Category: Anita Sarkeesian

Defending ICO from False Accusation

After watching Anita Sarkeesian’s videos on the “Damsel in Distress” trope, I would like to challenge her use of ICO in some of these videos. It is important to recognize that although the game does feature something similar to the “Damsel in Distress” trope that Anita Sarkeesian describes, the appearance of said trope is justified … Continue reading Defending ICO from False Accusation →

After watching Anita Sarkeesian’s videos on the “Damsel in Distress” trope, I would like to challenge her use of ICO in some of these videos. It is important to recognize that although the game does feature something similar to the “Damsel in Distress” trope that Anita Sarkeesian describes, the appearance of said trope is justified and does not disempower Yorda.

Sarkeesian’s description of the “Damsel in Distress” explains the origin from the French phrase, “Demoiselles en Détresse,” and how it functions as, “a plot device in which a female character is placed in a perilous situation from which she cannot escape on her own and must be rescued by a male character, usually providing the core incentive or motivation for the protagonist’s quest.” Sarkeesian also explains how the female characters are either, “relatives or love interests,” which obviously provides incentive into why they should be rescued in the first place.

So does ICO exploit the “Damsel in Distress” trope? In my opinion, ICO’s use of anything resembling the trope is only part of what the game is trying to explore as a whole. Ico frees Yorda after receiving a vision of the cage, and though this is necessary to complete the game, Ico’s main quest is not to “save Yorda.” Ultimately the quest Ico and Yorda embark on can be described as “escape from the castle.” After finding Yorda’s Mother, the quest takes on a “Damsel in Distress”-like quest, but serves to illuminate their friendship. After struggling to escape, Ico goes to rescue her not as a confirmed love interest, but certainly as a valued companion.

To recap, this log post is not discrediting Sarkeesian’s argument regarding the “Damsel in Distress” trop in videogames. I agree with her accusation of game developers lacking a motivation for the protagonist using this trope in order to find substance in their game’s plot. However, when I spotted clips of ICO, I had to take a stand. Games such as Dishonored or Super Mario may use this trope in a way that drives the plot forward, but ICO uses this to explore the depth of Ico and Yorda’s relationship. Would Ico rescue Yorda in the face of her evil, shadow magic manipulating mother? Yes. And this objective reveals the heroic elements of Ico’s character rather than exhibit the problematic mindset of the game’s developer.

Sarkeesian’s awesome playlist including the “Damsel in Distress” trope can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4ob_5_ttEaA_vc8F3fjzE62esf9yP61

Creativity in videogames enables self-expression (which looks the same, anyways)

In “All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games,” Anita Sarkeesian critiques videogame designers for relying on the same body type for female characters, but I found Second Life to not be much different. Even when players are able to fully customize their characters, in my one hour of game play, I found only […]

In “All the Slender Ladies: Body Diversity in Video Games,” Anita Sarkeesian critiques videogame designers for relying on the same body type for female characters, but I found Second Life to not be much different. Even when players are able to fully customize their characters, in my one hour of game play, I found only one female avatar that had body dimensions different than the norm.

No matter who is designing an avatar for a videogame, Sarkeesian’s argument fails to consider the magic circle that exists in videogames. People use the videogame environment to portray their “projective” identity. She considers this default, slender-shaped woman avatar a “limitation to creativity.” I think players in Second Life take advantage of the opportunity to be creative in this 3D environment to explore an identity that does not have to be one of their own.

The only time I felt like my personal freedom of identity was threatened was from chatting with a male character. He started to comment on my virtual appearance. At this point, I had not personalized my avatar at all. He said I would look better, with a different hairstyle and a smaller head. To my surprise, he sent me packages of fully customized women avatars. You can put these ‘outfits’ on, and your clothes, accessories, and even height will change. This relationship of exchanging and controlling my physical characteristics was a learning experience, but made me feel uncomfortable. The power dynamic was clear; he could customize me or any other character in whatever way he pleased. The appearance of my avatar became “playable,” and I myself became a sexualized trope in his gameplay. Videogames are spaces where agency can be isolated, shared, manipulated, or threatened.

