Objectification Through Polygons - The Status of Female Characters in Fighting Games

Ian Fisher writes: Over the years it has been clear how video games have evolved, both within a specific console generation and when a new one eventually arrives. Changes in how we play games with specific control or motion methods, advancements in technology, and now even the way that games are delivered to us via digital distribution are some of the key things have evolved the games industry for the better. Yet for the last twenty or so years one element has somehow stayed at the same place it’s been with either no major improvements or ones which are merely incremental; the depiction of female characters within fighting games.

[myrddincrow]

I agree wholeheartedly, I want to see more games like Bushido Blade and Tenchu. If I want porn i'll google some, when I play a video game I want to actually play the game.

[Bimkoblerutso]

I'm pretty much with you there. To be perfectly honest, I've got no problem with it morally, but it ends up squelching creativity a lot of times. Women are pretty much just...sexy. They don't really account for any kind of context or interesting design 90% of the time. They're just...sexy. No one knows or cares why they're dressed like that...just sexy.

Not that I feel like it should be wiped from games altogether, but it's too often used as a crutch to supplement crummy design.

[myrddincrow]

Indeed too much focus on boobs leads to less focus on more important aspects. I'm not saying female characters need to be wearing burkas, just don't focus so much on sex selling a game. It's like how blowing a movies budget on CG alone will not make it a good movie.

[cleft5]

Certainly it would be nice that if a woman is featured in a game she actually serves a point. It's a major stretch to say that women or men are being objectified simply because they are shown in highly revealing clothing or having overly sexualized behavior. At the core of a lot of these games is just pure fantasy. There is nothing wrong with showing a very revealing or completely nude sexy woman or man.

Objectification comes into play when there is a message of some kind that says this is how all women or men need to be or look. For example, when Uncharted was first announce the developers made a big deal of saying how Nathan Drake was the "every man." That message does serve to create a situation of objectification because Nathan Drake is in no way the every man. It's like saying that Indiana Jones is the every man, it's just ridiculous.

Characters like Ivy are ridiculous, but they are intended to be ridiculous. There is nothing realistic about the majority of these characters and they are never presented as being realistic. Far too often we see this complaint of objectification in gaming, but the writers of these article often completely miss the point of what constitutes objectification.

[Lord_Sloth]

There's plenty of females who dress modestly. King for example is 1 of my favorites and dressed quite nicely.

[CrossingEden]

those are in the minority though

[cyguration]

Most of the decently dressed female fighters are usually completely ignored.

So whose fault is it that gamers prefer a certain kind of character wearing certain kinds of clothes (or a lack of clothes)?

It's kind of like supply and demand and despite KOF being one of the few games with a lot of modestly dressed female fighters, they're no where near as popular as those that are offered up as fan-service... such as poison.

[SugarSoSweet]

If it's got one or two sexually dressed women i dnt see an issue just as long if there's a modest dressed women too

[ifritAlkhemyst]

Oh god, why does this crap continue to matter to people?

I'm beginning to wonder if I have some form of asperger syndrome because I'm finding myself increasingly alienated from any of the "problems" of today's society.

We're men. We like looking at T&A. And if comic-con is any indication, women don't give a crap either. Most of them play up the slutty angle of whoever they dressed as.

[Chinkyinc18]

Someone gets it!

[fsfsxii]

Do people play games these days??

Oh my, a half naked woman in a fighting game, i MUST write and article about it. /s

[Dno]

Everyone who cares or gets all crazy about tits in games needs to grow up and get a life. There are tits on women get over it. Don't like the art don't buy it. Soul Cal would NOT be a better game if Ivys tits are bigger or smaller.

Simple

[McScroggz]

Look, are female characters in games objectified? Yes, quite a lot. Is the fighting game genre the most egregious culprit in objectifying woman, as far as I know yes. However, while I would wholeheartedly like to see a more respectable approach to female characters in games the fact is male characters are objectified quite a lot too.

The fact is sex sells. It's instinctual. I just don't see that changing. More and more games will come out with strong female characters like Lara Croft, Elizabeth and Ellie. But, at the same time, we cannot get up in arms about the "implied rape" in games like Tomb Raider or The Last of Us. If we going trying to force the industry to grow up and not objectify women in games, we also must allow game developers to tell the story they want if they do it in a respectful, intelligent manner.

[WheatBread]

I'd like to see more sexy ladies with next gen boob and ass physics.

[myrddincrow]

Haha "next gen boob and ass physics" that is the best line I've heard all day.

[jc48573]

and people complain about Street Fighter 4 because characters look too muscular -__-

you can't make everybody happy nowadays.

[pr0t0typeknuckles]

people complain about every little thing

i hate this game cause it has cel-shaded graphics
i hate this game causethe characters are too skinny
i hate this game cause it looks like anime
i hate this game cause you cant go in guns blazing
i hate this game caue [insert retarded reason here]

[jc48573]

when you think about it, video games are the worst examples to back up an argument you are trying to make.

[BuffMordecai]

Cry me a river.

[Enigma_2099]

Catering to their main demographic, of course. But here's an idea. Let's let the ladies design the female characters.

[tarbis]

Well, not everybody can be Faora or Black Widow, y'know. Their outfit give them their identity. Also, they're just game character. Why cry over something so trivial?

[LaPatron93]

I stopped reading pretty early on cause it got boring. No offence but you could've stopped at this game is perverted and immature and objectifies women and it needs to change. And I still would've told you to get over it.

Theres worse things out there than Tekken.

Nobody ever said video games were mature. we play them cause theyre fun and if they having bouncing busts and armoured bikinis than thats a bonus.
If it offends you then don't play it.

And FYI I've seen girls all over the place wearing clothes more revealing than the female vampire.

I take the guys less seriously in tekken.

If anything its offensive you cant take a girl seriously cause her clothing is revealing.