|
Female Role Models? In MY RPGs? More likely than you think!
For better or worse (in my opinion, better), Feminism is in full swing. More and more are the cries for proper female role models in the media (as if guys didn't need role models--but that's another topic). I remember a show where there was a girl who caused a bit of a stir over a video game; her brothers were playing a game called 'Babe Raider', where the main character....well, she was inspired by Lara Croft, what can I say?
While I do say that characters like Lara Croft make for horrible role models (do people even take Lara seriously? The heck?), I stand that there are proper and admirable women in video games. You just have to look.
Sure, these characters are more often than not 'idealized'; i.e., they're hot and unrealistically designed. I don't mean that their boobs are gigantic (Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria's titular Valkyrie is actually quite modestly endowed), but they all fall under the term 'conventional beauty'. That is to say, they're all a certain weight, with certain characteristics. But, as far as personalities go, I can think of a few video game women that are respectable.
The valkyries of Valkyrie Profile come to mind, first and foremost. While they do take orders from Valhalla, they're not afraid to flip authority the bird. The only person that's flat-out stronger than Lenneth (VK's protagonist) is Freya, her boss. Even Odin can get owned by Lenneth...eventually. Silmeria, from Valkyrie Profile's sequel, also deserves credit, as she rebels against Valhalla, and pretty much cuts a swath to victory. The Valkyries are valiant, powerful warriors, and play a big role in the overall world, as they pretty much affect a warrior's afterlife.
I wanted to bring up Xenosaga's KOS-MOS, too, but she's played for looks quite a bit; while she is certainly inspiring, in a way (it's explained that, while she's a robot, she was given a woman's body, seeing as women are divine symbols of creation and life), she's also got a nice pair of (completely sillicone-base!) 'weapons' on her. Also, she's got more than a few (four, at last count) bodies, the last two really show off her figure. I'm reminded of a line in Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time where someone says, "Perhaps beauty is part of what it means to be a woman." I dunno...maybe I'm just thinking too much. Still, I think KOS-MOS deserves credit, especially when we take into account what she really is...
The last woman I'd like to mention is Jade from Beyond Good and Evil...but I never played much of that one. All I can say is, she's moderately endowed, and she works to topple a dogmatic empire with journalism. Isn't that inspiring, in a way?
|
