show that the archetype can definitely have some benefits, the most common use of a damsel in distress I do not agree with (Princess Peach for example), I guess at least the damsels in distresses in more recent games are making the characters more interesting, such as Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and even Princess Peach in Super Mario Odysey who goes on her own adventure after the main game chatting to you in each location giving her slightly more character. She also rejects both Mario and Bowser in a classic “I don’t need a man” moment. So I guess at least the traditional damsels in distresses are becoming slightly more interesting which makes it slightly better, but still not acceptable. Super Mario 3D World managed to have a whole story without Princess Peach getting kidnapped so maybe that is what future Mario games should strive towards.

Mary Deveraux’s opinion on Princess Peach was ‘Which characters i dont like is Peach (basic damsel in distress xD That chick never learns from being kidnapped all the time xD )’ – Mary Deveraux and Michael Perry’s opinion on another damsel in distress Ashley Graham from Resident Evil 4 ‘Worst: Ashley Graham from resident evil 4 because she’s a stereotypical Whitney damsel in distress who could easily pick up a weapon and fight.’ – Michael Perry.

I asked some of my friends what they’re opinions on this topic was and I got this from Bronte James ‘No, they are an outdated concept originating from a time where men wished to push gender roles thus having a male character always being the one to save a weak woman. It would be much more relevant and empowering to women to have a female character save herself in a situation of distress’ – Bronte James. Everyone else responded saying they don’t like the idea either.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth might be my favourite female character of all time, to be honest. At first she seems like just some damsel in distress that needs rescuing (yawn), but when you meet her you find out about how wrong you were in your original assumption. Along with being one of the few times in gaming, that your A.I sidekick is useful (she gives you health, salts and ammo along with opening tears in reality, giving you an upper hand in combat). She is fun to be around she feels like a real person, the voice acting by Courtnee Draper is actually the best voice acting I’ve ever seen in a video game and shes just so great. She is also the main character in Bioshock Infinite Burial At Sea Part 2 which is my personal favourite piece of DLC. I could go on forever but this article is going to be very long with all the quotes from other people that I need to fit in so gonna stop there.

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider Series)

Ok so now onto some of the characters that came up most frequently on my post in the Geek Asylum. Lara Croft definitely appeared most often, Lara Croft seems to be someone who was a role model for many female gamers growing up and that’s bloody great, most people agreed that the reboot version of Lara Croft is far better than the original version (which I completely agree with to be honest). These are some of the best responses I saw in regards to Lara Croft as a character.

‘Lara Croft is one of my favorites. Especially with the reboot. She’s tough, but has a good heart. She’s beautiful and smart. She courageous but still fearful. She’s very HUMAN. When I was young I wanted to be Lara. Now I just try to be like her. It’s hard because there ISNT that many female representations in video games, save for secondary characters. Especially when it comes to MAIN PLAYABLE characters. I know they’re out there but they’re not as… popular. With the rise of female gamers I hope to see more playable women characters.’ – Charli Wrench.

‘Lara is a bad ass that improvises and powers through’. – Lisa Jack.

I reckon the best female video game character out there is Lara Croft. I’m not actually a big fan of the game series myself but clearly Lara has stood the test of time; she became a household name soon after Tomb Raider was released over 20 years ago. Sure there were times she was subjected to the more revealing outfits as so many female video game character’s are, but she’s come through it and the revamp of her character’s attire shows that she’s not intended to be some display of T&A. Just look at the game series over the last decade, or the new movie. Her attire is appropriate and she’s maintained her badass trait throughout. They even toned down the top heavy version of her original physique almost in an effort for her to be taken more seriously and seen as less of an eye candy’. – Stef Matthews.

‘I thought the rebranding of Lara croft was brave and moved here from boys fan service toy to realistic survival character and role model for girls.’ – Paul Simpson.

‘But best character I’d say Lara Croft she was my introduction to the first female main characters in games. Strong, intelligent and bad ass. I grew up wanting to be her thanks to the early games.’ – Laura Haynes.

