Poll of the Day > Do gamers actually hate women in games?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It's a common media narrative. That, whenever there is a female in games, fans will be outraged and detest her; especially if she's not subservient/supportive of the main character. After some thought I think I can safely say that I feel this claim is outrageous and stupid. We have a ton of women in games whom are not either as well as plenty in leading roles that people like and adore. Gamers like female MC's because, let's face it, it's awesome. Characters like Samus are badass and fun. The problem isn't that women are the main lead but, rather, that so many get put in these roles in games with massive problems and, when the game fails, the blame gets put on the girl. It could be a poorly written glitch-fest with gameplay that's abysmal at best, but that's not why people didn't buy it; it's because they're CLEARLY a bunch of sexists! I find it massively irritating that people think I hate girls because I'm a gamer.

What about you guys? Any thoughts on the matter?
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Nope.
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Hate no, often unwelcome in the hobby, maybe.
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I dont hate it at all especially when it makes sense and doesn't come off as pandering. Nowadays tho you often see female characters included as part of the SJW agenda.

It also pisses me off when games try and portray men and women as equally capable combatants, men are far better at all things war then women, stop trying to fucking brainwash people that they are equal here.
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Fake TC is Fake
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lolno, shitty sjw narrative
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Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.
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Unbridled9 posted...

especially if she's not subservient/supportive of the main character

The the exact opposite happened in Metroid...

Golden Road posted...

Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.

Fake news.
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Literally the last four games I played had a female protagonist, and the one before that was an ensemble cast (Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate) where I was using female characters at least as much as male.

Hell, out of all the games that I've played through this past year, 6 had a female main character, 1 had a male main character, and 2 were ensemble casts.

I'm fine w/ female protagonists. Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though. I've always preferred Japanese games, but this gen it's gotten downright lopsided (all nine I've played this year....).

No, we just don't want politics in our games.
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Not all of them do

But yes absolutely
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I don't like feminists banning hot characters.
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No.
Unless it's intentionally there because of political reasons.
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No, they just hate 1 dimensional token characters/overall bad characters
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Golden Road posted...

Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.

This actually tends to be true.
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Serdar posted...

I don't like feminists banning hot characters.

This isn't a thing that happens.
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Muscles posted...

No, they just hate 1 dimensional token characters/overall bad characters

But if a character is minority or trans or whatever they'll be called either token or undeveloped and gimmicky no matter how they are actually represented
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I'm so tired of these token female characters which pander to a niche audience, please give us more big boobie bare midriffed titty armour goth daddy issue love interests
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Mead posted...

Golden Road posted...

Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.

This actually tends to be true.

I remember how Fat Princess got protested by male gamers--- no, wait, that was feminist groups.
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If you don't like them in your games you can kill them.
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Well I certainly don't feel that way. Nor do I know anyone who does. I can't speak for all gamers, but yeah.
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streamofthesky posted...

Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though.

Got an example of that? Cause it sounds like you made it up.
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No not that I'm a aware of.. the newer tomb Raider games are pretty good, I think most JRPG fans like girls as playable characters. I think gamers just want hot girls in games.

streamofthesky posted...

Literally the last four games I played had a female protagonist, and the one before that was an ensemble cast (Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate) where I was using female characters at least as much as male.

Hell, out of all the games that I've played through this past year, 6 had a female main character, 1 had a male main character, and 2 were ensemble casts.

I'm fine w/ female protagonists. Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though. I've always preferred Japanese games, but this gen it's gotten downright lopsided (all nine I've played this year....).

Mostly the same. In almost every case where I can choose the main character, I pick the female option. The VA work almost always seems better, and a lot of times the narrative is better as well, if there are gender-based differences in the story.

When Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Cyberpunk 2077 come out, I'm already planning to play the female lead in those as well.

When it comes to NPCs or other supporting cast, I can't think of a single instance when I ever really disliked a female character at all, and definitely none where I disliked them specifically for BEING female.

If anything, the only female characters I've ever disliked in games is the ones that seem like they were created solely to pander to the worst SJWs online, but that has nothing to do with their gender and everything to do with the fact that they tend to be complete assholes.


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Sometimes I wonder what good is armor that only covers the bottom part of your boobs, but then I think that it would work well if youre fighting against short guys.
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I do not. In fact, I like seeing women in games, especially when they are not portrayed as weak or stupid.
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Yeah, that's why games like Nier Automata and Tomb Raider and Bayonetta are shitty games that no one play
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joemodda posted...

Yeah, that's why games like Nier Automata and Tomb Raider and Bayonetta are shitty games that no one play

SJWs would argue that those are all games where the female lead is sexualized to appeal to the male gaze, and therefore invalid.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

joemodda posted...

Yeah, that's why games like Nier Automata and Tomb Raider and Bayonetta are shitty games that no one play

SJWs would argue that those are all games where the female lead is sexualized to appeal to the male gaze, and therefore invalid.

Thankfully some game developers don't listen to them.

NeiR Automata and Bayonetta are awesome (I've never played Tomb Raider, so no comment on that one), and my wife loves them, too. :)

ParanoidObsessive posted...

joemodda posted...

