lorna dane exists in the x-men movieverse and they have done NOTHING about it
?
aside from Pietro’s younger sister in DOFP who is most likely to be Polaris what’s the source for this?
While agenderlehnsherr was probably talking about Pietro’s younger sister, it’s worth mentioning that even though it was sort of a throwaway thing, Lorna Dane was included on a computer showing a list of mutants in X2. That list also includes “Maximoff (2)” on it.
john epler, you either haven’t watched the videos or played the video games 😦
Sorry to pick on this one comment and single you out—normally I don’t read the comments to posts, and for good reason, but here I am waiting for my plane with nothing better to do…and I come across a comment like this that just rankles me.
Because I can assure you that John has, in fact, watched the videos. And he has, in fact, played the games. All the games. John’s as hardcore a gamer as they come. He’s also a game developer, and a damned good one, and I’m quite confident he’ll be around in the industry for many years to come…so he’s hardly talking out of his ass when he says these things.
I’ve seen the @femfreq videos as well, and I’ve commented on them previously. When I did so, I got a deluge of exactly this type of response: “But she’s cherry-picking her evidence!” “Her views are biased!” “Everything about those videos is garbage, and she needs to be stopped!”
Okay. Let’s pretend for a moment that, for those of you who feel this way, you’re absolutely right. My question is this:
Why the fuck do you even care?
Is there such a profound shortage of shitty opinions on YouTube or elsewhere on the Internet that the appearance of this one constitutes a crime in the making? Have you asked yourself why it’s this particular opinion that drives you up the goddamned wall? What do you tell yourself, if and when you stop for that moment of introspection?
I was recently talking to a colleague who suggested a notion that’s stuck with me. It’s the idea that many of these people don’t think of feminism as a thing. Or, if it is a thing, it certainly has no bearing on them or on the game industry. It’s not real. A made-up problem.
Since it’s not a real issue, so is the idea of women being subject to any kind of systemic abuse or oppression. “Hey, I’m a gamer—I’ve been ridiculed and marginalized as well. Why does nobody care about my problems? Everyone has issues, so why do I suddenly have to be the bad guy? You guys are oppressing me!”
In the light of that kind of opinion, a woman talking about feminism or a queer person talking about sexuality isn’t them speaking from a place of disadvantage— they are, in fact, using an unfair advantage, one that not everyone has, to influence the game industry.
And, OH GOD, the industry is listening. 0.5% of game site articles are actually talking about this shit. It’s everywhere! Game developers are swallowing this stuff up. Not because it’s true, of course, but because that unfair advantage makes them feel guilty, and they’ll act on it to score points because Political Correctness! If we don’t stem the tide now, every game will soon become something between an After School Special and a United Benneton ad! I’ll have this shoved down my throat in every. single. game!
Yes. This is exactly the sort of thing that get’s said to me, such as on Twitter. Constantly.
Look, you don’t want to be lumped in with the bad guys? Then don’t be a bad guy. Don’t be the dick who makes everything about you.
And don’t, for the love of God, act like nobody in the game industry is capable of a single discerning thought…that unless someone comes along and stomps that shit down right now, we’ll all just mindlessly nod our heads and follow along.
As John said, the industry needs to be able to listen to critique—yes, of any kind, from all parts of its audience—and form our own opinions regarding what can or can’t be done about it. We’re grown ups. I think we can take it. I think we can and should look on the stuff we’ve done and will do, and if not change everything, at least stop and consider for a moment what kind of effect our games have on our audience—intentional or not.
That is the purpose of critique. To make you think. That’s it.
I was always really fond of the X-Men series/franchise and then I think it just sort of spiraled out of control once i re-watched the original franchise and then First Class, which then ultimately led to me seeing the Avengers which sort of jump started a dormant sleeping dragon in terms of comics and delving into character histories;
i think marvel was always just part of my life in some shape/way/form but i didn’t really pay attention to it until a few years ago; and well, here we are today :”D
omg that’s the same with me! I always vaguely liked X-men then First Class really made me want to know more about the franchise
This is why I’m annoyed that Marvel and Disney seem to aggressively refuse to believe that using and promoting good things from the X-Men comics is somehow a bad thing just because Fox owns the film rights. It’s like “Oh, we could make $20-30 from one person every month and all we have to do is make the most of what we have? Can’t have that!”
every woman on tumblr should have this on their dash
And every man
Look how nobody’s yelling or arguing or making things into a competition. Look how this is to straight up educate people through a different perspective. Look how effective that makes the message.
So, earlier today, I ran across a post on Twitter claiming that strong female protagonists are the rule in video games and not the exception. The person used this graphic to make that point.
