Sex and the Zero Suit: Why Samus was Great Only in Metroid Prime

[Alby_da_Wolf]

Khuutra said:

Alby_da_Wolf said:

Khuutra said:

We're not having this conversation until you actually read the first post.

Never!  j/k

After reading it, I stand by what I wrote: the problems about those aspects of Samus aren't that due to them female gamers are pissed off for a violation of political correctness, but because those aspects are badly designed and, as the article this time correctly says, just glued on the game as a cheap trick to attract males. This, more than by violating political correctness, is bad because it just insults the intelligence of gamers, and, again correctly said in the article, prevents female gamers from identifying with the PC. Sex appeal can be used in a much better way, but the sexy woman must be an active subject, not an object. My feeling is that dragging the argument into political correctness field, things get worse, because political correctness just makes the alternative to gratuitous, cheap sexy bits, boring. So basically the article is right (besides being a long rant), but I don't agree with one of the arguments it uses to justify its thesis, and I believe there is a better one available in its place.

PS The original Duke Nukem 3D, btw, proves that even cheap, gratuitous, objectified sexy women can have a place in an excellent game, if they are so much over-the-top to become ironic.

Okay. Now that you've read it.

What part of my argument qualifies as "political correctness"?

Proposing that the solution SHOULD, not COULD be making her more neuter. My point is that actually she could be sexy if it isn't gratuitous, it's well blended in the game and justified by the circumstances, she remains a strong character and doesn't become a sex object, etc., just like Lara Croft.  BTW, thinking again about it, I don't find the latest Samus so sexy, despite her appearance meant to be so, but this could still be seen as a badly executed design, that contributes to just attract simple-minded males and prevent woman from identifying with her, spoiling their gameplay. One last bit about the silliness of eccessive political correctness: if a third person game's male PC is designed with a nice ass, many female gamers (and gaymers too) will definitely watch it, so let's stop altogether just scolding straight male gamers for this natural behaviour, and let just mock them if they pay and play a bad game just for some digital asses and boobs. Again, the commandment for devs and designers shouldn't be "don't do it", but "if you really want to do it, do it well".