Yeah, that's why games like Nier Automata and Tomb Raider and Bayonetta are shitty games that no one play

SJWs would argue that those are all games where the female lead is sexualized to appeal to the male gaze, and therefore invalid.

Good thing SJW arguments are invalid.
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waterdeepchu posted...

streamofthesky posted...

Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though.

Got an example of that? Cause it sounds like you made it up.

Erm, most recent example that comes to mind is the new DoA game and I'm pretty sure some were screeching about Soul Caliber as well. Though, TBH, you can pretty much pick any game with a female protag that is 'sexy', throw a stick, and hit someone claiming it's 'body shaming', 'oppressing women', or something similar. Tropes vs. Women was the Ur example but... I try my best to not thing about that mess.
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Andromicus posted...

Muscles posted...

No, they just hate 1 dimensional token characters/overall bad characters

But if a character is minority or trans or whatever they'll be called either token or undeveloped and gimmicky no matter how they are actually represented

If that is their only characteristic that sets them apart from Jet Brody or some other generic video game dude-bro, then yes, they are 1 dimensional. That is what I tell my trans friend: I don't hate that you are trans, I hate that since coming out as trans it is the only thing you talk about. That is just one characteristic in the many things that make you a person.
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Dikitain posted...

That is what I tell my trans friend: I don't hate that you are trans, I hate that since coming out as trans it is the only thing you talk about.

Lmao christ
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i'd say the vast majority do not, ok?

there are just a really loud group of assholes who do, though, ok?
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A few do. Others just follow hate bandwagaon
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Unbridled9 posted...

waterdeepchu posted...

streamofthesky posted...

Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though.

Got an example of that? Cause it sounds like you made it up.

Erm, most recent example that comes to mind is the new DoA game

Dead or Alive? You mean that series whose entire purpose is to sexually objectify girls who may or may not be of legal age? That's less about "women must only be portrayed in a certain way" and more about "women shouldn't be portrayed in a sexist, creepy way." Big difference.
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Golden Road posted...

You mean that series whose entire purpose is to sexually objectify girls who may or may not be of legal age?

US localization, in a nutshell:

Omega Hunter posted...

It also pisses me off when games try and portray men and women as equally capable combatants, men are far better at all things war then women, stop trying to fucking brainwash people that they are equal here.

In a setting based on the real world, perhaps. But what about in a fantasy setting? Is statistical equality between men and women more immersion breaking that say magic to you?
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Golden Road posted...

Unbridled9 posted...

waterdeepchu posted...

streamofthesky posted...

Not keen on the western SJW trend as of late that they must be portrayed certain way only, though.

Got an example of that? Cause it sounds like you made it up.

Erm, most recent example that comes to mind is the new DoA game

Dead or Alive? You mean that series whose entire purpose is to sexually objectify girls who may or may not be of legal age? That's less about "women must only be portrayed in a certain way" and more about "women shouldn't be portrayed in a sexist, creepy way." Big difference.

I meant more in the opposite direction, where western games intentionally design the female characters to be ugly or have non-feminine features, even when there's a real person used to model for the character who doesn't look like that.
Such as Horizon Zero Dawn (which I bought anyway, b/c apparently it's one of the most amazing games evar going by reviews...I'll see when I get around to playing it) or the new Spider-Man game.

Devs feeling pressured to change how their characters look by the angry vocal minority is also a step backwards, though.

Nichtcrawler X posted...

In a setting based on the real world, perhaps. But what about in a fantasy setting? Is statistical equality between men and women more immersion breaking that say magic to you?

Ironically, minor things often ARE more immersion-breaking than the idea of a world with magic.

Generally speaking, we go into a fantasy setting expecting to suspend disbelief that magic exists, and we're willing to accept that magic operates under certain laws which aren't necessarily realistic (or even possible based on our universe's physical laws). But because magic isn't REAL, we're less likely to call bullshit when it's used to do impossible things (unless it contradicts its own pre-established rules, like saying that magic can't be used to heal, then a character casually uses it to heal without explanation). Magic can functionally do anything, therefore, nothing that magic does is surprising.

But certain things WILL leap out at us as being particularly odd, especially if it runs counter to something that IS real. We're used to the idea that women have been historically oppressed (and regardless of how politically incorrect the idea might be, we're used to thinking of women being less physically strong and capable than men of equal training), we're used to the idea that people who look different or speak differently tend to have been treated poorly by locals in a lot of periods of human history, and we're used to the idea that sleeping with the wrong person or praying to the wrong god might have gotten you killed in the wrong place at the wrong time. So we're more likely to break immersion in a lovingly crafted fantasy world strongly based on Earth's actual historical Medieval period, but where everyone is super-tolerant of everyone else's sex/gender/race/ethnicity/religion/etc.

