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A brief look at ‘Xenoblade’ and its problematic writing of women

Well, this is certainly a rabbit hole, isn’t it? I love Xenoblade Chronicles. It is the best game on the Wii, bar none and probably the best RPG on the 3DS, unless I find Bravely Default to dethrone it, but that’s a hell of a bar to climb to. I could probably sit here for …

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Who’s the Boss?: Ranking the ladies of ‘Metal Gear Solid’

There’s been a lot of controversy over the appearance of the new character, Quiet, in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Despite claims series creator Hideo Kojima that there’s a good reason narratively for the sniper’s hooker-like attire, many gamers remain skeptical. Having not reached her in the game yet, I can’t comment, but I can comment on the other ladies in the series.

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‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’: What is right for Lara Croft?

With Girl Power in Gaming, we’re exploring the role of females in our favorite hobby for the month of September. The series will attempt to explore gender dynamics, pre-assigned roles and both positive and negative examples of female characterization in the digital world.  The history of Lara Croft as a character is something that has …

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5 Female sidekicks who outshine their male leads

  With Girl Power in Gaming, we’re exploring the role of females in our favorite hobby for the month of September. The series will attempt to explore gender dynamics, pre-assigned roles and both positive and negative examples of female characterization in the digital world. From Bayonetta to Lara Croft, there are a good amount of …

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‘Gone Home’ is a high water mark for female representation in gaming

Just about a year since the beginning of the Gamergate “controversy,” conditions for women in gaming are, in many ways, as bleak as ever. I use the quotation marks to denote the absurdity of the situation, as whatever legitimate issues may have once lay at its heart were quickly subsumed by bigots seeking an opportunity to spread hate speech. To this day, insightful and outspoken women such as Anita Sarkeesian and Zoê Quinn continue to be bombarded with violent and misogynistic remarks on Twitter and elsewhere on a regular basis.

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Rinoa Heartilly cheerfully subverts gender roles in ‘Final Fantasy VIII’

With Girl Power in Gaming, we’re exploring the role of females in our favorite hobby for the month of September. The series will attempt to explore gender dynamics, pre-assigned roles and both positive and negative examples of female characterization in the digital world.  In many Final Fantasy titles, and RPGs in general, the game begins with …

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