Grand Theft Auto: Long Overdue for a Woman Protagonist

As Grand Theft Auto V approaches a Steam release, gamers have continued to question whether the series will implement a female protagonist. Some fans have argued for a Bonnie-and-Clyde storyline, while others still believe the series should only have male protagonists. This week, we explore some of GTA’s history with female characters, and how a female protagonist would fit well for the open-world franchise.

[garos82]

how about you make your own open world game and make whatever gender protagonist you want and stop telling others what to do with THEIR game.

Just to be clear i wouldn't mind or oppose a female protagonist but please shut the hell up about telling others what to do with their art

[Bansai]

Female prot ? No thanks <waiting for those dislikes>

[Concertoine]

To be honest, a female protagonist could be interesting if done right. Some of GTA's best supporting characters were female.

Obviously it shouldnt be done for the sake of any bull crap "equality", only if Rockstar wants to.

[AliTheSnake1]

They can easily put a female protagonist comfortably by having multiple ones, just like GTA V. One of the three characters can be the female.

[pompombrum]

Utilizing the same sort of multiple main character storytelling, I could see a female protagonist working very well.. imagine a couple as the main cast in similar style to Natural Born Killers, I think that would make for a very interesting story and interactions.

[Mr_cheese]

Not bothered it is a male or female protagonist to be honest, just as long as it feels right and isn't forced just to comply with all this sexist bull****.

Some people need to look beyond their own nose and begin to look outside of the first world countries, then come back and spout the same bull****.

Edit - removed swearing and replaced with stars. Oppression!

[BitbyDeath]

Won't ever happen unless she is a lesbian, prostitutes are a staple of the series. They won't change that.

[Tempest317]

@bitbydeath Male prostitutes.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Naw bro... Keep them as my hoes in the game ;-)
Okay, lol! I kid..

[Dee_91]

To be honest I would love to have a female protag in GTA... Let me make this clear, this has nothing to do with equality lol
I know the whole kotaku polygon gamer misogyny shaming BS is getting annoying but don't automatically dismiss these types of request people because of it people.

@BitbyDeath
Well there are female pimps ( a lot more then you think lol). She could like "manage" the prostitutes..Man the possibilities are endless with a female when you really think about it.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

Who ever wrote that didn't think it through or just don't know R* games. Proabably a female protagonist would be to feminism what Trevor is to countryside folks or what CJ is to african americans, an exagerated, broken, shameless stereotype that we would all take a laugh at how much absurdity can come from one of "that people"...

In fact, now I hope they make a female protagonist, one that looks just like Anita Sarkeesian or whoever else love trowing the feminism card around for no good reason. Just imagine the trolling possibilities...

[NukaCola]

I have said this for years:

I would love to see PAM GRIER play a character like Foxy Brown/Coffy set in a 70s setting. Would be awesome!

_______

Also would love to see a Chicago/Detroit area. Midwestern, cold, snowy, canadians, arabs, lakes, forests, city life, and such.

[Ares84HU]

I agree with you. No female lead in GTA!

Some games I can't imagine with a female lead like GTA. Just like others I can't imagine with male leads like Tomb Raider, Bayonetta, Dino Crisis and so on.

Make a new game with a female lead and leave GTA alone.

Thanks!

[SolidStoner]

It would be fun to see how they create new visual wobbling physics for female characters (if you know what I mean) I could run around for hours! :D

I didnt help I know.. I just could not resist for that future vision of mine ;)

[Chrischi1988]

A female protagonist can be interesting, but not if it is forced like that. If the creativity of the minds of GTA storymakers find a good way, one that is not forced by feminists, then it will be more than good, but nobody wants forced stuff, as it lowers the quality by not letting the creative minds do what they want to create.

And I dont get it, first feminists make, that GTA 5 is not sold anymore on many stores and now they demand this? What do feminist expect, that we all will agree? They basically try to control everything with their fury way and it has to stop at some point. This is not about equality, it is about too much sand... well you know.

And even if there were a female protagonist, then feminists will be against it again, because she is too beautiful. For feminists, a female protagnoists has to be fat and ugly to be taken serious.

[Pogmathoin]

What if Rosie O donnell was the voice!

[slate91]

Well said

[IxWoodstockxI]

Hell yeah. I hate these white knights and activists hating on GTA games. I love GTA V just like it is, well maybe have a better music soundtrack, but other than that it is so freakin fun.

