Video games and Masculinity

Where are all the female heroines? I went to EB games today to check out what was in store and it seemed that almost every game on the market is centered around a male hero and a female DID (or damsel in distress).

It seems masculinity plays a rather large part with in video games. Men are largely shirtless or carrying large swords or guns in a representation of phallic power. While woman are captured and left to wait for said male character to rescue them.

Ewan Kirkland writes in his article Masculinity in Video games that;

"A cursory survey of the titles available in games stores, or a brief

overview of the imagery, language, and implied readership of

most popular video-game publications, reveals a masculinity that

appears rooted in the traditional iconography of action, guns, and

violence."

However, gratefully perhaps for women there are more heroines becomming more and more prominent. Although I have never personally played it, I do see that silent hill 3's central character is female. There is also Resident evil to consider with in 2000 creating Code: Veronica. With a Female protagonist Claire.

I also happen to stumble upon games such as Grand Theft Auto where women are constantly viewed as sexual objects, mostly prostitutes for the lead male to take advantage of in order for him to increase life or to kill (depending on the type of game play one is engaged with) in order to steal money.

Not meaning to be a feminist but..When are women going to be fairly represented?

In a last note. I came across this hilarious parody of Dark Souls which I had written about in my previous blog. It actually made me feel better about being utterly terrible at the game!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3d94pxVRQU