 

ReferenceS:

Anita Sarkeesian, “All the Slender Women: Body Diversity in Video Games” (2016). See https://feministfrequency.com/video/all-the-slender-ladies-body-diversity-in-video-games/

Damsel in Distress

Attached to this post is the link to my final project. I created a word-based game on Twine with Chris Cardwell called Damsel in Distress. The game was inspired by Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency videos, specifically her “Tropes vs. Women in … Continue reading →

Attached to this post is the link to my final project. I created a word-based game on Twine with Chris Cardwell called Damsel in Distress.

The game was inspired by Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency videos, specifically her “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” series.

Damsel in Distress

The Clothed but Still Sexualized Lara Croft

Coinciding with the relaunch of the massively popular Tomb Raider franchise in 2013, the protagonist of the series, Lara Croft, was redesigned as well. Lara is one of the most famous women in videogame history, notable for her infamous bust … Continue reading →

Coinciding with the relaunch of the massively popular Tomb Raider franchise in 2013, the protagonist of the series, Lara Croft, was redesigned as well. Lara is one of the most famous women in videogame history, notable for her infamous bust line and barely-there outfits. Even though Lara is one of the first female action heroes, her choice of “lingerie as armor,” as Anita Sarkeesian refers to Lara’s wardrobe choices, is impractical and makes no sense for a woman rushing into battle.1

In her first appearances, Lara Croft showed quite a bit of skin and had extremely large breasts

In her first appearances, Lara Croft showed quite a bit of skin and had extremely large breasts

It seems that Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix sought to create a more realistic and feminist Lara Croft in the relaunch of the series. In the game, the protagonist is in much more appropriate outfits. In Tomb Raider (2013), Lara is dressed in long cargo pants and a tank top, with a greatly augmented bust. Lara is also less sexualized by being covered in dirt. This decision makes sense in the narrative of the game as Lara encounters a shipwreck that lands her on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean.

For the 2013 relaunch of the series, Lara Croft was redesigned as a gritty, dirty, and clothed action heroine

For the 2013 relaunch of the series, Lara Croft was redesigned as a gritty, dirty, and clothed action heroine

While Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix would likely get commendation for their choice of Lara’s wardrobe in the 2013 version of Tomb Raider, I doubt Sarkeesian would be fully accepting of the game. In one of the earliest cutscenes in the game, Lara is immediately characterized by her sexuality, reminding the player of her desirability and attractiveness. Before the player gains the ability to have Lara shoot a handgun, a cutscene is presented that shows one of the island’s inhabitants finding a hidden Lara. Before Lara wrestles the gun out of the man’s hand, he strokes her side and then sniffs her hair in a distinctly sexual way.

Yes, in this scene Lara proves her ability by fighting off her would-be attacker, but that simple caress immediately clues the player in to Lara’s sexuality. While there is no violence in the scene, the implications of the caress are immediately understood. From the inclusion of this touch, Lara must be thought of by the player as a sexual object. An action hero, but still a sexual object. In this sense, the developers have taken a page from the book of the non-player sex object trope coined by Sarkeesian.2 Even though Lara is an action hero, dressed in a more appropriate garb in Tomb Raider, she is still sexualized by non-player characters. This in turn sexualizes Lara to the player in a distinctly anti-feminist way—through the threat of violence.

Sources

  1. Lingerie Is Not Armor – Tropes vs Women in Video Games. By Anita Sarkeesian. Perf. Anita Sarkeesian. YouTube. Feminist Frequency, 6 June 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
  2. Women as Background Decoration (Part 1). By Anita Sarkeesian. Perf. Anita Sarkeesian. YouTube. Feminist Frequency, 16 June 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Image Sources

http://tombraider.wikia.com/wiki/Lara_Croft_(Original_Timeline)

http://tombraiding.com/video-games/the-new-tomb-raider-games/tomb-raider-2013/