The Zoe Quinn "Scandal"

[TheEconomist]

Oh no guys! Another very serious problem needs our absolute undivided attention!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/tech/u...html?hpt=hp_t2

Pause the porn, women are being harassed on the internet!

[RetlocLive]

That was just...sad.

[Nissa]

Uh, as a girl, I can honestly say I have never been discriminated against in the gaming community. I have been bullied by high school slackers, teens who think they're better than me, and feminists. Nerd guys, on the other hand, are pretty welcoming. If they do dislike me, it's because I'm socially awkward, not because I'm the other gender.

Can't say I've seen gamer guys being sexist to others, either. While I dislike with a passion some of the slutty crap female characters are forced to wear, that's more guys being guys than being deliberately discriminating.

On a funny note, did anyone notice when people flipped out over Samus wearing high heels? She's in a skin tight whore suit (zero version), and feminists think it makes sense to criticize her heels? Please.

[Visions of Khas]

While I dislike with a passion some of the slutty crap female characters are forced to wear, that's more guys being guys than being deliberately discriminating.

Yup. Cortana was my hero up until Halo 4. Then the designers saw fit to accentuate her curves, fill out her breasts, and make her body language meek and lacking confidence. :\

Korra is my new lady role model.

[DemolitionSquid]

Korra is my new lady role model.

Korra's a whiny pushover. Asami's way more badass.

[Nissa]

Am I the only one that prefers male protagonists? Men are more interesting in games because of the way they're treated -- they can be anything or anyone, good or bad. Whereas female characters get judged if they're damsels in distress, or become feminist stereotypes that aren't allowed to show weakness and/or stubbornly tag along when they're not wanted. Not to mention the whole "Heart of the Swarm"-izination, where having a female protagonist means the plot has to involve melodrama and romance. All the best high adventure games have male leads.

Basically, I don't want a girl in a game unless she can just be a girl, rather than a political commentary.

[Visions of Khas]

^ Which is why I like Korra; she's a well-rounded character that isn't hung up on so many tropes that keep most female characters down. I cannot stand the Damsel In Distress type in the least bit. This is also why Orphan Black is one of my favorite shows; the women are strong and well-rounded. Am I a feminist? No, neither am I MRA. I'm an egalitarian who likes good characters, is all.

And yes, Demo, Asami is a badass, too, but hasn't anywhere near the character development of Korra. (And I'm sure you got a huge kick out of this, Demo.) Also, Toph.

[Nissa]

I'm okay with Damsels in Distress. Usually when they are in a story, they're just there to push forward the story of a male hero. That's fine. They don't get in the way like a feminist stereotype, if only because they spend so little time on screen.

[DemolitionSquid]

Am I the only one that prefers male protagonists? Men are more interesting in games because of the way they're treated -- they can be anything or anyone, good or bad. Whereas female characters get judged if they're damsels in distress, or become feminist stereotypes that aren't allowed to show weakness and/or stubbornly tag along when they're not wanted. Not to mention the whole "Heart of the Swarm"-izination, where having a female protagonist means the plot has to involve melodrama and romance. All the best high adventure games have male leads.

Basically, I don't want a girl in a game unless she can just be a girl, rather than a political commentary.

As a woman I'm sure you agree with me that you're capable of everything a man is, to a reasonable degree. Most games have male protagonists simply because men dominate the industry and the playerbase, so its easier for men to write for a male protagonist using their own experiences and dreams, and easier for the male player to associate themselves with the male protagonist. The problem is simply the industry being too slow on the uptake of female protagonists. As much as I currently loathe Bioware for the crap they pulled in ME3 and DA2, they proved that women protagonists can be just as good, if not better than males in any role (in reference to Hale's voicing of Shepard generally being considered better than Meer's). They also showed women avoiding melodrama and romance by simply not choosing it. I honestly hope for more female protagonists, developers, and gamers in the future.

^ Which is why I like Korra; she's a well-rounded character that isn't hung up on so many tropes that keep most female characters down. I cannot stand the Damsel In Distress type in the least bit. This is also why Orphan Black is one of my favorite shows; the women are strong and well-rounded. Am I a feminist? No, neither am I MRA. I'm an egalitarian who likes good characters, is all.

And yes, Demo, Asami is a badass, too, but hasn't anywhere near the character development of Korra. (And I'm sure you got a huge kick out of this, Demo.) Also, Toph.

Asami was always woefully underused, and of course she's less developed than the main character. Still badass though. Also yes, Toph will always be epic.

On the topic of strong women in anime, I highly recommend watching Psycho-Pass for Inspector Akane Tsunemori.

[Visions of Khas]

Is there anything wrong with a... Don in Distress? What's the male equivalent to damsel? Mansel?