[Mikeyy]

Exactly! Why should R* go out of there way to please these feminazis when they are the ones getting the game banned off the shelves.

Screw that. Also white knights are the worst. All virgins.

[solid_snake3656]

You should be able to create your own soundtrack, and add it to a specific radio station.

[TheXgamerLive]

Yep. Sane here.
For me personally, if I play a GTA game I don't want a female protagonist, that's not a GTA game nor do I want it to be politically correct or any NORM term of society as its not that game its GTA grand theft auto this is a males game (for the most part) and should continue that style. I don't want a male lead in tomb raider or bayonetta either.

[Clarence]

I have to agree with you. I'm definitely not interested in playing as a female. At least not as the main character.

[aliengmr]

Yea, because gamers never complain about anything. I never see dev forums with gamers inserting their 2 cents. They don't overreact to stupid things like hair styles, they know its not their place to criticize art.

Feedback is dangerous for art. Thankfully gamers know this and are content to remain silent and let the creators provide the entertainment gamers crave free of useless feedback.

[Godmars290]

Actually, know what would work? Bully with a female main character. A girl in a Catholic/private high school who just terrorizes the place.

[MoveTheGlow]

That's kinda amazing, and it should happen.

[Godmars290]

Thinking more about it, didn't Rockstar themselves have that idea for a Bully 2?

[PickAShoe]

mean girl theif auto

[LackTrue4K]

They could make a DLC with 4 hour long story.

[MoveTheGlow]

I think that would be a step in the right direction, too. Bring in a new writer for DLC with a really different feel to it, just like with the GTA4 DLC. Then, do whatever you want with GTA5 with what you've learned.

[Audiggity]

BOOM!

You just aligned your 5 fingers perfectly and slapped the shit out of those whiny little douche nuggets.

Well said.

Bubble vote.

[xxBiG_BoSSxx]

Exactly! Don't tell devs what to do with their art. Ever. Unless its

Infamous
Final Fantasy XIII
DMC
Resident Evil
Killzone 2

or any other game ever made ever discussed on n4g.

[Mr Tretton]

The idea is just unrealistic. Women just don't go crazy in the same way.

They should make a 'Cheat on him, divorce him, get full custody and take all his money' simulator for female psychopathic thrills.

[Blaze929]

no thanks. It's all fun and games until you shoot and kill a female. And honestly, I'm not trynna have R*/Take-Two in some mess because a bunch of females have a problem.

[clouds5]

I'm against that because of story reasons. The devs want to tell a story and they have designed characters for it. They have freedom of speech and can do whatever they want with their characters.
If they realise 3 male characters fit their story that is FINE. If they wanna make a 3 female gta next that is FINE. At least as long as the are not forcing themselves to satisfy any society fotm bullshit.

[Number-Nine]

GTA is long overdue for a North Korean protagonist.

[Gamer1982]

They won't do it.. The fact is they get enough crap for their games imagine the crap they would get if they did make a lead female who went around beating up other women and males?? Womens rights groups would have a field day saying its a bad image blah blah.. Don't give these weirdos more fuel for their fires I say.

[MEsoJD]

Well said.

[360ICE]

Jesus Christ, talk about an overreaction.

A quick question, would you really have reacted the same way if the article was titled "Grand Theft Auto Long Overdue for a Chicago-setting"?

People tell developers what they want all the time. Nevermind the millions of people who said that they wanted GTAV to be in San Andreas, before it was announced that that was actually going to happen, people request everything from characters to location and themes.

The writer isn't trying to force the developer to do anything. It's simply an opinion or a request much in the same way someone would walk over to the DJ booth at a club and request "One More Time". Sure, the club-goer makes a good argument for Daft Punk revolutionising the EDM-scene, but at the end of the day, everything is still at the DJ's discretion.

[ZombieKiller]

I'm all for a female protagonist but not with GTA and the way that people that DON'T play the game treat it. It's the catalyst for attacks on violence and other groups that have a hair up their asses about violent video games and other stuff like it.

I could see a female protagonist SOMEHOW causing a shitstorm for us gamers. If they do a female protagonist, I say make the choice be up to the gamers. Do a story connected to a customizable character ala Mass Effect (Male side and Female side)....if not, just do a regular guy character and keep it safe.

