What's the deal with religious representation in video games? Not just video games, but any kind of media in general. Can you think of a character with a religious background that doesn't make your eyes roll with disappointment? It seems as though whenever someone writes a religious character, that is their only defining characteristic. It really irks me.
The religious character in video games tends to be the bad guy. They justify their actions with a sort of "divine right" so that they may carry out the will of their god. As a Christian myself, it's embarrassing to see religion represented this way. God does not want his people to carry out such actions. Furthermore, people would see this person committing these acts in the name of God and fight against him, not join him. The church congregation may often be refereed to as God's sheep, but as humans, we do not follow blindly just because someone mentions Jesus. We follow because we have faith.
This brings me to the second stereotype that is represented in video games: the faithful religious guy. This character is often praying constantly in the midst of a crisis. There could be zombies banging down their door and they will be kneeling in the middle of the room praying for God to save them. Even though they may be Christian, they still have their faith and will still evacuate a city if the weather service says that a massive hurricane is headed straight for them. Faith without works is dead, says the book of James, and simply praying is not enough to stop whatever is happening. Humans have basic knowledge to know when to take action. It's a fight or flight situation. Some will stay to fight, and others will run. In times of crisis, those are your only two options, and prayer will not help.
Finally on my list of religious stereotypes is the religious party member. This characters religion seems to be their only defining characteristic. There isn't much else to them other than their blind faith, which carries them through the countless battles that you and the rest of the team go through. One character that comes to mind is Liliana from Dragon Age: Origins. I never really used her in my party, because two rogues is too many. However, I did try to get with her because she was a ginger, and it's a Bioware game so having sex with your party members is something that players can do. So, with my sights set on Liliana, I began talking and talking and talking with her to try and work the mechanics of the game so that her approval rating of me would be high enough so that I could basically unlock the sex scene which would just fade to black. Either way, Leliana would only talk about her faith, and her life in Orlais. Her life in Orlais was very pampered, and she lived like a princess, she eventually grew tired of that and joined the Chantry, which is basically the church, and started helping people. Leliana had heard the words of the Maker speak directly to her the moment that your character crosses paths with her, and decides to join up with your crew of rapscallions to save the world. Oh, and she apparently can fire a bow pretty well. I found Leliana's character to be very annoying. Her constant praise of the Maker and Andraste, another holy figure in the lore of Dragon Age, to be a constant droning. It was as though she was a student in school who was very dedicated to her work and nothing else. She doesn't really know anything outside of her previously pampered life and the Chantry. Leliana's faith was not her strength, or her refuge, but more like stipulations and rules that she abides by. I want to see her mess up. I want to see her fail. I want to see her have a real crisis of faith. Not because I am cruel, but because it would make her so much more human.
One thing that people seem to forget is that Christians are human. We make so many mistakes. We have regrets. We mess things up. We are not perfect. We even have moments of doubt, and question the god that we follow. Never will you see this in a good work of art. Instead, you'll see stereotype after stereotype of someone of faith, and it will be the opposite of what it is like to be a man or woman of Christ. Perhaps there is a well written character out there who is of some kind of faith, whether Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or what have you, but I just haven't seen it yet, and I'd really like to. It would make for such an engaging and compelling character.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Do You Even Art?
I'm sure that I've discussed this somewhere on this blog before, but I want to talk about it again. Are video games art? Yes. I'd like to think that they are. There is a lot of work and care that go into them, and they are an expression of the developers. The people who made the game what it is, did so in a way that only they could. Therefore, making video games art. Quite simply, art is an expression. It can be whatever you want it to be. It is a creation, an action, a performance, or just whatever. So long as its creator did so in a way that only they could, it is a unique creation. But, why does this conversation of games as art matter? It's because games have become a part of our culture.
there are several cornerstones of society that make each civilization distinct. One of those is art. Art can be dismissed sometimes, as people will write it off as "oh, it's just a painting" or "it's just a book". No! these are works of art that a lot of great care went into. These pieces of art have changed peoples lives! They have given others hope when they had none! They opened up someone's mind to think differently than they had before! Games have certainly done so for me!
