An Interesting Look at Female Characters in Video Games

A little while back, one of my favorite web sites for thoughtful articles and analysis about video games, The Escapist, posted a video on an interesting topic of debate: "True Female Characters". The video, part of a weekly series they do called Extra Credits, digs deep into the issue of gender and character in video games. They argue that, while it's well and good that game developers have created female characters that are non-stereotypical and/or gender-neutral (e.g. Samus Aran from Metroid, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil), they've missed out on really sinking their teeth into unexplored aspects of being a female, both genetically and societally. Motherhood and fertility rarely get dealt with in depth, and many societal traits that are considered "female" are often treated as inherent traits, leading to characters who are cardboard cutouts and/or fan service (e.g. Lara Croft, Dead or Alive's female characters). It's an interesting view, relatively short (a little over 7 minutes), and has some interesting things to say about the issue.