[goldwyncq]

This is what feminism in the 21st century has been reduced to - criticising games for not having a female protagonist.

[rdgneoz3]

And attacking things like the Fine Young Capitalists which was/is actually trying to help women...

[Godmars290]

No. Demanding that men make games for women. Not making games for themselves, but take a proven product and complain until its made to their standards while ignoring any others. Like any preferences the majority/male audience like the game for.

[SilentNegotiator]

"Demanding that men make games for women. Not making games for themselves"

Until they want to attack the industry for not hiring all of the women not applying for development jobs.

[Audiggity]

Would it count if someone did a PC mod to play the game as hookers? Then you could play a pivotal role on any street corner you'd like!

You could show off your feminine powers by naming your own prices and offering promotions to Johns.

That will satisfy the SJWs for sure...

[PaleMoonDeath]

No thanks, can't put my brutal mentality into something like that.

[chrissx]

No,Gta isn't overdue for that. All I care about is rockstar making their games as they see fit

[DougLord]

The only game I have ever played as a female (ignoring having a female in my party like in BG or DA and ignoring DOTA2) was Metroid. I think such a game would turn me off. As I can imagine being forced to play as a male might turn off many girls. However, I feel like there are a lot more gaming men like me, then gamer girls that would refuse to buy a game with a male main character. The solution, have a choice. I'm not really into games where I can't customize my character anyway. Race, class, sex, skills, stats.

[ApolloTheBoss]

Honestly, it's never enough for these feminists. There always has to be something more. Just accept that some games are better off without a female protagonist. Would you honestly WANT to see women portrayed as serial killers? Is that sending a good message? I prefer to see women as the loving, caring, motherly type but that's just me I guess.

[DarXyde]

I don't think it's ever enough for anyone.

Hatred got put back up and the fans were requesting SJW NPCs. Like, really? The game is already back up, be content.

But I do disagree on some games being better off without a female protagonist. I think Metroid blew everyone's mind and you do have games where women are portrayed as serial killers, but as villains.

Personally, it really doesn't matter to me. I've been waiting for a Metal Gear Solid game detailing the rise of The Boss, but that's just me.

[ApolloTheBoss]

Agreed. And don't get me wrong I'm not some kind of sexist who prefers certain feminine stereotypes. I wouldn't mind seeing a fem. protag. in GTA if Rockstar did it in the next game, but to do it just for the sake of pleasing feminists is not the way it should be done. They should it just because they want to.

[error13]

Go play tomb raider, better yet go and tell square Enix to make an open world tomb raider where you can ride and shoot things.

[ThatArtGuy]

I don't know about you people, but I'd prefer playing as a woman if I'm playing in third person. I'd get to see a woman's backside for hours on end than a guy's.

[IxWoodstockxI]

LMFAO!!!! It's a game dude. Sad if you get off by watching a fake woman's back.

[SilentNegotiator]

I wasn't aware that enjoying the female form meant automatically "getting off"...

@ThatArtGuy
Did you make that avatar? Did you turn the Gimp color selector into a Mondrian? Because that's genius.

[ThatArtGuy]

It's from Photoshop, but the effect is the same. It's nice that someone has some intuition around here. LOL

[SilentNegotiator]

I guess I forget just how closely gimp rips...erm, is inspired by photoshop, sometimes. lol

Either way, that is a really neat image.

[mediate-this]

I laugh at guys like you, i can play as a girl look at a pixelated female hahaha. Get some real vagina bucko, then you wont have to settle for video game ass.

When i play vids i wanna try to put my self in my avatars shoes, get lost while im playing. I do t take female tough guy roles seriously.

[Nwah]

If you're focusing on the character's backside moreso than the game itself, maybe porn collecting is more your hobby?

[Audiggity]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, relax!

I know this is N4G.com and the protocol is to instantly jump down people's throats as soon as they something... errr... unique?

But, perhaps, ThatArtGuy is joking?

And if not, that shit's weird yo.

[ThatArtGuy]

Holy cow, there's no sense of humor here...

[TotalSynthesisX]

People with a sense of humor? On N4G? lol

[kenwonobi]

How would a female protagonist even work when there are hookers walking the street as part of gameplay? Think about what the female protagonist would do in the game? Going to strip clubs? Shooting people and running them over? The sex scenes? What would they show her doing? It doesnt make any sense unless there is a huge backlash coming.