However, video games are still written off as only pop-culture. Yet, pop-culture is still culture. It may be more prevalent than other forms of art, and I can spout off statistics of how much money the video game industry makes each year, but that wont convince you of why it is still a major part of our society.
Games have evolved so much from when they started. Before, they were just challenges, and children's playthings. Now, with games like Minecraft, they have become creative tools. Children all around the world work at their games of Minecraft to build, create, explore, and learn. There is even a school in New York City that uses Minecraft to teach children. You couldn't even imagine that was a possibility in the days of the arcade.
Games now tell engaging stories, that players can get wrapped up and engrossed in. Mass Effect creates an entire universe that is full of life, culture, politics, peoples, technology, economy, war, turmoil, and all of that which makes it feel like a real place. I love Mass Effect, so I may be a bit bias here, but it is one of the greatest games I've ever played. I have spent hours just wandering around the Citadel taking in the views, and eavesdropping on random citizens having conversations about whether or not there are fish in the fountains of the Presidium. That's just a random kind of thing that real people would talk about, and it only ads to the illusion of realism that Mass Effect creates. The writers of Mass Effect took great care to make a world that was believable and one that players would want to learn more about. There is a novels worth of information in each Mass Effect game that describes the smallest of details about everything in that universe. I can tell you all about Quarian Society, or how long an Asari lives to be, or how many hearts a Krogan has (it's two, by the way). I have fallen in love with this game, and it's all because the people behind it made something that only they can make. They have told a great story, full of character and heart. To dismiss this as "just a game" would be an injustice.
Video games are most certainly an art form. We, as gamers, as a society, need to view them as such. This is a conversation that is worth having, because games are worth while. Players can explore, and express themselves in the realm of video games. They can become someone else, and escape the trappings of reality for a few hours. These video games mean a lot to many different people. I cherish my video game experiences, as do many gamers. Video games have come so far, and so fast, that they are doing things that nobody could have imagined. They break the mold of what games can do, and what art can do, further pushing the envelope of expression and storytelling. Games are a part of our culture, and it is important that we recognize that. They do more good than we recognize, and that too should be a part of the conversation. To shame someone for playing video games is an insult on who they are. No, you do not know what is best for them. You have not walked in their shoes, and you do not yet understand the joy that video games have brought to that individuals life. Do not shame someone for playing video games. Instead, let them explain to you why they love them so much. Open the conversation, and your mind, to video games. Together, gamers and non-gamers alike, we can change the world.
there are several cornerstones of society that make each civilization distinct. One of those is art. Art can be dismissed sometimes, as people will write it off as "oh, it's just a painting" or "it's just a book". No! these are works of art that a lot of great care went into. These pieces of art have changed peoples lives! They have given others hope when they had none! They opened up someone's mind to think differently than they had before! Games have certainly done so for me!
However, video games are still written off as only pop-culture. Yet, pop-culture is still culture. It may be more prevalent than other forms of art, and I can spout off statistics of how much money the video game industry makes each year, but that wont convince you of why it is still a major part of our society.
Games have evolved so much from when they started. Before, they were just challenges, and children's playthings. Now, with games like Minecraft, they have become creative tools. Children all around the world work at their games of Minecraft to build, create, explore, and learn. There is even a school in New York City that uses Minecraft to teach children. You couldn't even imagine that was a possibility in the days of the arcade.
Games now tell engaging stories, that players can get wrapped up and engrossed in. Mass Effect creates an entire universe that is full of life, culture, politics, peoples, technology, economy, war, turmoil, and all of that which makes it feel like a real place. I love Mass Effect, so I may be a bit bias here, but it is one of the greatest games I've ever played. I have spent hours just wandering around the Citadel taking in the views, and eavesdropping on random citizens having conversations about whether or not there are fish in the fountains of the Presidium. That's just a random kind of thing that real people would talk about, and it only ads to the illusion of realism that Mass Effect creates. The writers of Mass Effect took great care to make a world that was believable and one that players would want to learn more about. There is a novels worth of information in each Mass Effect game that describes the smallest of details about everything in that universe. I can tell you all about Quarian Society, or how long an Asari lives to be, or how many hearts a Krogan has (it's two, by the way). I have fallen in love with this game, and it's all because the people behind it made something that only they can make. They have told a great story, full of character and heart. To dismiss this as "just a game" would be an injustice.