Now, I’m going to be answering every single one of these from a standpoint of what I know and don’t know, and some of this will include personal bias. Feel free to disagree.
Also, please note that I am NOT saying the list’s original creator, jashinslayer, ever intended his list to be used as a way to claim female protagonists are the rule. That’s all on the person who decided to use his graphic in that way.
Chell (Portal 1 and 2): Currently closest on this list to a strong female protagonist. You hardly ever see her, and she says nothing. Male counterpoint: Gordon Freeman.
Shion Uzuki (Xenosaga): Last game she appeared in was 8 years ago, whether or not she counts strong is debatable depending on who you ask.
Samus Aran (Metroid): Other M. I could go paragraphs on this, but for the sake of time, I’ll keep it short. The things that made her strong were undermined in that game.
Jill Valentine (Resident Evil): RE3 was 15 years ago. RE5 turned her into a mind-controlled damsel in distress whose suffering under Wesker’s command for 2 years happened entirely to show Chris “suffering” at seeing her that way; we get no insight into Jill’s suffering. What follows is a fanwank of the director trying to force the idea that Jill is “damaged goods” and Sheva is a much more deserving partner for Chris. Revelations partly made up for this, but shoehorned in Chris coming to her rescue at the end. Jill was nowhere to be seen in RE6. Male counterpoint: Chris Redfield (who’s been shoehorned into everything since RE5).
Claire Redfield (Resident Evil): Code Veronica happened 14 years ago. Degeneration saw her needing to be rescued by Leon twice, and acting as support for Leon’s heroics once, while Claire gets a single couple minutes’ worth of badassery. Also had an undertone of “naive, easily manipulated girl falling for villain” in Frederic Downing until the end. Excluded from RE6. NOTE: Revelations 2 looks like it may be making up for this stuff, but it took tons of complaint by fans about Claire not appearing as a protagonist in any games for 14 years to happen. Male counterpoint: Leon S. Kennedy (current posterboy of Resident Evil; RE4, Degeneration, Damnation, RE6).
Rebecca Chambers (Resident Evil): Resident Evil 0 happened 12 years ago. Nothing since. Male counterpoint: Billy Coen.
Terra (Final Fantasy VI): FF6 came out nearly 20 years ago. Dissidia made her a wilting flower damsel type from what I’ve been told. Also been told this was corrected in the second Dissidia game. So, her case is flimsy. Celes Chere would have been a better example of a strong female protagonist, but she wasn’t in Dissidia. Male counterpoint: Locke.
Rydia and Porom (Final Fantasy IV: The After Years): Stars of individual Tales. Male counterpoints: Ceodore, Kain, Yang, Edge, Edward, Palom
Yuna (Final Fantasy X-2): FFX-2 came out 11 years ago. It was also terrible as a sequel and Yuna was badly out of character (though others will disagree). She acted less like more like a tween girl than anything else. Male counterpoint: Tidus, who Yuna’s FFX-2 gunner design is made to imitate.
Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII): I can grant this one in objective terms. Subjective terms, I think Motomu Toriyama purposely ruined Aya Brea from 3rd Birthday to avoid people losing interest in Lightning, so I don’t personally count Lightning here. Male counterpoints: Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart, Zidane Tribal, Tidus, Cecil Harvey, Bartz, so on and so on.
Jade (Beyond Good and Evil): Game came out 11 years ago.
Lilith (Borderlands): Token woman in an otherwise all-male team. Notably, she and the other Sirens become trophy assets to Handsome Jack in Borderlands 2; hey, I like the game, but I have to be honest. Male counterpoints: Roland, Mordecai, Brick.
Maya (Borderlands 2): Same deal as above, minus the trophy assets part. Male counterpoints: Axton, Salvador, Zer0.
Heather (Silent Hill 3): Game came out 11 years ago. Male counterpoints: Harry Mason, James Sunderland, Henry Townshend.
Maya Amano (Persona 2): Eternal Punishment came out 14 years ago. Male counterpoint: Tatsuya Suou.
P3 Protagonist (Persona 3): Yes, it’s a positive move since the original only had a male protagonist, but the male protag is still a counterpoint.
Shanoa (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia): Portable game, not a mainstream title. Male counterpoints: Simon Belmont, Alucard, probably others I don’t know about.
Charlotte Aulin (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin): Game came out 8 years ago, same issue as above. Male counterpoint: Jonathan Morris, other men cited above.
Ayame (Tenchu): Haven’t played much Tenchu since the late 90s, but male counterpoint: Rikimaru.
Lenneth Valkyrie (Valkyrie Profile): Game came out 14 years ago. Last game to include her (as a lesser character), and last game in the franchise thus far, has a male main protagonist.
