Roles of Women in Video Games

I explored in an earlier hub about some of the direct influences video games in general have had on our society. They have been used not only as entertainment but have been included in fitness plans (Wii and Kinect) and as recruitment tools for the Army.

This one is about how the fairer sex have influenced the gaming industry.  Female gamers do make up nearly half of all video game addicts, forcing the develops to think about what women might like to play.  Some heroines have finally been allowed to step out of the damsel in distress roles, showing their true power.  Others have simply always been powerful, waiting to be recognized. 

The heroines included here have been divided into some common roles they play.

Princess Peach

Princess Peach is one of the best known damsels. Several of the early Mario games involve her getting kidnapped by Bowser and needing to be rescued. But eventually she got tired of waiting for Mario to stop playing around and find the right castle. With Super Mario Bros 2 she started adventuring and was able to hold her own.

She was designed to look "stubborn but cute" with long blond hair, blue eyes and a curvy figure without being busty. She remains sweet natured and well mannered. She dresses very feminine in a pink dress, high heels and sapphire jewelery. Her fighting style is very graceful and elegant but still effective while not being aggressive.. Her most well known ability is being able to float temporarily with her long skirt. Peach is a great example of the evolution of women in video games.

Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is yet another princess that had to be rescued alot. But unlike Peach, she was always powerful in her own right. She is the possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom which is imbued with the essence of the goddes Nayru. She is kind and self sacrificing, always willing to do what is right for her people. She is seen wielding a sword at times and is skilled with a bow and is able to use spells and create or annul barriers.

High Summoner Yuna

Yuna was able to heal her companions, summon powerful Aeons to fight for her and perform Sendings to help spirits travel to the next world. She helps save the world in both Final Fantasy X and X-2. Yet she still had to be rescued at times, and the hero, Tidus was determined to save her from sacrificing her life to give her world a brief peace from Sin.

Cortana

Master Chief may have been charged with protecting Cortana from the Covenant, but I doubt he could have successfully completed his various combat missions without her help. She stopped Master Chief from activating Halo, basically saving the universe and continues to provide him with facts about the enemy and different strategies to beat them. They have a true partnership and remain devoted to each other throughout the series.

Sheva Alomar

At the beginning of Resident Evil 5 Sheva was assigned as Chris Redfield's new partner. She fights at Chris's side throughout the game, helping him save Jill Valentine and defeat his old nemesis, Albert Wesker. She refuses to quit despite being ordered to retreat declaring "We're partners...to the end."

Alyx Vance

Alyx Vance serves as Gordon Freeman's ally throughout Half Life 2. She is a skilled hacker, able to reprogram Combine computers and bypass security systems. She saves Gordon's life when he is attacked unarmed by Civil Protection forces and later gives him the gravity gun. She often provides covering fire, keeping him safe as he performs objectives. She is one of the few useful partner NPC's in video games.

Faith Connors

In Mirror's Edge the player controls Faith, who works as a Runner, a messenger used by rebel groups in her city to transmit communications without government surveillance. She gets caught up in the city's conspiracies when her sister gets framed for murder. The player plays the game through Faith's perspective as she navigates across the city's rooftops in her journey to figure out the truth.

Lara Croft

Lara is the well known heroine of the Tomb Raider series. who ventures into ancient, dangerous tombs and ruins around the world. I don't really need to say much about her. She is one of the few characters male or female that is able to do, well, everything by herself and has done much in proving that women can be a sex symbol and still completely dominate a video game.

Claire Redfield

We first met Claire as she arrived in Raccoon City in search of her brother Chris Redfield. She is caught up in the horror of the outbreak and escapes the city with police officer Leon S. Kennedy. Even that doesn't stop her search and she gets captured during her attempted infiltration of Umbrella Corporation and is sent to one of it's island prisons. She manages to escape again with fellow prisoner Steve Burnside, finds out her brother's whereabouts on Umbrella's computers and sends him a request for help. She is tough, resourceful and completely loyal to the people she cares about.