Video games are most certainly an art form. We, as gamers, as a society, need to view them as such. This is a conversation that is worth having, because games are worth while. Players can explore, and express themselves in the realm of video games. They can become someone else, and escape the trappings of reality for a few hours. These video games mean a lot to many different people. I cherish my video game experiences, as do many gamers. Video games have come so far, and so fast, that they are doing things that nobody could have imagined. They break the mold of what games can do, and what art can do, further pushing the envelope of expression and storytelling. Games are a part of our culture, and it is important that we recognize that. They do more good than we recognize, and that too should be a part of the conversation. To shame someone for playing video games is an insult on who they are. No, you do not know what is best for them. You have not walked in their shoes, and you do not yet understand the joy that video games have brought to that individuals life. Do not shame someone for playing video games. Instead, let them explain to you why they love them so much. Open the conversation, and your mind, to video games. Together, gamers and non-gamers alike, we can change the world.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
The Value in JRPGs
I wish that I played more JRPGs. I'm kind of envious of people who can put the time and effort into playing them. They spend so much time in them, that I wish that I could get wrapped up in a story the way they do. However, I've played a few, and they just haven't had the same affect on me as those who are fans of them. Now, I've said my fair share about Final Fantasy, the quintessential JRPG franchise, but that's just one series. There's a lot more JRPGs out there that are well done, and there's a lot of value to the genre on the whole of RPGs that isn't just restricted to the Japanese market.
The special thing about RPGs is that they tell great stories. Players can get really wrapped up in them, as they explore the game, and fight the good fight. You can spend time leveling up your characters, and decking them out with the best gear so that they can overcome any obstacle that comes their way. It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I feel like this can be somewhat of a life lesson in a way.
In life, we have many different talents, passions, and various other things about ourselves that we can improve upon. As with RPGs, we have our party of characters. A smart player will have a party full of characters that will compliment each other and work well together. Players spend time working on this party of characters, and leveling them up so that they can be as effective as possible. Much like in real life, we have talents that we work on so that we can become better at them. We may be talented at a lot of things, but there are some things that we focus on more than others. Most JRPGs give you a party of about three characters, but give players the option of about twelve or fifteen. Pokemon has over seven hundred Pokemon to choose from, but only allow for six at a time. You have to choose wisely, and create a party that is effective enough to overcome challenges.
We won't always be the best at everything right away, though. We have to work at our talents. Much like in JRPGs, there's a grind. I hate grinding in video games. I want to be the hero, and I want to save the world. There should be a reason why I was chosen to save the world and everyone in it. I don't want to be some average Joe that has to train to be good enough. However, in real life, the world doesn't always need saving from some great evil, but we are the heroes of our own story. So, we have to resort to grinding. We have to work on our skills and abilities to improve ourselves and become better. We can pick up pretty much anything, and with effort become a master of it. It might take longer than we'd like for whatever we pick up to get up to speed with the rest of our talents, but sometimes we just have to accept that we don't know much about whatever it is that we just started. Often times in RPGs we're faced with the scenario of getting a new character who just isn't on the same level as everyone else in our party, but this new character is really cool and interesting, so we do our best to level him up and get him up to speed. This is a long and arduous process. This new character ends up dying a lot, and doesn't gain quite as much as experience, because the other characters are landing more hits, and doing more damage than this new character. Yet, he or she is still gaining experience, and slowly is growing. We have to be patient when we work on our talents. We wont always be able to pick up something and immediately be good at it. There's a lot of work that goes into becoming good at something.
