News from Boston. Old News, but News Nonetheless

I was silent for most of April; there was nary a post. The reason for this was I was gearing up for presenting at the PCA/ACA National Conference in Boston. The PCA/ACA stands for Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association. I presented on the use of perspective in games to portray female characters,  I.E. the first-person female player character.

Promotional image from Tomb Raider: Underworld.

It sounds all technical and academic-y, doesn't it? Well, provided I can remember my own argument, let me break it down. The way that the camera view is used in games directs the gaze of the player. This makes it so that the focus of the game can be said to be on either character or graphics-- something superficial, so to speak (third-person), or to be on gameplay or graphics (first-person). When featuring a female lead, in those rare times, the focus tends to be on third-person. This directs the player toward the fact that they are playing a woman. "Oh my, look! A GIRL! And she's got BOOBS!" tends to be the player's reaction. When games with a female lead are in first-person, it helps to focus the game developer and the player on the playing of the game rather than staring at a busty brunette. Though there's nothing inherently wrong with this busty brunette, having to portray a female character in a certain way due to social expectations &c causes game developers to portray a shallow character, perpetuating female stereotypes. First-person helps side-step these problems, and might be a helpful tool in character development for game developers.

Promotional image from Mirror's Edge.

Consider the differences between Tomb Raider and Mirror's Edge, for example. In some ways, very similar games. However, the ways they portray women are very different. Tomb Raider's focus is always on her body, especially in promotional art. I'm thinking especially of a certain photo shoot from the new Tomb Raider, where Alison Carroll (the model for Lara) lies around in a bikini with a pair of guns in hand. Mirror's Edge focuses on the game dynamic-- the constant motion of running, jumping, and vaulting. Consider also the differences in the portrayal of Metroid's Samus Aran between Metroid: Prime and Metroid: The Other M. At one point, Samus was kickass, yet somehow that disappeared when the game put more focus on third-person and thus had more need to develop a character who was female, and had all the pressures of the stereotypes associated therein.

The paper had more examples, more academic double-talk, forty-five slides, and some quotations from various people. I remember distinctly that there was a section on Mass Effect. However, any further suggestions for games with female leads in third- or first- person would be more than welcome. I would also appreciate book recs concerning the implementation of viewpoint.