Video Games: The Role of the Female Character

So, a lot of posts have come up over the years deriding the way that women are portrayed in the video game milieu.  So, i guess i might as well chime in.

Many of the more recent articles of the subject of gender roles in video games i've seen recently have been more than a little wrong.  In some ways they seem to be pandering to the ever so polite politically correct movement.  i am not going to do that. Maybe i am just too sick and twisted.  Or maybe i oversimplified things.  

In many ways, gender roles reflected in video games are those in real life.  The caricatures of women may be a little off (and many of them are going to have serious back pain in the future), but the gender roles are fairly solid.  The problem here is that real life gender role discussions are kind of wrong.   In the real world you have the ever confusing abstraction of reality to fit within the current context.  One of these forces is feminism.  Personally, i see feminism as an evolutionarily disingenuous.  So what are the roles of females in real life?  Sex objects.  The role of females is to have and raise offspring - that is not a choice, that is for the survival of the species.  i know that the modern sensitive male doesn't want to acknowledge this, but there is a strong sexual undercurrent to almost everything in life.  Video games are still gingerly tackling (somewhat awkwardly, human sexuality).  i have absolutely no problem with sex and nudity in video games.  For story telling - that is the next level (in story based games, anyway).

Video game characters are basically super id.  Think of them as basically being blockbuster movie characters.  The men will typically be your alpha male manly man.  One of the points of being an alpha male is the opportunity to mate - alpha males don't need to cuddle or share their feelings.  As for other female stock roles... What is so wrong with male characters re-affirming their manhood by having to rescue the damsel in distress (that used to be seen as gallant)?   Just don't have the masculine hero share his feelings - yuck.  Females in the real world wield sex as a weapon quite frequently.  Really strong female characters are somewhat of a threat to the alpha male's manhood.  So, even the really strong female character needs to be somewhat sexualized - to soften the character.  Even the female protagonist characters are largely re-skinned males (not really that feminine - other than phsically).

This is somewhat selling to the target demographic - how boring would a video game be if your female love interest made you mow the lawn or do other yard work (or mundane tasks).  The point is that people really don't want confusing realism in their chosen forms of escapism.

One of the reasons video games are needed is that the world has become increasingly abstract.  Part of the appeal of video games is to be a different persona - one that is not available to you in real life.  Characters like Duke Nukem are surprisingly simple - big on violence and lust.  In many ways this is more honest than many people are about themselves.  This is in stark contrast (thankfully) to the modern world where nothing is a simple as in video games.   So, in some ways, video games feel the void for how people wish they could act in real life - without the ever present double standards and threat of lawsuits.

i consider dating to be one of the deeper levels of hell.  So for me, video games offer something i couldn't get in the real world.  Everything is so confusing - do you hold the door, who pays, etc.  i wish for a greater sense of traditionalism - and video game depictions of relationships actually seem more traditional.  i found in the real world, if i spend significant time with a female that i start to have more physical thoughts about them, why shouldn't my video game character?  i mean, isn't the struggle for the fate of the universe (world) kind of sexy - and to paraphrase Armageddon isn't that really what your virtual self is fighting for (in many games).  Also relationships vary drastically in terms of honesty.   You really cannot broach the subject of relationships without associating it with sex (that is kind of why relationships exists).  There is something strangely appealing about a game where i can form virtual relationships - even if they are that well fleshed out.  For some reason, i find Fable 2 and 3 to be strangely attractive - you can get married and have children.  i spend way too much time when i was playing those games with the black screen and background noise - and there was something oddly appealing to being told my character was going to be a dad.

Game Room At Year One: Part 2: DLC

Earlier, i did a post on Game Room at year one - from the release date.  i decided to try and do a post changing the time frame to coincide with the start of weekly content releases - which, for the most part, usually happened.  The first non-launch game pack was released on May 5, 2010 (so i'm a little early).  i decided to leave the outlier launch game packs (pack 1 and 2) mostly out of the discussion. 

Updated Total Information: Estimated Ranked Sales (87.5% of leaderboard) as of May 3, 2011 - 327,714 Ranked Games.  i'm only using the bottom range of estimates as i don't feel like using irr.  So, it is a pretty safe bet gross revenue exceeds $1 million.  Centipede is the first game to cross the 30K leaderboard barrier (might have been helped a little by Windows Phone 7 version sales, but minimally).  Using my "irr method" (used to badly estimate leaderboard levels),  the upper end of the range is now 432,513 unit sales.  