I may not play many JRPGs, or any kind of RPGs for that matter, but there is some real world value to them. We're all very talented people, and we all have something to offer. We just have to grind away the hours at leveling up our special gifts.
The special thing about RPGs is that they tell great stories. Players can get really wrapped up in them, as they explore the game, and fight the good fight. You can spend time leveling up your characters, and decking them out with the best gear so that they can overcome any obstacle that comes their way. It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but I feel like this can be somewhat of a life lesson in a way.
In life, we have many different talents, passions, and various other things about ourselves that we can improve upon. As with RPGs, we have our party of characters. A smart player will have a party full of characters that will compliment each other and work well together. Players spend time working on this party of characters, and leveling them up so that they can be as effective as possible. Much like in real life, we have talents that we work on so that we can become better at them. We may be talented at a lot of things, but there are some things that we focus on more than others. Most JRPGs give you a party of about three characters, but give players the option of about twelve or fifteen. Pokemon has over seven hundred Pokemon to choose from, but only allow for six at a time. You have to choose wisely, and create a party that is effective enough to overcome challenges.
We won't always be the best at everything right away, though. We have to work at our talents. Much like in JRPGs, there's a grind. I hate grinding in video games. I want to be the hero, and I want to save the world. There should be a reason why I was chosen to save the world and everyone in it. I don't want to be some average Joe that has to train to be good enough. However, in real life, the world doesn't always need saving from some great evil, but we are the heroes of our own story. So, we have to resort to grinding. We have to work on our skills and abilities to improve ourselves and become better. We can pick up pretty much anything, and with effort become a master of it. It might take longer than we'd like for whatever we pick up to get up to speed with the rest of our talents, but sometimes we just have to accept that we don't know much about whatever it is that we just started. Often times in RPGs we're faced with the scenario of getting a new character who just isn't on the same level as everyone else in our party, but this new character is really cool and interesting, so we do our best to level him up and get him up to speed. This is a long and arduous process. This new character ends up dying a lot, and doesn't gain quite as much as experience, because the other characters are landing more hits, and doing more damage than this new character. Yet, he or she is still gaining experience, and slowly is growing. We have to be patient when we work on our talents. We wont always be able to pick up something and immediately be good at it. There's a lot of work that goes into becoming good at something.
I may not play many JRPGs, or any kind of RPGs for that matter, but there is some real world value to them. We're all very talented people, and we all have something to offer. We just have to grind away the hours at leveling up our special gifts.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
The More Things Change.....
Do you ever think that people back in the day got made fun of, or ridiculed for reading books? I'm sure they must have. After all, books were just made up stories. They were probably widely considered to be frivolous wastes of time. Yet, today, we seem to hold a person who frequently reads up high because of their literacy. We look back on old books that were published about a hundred years ago and hail them as classics. Do you think that we will get to the same point with video games?
It may seem difficult to imagine with countless calls to duty and constant reiterations of the seemingly same battlefield, but there are some gems that are still being released. There are note worthy games. Some of them are made by major studios, others by smaller independent teams. Just as not every single book that was ever written was remembered; not every game will be either. When we look back on those "classics" we sort of get a highlight reel of books and other art that was created during that age. Jules Verne was not the only author of the 1800s, and Mozart was not the only composer of the late 1700s. There was probably some schlock that was produced during both of their times. People remember their great works because they liked them. They praised the art that was made by great artists and they did everything they could to preserve that masterpiece.
What are we doing today with video games to preserve great titles? What are we doing as gamers? What are you doing as non-gamers? How are we talking about games? How are we remembering games? Are HD remakes enough to keep the classics in tact and in the public eye? Is a number score in a review of a game enough to signify its greatness? How are we preserving games, and who is doing something so that truly great titles be remembered?
We, as gamers, need to appreciate games both old and new for their merits and accomplishments within the medium. We need to change the conversation about games so that non-gamers can appreciate and understand what makes a game great. Gamers need to stop being so exclusionary with who can play what kind of game. Games are for everyone.