‘Best has got to be for me Lara Croft. Mainly because, this was the game of my childhood.
She is a strong woman character both mentally and physically, with a high ranking job as an archaeologist. In a way this game opens doors for girls and women who think they can’t do something like a masters degree or rock climbing, just think “well Lara Croft can so f*** it so can I!”‘ – Rachel Hanlon

‘The absolute worse for me was actually Lara Croft until the more recent games, to begin with she was literally a video game sex icon and made to look so, recently though they’ve made her more human and less barbie, which is great’ – Ryan Stanworth

Aloy

Another popular choice was Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn (will talk more about the game in my top ten games of 2017 list which I swear is coming just had to play a lot of games and its a lot of writing :P). I think what makes Aloy such an interesting character is how she is both oppressed because of her gender and because she is an outcast but she overcomes everything and ends up being not only one of the strongest female characters I’ve seen but also one of the strongest characters in general.

Neil Dobson had some good stuff to say about Aloy ‘I think a nice step forward is Aloy the lead character from Horizon Zero Dawn. She’s a real person with her reactions to events in the cut scenes and very strong/independent. She just doesn’t need any male help and is more badass than any of her peers without becoming a cliche. She is also not wearing a bikini or hot pants (there is one outfit choice that exposes her midriff, but it’s a choice to use that armour and it’s not actually very good)’ – Neil Dobson.

Hat Kid

The reason I like Hat Kid so much (other than my love of the game that she is in) is because her gender is literally nothing to do with her, she’s just a kid having fun and going on adventures she could have easily been a guy but instead shes a girl because who not :). Also, she steals an umbrella from the mafia so yeah she just became the coolest character ever.

Chell

Spoilers For Portal and Portal 2

Onto the protagonist of my favourite game series ever, Chell from the Portal series. Chell is a character whose gender is nothing to do with her, which in my opinion are some of the best female characters. Women are people and therefore have just as much of a personality as men and therefore their character doesn’t have to boil down to “oh I’m a woman”, I know it seems obvious but a lot of video game developers seem to forget this. She manages to stop GLaDOS and Wheatley without saying a word and without a real weapon using her wit and agility to defeat any foe she comes across. Here is what other people have to say about it.

Chelle from portal, no silly Armour and tenacious too she was my favourite to play x – Lynn Watret

‘The main character from portal Chell. She just gets on with s***’ – Helen Muffy Dilworth

Tifa Lockhart

Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII

Now whilst I have never actually played through all of Final Fantasy VII so can’t comment on Tifa Lockhart as a character myself I got an amazing response by Judith Herdman which I needed to share with everyone even if I couldn’t comment on it myself :). Thanks for the response Judith.

‘One of my all-time favourite game characters is the one and only Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy VII. She trained in multiple martial arts under the instruction of Zangan and when she was just 15, saw the moment Sephiroth discovered what Shinra had made of him. He went crazy and even knowing he was the Great Sephiroth, Tifa was brave enough to attack him with his own sword, Masamune. Sephiroth gutted her at Nibelheim’s mako reactor and she was rescued by her instructor, Zangan. On recovering in Midgar, Tifa didn’t wallow in pity and grief for what Sephiroth took from her, she got angry. Angry enough to join an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche and along with Barret Wallace, Biggs, Jessie and Wedge, the four set off on a campaign to destroy the corrupt Shinra Corporation by blowing up the reactors. Her eco-terrorism shows her anger as both a major flaw and a major strength for Tifa. Avalanche gave her the outlet she needed to channel that anger in, first a destructive way that probably cost a lot of lives, and then it became channeled in the right way. By helping save lives instead of simply blowing things up. Tifa wasn’t just an angry female who became an orphan, but she took care of the orphans in the Midgar slums. She had her own bar called Seventh Heaven and it was in that bar where she worked to make the lives of those around her better, even if only for a little while. Her strength and fortitude really shines when she doles out much needed common sense to push Cloud out of his apathy, out of his dream where he was the Soldier and back into reality. She brought the team back together after the loss of Jessie, Biggs and Wedge, she broke through to Vincent Valentine and she accepted help in turn. Tifa Lockhart has true pride and courage, she is humble and has a heart of gold, who won’t back down no matter the cost. Hell, she even tried to break through to Sephiroth, but he was too far gone. Rude, Reno, Tseung and Elena respect her, despite her being the enemy for much of VII and in Advent Children, they’re fighting on the same team. It cut me down to see how underused she was in Advent Children, being mainly there to yet again snap Cloud out of his apathy. She got one fight that she lost against Loz. She’s still helping care for the orphans and the planet, still caring for Marlene while Barret works away in the oil fields and she rebuilt Seventh Heaven into something bigger and better. Tifa Lockhart for the win.’ – Judith Herdman