Estimated Aggregate Unit Sales (through May 10, 2011): 327,968 - 432,513

New Metric Alert:
Like most stats i use, this one is fairly simple.  What i wanted to find out was the average ranked game sales per game pack (truncated).  i'll give you the pack 1&2 also for reference - but it won't be in the chart.  Sorry i messed up some of the charts by forgetting to label them. 
* GP 01: 9,704 / GP 02: 10,694 / GP 03: 3,791 / GP 04: 2,131 / GP 05: 1,438 / GP 06: 1,136 / GP 07: 1,408 / GP 08: 481 / GP 09: 987 / GP 10: 391 / GP 11: 1,079 / GP 12: 986 / GP 13: 678

Now, because everyone has been clamoring for it... Game Room launch packs vs Weekly Release packs in chart form.  Game Room sales are somewhat front loaded - if you break out the content by release date only.

Now for the DLC game pack estimated sales (using 87.5% of leaderboard) by format.

Generic Disclaimer 003:  i am in no way affiliated with Microsoft Game Studios, Krome, Game Room, or basically anything else (ever).  i'm just a hominid with way too much time on his hands and a desire to play around with numbers (occasionally).  i just do this for fun.  Due to the nature of data collection method (and available numbers), my numbers may be off significantly.  If you want to use this "information" do so at your own peril.  If the powers that be would want to give me real numbers, that would be awesome.  

Game Room - My Last Weekly Leaderboard Check

So, this is part of my wrap up on the weekly leaderboard checks i have been doing on Game Room since they were introduced in late August 2010.  i decided that i will no longer do weekly checks of the leaderboards*.  Monthly checks - probably on the first week of a month.  i have the data, now i just have to make 1-2 more Game Room posts in the next week or so.  If i knew emoticons, i would use a sad face. 

Apparently, the Windows Phone 7 versions of Game Room games have so far had little to no impact on my observed leaderboard levels (maybe Centipede, but that would likely be under 3K)

* Unless Game Room relaunches with new content and i can afford to buy all new ranked games.  So probalby not.

Basically, i have been checking the leaderboards weekly and writing down in a notebook what titles increased - those that stay the same, i put a check mark next to.  i started with the first look on August 20th (the 22nd week of Game Room).  The only week between then and now i missed (week 35) was because my Xbox had to be sent in for repairs.  i switched to checking the results mostly on my PC.   My results have not always been great.  i used to check on Thursdays and Fridays, not great when new releases come out on Wednesdays.  i think it is time to update my Game Room spreadsheet (actually all of them). 

i figure that i should probably add a Game Room label on this blog - to link together all of the posts. 
 

E3 2011 - Games That Will Not Be Announced Xbox 360

Apparently E3 is next month (early June i think).  That got me thinking... maybe i should have my own prediction thread.  However, i decided to go with the null arguments list - games that will not be announced.  Why won't these games be announced?  Because i would like them to - so if it might make me happy it will never happen.

On to the list of games MSFT will not (unfortunately) be announcing as this year's E3 (in no particular order).

• Azurik 2
• Brute Force Kinect
• Brute Force - Hawk spin-off game
• Fable Origins (a prequel)
• BC
• Infinite Undiscovery 2
• Kameo 2 (or Kinect)
• Lips Kinect - probably the most likely on my list
• Lost Odyssey 2
• Sudeki 2
• Viva Pinata Kinect
• Voodoo Vince Kinect
• Lunar - prequel (play as Dyne or Ghalleon)
• Too Human 2 
• Age Of Mythology Kinect - Norse
• Nightcaster Kinect
• N.U.D.E. Kinect
• Banjo- Kazooie Kinect - a Kinect platformer
• Working Designs Games on XBLA (Lunar, Lunar 2, Vay, etc)
• Phantasy Star 5 - in real RPG form (not this online stuff)
• Kinect Adventures 2
• Game Room 2.0 (too bad the name "Retrocade" seems to be in use)

Now for the "joke" game portion:

* Halo Dance Central 80s pop edition (Dance Central is not bad, but the song selection really sucks)

* Alpenhorn Hero
* SingStar Kinect

And i Ran - Kinect Sports

Normally at this point i would make some reference to A Flock of Seagulls - i won't here.

Today was the world record setting atempt for Kinect Sports. 

i am not sure if i did this right... a few days ago i "registered" (at least i clicked the register button on the section of the dashboard), then today i ran the Sprint mini game (100m) - and got a virtual time of 9.14 seconds.