Chris Lightfellow (Suikoden 3): Game came out 12 years ago. Male counterpoints: Hugo, Geddoe.
Ellen (Folklore): Male counterpoint: Keats.
Aya Brea (Parasite Eve): Last game where Aya Brea was actually Aya Brea and treated respectfully as the badass she is was 14 years ago. 3rd Birthday absolutely butchered the character in the most insulting and sexist “reimagining” I’ve ever seen, even in most fanfiction.
Estelle Bright (The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky): Male counterpoint: Joshua Bright.
Princess Peach (Mario series): Typically the damsel in distress, her treatment has improved in recent years but she is still most known for that status. Male counterpoints: Mario, Luigi, Toad.
Rena (Star Ocean 2): Game came out 15 years ago. Male counterpoint: Claude.
Yunica Tovah (Ys Origins): Male counterpoints: Hugo Fact, The Claw.
Female protagonists on this list that are alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight (as in, still treated well, recent, and have no male counterpoint): Nilin (Remember Me) Alice (American McGee’s Alice) Faith (Mirror’s Edge) Fiona Belli (Haunting Ground) Jeanne (Jeanne D’Arc) Recette Lemongrass (Recettear) Claire Redfield (Resident Evil: Revelations 2, pending) Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, according to most people that aren’t me) Lightning (FF13, according to people that aren’t me)
Games where I can’t judge because I don’t know enough about them (though some may be too old to count): Fire Emblem, Radiant Dawn, Fatal Frame series, Phantasy Star, Um Jammer Lammy, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Clock Tower series, Atelier series, Wild Arms XF,
Who?: D, D2, The Longest Journey 1-2, Syberia, Megaman ZX, Megaman ZX Advent, Another Code 1-2, Mischief Makers, Jet Force Gemini, Monster World IV, Liberation Maiden, Chantelise, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, La Pucelle: Tactics, Hydrophobia, Ground Control, Urban Chaos, Izuna 1-2, Giana Sisters series, Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, Yggdra Union, Gray Matter, Summon Night, Kameo: Elements of Power, My World My Way, Hexyz Force, Drakan series, Martian Gotchic
The last category there is NOT irrelevant. It demonstrates a very important factor: that a LOT of the games listed here are obscure, possibly indie, and therefore expecting people to see them and think “Oh, there are plenty of strong female protagonists in this industry” is misguided. For every one of them, there are dozens more games that star male protagonists. If you have to fill the list with obscure games for padding, it defeats the point.
Now, here’s the last two categories. These are male and female protagonists I can think of just off the top of my head in addition to the male counterpoints I listed above. This is not an exhaustive list, merely what I can think of and find off the top of my head and in my immediate game collection.
Male protagonists:
Kratos (God of War) Solid Snake/Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid series) Raiden (Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Rising) Vincent Brooks (Catherine) Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem Forever) Alan Wake (Alan Wake series) Booker DeWitt (Bioshock Infinite) Ezio Auditore, Altair, Connor, Edward Kenway, Arno (Assassin’s Creed games) Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes) Dante (Devil May Cry) Link (Legend of Zelda) Corvo Attano (Dishonored) Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend) Cole Phelps (L.A. Noire) Cole MacGrath (inFAMOUS) Delsin Rowe (inFAMOUS: Second Son) Max Payne (Max Payne) Garcia Hotspur (Shadows of the Damned) Sebastian Castellanos (Evil Within) Mondo Zappa (Killer is Dead) Gene (God Hand) Frank West (Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record) Chuck Greene (Dead Rising 2) Nier (Nier) Prince (Prince of Persia series) Yu Narukami (Persona 4) Nathan Drake (Uncharted series) Master Chief (Halo series)
Additional female protagonists: Bayonetta (Bayonetta) Fetch (inFAMOUS: First Light DLC) Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite DLC) Aveline (Assassin’s Creed Liberation) Juliet Sterling (Lollipop Chainsaw) Juli Kidman (Evil Within DLC, pending)
Note that the additional female protagonists section has two hypersexualized protagonists, and four that only star in DLC or spinoff titles and not main entries. I excluded many games that have big rosters (fighting games) or a team of characters, but what I’ve seen of the general rule for those is that the majority of available characters are male.
In short, anyone that thinks the industry is lousy with strong female protagonists to the point where they’re the rule and not the exception is mistaken. That MIGHT have been true in the late 90s/early 00s when Lara Croft, Aya Brea, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Samus Aran and more were new and prominent. Today, female protagonists, let alone strong ones, are incredibly rare next to the piles on piles of male protagonists.
I don’t know about you guys, but with all the Dantes and Snakes and Kratoses out there, I’d like mainstream games to have more strong female protagonists as their main stars than I can count on one hand.
salarta 