Samus

Just realised that the acronym for Metroid: Other M is ‘MOM’ I really hope this is a coincedence, but knowing the themes of Other M I doubt it. I have a very love-hate relationship with Samus. The fact that your reward for speed running the original Metroid was Samus taking off more clothes is ridiculous, her whole portrayal in Metroid Other M is the worst, and the fact that Zero Suit Samus is a character in Smash Bros is very weird (“ok so what character can we add to Smash Bros, I know lets just take off Samus’s armour and call it a day”), I know that in Super Smash Bros Brawl you transform into Zero Suite Samus from Samus and she isn’t her own character there, but why? Anyway here is some other peoples opinions on her enjoy :).

Well the main character in metroid has got to be one of the top, especially as no one knew she was a woman initially. – Chanice Hird

Samus Aran. She’s just a badass in a suit of armour. I think you can glean a lot about gender expectations based on how people reacted to the revelation that she’s a girl. – Sam Hatley

Evie Frye

When playing through Assassins Creed Syndicate I always played as Evie when possible, she was better than her male counterpart (Jacob) in every way, whilst he was a brute who wanted to start a gang to fulfil his assassinations, Evie would hide in the shadows and silently eliminate anyone who she wanted dead. The most annoying thing about Evie was how Ubisoft marketed the game, presenting Jacob as the protagonist whilst limiting Evie to a supporting role whilst in reality she was as prominent in the game as he was. It just shows how a lot of developers don’t want to show themselves with female protagonists which is a shame and something that needs to change.

Female Commander Shepard

Another game I’ve never played so can’t really comment on but Mass Effects Female Commander Shepard seemed to pop up a lot so I’ve found two of the best responses about female Shepard as a character and put them all in one place for you all to enjoy.

‘For me, the best is fem sheppard in the mass effect game series. The ability to have the option to play as male or female in game, is what is most appealing to me, so instead of hey look this is a game about a female character, or male character. You have the option to play a great game, choosing either to be male or female’. – Lesley Ann Baker

‘Slightly different angle here, for variation. I am going to go with the “female” version of Shepard from the Mass Effect series, even though there may be more iconic female characters in other genres. I say this because the animations between the female and male versions are otherwise the same (same model) and all cut scenes are done the same way but with male or female depending on gender choice at the start. So really the only metric to differentiate them is the voice acting. The female voice actor did a lot more of a convincing job of coming across as a badass ship captain to me, and also synergised better with the other NPCs especially during more personal moments. I tried playing the male version but I found the performance a lot more wooden and scripted, even though the words were the same! I think it was in the way the female actress projected her voice’ – Darren Burges.

Tiny Tina (Borderlands)

I haven’t played Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep (the place where she really shines) for ages but just remember how much of a good character she was during it, she’s funny but also ends up being much more than just a funny character at the end, I won’t spoil anything though just go play it :P. James Stone has this to say ‘I would say Tiny Tina from the borderlands series because she adds a lot of humour to the game and craziness to the already wacky world of borderlands. But also because of the more human and sensitive side of her in Borderland’s DLC – ‘Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep’ – James Stone.