Hopefully, i will someday get the avatar award ugly yellow t-shit.  i didn't exactly do it at 10:00AM PST - i did it at 10:02 or 10:03 - because the time on XBL is a couple minutes faster than my clock that sets itself (based off of the atomic clock).  i hoped to have a picture here... oh well.  i tried, i just don't know if it counted. 

Backlog XBLA

Here are some of the games i could beat on XBLA (to think of all of the points i spent on this - though some were gifts).  i should "beat" at least one of them this year. 

Need to Beat XBLA (on 2nd account):

•  A Kingdom for Kefflings - need online achievement (come on free weekend)
•  Aegis Wing
•  Arkadian Warriors
• Assault Heroes
• Asteroids and Deluxe
• Astropop - stuck on some level
• Band of Bugs
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• Bejeweled 2
• Braid
• Buku Soduku
• Carcassone
• Castle Crashers
• Castlevania SOTN
• Centipede and Millipede
• Cloning Clyde - stuck on next to last stage (stupid jump puzzle)
• Comic Jumper
• Commanders: Attack of the Genos
• Contra
• DeathSpank - finish playthrough
• Dig Dug
• Doritos Crash Course
• Double Dragon
• Eets: Chowdown
• Exit
• Fable II Pub Games
• Feeding Frenzy (PopCap disc)
• Feeding Frenzy 2 (PopCap Disc)
• Final Fight: Double Impact
• Galaga
• Galaga Legions
• Geometry Wars Evolved
• Golden Axe
• Gunstar Heroes
• Harm's Way
• Heavy Weapon (PopCap Disc)
• Hexic HD
• Monkey Island SE
• Monkey Island 2 SE
• Ms. Pac-Man
• Outpost Kaloki X
• Pac-Man
• Pac-Man CE
• Peggle (and Nights)
• Phantasy Star II
• Pinball FX 2 - achievements
• Puzzle Quest
• RoboBlitz
• Shadow Complex
• Soltrio Solitaire
• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• South Park: Le'ts Go Tower Defense Play
• Space Invaders Extreme
• Splosion Man
• Street Fighter II HF
• Streets of Rage 2
• Texas Hold'em ?
• Time Pilot
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989)
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 ?
• Unbound Saga - achievements
• Undertow
• UNO
• Wik: Fable of Souls
• Xevious
• X-Men
• Zuma

Video Games - What Have i Been Doing This Month?

So, i haven't posted here in a while (maybe).  i am seriously considering taking part in the Kinect Sports world record attempt tomorrow (ok, less than 14 hours)

i have been playing a lot of The Last Remnant, which would be a decent game without all of the problems.  i got a couple of new games in the Sega sale (Phantasy Star 2, Sonic Adventures and Gunstar Heros).  i picked up a few things last week at the MGS sale (Alan Wake DLC, Castle Crashers). 

In the future i may have a couple of posts - i think i will do a Game Room at Year 1 DLC post in early/mid May (i know, hold your excitement)

Backlog (to beat) on my second account - this should last me most of the year:
* Star Ocean: The Last Hope - need to beat
* Forza 3 - need to "beat" (do all races)
* Assassin's Creed - need to start
* Assassin's Creed 2 - not started
* BioShock - not started
* BioShock 2 - not started
* Magna Carta 2 - not started
* Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts - not started
* Blue Dragon - need to finish playthrough
* Darksiders - need to restart
* Devil May Cry 4 - need to start
* Dragon Age Origins Ultimate - need to start
* Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - need to restart
* Eternal Sonata - need to finish playthrough
* Forza 2 - need to start
* Ghostbusters - need to start (probably wait until October)
* Kameo - need to finish playthrough
* Lego Star Wars 2 - need to start
* Lego Batman - need to finish playthrough
* Lost Odyssey - need to start
* Marvel Ultimate Alliance - need to start
* Overlord - need to finish playthrough (or restart) also DLC
* Alan Wake - need to finish playthrough and 2 DLC
* Tales of Vesparia - need to finish playthrough
* Too Human - need to level up enough
* Two Worlds - need to find all locations
* Viva Pinata (PC) - need to 1,000
* Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise - need to start
* Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection - need to get achievements
* Fable 2 - achievements
* Fable 3 - achievements
* Infinite Undiscovery
* Lips - need to win challenges (maybe with self)