Most female characters in video games are often sexualized with overly revealing clothing or really huge breasts. I say this is unfortunately a current trend that as happening often in video games, since women are portrayed as male fantasy sex objects and given shallow characterization. This tends to gives women a negative view towards video games and leaves a bad image for games. That's not to say every female character in video games are overly-sexualized, characters such as Alyx, Jade, and April Ryan (If any of you played The Longest Journey) prove that females can be sexualized without over-doing it and having deep characterization. Same cannot for most female video game characters though.

I don't hold anything against the female form like some crude conservative, but I believe it needs to be presented tastefully and with context.

You can say that men are often portrayed as overly muscular and hard-ass stereo-types, but it's usually worse with female characters because their outfits make them look like prostitutes.

Not more than the averege female character in any other type of popular media.

Yes.

she disagrees

http://animehistory.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/ffxiii-lightning_cg.png

Yes, but what does it matter?

It matters because it impacts our culture, the gaming industry's view towards women. Sure it may not reflect all of us but it does tend to the shallow minded demographic who view women as nothing more that sex objects. It's all over the media and male society, but it shouldn't be represented so much in games. Do you want our medium to grow up and mature? Then tell the gaming industry not to give such a simple minded and degrading view and image towards women. I don't want the artistic media to view gamers as puebescent teenagers who constantly masturbates over women with highly skimpy outfits.

I don't mind women being sexualized, but there is such thing as overkill. Most games overkill beyond belief, especially in fighting games.

Yeah, and unfortunately, it has caused me to buy many many more games than I would have otherwise. :(

Lightning is a good example of providing the right amount of sex appeal and good characterization to female characters in most video games, sadly she's in a minority. She's much better than Tifa though.

Let's not fight the rising of the tide here CollectiveCynic. You are implying that sex doesn't cause these games to sell like they do. That's wrong. We could be more worried about the financial state of the industry, and companies like Sony or Capcom, rather than coming up with ways to increase their political correctness and reduce their profits. Sex sells, and it's not hurting anyone, really. If you don't like those games, vote with your wallet, but if the vast majority of gamers do like and buy those games, then who are we to tell them they like the wrong kind of stuff, and its influencing our...culture.

They wouldn't make those games if they didn't sell boatloads, and anything they can do to make a good game sell better, more power to them. I wouldn't tell a rapper not to rap about "bitches" and I won't tell videogames not to show me some leg every now and again. Most of the audience is male anyway, what's wrong with a little fanservice? Will you be going after ecchi anime next?

I don't care about the impact on our culture and society. Video games don't influence people very much when it comes to attitudes, moral and such stuff.

But I certainly agree on the grown up media part. I want video games to get respect and be seen as a sophisticated expression of culture.