[aLucidMind]

GTA doesnt need to have hookers. Though they could easily have random NPCs pull over, pick a hooker up, and go someplace private. Perfect way to introduce muggings.

Plenty of women go to strip clubs, and not just to see male strippers. Murder and running people over also isnt exclusive to men. Just play Saints Row as a female protagonist, its done right and feels natural as opposed to the whole forced equality crap.

[Spotie]

Saints Row is similar, but still not the same. It's a less serious GTA, completely going over the top where even GTA wouldn't. Therefore it's easier to supplant male or female.

But GTA is, as a franchise, geared toward a male protagonist. There's no reason to start changing that.

Here's the weird thing: I have quite a few female friends who play games like GTA, Call of Duty, and Gears. Not once have I ever heard any of them complain that the protagonists weren't female. Cuz, see, they appreciate the games for what they are.

I know! I'll start a petition to have Bayonetta and Faith become male! We need a male Lara Croft, too! The Tomb Raider franchise is long overdue for a male protagonist!

/s

[aLucidMind]

I appreciate games for what they are as well. All I am saying is that a GTA game as a female protagonist is just as viable as one with a male protagonist. The core would remain the same and it wouldnt be negatively effected by having a female lead.

Not once did I say I felt that it was "overdue". Would it be nice to have more female protagonists out there within the gaming industry as a whole? Yes. Am I saying developers are required to do add more female protagonists? No, so please dont put words in my mouth.

[DarXyde]

If Rockstar's games are really great, gender shouldn't matter and they should be able to change it up however they like. If it doesn't sell as well, I think that paints a pretty scary picture.

Not cosigning to it, but I'm not condemning it either. If such a game turned out great, it should be on its own merits where the lead happened to be female. The game should sell the game.

[Acquiescence]

but rather more about whether they're intriguing/likeable or not. Give me more awesome leads like Michael de Santa, Trevor Philips and Tommy Vercetti, and less ones like Niko Bellic.

[MilkMan]

Agreed. Id like to see that.

[Dogsuferer24]

Having a female protagonist doesnt fit the story they are trying to tell end of story. Same criticism disney gets for having white princesses. Why isnt there a mexican princess! because we havnt come up with a story that requires a mexican princess. People want devs and filmmakers to go out of their way to include minorities characters just because they feel likes it's unfair. dumb

[aLucidMind]

Most stories can fit either men or women into it, GTA included. Just look at Saints Row and Mass Effect. While female protagonists shouldnt be forced down our throats, it may be a bit refreshing to see one a bit more often than usual.

[Losso-Oso]

While I can agree with you on certain points, I must disagree with you here. You point out two games that while they do give you the option of having a male or female protagonist, have been critized for not differentiating enough between the two protagonist to make it a significant difference.

Mass Effect in particular received some pretty absurd criticism for having the ability to take both a male and female protagonist to teh omega station and sit down to witness a table dance from one of the Asari dancers.

Because women can not enjoy a table dance the same way a man can, or a female protagonist should be outraged at the fact the a fellow sentient being (I'm saying sentiant being to highlight the ridicoulus aspect of this argument about a fictional being, from a fictional race, that on top of it all, is a races that does not recognize gender) that kind looks female should be dancing on a table for money.

I don't think I need to say who made that argument, most people will be smart enough to figure it out.

Other people with in the same "cause" have made similar claims of games like Dragon Age, Saints Row, Skyrim among others, for not doing enough to highlight the differences between a male storyline and a female one, because you now, equality and all.

They have made the argument that because the game makers are male, they inherently write male centric storylines and just given the layer the option to create a character of either gender is not enough. As all this would accomplish is having the player character experience a male centric or "sexist" storyline with a female avatar.

In other words those games don't count. What they want, and by extension, all of their supporters, is to make these "male" game writers and designers and coders and so on, make a game the way they themselves want it made, but without them actually making it.

We do need to be more inclusive, we do need a way more diverse pool of talent to make games so the industry stays innovating and not just renovating. However, those things need to happen organically and can not be forced, otherwise all you accomplish is building recentment, not unity and equality.

Just my two cents, sorry for the rant.