Non-gamers, what is your view on video games? How do you view gamers? How do you talk about video games? How do you talk to gamers? It starts with conversation. Communication. Open yourselves up to video games. Be more open minded about video games. Do not damn video games because of one that contains violence. Do not generalize that all games are the same because they have a first person perspective. Research games, explore games, find out more about games.
Maybe we can reach a point in history where we can look upon gamers with respect. It definitely won't be anytime soon, or it might not happen at all, though, nothing is impossible. If we can preserve great games of the past, truly great games that show what games are capable of, then we can be able to move forward on a foundation of strength and innovation.
It may seem difficult to imagine with countless calls to duty and constant reiterations of the seemingly same battlefield, but there are some gems that are still being released. There are note worthy games. Some of them are made by major studios, others by smaller independent teams. Just as not every single book that was ever written was remembered; not every game will be either. When we look back on those "classics" we sort of get a highlight reel of books and other art that was created during that age. Jules Verne was not the only author of the 1800s, and Mozart was not the only composer of the late 1700s. There was probably some schlock that was produced during both of their times. People remember their great works because they liked them. They praised the art that was made by great artists and they did everything they could to preserve that masterpiece.
What are we doing today with video games to preserve great titles? What are we doing as gamers? What are you doing as non-gamers? How are we talking about games? How are we remembering games? Are HD remakes enough to keep the classics in tact and in the public eye? Is a number score in a review of a game enough to signify its greatness? How are we preserving games, and who is doing something so that truly great titles be remembered?
We, as gamers, need to appreciate games both old and new for their merits and accomplishments within the medium. We need to change the conversation about games so that non-gamers can appreciate and understand what makes a game great. Gamers need to stop being so exclusionary with who can play what kind of game. Games are for everyone.
Non-gamers, what is your view on video games? How do you view gamers? How do you talk about video games? How do you talk to gamers? It starts with conversation. Communication. Open yourselves up to video games. Be more open minded about video games. Do not damn video games because of one that contains violence. Do not generalize that all games are the same because they have a first person perspective. Research games, explore games, find out more about games.
Maybe we can reach a point in history where we can look upon gamers with respect. It definitely won't be anytime soon, or it might not happen at all, though, nothing is impossible. If we can preserve great games of the past, truly great games that show what games are capable of, then we can be able to move forward on a foundation of strength and innovation.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Game Over, Retry?
Life does not have a reset button. There is no way to go back and do over the thing that we failed at, and try again with the exact same conditions as before. Sure, we all wish that we did, but such is not the case. Yet, at the same time, there are some moments when we have lost and we were able to move forward with what we have.
This is very difficult to see after suffering a loss. Back in October when I had lost my friend, I was devastated. I still am. I had lost someone who was dear to me. However, I could not go back and change any of that. I was unable to change the way things happened before. Video games are unrealistic because they allow us to do just that. Games allow us to go back to before we failed, and saw that "Game Over" screen and give it another go. When I had lost my friend, I still had my support group, I still had my job, I still had my church, I still had my family, I still had a lot to fall back on. Looking back, it was like going back to a save point in a game.
When we lose in a video game, we are often transported back to a checkpoint, where we had everything that we had before. Consider though, that we in fact go back to that place with something more. The player had lost, and he or she knows exactly why they lost. The next time that they reach that point, they will be on the look out and aware of that which had killed them before. The player had grown through that experience of loss. Failure is never a failure, if there is something to be learned from it.
I fail a lot in life, but I do my best to learn from those failures. I do what I can to improve upon my circumstances. It always feels like I'm struggling to get back to where I was, but that is never going to happen. Instead, I move forward, past where I was, and I become stronger. I learned something, and I grew as a result. Games may have that unrealistic experience of being able to go back in time, with everything that we had and have everything reset, but we as players continue to move forward in time and grow with knowledge and experience. This is how we learn from games. This is how we grow. I encourage you to get out there and take risks, fail, and learn from them. You will move forward, and you will level up.
