Thanks for your comment! I like that you pointed out the fact that this game is a step forward for “healthy human relationships”. I totally agree.

I laughed at your suggestion that the player should be able to call Elizabeth out on her excessive cleavage. It definitely was distracting, even for me as a female, and certainly caused some degree of sexualization. I can’t believe Ken Levine wouldn’t have realized this.

As a male, I would tend to be distracted by Elizabeth’s cleavage. (Perhaps I was breastmilk-deprived?) Amongst other future developments, the player could be allowed to make some personal requests of Elizabeth, such as “cover your boobs, I can’t concentrate!” (to which she might respond with random banter). I’m implying that the game might have accidental sexual overtones, which should be addressed, preferably with humour.

Nice to think that almost exactly half of the players are female and half are male. And that you, Sarah, should have a long career ahead. I think there’s hope for the future after all!
— Tony

I love creating female characters! Dragon Age is one of my favorites. But I’m not giving up hope that the majority of games will one day feature this option.

I have not played Resident Evil or Black Ops 2, but I have played Tomb Raider and in fact wrote a blog about how badass Lara Croft is: http://www.about-face.org/the-reinvention-of-girl-power-new-lara-croft-is-still-a-bad-ass-with-a-new-bra/#.UYPi-spfKjI

I am in no way saying that every female game character is a weak damsel…in fact I make the opposite point about Elizabeth! But it is still undeniably a very widely used trope. Zelda is largely captive and unable to save herself in the games, though she does help Link along the way.

I will also say that just because a woman “kicks butt” in a game doesn’t mean she is empowered. I talk about that in the Lara Croft blog.

Thanks for your comment!

I totally agree that her outfit is a bit ridiculous and looks super uncomfortable. It’s very odd that Levine wouldn’t have seen how sexualized it is. But it’s possible that it was a stylistic decision made by other developers to appease a certain “Frat Boy” demographic…you win some, you lose some.

Interesting thought. I do think that males respond just as well as females to a well developed female character. However, I have to disagree with your statement that this game is played by males. About 47% of gamers are female now! There are plenty of female gamers looking for characters they can relate with Thanks for your comment!