[Canary]

Before thinking about a female protagonist, shouldn't they focus on making one, just one, just one character who isn't a loathsome, moronic asshole?

[realplayer82]

Whats funny is that if they had made a female protagonist they would still be mad about women be portrayed as killers. You cant win and there is no pleasing feminist they enjoy controversy.

[Grave]

Ya and Assassin's Creed need to go to Japan too!

[DarXyde]

I don't get the comparison... Assassin's Creed probably wouldn't sell well in Japan because Japanese gamers generally have a very different sense of what they like. AKA, financial suicide.

Are you saying a GTA with a female protagonist would be financial suicide? What if it turned out to be crazy good but just because there's a female protagonist, it doesn't sell? There's a good chance of that, by the way. Rockstar doesn't make bad games.

Believe me when I say I'm trying to understand. Is it emasculating for some men? If so, they should try to be more comfortable in their masculinity, don't you think?

[Grave]

No lol, I mean the setting of the game lol. Like it will never happen, or seemingly so.

[aLucidMind]

In Black Flag there is a list of settings theyre thinking about i the hacking minigame. Two of the five or six were French Revolution, and the other is Victorian England and thats been revealed as the next most likely setting. Feudal Japan was on that list.

[MadMenX]

no thanks.

[Live_Larry]

I think they're happy with their current "all-media record shattering" formula...

If you feel this genre would be improved through using a female as a lead, then do yourself (and every gamer) a favor, and make it!

Think about it. If you have ideas to improve the best-selling game of all times, then you're sitting on a billion dollar idea! You'll end up with the game you want, and all the money in the world to make other female-interest-centric games!

[AtomicGerbil]

If they did they would be condemned for writing the part wrong no doubt. I'd rather they write what works for them and not what works for an angry misandrist.

[mediate-this]

No thanks. Women want to do everything men do, its annoying. I will personally not buy the next gta if the lead role is a woman. It doesnt fit for me.

Maybe ill buy it if they make sandwiches.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Serious question, do women pick up prostitutes? Lol Are there even men working the street corners? I know damn well I ain't going to a male strip club if we ever had a female protagonist. Thing is, GTA isn't just about the protagonist. It's about the world around them, and generally speaking, it's a make fantasy world. They've said as much themselves [Rockstar]. Now, there are already female protagonists out there. They don't have to shoehorn one into GTA just because it's GTA, and because someone needs to be appeased.

[Kobe Bryant]

NAH

[uth11]

If a female GTA protagonist kills prostitutes, is it still misogyny?

[hazelamy]

if the gender of the protagonist/s doesn't matter, then what would be the problem with a female lead?

it could be something they've never done before, i mean they've had so many of the male archetypes.

and it could be an interesting take on how a woman would make her place in a male dominated criminal world.

of course if they did they'd just get attacked for following some agenda, and as we know, the only agenda that matters here is the straight male agenda.

[AtomicGerbil]

A perfectly good argument spoiled by the last sentence. It's this kind of baiting that prevents N4G from improving.

[hazelamy]

that's rich coming from somebody who just made the comment you did.

[AtomicGerbil]

Is it really? Well colour me surprised!

[Gh05t]

This title right here is why I dont like these type of people.

"Grand Theft Auto: Long Overdue for a Woman Protagonist"

OVERDUE!!! Like they F*ing OWE YOU ANYTHING!

[EazyC]

The male mind is an intrinsic part of the themes explored in GTA, and has been at the core of the series' soul. Does it portray them as anything other than parasitic, evil monsters? For the most part, no... but megalomania, psychopathy and narcissism can only be pushed to extreme (albeit humorous) ends with a male character, it's as simple as that. It's a strange phenomenon, and I've heard this argument applied to tv series' and films recently, but it can be defended for the exact same reason; The reason being, that there would be public outcry if the same personality traits/flaws were given to a female character. Well, I say public... what I mean is a select few femenazi groups wearing Levi's and a pair of Caterpillar workboots.

IF GTA V were made with Trevor as a female character, called....uh...Trevette, the game would be taken down from sale for portraying females in a negative light. Fact.

[mixelon]

I totally see where you're coming from, but I think there's space for eventual experimentation with wider themes.