This is very difficult to see after suffering a loss. Back in October when I had lost my friend, I was devastated. I still am. I had lost someone who was dear to me. However, I could not go back and change any of that. I was unable to change the way things happened before. Video games are unrealistic because they allow us to do just that. Games allow us to go back to before we failed, and saw that "Game Over" screen and give it another go. When I had lost my friend, I still had my support group, I still had my job, I still had my church, I still had my family, I still had a lot to fall back on. Looking back, it was like going back to a save point in a game.
When we lose in a video game, we are often transported back to a checkpoint, where we had everything that we had before. Consider though, that we in fact go back to that place with something more. The player had lost, and he or she knows exactly why they lost. The next time that they reach that point, they will be on the look out and aware of that which had killed them before. The player had grown through that experience of loss. Failure is never a failure, if there is something to be learned from it.
I fail a lot in life, but I do my best to learn from those failures. I do what I can to improve upon my circumstances. It always feels like I'm struggling to get back to where I was, but that is never going to happen. Instead, I move forward, past where I was, and I become stronger. I learned something, and I grew as a result. Games may have that unrealistic experience of being able to go back in time, with everything that we had and have everything reset, but we as players continue to move forward in time and grow with knowledge and experience. This is how we learn from games. This is how we grow. I encourage you to get out there and take risks, fail, and learn from them. You will move forward, and you will level up.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Video Game Ladies
Well, another year, another dateless Valentines Day. That's okay, though. I'm kind of used to being single. It still kind of sucks, but it's where I'm at, might as well be okay with it. Besides, it means that I can spend time doing the things that I like, and not have to spend money and take time to plan something extraordinary (because I totally would for someone on Valentines Day). So, I'll just play some video games. Since I don't have a lady in real life, I'll talk about the ladies in video games.
It's no secret that ladies get the short end of the stick here in video game land. They are often objectified, used as plot devices, and almost always eye-candy. This. Is. Not. Okay. That being said, there are some women in video games who are well written and well rounded. Even though none of these characters are real, and I wouldn't even come close to having a chance with them, I still have a thing for them.
Here's a list of my favorite video game ladies.
Lllllllllllllllaaadddies........
1. Samus Aran
Now, I do love a woman in power armor, that is for sure. What I like about Samus is her ability to get shit done. Excuse the language. Seriously, though! This girl takes on missions all by herself, and completes them with stern determination. Samus is cool, calm, and efficient. Her arm cannon is always at the ready and always pointed at the enemy. Samus has taken on badguys ten times her size and kept on going. Some of the horrors that she has fought off would give a normal person nightmares and PTSD. Samus takes on these missions and keeps coming back for more. Perhaps it's the only environment where she feels comfortable, however. Similar to soldiers who have PTSD and cannot function outside of service. Samus has a tragic backstory of witnessing everyone in her colony be murdered by the ruthless Space Pirates who were led by Ridley, a sentient dragon. Samus tracked down Ridley and exacted her revenge. I like Samus because she also kind of intimidates me. She has accomplished more in her life than most others have in their entire career of service. Samus is a badass and you can always rely on her to take care of whatever crazy task that needs doing. She is my favorite video game crush.
2. Bayonetta
This is a major change of pace, I know. Going from a girl who is completely covered, head to toe, in armor to a girl who wears skin tight clothes made of her hair. Yep. Her hair. Bayonetta is a witch, who fights angels and the Lumen Sages. That's all I can really tell you about her plot, because that's about all I can gather from playing the entire game. Her story just doesn't make all that much sense. However! I fell in love with Bayonetta because of her style and personality. To be honest, Bayonetta is your typical sexy video game character, but she owns it. Everything that Bayonetta does is based on her sensuality. Her moveset, her personality, her dialogue, it's all meant for her to be sexy. It works. It's kind of hilarious, but it works. Everything about Bayonetta oozes style, and it's to such an extreme level that it leaves a lasting impact. Most sexy video game characters will be scantily clad and nobody bats an eyelash, here Bayonetta knows all too well the situation. Again, Bayonetta is the type of woman who intimidates me because of how well she can handle herself, plus, shawty got legs for dayz.