Ellie (The Last Of Us)

Ellie is brilliant I’m not going to talk much about her here as I’m planning on doing an article on her in the future, and anyway I think Rachael Nicholls puts it better than I ever could anyway. ‘Ellie is one of my favourite characters. I don’t know if it’s just cause I got daddy issues, but i really enjoyed this game mostly due to the character development.
Throughout this game I can’t think of a moment where a character was held back due to their gender. However she became a target for being a young girl. Yet manages to overcome that hurdle kicking ass. Feel like any young female playing this game would feel inspired.’ – Rachael Nicholls

Rosalina

Haven’t got much to say on Rosalina just thought she’d be worth a mention as a much stronger counterpart to Princess Peach.

Dead or Alive + Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Can we all agree that if this game just disappeared the human race would benefit? The idea of this game is actually disgusting putting all of the female characters from a fighting game series and making them play volleyball in practically nothing with magical bouncing boobs it’s just weird.

Mary Deveraux summarised whats wrong with it very well. ‘The DoA female characters in their Volleyball game. I hate it because they are so dumb without a brain in this game and extremly overly sexualized. Even gravity cant do anything about their big boobs there and the tiniest bikinies ive ever seen. But i hate them just because they are protrayed so dumb and sexualized in this particular game, when they are usual strong badass fighters who beat asses. It makes me too sad Acting like innocent girls but then the bodies of porn characters,i feel so disturbed by that (sorry i dont wanna offend any fans of it)’ – Mary Deveraux.

Chanice Hird had this to say on the original fighting game Dead or Alive ‘The worst is definitely the women in dead or alive, whilst I love the game the oversized boobs and tiny outfits were ridiculous!’ – Chanice Hird.

Pokémon

The other author on this site Ben Faulkner has this to say on the mothers in the Pokémon games. ‘The worst representation of women that I have chosen is every mum in Pokemon games. They all just conform to stereotypical mother roles of staying at home and never leaving the kitchen. Even the mums that have a bit of background like gen 6 with her being that Rhydon champion apparently, means nothing as she still spends all her time at home in the kitchen. They, in my opinion, are the worst representation of women’ – Ben Faulkner. I agree the mothers in Pokémon are more like robots than characters, like mother I’ve just beaten the Pokemon league no I don’t want to go to sleep I want you to love me. 

Overwatch

Overwatch has some of my favourite female characters, some of the strongest characters in the game are female, Mercy, Moira, D.Va, Pharah, Tracer… I could go on. Even though some sexualisation exists, it both works for the characters and isn’t too overtop. All the characters look awesome in this game including all the female characters. This is what my girlfriend Zara Tozer had to say ‘Tracer. Enough said 😂 Your welcome’ – Zara Tozer. Chanice Hird had this to say ‘Overwatch do a good job of not sexualising all the female characters. The creator was clearly a butt man, but apart from they are pretty badass and all have decent armour/clothes.’ – Chanice Hird. Ben Faulkner (the other author of these articles) said this ‘For best representation I didn’t choose the most obvious but I decided to choose someone who is a very strong representation of women but not maybe the most obvious. I chose Zarya from Overwatch. I think she is an excellent representation of women in a way that they normally aren’t represented. Even with the strong female characters (and I’m not saying this is a problem) but they are usually all still depicted as very attractive like Chell, Elizabeth and even Zelda in some games. Its not a problem but i think Zarya is there for women that maybe are not super attractive but she is insanly strong and shows off as well women that are on par with men in that way in terms of muscles as well. I know that maybe wasn’t the best way of putting forward but im just typing this as it comes and i wanted to choose someone a bit un obvious’ – Ben Faulkner.

Other Quotes I Like But Either Can’t Fit Into A Single Category Or Can’t Comment On Because I’ve Never Actually Played The Game That They Are Discussing, But They Were Too Good To Not Include.

The title says it all the article is basically finished at this point but these responses were too good to not include so have put them all here for your reading pleasure.

