Sometimes a female main character is too sexualized, has breasts that are too big, shows too much bare skin, sometimes the protagonist is too ugly, not well-endowed enough and wears too many clothes. So what now? Kay Vess from Star Wars Outlaws is already being criticized for her appearance before the game is released. Fans say she is too ugly.
Okay Kay, we’ll get the makeup case… no!
Creative Director Julian Gerighty has also heard comments like these over the last few days and has few, but clear, words for them. In an interview with Washington Post he just says: “It doesn’t make any sense to me and it’s not worth bothering with.”
“When you engage with people with bad intentions, there’s no nuance and no opportunity for real dialogue. So all we can do is make the best game we can.”
And if you ask me, the way a hero or heroine looks doesn’t really have much to do with the gameplay, story, or other important factors of a game. I think it’s wonderful that Kay looks like a normal and authentic person. But Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn had to endure this debate as well.
Whether someone appears pretty or less attractive is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. What is much more important is whether Kay has charisma in the game and can captivate the player. In this respect, a debate is also pointless, as Gerighty already says so beautifully.
Maybe we shouldn’t waste our energy looking for and pointing fingers at the smallest deviations from completely unrealistic beauty ideals. Not every heroine has to look like Eve from Stellar Blade. But she can. I’m the last person to moan about silly chainmail bikinis, long nails and high heels on the battlefield – even if they really aren’t that practical.
But this depiction is just one of many. Unfortunately, natural characters like Aloy or Kay stand out in this jungle of over-sexualized women, and that’s to their detriment. It’s almost as if many players have forgotten what real people look like. Maybe you should go outside every now and then and touch some grass. Sit on a bench in the park and make a list of all the women who match your ideal video game heroine. Have fun!
It feels strange to even have to write something like this. With male characters, nobody makes a fuss about whether they’re looking at a muscle-bound pretty boy or a skinny guy without a perfect jawline. It’s about the game, it’s about the art. Nobody cares if you’re sexually attracted to a bunch of pixels. Thanks.
