Well, since you didn't mind me spamming you with articles, last time, there's an interesting one here - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-21-ms-effect-the-rise-of-femshep - about exactly that ambivalence regarding the strength of Shepard's gender portrayal essentially being the net result of corporate apathy rather than thoughtful intention.
I think in some ways the article takes a harsher view than I would regarding some of the issues of gender portrayal. For instance, the Asari I'd define by the contradiction between their social status as a race that conform to a sort of scifi Ancient Greek archetype - the elder matriarchs who bring democracy and science to the galaxy - and the fact that as young women they essentially all seem to find employment as psychic lesbian strippers or commandos. But, dude, they're psychic lesbian stripper commandos. Ashley I actually don't find as objectionable in the first game as they do; on the other hand, there's nothing redeemable about the way every scene with Miranda begins with a shot of her ass. Similarly, I wouldn't quite characterise the "choose official femshep's look" competition as a beauty pageant, but I that's sort of beside the point when it takes three games for them to even construct an official "canon" face for her, and they don't even use the previous default (as opposed to canon?) face when they do. At least that's a lesson they learned with Hawke. Anyway I think it's a valuable article for the way it deconstructs the notion that FemShep makes the Mass Effect Universe unproblematically feminist without negating the fact that she is an important figure in the ongoing way we negotiate female characters in video games, particularly in games where gender is a choice.
Another thing I find interesting is my own willingness to adopt "FemShep" as a moniker grew exponentially after I noticed that "BroShep" was being used to identify male Shepard with increasing frequency. I wouldn't choose "bro" or "fem" as prefixes myself, but I am pleased that, for example, the official ME twitter account does seem specify gender in both cases now.
Re: Other stuff! I was quite annoyed in DA2 when Aveline started talking about how the King had sent out a decree that she could return and take up her commission in the army again after they finished sorting out the lists of the dead from Ostagar? Like, dude, THERE IS NO KING. DON'T YOU MEAN THE QUEEN?! Gah! I hope that was just a glitch like Dead!Fenris staying at my side.
I'm sad to hear that the ME panel wasn't that great, though. I'd love to GO to a panel like you describe but wouldn't have the first clue about how to run one. I could go and ask pointed questions though! :p
It's interesting how much having a voice actor for the character makes me care more about them, I think? I'm sure part of my feeling that the Warden was a fairly blank slate stemmed from that. I didn't get a sense of consistent tone in the text dialogue choices, so instead I sort of felt like the Warden was a...window through which I was viewing and interacting with this virtual reality, and sure, making the choices I wanted to make, but still...more of a proxy automaton than a living breathing character I was inhabiting, if that makes sense?
And finally, WORD on the rarity of historical fantasies not being misogynistic FOR TEH GRIT. Cus we all know that makes them of objectively higher quality, right? *le sigh*
Anyways, I'm really looking forward to any thoughts you have on Mass Effect but I promise not to be TOO annoyingly impatient. :p
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Date: 2012-06-08 12:23 pm (UTC)I think in some ways the article takes a harsher view than I would regarding some of the issues of gender portrayal. For instance, the Asari I'd define by the contradiction between their social status as a race that conform to a sort of scifi Ancient Greek archetype - the elder matriarchs who bring democracy and science to the galaxy - and the fact that as young women they essentially all seem to find employment as psychic lesbian strippers or commandos. But, dude, they're psychic lesbian stripper commandos. Ashley I actually don't find as objectionable in the first game as they do; on the other hand, there's nothing redeemable about the way every scene with Miranda begins with a shot of her ass. Similarly, I wouldn't quite characterise the "choose official femshep's look" competition as a beauty pageant, but I that's sort of beside the point when it takes three games for them to even construct an official "canon" face for her, and they don't even use the previous default (as opposed to canon?) face when they do. At least that's a lesson they learned with Hawke. Anyway I think it's a valuable article for the way it deconstructs the notion that FemShep makes the Mass Effect Universe unproblematically feminist without negating the fact that she is an important figure in the ongoing way we negotiate female characters in video games, particularly in games where gender is a choice.
Another thing I find interesting is my own willingness to adopt "FemShep" as a moniker grew exponentially after I noticed that "BroShep" was being used to identify male Shepard with increasing frequency. I wouldn't choose "bro" or "fem" as prefixes myself, but I am pleased that, for example, the official ME twitter account does seem specify gender in both cases now.
Re: Other stuff! I was quite annoyed in DA2 when Aveline started talking about how the King had sent out a decree that she could return and take up her commission in the army again after they finished sorting out the lists of the dead from Ostagar? Like, dude, THERE IS NO KING. DON'T YOU MEAN THE QUEEN?! Gah! I hope that was just a glitch like Dead!Fenris staying at my side.
I'm sad to hear that the ME panel wasn't that great, though. I'd love to GO to a panel like you describe but wouldn't have the first clue about how to run one. I could go and ask pointed questions though! :p
It's interesting how much having a voice actor for the character makes me care more about them, I think? I'm sure part of my feeling that the Warden was a fairly blank slate stemmed from that. I didn't get a sense of consistent tone in the text dialogue choices, so instead I sort of felt like the Warden was a...window through which I was viewing and interacting with this virtual reality, and sure, making the choices I wanted to make, but still...more of a proxy automaton than a living breathing character I was inhabiting, if that makes sense?
And finally, WORD on the rarity of historical fantasies not being misogynistic FOR TEH GRIT. Cus we all know that makes them of objectively higher quality, right? *le sigh*
Anyways, I'm really looking forward to any thoughts you have on Mass Effect but I promise not to be TOO annoyingly impatient. :p