‘A few of my favourites would have to be ciri from the witcher 3, Alice from madness returns and Juliet starling from lollipop chainsaw. The reason for alice is she just owns the place and the characters, when sidetracked or sent somewhere else she just gets on with it. She also has to overcome her own fears of forgetting and just does it by killing everything XD for ciri she’s just plain badass. She’s young but she’s knows herself and is quite empowered. And Juliet because who else can pom pom a zombie to death while hey mikey plays in the back round? XD’ – Teri Stewart

‘I also like Clementine of TWD,she came so far in the series for her young age’ – Mary Deveraux.

‘I still love Vertigo from Primal Rage – god of insanity, literally interested in power and stomping on shit, dangerous and a massive lizard. She is one of the greatest game characters as she isn’t motivated by anyone other than herself, no daddy issues, boyfriend issues, isn’t the stereotype of female characters having to be pretty and slim (which I found to be friggin’ hilarious in Gears of War 3). She also gets to be the bad guy. Her gender isn’t important to the story or her actions, she’s just awesome.’ – Jo Yelland

I personally hate the “badass strong woman” archetype as well as the “damsel in distress”. Neither of them to me feel like realistic representations of women.
You’re either a balls to the wall survivor hero or flimsy af and i identify with neither of these. Exceptions to this rule tend to be RPG characters who are still badass but they’re a badass of my own creation. Commander Shepherd is my perfect heroine but that’s because she is space me. *edit* Oh an everysuper woman has a tragic back story. *eyeroll* – Helen Muffy Dilworth

‘Trying to think of a good female character who isn’t a bad guy that I like. Juli Kidman (The Evil Within series) is a recent one I’ve loved. Not good, not bad, just struggling and it’s with good reason if you look at what she is going through. Technically doesn’t fail the Bechdel Test (it’s complicated and I will not spoil). Smart, streetwise, a real fighter in the emotional and mental sense if not in the physical, understands her weaknesses and strengths and doesn’t give up. Pretty cool. Though I do wish she would take off her heels when running from monsters. Seriously, those are not suitable footwear for her line of work. XD’ – Jo Yelland

‘I quite like playing mortal kombat my go to is usually Cassie cage or Sonya blade as I feel there both more better with there Attacks and they didn’t have silly masks like Melina etc and I feel there more like a down to earth person and would see someone like them on streets also I feel there the most covered up unlike melina xx’ – Laura Mills

As much as it’s not fair games are still very much male dominant – Jordan Ross Shield

‘Yuna from the FF series is the worst. IMO Yuna is weak AF and has the personality of a drain pipe.’ – Lisa Jack

‘I also like Shiva from residential evil 5 as she can hold her own, is a poc and wasn’t sexualised’ – Chanice Hird

‘Quiet as the best because she kicks ass and has powers’ – Michael Perry

‘Tangier always stands out to me, she’s one step ahead of you at every turn in Red Faction 2 and even saves you from Molov if my memory serves me correct.’ – Kieran Stott

‘As for the worst, I want to say Revolution 60, as, despite being a game that wants to flaunt the fact it’s ‘progressive’, the cast is a homogenous selection of white women with the same curvy body type’. – Sam Hatley

‘The female cast in dragon age and mass effect are fantastic, they each have their own story and style and are not made to be all booberiffic’. – Ryan Stanworth

‘Oooooh the other thing I forgot was that I feel like Developers shy away from doing female leads due to the fact they aren’t common. But on the contrary, ‘Hellblade – Senua’s Sacrifice’ is evidence that games with female roles can be successful games and appeal to a wide range of both female and male’ – James Stone

‘Would like to see more female characters that have armour, dressed in what armour should be like A metal bikini ain’t saving anything’  – Rachel Hanlon

Conclusion

Thanks everyone for reading and thank you to everyone who has made this article possible with your amazing responses on the best female characters for you, the worst female characters for you and just general comments on female representation in video games. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand my viewpoint on the topic along with what a lot of other people think. If you enjoyed please like and follow Mainstream404 if you want to see new articles like this, if you didn’t like this constructive feedback is of course welcome in the comments :). Thanks everyone.