The characterization of Cassandra is both somewhat...
Feminism is ruining video games
While my opponent has listed several changes in which Feminism might have influenced video games, he has yet to A.) Affectively persuade me that they’ve ruined video games (singular or plural), B.) Prove that feminism is the direct root of the change he mentioned, and C.) Provide sufficient evidence that suggests these games are worse because of their depiction of women. I, on the other hand, will suggest an instance where Feminism might have positively influenced games. The example that first comes to mind is the Dragon Age series, which depicts feminine characters in a much more positive light than games before it. 1.) The characterization of Cassandra is both somewhat masculinized, but does not suffer because of this. The depiction of Women in Power, especially in that of Inquisition, could be seen as a direct change because of Feminism. To argue that this is a negative aspect of the game would be somewhat ludicrous, being that it bears no influence with how the story is told. However, my second argument is not based on feminism’s influence on games; it’s actually based on its lack of influence. It is my contention that society’s changing viewpoints of sexualization and objectification caused a greater need to have female characters whom are portrayed as far more than sexual objects and damsels in distress. If one were to look at films, television series, and games throughout the past few decades, female characters have undergone a very specific evolution in attempts to battle the Male Gaze. Because of this, it is only natural that a video game will mirror the rest of society’s thoughts. Lastly, my final rebuttal deals with a specific point made by my opponent. In regards to a sexualized character in Metal Gear Solid 5, my opponent stated, “There was a big controversy over Metal Gear Solid 5 because one of the females had a typical athletic but sexualized body. So what is a developer suppose to do, make a woman fat? Well they did with Fat Princess and that got heat for depicting woman as fat, even though there are plenty of comedic fat male characters.” My opponent erroneously thought the complaints were directed at the woman’s body, whereas they were actually directed at the woman’s clothing. Here is an image of the woman: This is clearly sexualization, if not objectification. My opponant assumes feminists had a problem with her body, but it is my conjecture that they were more disappointed with the clothing depcition of this woman. If the woman had been more naturally dressed, the issue would be far less severe. That's it for now. I look forward to my opponents arguments!