Running Head: FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE MORE THAN EYE CANDY

Female Characters Are More than Eye Candy

Erica Heffner

ThispaperwaspreparedforENGL10232867taughtbyProfessorStorm.

FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE MORE THAN EYE CANDY

Montgomery College Female Characters Are More than Eye Candy

When discussing the role of women in video games, it is important to establish what an
acceptable female character is. An acceptable female character has her own motivations that are
not dependent on a male character, is not overtly sexualized, and has a multi-dimensional
personality.
A well-written female character has a storyline that is independent of other male
characters and does not serve to further male storylines. The Last of Us follows Joel as he leads
Ellie, a young girl, across a post-apocalyptic world. Ellie, rather than existing as a tool to further
Joels man-pain, acts on her own free will. Ellie also becomes a playable character at certain
points and Alexandra Neonakis, a game critic, states that these are some of the most important
plot points (Jamstew, 2015). The story itself focuses on the fact that Ellie may contain the cure to
the infection that has riddled the United States, turning people into a zombie-like state. While
some may see the relationship of Joel and Ellie as merely Joel using Ellie for his own purposes,
it is more of a mutual relationship. Ellie is a great example of an independent character because
she has goals of her own and has her own thoughts that at times even clash with Joels. With the
influence of Joel and other factors, Ellie goes on a journey from a damsel in distress to a fully
capable and complex character, states Neonakis (Jamstew, 2015). The game attempted to
showcase a relationship between man and women where each needed each other for support and
to improve themselves.
A womens sexuality can be an integral part of her personal identity. In order to
incorporate this truth into modern media, it needs to be established that it was the womens
choice to accentuate her sexuality through means of dressing in a certain way, for example, in a
provocative way. It also needs to be established that not every woman chooses to incorporate

FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE MORE THAN EYE CANDY

their sexuality into their daily life and that is a respectable choice as well. Where Tomb Raider
(2013), developed by Crystal Dynamics, fails in expressing a womens sexuality is that, Lara
Crofts style is not vital to her personality nor does it enhance her personality. If Lara Crofts
outfit was swapped out for cargo pants and a baggy t-shirt, the plot would remain the same and
there would be no change in the way that Croft acts. It is apparent that the way in which Lara
Croft dresses, clothes that accent her chest and rear, are not to serve Lara, but rather to serve
male players. Some may argue that while Lara Croft and numerous other female characters in
video games are hyper sexualized, it does not do any harm and is merely to add to the
entertainment of the game. However, this is not the case. When impressionable young players
view the standards of women that these games set, it can warp their perception of what a woman
should look like. This can exasperate the ongoing problem that young women face with their
body image. It can also cause young men to develop outlandish body standards for women,
expecting them to look like Lara Croft. There is a fine line in expressing a womans sexuality in
any form of media and video games need to focus on the womans choice and how it serves her.
Many games are trying to include more female protagonists which is great, but often
times these characters are only two-dimensional and their purpose is simply to act as eye candy.
The Last of Us, however, is one of the more popular mainstream games to break this mold. Ellie
appears to be the damsel in distress and at first glance needs Joel to protect and save her, but she
becomes the true hero of the story. Neonakis wrote that, Ellies power comes from her bravery,
ingenuity, and determination, and that, [Ellie is] powerful the whole time and it had nothing to
do with wielding a gun or physical ability (JAMSTEW, 2015). Ellie is a very complicated
character and has faced a lot of hardships which all help shape her into the person she is. While
Tomb Raider delivered a playable lead female character, she could be summed up as a male

FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE MORE THAN EYE CANDY

character in a females body (Han, 2014). Ellie, on the other hand, embraces both her masculinity
and femininity. She often has to make tough choices and engages in violent encounters with
those infected, but she also retains a sense of innocence as she and Joel encounter a giraffe that
has presumably left a zoo. An adequate female character in a video game needs to be more than
the simply males girlfriend as that is just lazy storytelling when she has the potential to be so
much more.
The video game medium has allowed players to participate in a range of events that
would not be possible in reality, however, while players can easily transcend into a fantasy
world, players can rarely simply play as a female that has not been stereotyped. Some may argue
that both boys and girls choose to play a variety of female or male game characters (Beck,
Wade, 2013), the reality of it is not true. Most of the time, girls are forced to play as and relate to
male characters. Most mainstream games lack playable female characters, and when they are
offered their portrayals are abysmal.
An acceptable female character in a video game is not dependent on a males storyline, is
not overtly sexualized, and is not two-dimensional. Those in the gaming community need to start
demanding female characters that are more representative of their gender and not just gross
stereotypes. The toleration of sexism in video games could be because one might argue the
games themselves only serve as an entertainment value. If consumers want stereotyped
characters then developers have the responsibility to deliver that to them. The problem then
becomes not if gamers can tolerate sexism but should they allow for it.

FEMALE CHARACTERS ARE MORE THAN EYE CANDY

References
Beck, John C., and Mitchell Wade. "Video Games Transcend Gender Roles." Got Game. Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2004. Rpt. in Video Games. Ed. Laurie Willis.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 8 May 2016.
Han, H. (2014). Characterization of female protagonists in video games: A focus on lara croft.
Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 20(3), 27-48,156. Retrieved from
http://www.dbpia.co.kr/
Jamstew. (2015, July 7). Endure & Survive: Women in The Last of Us, Part One [In-Game].
Retrieved from http://femhype.com/2015/07/07/endure-survive-women-in-the-last-ofus-part-one-in-game/
Jamstew. (2015, July 15). Endure & Survive: Women in The Last of Us, Part Two [IRL].
Retrieved from http://femhype.com/2015/07/15/endure-survive-women-in-the-last-ofus-part-two-irl/