3. Female Commander Shepard
I prefer Commander Shepard as a female. Her voice acting is better, her situation as a woman in a position of power is more engaging, her being a leader is more endearing and has a somewhat maternal feel to it. There is so much more to Commander Shepard than so many other female characters, or any character for that matter, in gaming. Commander Shepard is the playable character, and as it is a Bioware game, the player has the ability to choose and craft the character to their choices, but Femshep has a personality of her own. Whether Renegade or Paragon, Femshep is distinct in her approach. I like the idea of a woman leading and looking after her crew. This is the most present in Mass Effect 2, when the structure of the game has players completing "loyalty missions" to earn the trust of their crew members. Femshep has to prove that she is trustworthy and does whatever it takes to prove this. Trough her helping out her crew members, they grow and come out of those experiences different. Shepard had helped them, and gained their loyalty. Shepard also has to make sure that the ship and the other members of the crew have everything that they need, as it may be the last mission that anyone ever serves on because they might not make it back alive. Femshep takes care of those close to her, and always gets the job done (there seems to be a theme here....).
So, it seems that my taste in video game ladies are the ones who can always get the job done, and who intimidate me because they are so powerful. Hey, you never know when I might get captured and need some rescuing. I sure wouldn't mind being saved by any of these women. I would certainly go to any length to rescue them, as well. While all of these ladies are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my league, a guy can dream, right?
It's no secret that ladies get the short end of the stick here in video game land. They are often objectified, used as plot devices, and almost always eye-candy. This. Is. Not. Okay. That being said, there are some women in video games who are well written and well rounded. Even though none of these characters are real, and I wouldn't even come close to having a chance with them, I still have a thing for them.
Here's a list of my favorite video game ladies.
Lllllllllllllllaaadddies........
1. Samus Aran
Now, I do love a woman in power armor, that is for sure. What I like about Samus is her ability to get shit done. Excuse the language. Seriously, though! This girl takes on missions all by herself, and completes them with stern determination. Samus is cool, calm, and efficient. Her arm cannon is always at the ready and always pointed at the enemy. Samus has taken on badguys ten times her size and kept on going. Some of the horrors that she has fought off would give a normal person nightmares and PTSD. Samus takes on these missions and keeps coming back for more. Perhaps it's the only environment where she feels comfortable, however. Similar to soldiers who have PTSD and cannot function outside of service. Samus has a tragic backstory of witnessing everyone in her colony be murdered by the ruthless Space Pirates who were led by Ridley, a sentient dragon. Samus tracked down Ridley and exacted her revenge. I like Samus because she also kind of intimidates me. She has accomplished more in her life than most others have in their entire career of service. Samus is a badass and you can always rely on her to take care of whatever crazy task that needs doing. She is my favorite video game crush.
2. Bayonetta
This is a major change of pace, I know. Going from a girl who is completely covered, head to toe, in armor to a girl who wears skin tight clothes made of her hair. Yep. Her hair. Bayonetta is a witch, who fights angels and the Lumen Sages. That's all I can really tell you about her plot, because that's about all I can gather from playing the entire game. Her story just doesn't make all that much sense. However! I fell in love with Bayonetta because of her style and personality. To be honest, Bayonetta is your typical sexy video game character, but she owns it. Everything that Bayonetta does is based on her sensuality. Her moveset, her personality, her dialogue, it's all meant for her to be sexy. It works. It's kind of hilarious, but it works. Everything about Bayonetta oozes style, and it's to such an extreme level that it leaves a lasting impact. Most sexy video game characters will be scantily clad and nobody bats an eyelash, here Bayonetta knows all too well the situation. Again, Bayonetta is the type of woman who intimidates me because of how well she can handle herself, plus, shawty got legs for dayz.