Not everyone in the GTA universe is like that, and now they have multiple playable characters per game they could do a good character study of non-males too. They all embody different traits, and have different situations. Not all megalomaniac, psycho narcissists. Franklin for example was largely just trying to get by, but had a dubious background/lifestyle/set of social pressures.

Trevor as a woman would be hilarious. It'd only be controversial from the perspective of "why, as the first female player character, did R* make her into an absolute moral-less phychopath." - That.. Would confuse people.

GTA1, 2 and London had so little characterisation it wouldn't have mattered who you were.

[EazyC]

It would be a massive headache for the Rockstar guys though, for example, that car journey where Trevor (or a hypothetical Trevette) makes Dwayne blow him, or scenes where he makes rape jokes would cause uproar when applied to a female. ONE amoral female character, make her downright despicable. Still give her depth, but make her unforgivable. Then they could scale back future female characters accordingly.

But then the pendulum only swings one way. If Michael and Franklin were female, and Trevor the only male, no one would make a peep about the issue you raised about the amoral psychopath thing. I can't help but feel this impenetrable shield the extreme, man-hating feminist types have built has totally impeded the status of women in media. And they're perpetuating the stigma/ You're right, it's a terrible thing. *Someone* has to break down these barriers, and I agree that R* would sure be the prime candidates to do so. I just question whether they have the stones to (figuratively that is!).

[mixelon]

Dude, I appreciate your tack. +bubs . I think the trick to dealing with the hardcore fundies in any group is usually just to ignore them. (and certainly not to file any moderates into the same box, like a lot of people try to do) Most feminists don't fit into the man-hating nutjob category, and just like the idea of representation (not even 100% equal representation in most cases, just some at all). Which is a fair request on face value - devs can do with that what they will.

No matter what R* do they're going to be offending someone. :D I'd love to see a completely psycho female character too, personally.. It'd be nice and inclusive! Just probably not advisable as a first attempt unless she was counterbalanced by a second non-psycho one? Regardless of what they do it will ruffle feathers, but if its done thoughtfully it could cause a lot of interesting dialogue, like GTA5 did with its torture scene, and how reprehensible (yet cathartic) Trevor is. R* push the envelope a lot, and I trust them.. Generally speaking.

[mixelon]

It'd be cool to have one, but its not exactly mandatory. Not having any female protagonists doesn't actually mean anything in regards to.. Anything. Other than they thought they could tell the stories so-far better without them.

Could be interesting if done well, so I'd like to see it one day from curiosity alone.

So yeah, basically if they can tell a good female fronted story that would be badass, but if they don't ever feel like doing that, then fair play to them.. There's so much pent up material from the satire POV though just based on the fact that they haven't done it before, so I think it's pretty likely an eventual inevitability, as some of the material writes itself, and a lot of cool stuff could be done with it. But either way isn't going to make the game inherently better or worse. It's all about the treatment.

It's a bit like people calling for The Doctor to regenerate as female. Well, he could.. If do it interestingly from a perspective of genuinely wanting to, but the fact that he hasn't doesn't mean much.

.. (Am I not playing my part correctly?)

[EazyC]

But the Doctor is a bit of a fairer argument as there aren't as many touchy avenues to go down, a game that is as satirical as GTA would, as you say, have to tackle those pent-up issues you mentioned, and people would smell a rat if it wasn't done in R*'s infamously tasteless, crude, hilarious fashion.

Even when I think about allegedly "ground-breaking" female-fronted tv shows like Weeds and Orange is the New Black, writers are still scared to go down the deeper, darker aspects of human consciousness with women in them. There's a "what will the people think?" filter put on everything. Unless a story is about female empowerment or sistas doin' it for themselves, writers will be scrutinized.

[mixelon]

Dunno really, I have faith that R* of all people could pull it off.. And they're good at shrugging off people's scrutiny. :)

Essentially I'm for R* (and Valve, lol) doing whatever the hell they like.

If they announce a female character in future I'm going to be annoyed at the idiot backlash that WILL happen claiming that the character is only there to appease SJWs, which would be nonsense. R* does whatever they feel like.

[Angerfist]

Then we would have Feminazis cry about the portrayal of a woman being a criminal.
As ridiculous as it sounds that's what's going to happen.

And Rockstar aren't a bunch of hipster queers, they will make the game they want.

[EazyC]

Exactly my point!

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I'd seriously be all for it if it became a caliber of like Kill Bill!

