Female Protagonist

[Mataresa]

Female Protagonist

I have been watching a few videos on female characters in games and their objectification and so on. And while this woulld be an endless discussion, my question is something different:
What kind of female character would you like to play, if you could choose any? What would she be like, what would be her traits, what would she look like? You can choose anything that comes to your mind. Genre doesn't matter.

I am especially interested in the answers of females, since this was the origin of the question from the topic above. But men are also welcome, but I would like everyone to state weather they are male or female.

I am male and I would like to play as a Miss Marple like character.

 

[dragonbird]

Someone like Shaw in Person of Interest. Petite and totally badass.

 

[Blothulfur]

Desired character: Kreia. Intelligent, self motivated, to the point, highly moral, doesn't spout inanities or cutesy lines, terrifyingly strong will, and also realistically flawed: She is speciesist, manipulative, lacks empathy and thinks nothing of others feelings or causing offence, she lacks charisma. Also her disdain for violence is appealing, she sees it as a blunt tool, when she has a far more devastating and effective arsenal at her command.

Sex: Yes please.

 

[volsung]

Someone who is an interesting human being regardless of gender. Of course most games are full of stereotypes, and that's what should be avoided. We all like smart, resourceful and motivated characters, with rich strong personalities and a healthy dose of human flaws. I don't see why gender should matter.

One might think a possible female character could be richer if she had to overcome some of the obstacles that real life women have had to put up with through history, but then again the presentation and implementation might simply perpetuate these stereotypes. There is a delicate balance between being satirical or critical and patronizing, and I am not sure the gaming scene is ready for that.

On the other hand, a strong female lead such as those from Ursula K. LeGuin's "Four ways to forgiveness" would be cool. A setting where women just are, and don't have to prove themselves (only as individuals).

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Some game based on Silmarillion can be interesting. It has many distinct female characters and settings aren't generally explored in gaming. But I guess Tolkien Estate would tank any such game thanks to the insane length of the copyright term.

 

[volsung]

An interesting and largely unexplored option would be the ideas of perfect crime, irony, self deception and symbolism in Emma Zunz, a masterpiece by Borges. We have a strong female lead, who gives herself motive and justification to commit the perfect crime in the light of several forms of oppression. The operative term being gives herself, effectively transforming one motivation into another.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

+1 for Borges.

 

[GuyNwah]

My daughters adored Kate Walker in the Syberia games. Jill Valentine also gets it right. Kreia, though she's clearly a character in a space opera, not a real-world woman, is as admirable as they come.

A setting "where women just are, and don't have to prove themselves" in a world where women still have to deal with discrimination and the glass ceiling, where they have to be twice as good at what they do as a man to be taken seriously (yeah, I'm exaggerating, but only a little) doesn't resonate with me.

 

[volsung]

A setting "where women just are, and don't have to prove themselves" in a world where women still have to deal with discrimination and the glass ceiling, where they have to be twice as good at what they do as a man to be taken seriously (yeah, I'm exaggerating, but only a little) doesn't resonate with me.

Well at least in that fictional world (by Ursula LeGuin) women don't just deal with women issues, but human issues. Oppression, slavery, separation, isolation, and so on. They are as much humans as anybody else, some are leaders and some are led. A work of fiction in this vein shows, in my opinion, a different side of human relationships. It emphasizes the humanity above the gender, shows female characters that suffer through trials like those of men, and in doing so denounces gender inequality. At least that's how I feel. Thought I'd clarify.

The Emma Zunz scenario that I suggested afterwards is a grittier, more sinister world where the woman and her condition are at the social bottom but she gets to wield the symbols of power.

 

[wichat]

A characther whose stereotypes are her weak points (yes, like male anti-hero), but, in some places of this world being a Woman and not dying in the attempt is just a great act of heorism.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

@.Volsung.: I never could relate to Ursula LeGuin for some reason.

 

[Veleda.980]

I like PC's who have a reasonable amount of agency and flexibility. I tend to prefer anti-heroes. The gender of the PC is irrelevant.

 

[Garrison72]

I swing both ways in games as well, but more often than not I'll choose to play as a woman in my RPGs. As to personality type, Dana Scully from X Files comes to mind. Strong and confident, but vulnerable. She's not a cliche. In character creators, I usually go for a conservative look, with hair pulled back in a pony tail, light on the tattoos and makeup. And always blonde.

 

[CostinRaz]

I like PC's who have a reasonable amount of agency and flexibility. I tend to prefer anti-heroes. The gender of the PC is irrelevant.

I can't believe I am saying this to YOU of all people but I fully fucking agree.

 

[dragonbird]

Dana Scully works for me too, as long as the character isn't TOO vulnerable.

I like playing characters who are comfortable with who, and what, they are - my canon Geralt didn't wish he could settle down with either Shani or Triss, my canon Jensen doesn't say "I never asked for this", my Warden tells Alistair enough with the whingeing so just STFU (or words to that effect). So with a female character, as with a male, I don't want someone who is a victim, angst-ridden, subject to a destiny that others have chosen for her.

Anti-hero is good. Someone who makes her own rules.

And I don't feel a strong need to play a female character just because I'm female. Sure, if it's a free choice at the beginning of the game, I'll opt for female on first playthrough. But role-play is role-play.

 

[soldiergeralt]

according to heir, we should all yearn for a butch black lesbian jew.

 

[dragonbird]

@johncage - not sure where that comment came from, as it doesn't seem to relate to the discussion so far.

 

[RSIK_4]

April Ryan and Jade are some of the best videogame characters ever! Jade was seriously badass, not overly sexualized (though the model was pretty), cared about orphans and political realities, and decided to take on an oppressive regime. Seriously, how much more badass can you get than that?

As for Shepperd, well, she was badass in the sense of ultra-militaristic glorification of violence, i.e. not my cup of tea. If I was going to go for a kill-everyone-in-sight madness badass, I'd say Tiny Tina from Borderlands 2. Not someone I'd want at my side under any circumstances, but really, really badass (and scary).

 

[KIrving]

My ideal female character to play would be something like Ripley from the Alien series crossed with Zoe from Firefly.

Tough, no nonsense, blunt and funny. Also, preferably, with a sense of humour that is both dry and often black.

As far as past female protagonists in video games go my favourite would be April Ryan from TLJ and my favourite supporting female character is Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2. Both of these characters seemed like fully fleshed out people who, also. happened to be female and I found that I could really relate to them.

Dana Scully works for me too, as long as the character isn't TOO vulnerable.

I like playing characters who are comfortable with who, and what, they are - my canon Geralt didn't wish he could settle down with either Shani or Triss, my canon Jensen doesn't say "I never asked for this", my Warden tells Alistair enough with the whingeing so just STFU (or words to that effect). So with a female character, as with a male, I don't want someone who is a victim, angst-ridden, subject to a destiny that others have chosen for her.

Anti-hero is good. Someone who makes her own rules.

Also, very much this too!

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Somebody similar to (grown up) Arya Stark or Asha Greyjoy who broke every expectation concerning females, and made their own path through life. They were not ugly, and did not become "men with tits" but chose to live their lives as they saw fit.

I don't want any daddy issues (I got sick of it in ME), and no victims of violence as a pre-condition. Women can become strong and capable without being raped or brutalized first, strength in people is not an effect of some traumatic experience.