(For the flip-side of the coin, rather than considering people who are annoyed by the idea of female warriors in a setting where men should seemingly be dominant, there's also the people who get annoyed by strong female characters who nonetheless wear chainmail bikinis or breastplates with boobs hammered into them, which is tactically ridiculous and which would almost certainly have gotten you killed in the real world. Those people will still object - and rightly so - no matter how hard you want to justify it with "Well, you don't need to be fully covered in plate armor in a world of magic, the magic obviously just covers the parts that are showing skin so you're still just as safe." Different people are annoyed by different levels of realism, but most people tend to require at least SOME rooting in reality to really relate to a setting.)

Even putting "social politics" aside, other "unrealistic" things can annoy as well. Did that non-magic sword just cut through stone? Did the wheezing fat guy just leap a 20ft gap? Just who IS lighting all the torches and leaving fresh fruit in the dungeon that hasn't been explored in 2000 years? How did you manage to hold your breath underwater for 7 straight minutes while fighting that squid monster? How come every Marvel superhero seems to get powers from radiation instead of just developing terrible cancer?

There is SOME wiggle room (few people have a problem with, say, action heroes doing stunts that would kill someone in real life if they're at least SOMEWHAT plausible), but at a certain point credulity stretches past the breaking point and it does take you out of things.

Basically, by being MORE realistic, we're more likely to complain about it not being realistic ENOUGH, as compared to the thing that isn't realistic at all.

Consider it the "suspension of disbelief" version of the Uncanny Valley.


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Nichtcrawler X posted...

In a setting based on the real world, perhaps. But what about in a fantasy setting? Is statistical equality between men and women more immersion breaking that say magic to you?

Yes it is more immersion breaking then magic. Magic doesn't exist, you can do whatever you want with magic and I can't call BS cuz their is no real world basis. However female humans exist, when they are portrayed in video games they are clearly modelled after real women. I am quite familiar with the female human, I have a mother, a sister, over a dozen ex girlfriends and a wife (and they have all been laughably weak compared to an average man).

Humans are sexually dimorphic and they always depict the women as real world women, they are more slender then the men, shorter, have breasts, etc. That is the female body and it is not as capable at performing any physical tasks as the male body.

Yet in soo many video games/movies women are real women in every single way....except they are just as strong and fast and good at fighting as men. It is very immersion breaking, you might as well have men get pregnant and say oh its just fantasy though, no it's clearly not just fantasy real humans were being depicted here except for this stupid twist.
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To be honest, I don't give a fuck either way

I liked when they sexualize women in games. I'd play them all day long. It just sucked when they started shoehorning the fuglies in there, and asking us to like it just as much.
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If anything, women hate female characters in games, as they constantly seem to be complaining about them, these days.

Golden Road posted...

Dead or Alive? You mean that series whose entire purpose is to sexually objectify girls who may or may not be of legal age?

....

Do I want to defend one of my favorite series or not?

Most likely not. Not the purpose of this topic, anyway.
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Zeus posted...

Golden Road posted...

Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.

Fake news.

CHINA!

I_Abibde posted...

If anything, women hate female characters in games, as they constantly seem to be complaining about them, these days.

Nah, most women are normal and well-adjusted and don't mind what shape the pixels on someone's screen look like.

Plenty of women are cool w/ female characters being attractive too, and care more about them having a personality, interesting dialogue, kicking ass in fights, and so forth.

It's just a tiny minority of shrieking SJW "feminists" that have a problem with it.

I want to say no because it's just a character model for a game. Simple graphics. On the other hand if I think about Navi and 'Hey listen' or the piss poor AI during babysitting missions (RE4 comes to mind), then the answer is yes.

Golden Road posted...

Dead or Alive? You mean that series whose entire purpose is to sexually objectify girls who may or may not be of legal age? That's less about "women must only be portrayed in a certain way" and more about "women shouldn't be portrayed in a sexist, creepy way." Big difference.

Keep in mind that the legal age in Japan is 13 =p

Nichtcrawler X posted...

Omega Hunter posted...

It also pisses me off when games try and portray men and women as equally capable combatants, men are far better at all things war then women, stop trying to fucking brainwash people that they are equal here.

In a setting based on the real world, perhaps. But what about in a fantasy setting? Is statistical equality between men and women more immersion breaking that say magic to you?

Even fantasy settings tend to be based on some realism. Usually you have a few fantastical elements and the rest is just real-world or a variation thereof. However, you don't need statistical equality anyway since you can have exemplars (who, at their peak, are stronger than many males yet still weaker than the strongest of males)

And within fantasy settings there's something of an expectation that even non-human creatures will have *some* sexual dimorphism, whether it's a matter of one gender being larger or having more color.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

We're used to the idea that women have been historically oppressed

Eh, in a fantasy setting matriarchial societies aren't all that immersion-breaking (or, at least, nowhere near as so as ignoring sexual dimorphism)

I_Abibde posted...

If anything, women hate female characters in games, as they constantly seem to be complaining about them, these days.

This so fucking hard.
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Golden Road posted...

Gamers hate certain kinds of women in games. Conventionally attractive, badass women tend to get a pass. Otherwise, a lot of men do complain.

I can't think of a single game where a woman who was a main character was not attractive. Let alone one that neckbeards complained about.
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