[EazyC]

Kill Bill was an homage to female exploitation films though, so I think that would be fan-service for male fans who want a sexy, badass type female character. I don't think that's what the author was referring to here. Do you remember the heat that feminists loaded on Tarantino after KB came out? He was blue in the face arguing with them, despite them clearly never watching the film. Just imagine that, but with GTA thrown into the mix. US media would have a field day.

[scark92]

I would rather it be a whole new Rockstar game though!

[Fez]

I would love to play as an Asuka Kasen (Yakuza leader from GTA3) type character. Really cool mannerisms that I could see working quite well.

[Bowzabub]

I'd like to play as Catalina. She was easily one of the best characters from GTA and she was funny as hell. I'd buy it. She is a pretty big part of the GTA universe as well. Thoughts?

[nagalaga31]

I just came here to say, fuck the author.

[MoveTheGlow]

Why all the extremes? Narrative-wise, Rockstar needs a new angle, possibly for DLC or the next in the series. Having a female protagonist would, by nature, make how a story plays out pretty different, and draw in newcomers to the series regardless of gender because it's actually something new in GTA.

This doesn't have to be about overarching inequality issues. Writing-wise, it could be cool, and that's it.

Also, the author was mostly citing other people's discourse and bringing it together. It's no more incendiary than any other games enthusiast articles out there.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

it would be pretty great as DLC, actually.

[Tctczach]

I hate being that guy but women have never had a huge role in any mob/gang in American history. When they did they were in positions to get information(no pun intended) and deliver money. I just would not make sense in this case unless they based it on somehting completely fake like Saints Row. Over seas I know Yakuza had women in higher roles but thats all I know of.

[Gh05t]

Griselda Blanco... Born and Died in Columbia but huge influence on Miami and other large US cities.

She was killed in 2012. Could use her as a base character that leads the female protagonist on missions while growing through the ranks of a drug cartel... IDK could be done well, but certainly not "OVERDUE."

[Tctczach]

They built the business themselves. So i guess it would show her making connections with larger people and going behind other peoples backs. Then breaking away from them and starting her own thing. I'd play that. She may have started the cocaine cowboys. And who wouldn't want to return to Vice City in the 70's again. Sounds amazing.

[LightDiego]

If Rockstar wants to, fine, not if some angry feminists want to, every gamer is getting tired of feminists and gaming media trying to censor games.

[quenomamen]

Agree 100% women can be crazy evil murderous psyopaths as well .

[sugawalls]

It'll never happen and I'm glad.

Rule 1. Don't conform to Feminist agenda.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

i think R* is too scared, to be honest. Not only that, but the target audience wouldn't relate as easily or find the jokes from a female perspective as funny. Ever seen woman stand up? its awful unless you're a liberal woman.

[ReDeviL16]

From what i saw in the media lately it's really OK to have a female protagonist then why not the same thing apply for male protagonist!

this issue turns to be more and more disgusting.

P.S: Even if you have only one women in your life, i doubt that you can do or understand what she really wants, so how about a group of women? yes, headache -_-

[gangsta_red]

I think it would be interesting seeing a Rockstar story in a GTA universe from a female perspective.

I'm all for it.

Wow...seeing some of the responses makes me think just how right that Anita and other chick (Zoe) was when talking about gamers being macho, bullies on the internet.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

Oh not this again.

[Heavenly King]

If she is as hot as the woman in that pic : http://s2.n4g.com/media/11/...

Then.... AWESOME!!

[ThatOneGuyThere]

i think one of the 3 selectable characters in GTA5 should have been a female. Like, if trevor was this crazy trailer trash b**** it would be really cool. but whatever, the creators can make whatever game they want. :-D

[Twinblade]

You can't take a female GTA Protagonist serious.

[feraldrgn]

What's "long overdue" about it?
If they come up with a story that involves a female protagonist, because that's who the story revolves, then I'll be fine with it, but by saying it's "long overdue" you're essentially making the idea of a female character the "token" character.

[ke7]

No. Shut the fuck up about your "womanizing" bullshit!

[just-joe]

I'd rather Rockstar make a female protagonist due to inspiration, not because of feminist edict.

[TheOnlyMastrx]

Personally I think GTA should only be male protagonists, but if they were to use a female in a future game, I would still play it, not against it or anything, it just wouldn't feel the same.

