Halo 4 is releasing in just over two weeks and we’ll be seeing the return of our favorite hero, Master Chief and his A.I. sidekick Cortana. We’ll also see a few changes to the game as a new enemy emerges and the reliable Cortana seems to be losing her mind. AI’s in this world have a shelf life, and Cortana has been out longer than her own. As you’ve more than likely heard in our podcasts, we here at NYMGamer are excited for this release and the gameplay/story line to come, but part of being excited for a new game here involves looking at it a little more deeply than most casual gamers. As I have been getting more prepared for this release I have started to realize a small and seemingly unnoticeable change in our main female character, she has become much more sexualized than ever before.
The change is slight and one could argue that they may have come about because of new technology in graphics and how much detail can be displayed. That’s fine and all, but how come when we get more detail Cortana suddenly becomes a Playboy model? When I imagine what my computer would look like, this doesn’t come to mind. Wanna know why? Because she’s a computer for god’s sake, not a sex object! Unfortunately even when a woman in a game isn’t a real woman she still has to be subjected to insane standards of beauty. As I said before, most players probably didn’t even notice the changes that have taken place over time in Cortana’s appearance, but this fact almost makes it all the more deplorable. We’ve slowly accepted her appearance, like frogs in slowly boiling water.
I think it’s time we jumped out of this water and start making more noise about the representation of women in games. As a woman who plays games quite often I am sick of playing new game(s) and seeing women in tiny outfits, ill-fitting armor, non-existent armor, etc. There are some strides being made, such as the new Lara Croft and dare I say FemShep (although there is a lot more to say about her character, which can be found in podcast Episode 31), but they’re not enough. This needs to be an across the board effort for an impact to be made on the industry. The moral of the story really is that our voices need to be heard within the industry. Women who are already in the industry need to speak up, even if they are ignored. Don’t let them shut your voice out and if they give you problems, give them hell! I aspire to be involved in this amazing industry and I can’t wait for that day to come, but developers can expect to hear my voice loud and clear.