3. Female Commander Shepard
I prefer Commander Shepard as a female. Her voice acting is better, her situation as a woman in a position of power is more engaging, her being a leader is more endearing and has a somewhat maternal feel to it. There is so much more to Commander Shepard than so many other female characters, or any character for that matter, in gaming. Commander Shepard is the playable character, and as it is a Bioware game, the player has the ability to choose and craft the character to their choices, but Femshep has a personality of her own. Whether Renegade or Paragon, Femshep is distinct in her approach. I like the idea of a woman leading and looking after her crew. This is the most present in Mass Effect 2, when the structure of the game has players completing "loyalty missions" to earn the trust of their crew members. Femshep has to prove that she is trustworthy and does whatever it takes to prove this. Trough her helping out her crew members, they grow and come out of those experiences different. Shepard had helped them, and gained their loyalty. Shepard also has to make sure that the ship and the other members of the crew have everything that they need, as it may be the last mission that anyone ever serves on because they might not make it back alive. Femshep takes care of those close to her, and always gets the job done (there seems to be a theme here....).
So, it seems that my taste in video game ladies are the ones who can always get the job done, and who intimidate me because they are so powerful. Hey, you never know when I might get captured and need some rescuing. I sure wouldn't mind being saved by any of these women. I would certainly go to any length to rescue them, as well. While all of these ladies are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my league, a guy can dream, right?
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Hang On, Watch This
As I wrote last time, I don't have much time. Gaming is more of a privilege than anything else. It's difficult to balance all of the things in my life and still be able to sit down and play video games. I still like video games, and I wish that I could play them a lot more than I do now. I know that I'll be getting some free time in the future to play video games and such, but that's a story for a different time. However, right now, working six days a week with ten hour shifts is kind of grueling. In order to get my fill of video games, or at least something video game related, I watch Let's Plays.
Let's Plays are a kind of video on Youtube that have taken the internet by storm. People record themselves playing video games, and post it up on the Internet. This is a stupid concept that should not be as popular as it is. Instead of actively playing a game for myself, I, along with many others, watch people play video games.
When I was younger, and still not all that great at video games, I would watch my older brother play video games. He didn't much care for it, but I would watch him anyway. There was no commentary, and there were rarely moments in the game that got all that exciting, but I still enjoyed watching him play. There was something to that. A certain kind of feeling of fellowship with my brother, and bonding over video games. This is what Let's Plays remind me of, in a very minor way.
My favorite Let's Play channel is Game Grumps. I really enjoy their conversations that they have over the games that they play, and Danny always has a good story to tell it seems. I've learned a lot from listening to them talk about life and experiences. They also play a lot of games that I've never tried, or even heard of before. It's a good way to find out about new games that came out, or old ones that have faded into obscurity. Their show is always entertaining to me, and it makes me smile even on bad days.
Video games are more fun to play, to be sure, but they can also be fun to watch. It may not be the same as watching the game with the person in the same room, but it's still enjoyable.
Let's Plays are a kind of video on Youtube that have taken the internet by storm. People record themselves playing video games, and post it up on the Internet. This is a stupid concept that should not be as popular as it is. Instead of actively playing a game for myself, I, along with many others, watch people play video games.
When I was younger, and still not all that great at video games, I would watch my older brother play video games. He didn't much care for it, but I would watch him anyway. There was no commentary, and there were rarely moments in the game that got all that exciting, but I still enjoyed watching him play. There was something to that. A certain kind of feeling of fellowship with my brother, and bonding over video games. This is what Let's Plays remind me of, in a very minor way.
My favorite Let's Play channel is Game Grumps. I really enjoy their conversations that they have over the games that they play, and Danny always has a good story to tell it seems. I've learned a lot from listening to them talk about life and experiences. They also play a lot of games that I've never tried, or even heard of before. It's a good way to find out about new games that came out, or old ones that have faded into obscurity. Their show is always entertaining to me, and it makes me smile even on bad days.
Video games are more fun to play, to be sure, but they can also be fun to watch. It may not be the same as watching the game with the person in the same room, but it's still enjoyable.
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