[urwifeminder]

That would be great about time really .

[ShaunCameron]

Um. No. The author knows that Saints Row exists if he/she's that desperate for a female protagonist, right?

[Locknuts]

I honestly don't care who I play as, as long as I get to do rad stuff.

[konohashin]

Hot bisexual protagonist I can dress as naughty as I want (or run around nude) that can have sex with female prostitues?

Yeah do it!

Lets see how the "feminists" react to this.

I am looking forward to find out how a female (that didnt learn karate etc) will be able to k.o bodybuilders or trained cops in a fist fight.

[theFAYEsorceress]

thb, i'm getting tired of female characters that are all similar to fem shep from the mass effect series. the whole "strong female lead" thing is a good concept but it's boring now. i want a hot-ass female lead who f*cks everything and is violent as f*ck lolz

[masterfox]

I don't mind if the women looks like that, the one of the picture :D

[Arty84]

so should I laugh now or later
no way would Rockstar release a game with only a female lead and I am not sure they would go for another trio with a female mixed, maybe a dlc on a future game release gives you a couple a missions but no way would the base game have that forced in

this vocal minority needs to move away from this delusion

[mrbojingles]

Why not? They had strong women in Red Dead Redemption. Why can't they do a cold blooded killing woman/criminal? What would be so crazy about that?

[mrbojingles]

Honestly a female lead is the only way to do something new IMO. So many issues that could be explored by great minds at Rockstar. They already made strong female characters in RDR, why not GTA? I don't really know why people would be against a female lead, I guess people don't like being told what they should want or do, but how many more hopeless, not likeable male criminals can you have? Especially considering how GTA was one of the first games to try to portray black males in a diverse, well rounded way why not women? Again, I'm not saying it has to go there but it would be pretty cool and a lot of awesome opportunities would open up for the series. Heck, while you're at it make it a Latino woman since GTA has helped out foreigners (Niko), Bikers (Johnny) and African-American men (San Andreas and Franklin) and explore the bulk of issues facing a latin woman. Especially if it was a badass chick trying to survive a cartel infested area. They've explored people trying to escape the hood, why not a corrupted Mexican city? Its topical and could be cutting edge. Just IMO folks don't go nuts if you don't like it.

[KillerPwned]

I think it would be pretty interesting to see a female protagonist in a game like GTA but as for GTA itself. I cant imagine them making a GTA title to properly fit a female protagonist. Although the crew at Rockstar are extremely talented so they could possibly make it work somehow.

Maybe a spin off like GTA Liberty City Stories or Vice City Stories just to give it a try and see how it goes.

[Orionsangel]

I don't mind. It would be a fresh approach for the next game. Although Rockstar seems to be about multiple playable protagonist now in GTA games. So you could have a female as well as two other male characters. I just hope if they do add a female character it's not because of pressure or anything, but because she makes sense to the story. In other words she's not there solely to appease feminist or anything like that.

[pop-voxuli]

For the love of God, will y'all STFU about GTA already?!?!?

[Deadpool616]

Having a woman protagonist would only make Lindsay Lohan sue Rockstar even harder.

[Knightofelemia]

What about Miley Cyrus lol

[Knightofelemia]

Male or female doesn't matter to me as long as the game is fun to play and has an actual story to it. If its just a bout a girl in short shorts or a bikini and her boobs bouncing I get enough of that from the DOA franchise. All though it would be interesting to see a female version of Trevor in the GTA franchise.

[IcicleTrepan]

why can't you say female protagonist instead of 'woman protagonist'. It makes no sense. You wouldn't say 'man protagonist' because it's bad grammar. Sounds to me like you're trying to placate a certain minority group of SJW

[nowitzki2004]

Then they have to add male prostitutes as well.
Then my fellow men, we can call them sexist for killing the prostitute afterwards to get his hard earned cash back.
I Say go for it Rock*, they can have a lot of fun with it.

[IcedOmega13]

only if you can pose as a prostitute and then beat dudes up for their money

[DoggyBiscuit]

If they gonna put a female In GTA she got to be the female version of Trevor a wild crazy bitch

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Long overdue? Why exactly? There are more iterations of CoD that exist, isn't that more overdue?
I don't see how having a female protagonist is a + on it's own. Character depth is far more important than their gender.