'Fixing' the image problem of female game characters. A visual illustration.

[The Living Tribunal]

Well....it was bound to happen, and it has. Taking issue with the way in which female game characters are proportioned a site has gone above and beyond to 'fix' various female leads from popular games. The results are supposed to be more 'realistic' depictions of females.

Some gaming studios boast their hyper-realistic lighting techniques, touting natural cloud movements as the latest features of their games. And with that kind of attention to detail, it makes us wonder, why can’t they accurately portray the female body?

For example, plus-sized women are a rarity in video games, and when one does show up, she’s typically unusual looking. More often it seems video games are home to ultra-slim waistlines only.

If video game creators are going to pride themselves on accurate digital representations, then it’s time for them to get real about women.

With realism in mind, we altered some of the most beloved female video game characters with Adobe Photoshop, shaping their bodies into images that represent the average American woman’s measurements. Check out the results below!

My 2 cents/Meh. I go into games because they are an escape from real life. Plus....not all women in real life are overweight. Most of these game characters are freaking fighters or are really active. Why the flying feck would they be pushing 190 lbs???

 

[The Living Tribunal]

 

[The Living Tribunal]

 

[The Living Tribunal]

 

[The Living Tribunal]

 

[Kassen]

Chubby tomb raider! Chasing that Frost Flakes dream!

 

[Andy]

I like some of the heavier (average) models better. I'm not a fan of the skinny, bony look.

For some reason, Lara looks like a lesbian now.

Cortana looks older, not just fatter.

Videogame women sure do have ridiculously unrealistic proportions sometimes. However, that is true for female models in the entertainment industry generally. Movies, TV, comics, it's all the same -- tiny waists, perfect faces, big boobs.

 

[Oblong]

I thought the same thing about the new Lara, Andy.

Nothing wrong with variety, it's the spice of life...but as said a gal that has an athletic role wouldn't likely be carrying too many extra pounds. But it's not just about weight, there are plenty of other characteristics that are by and large absent from character models.

 

[This_Hard_Land]

Some of those bodies are downright overweight. Eat a salad for goodness sakes.

 

[Kassen]

I thought women were already portrayed realistically. Every one of those women are either a tomb raider or a fighter. It would actually be unrealistic to have a chubby or out of shape athlete. People are just too insecure sometimes.

 

[Andy]

Well, a common anxiety for women with eating disorders (which is where this article comes from) is the unrealistic standards set out for women in the media -- print journalism, commercials, TV, etc. This is just an extension of that.

It's funny, because I read a couple books by Warren Farrell a long time ago that made it clear that it is largely women's industries that push these unrealistic standards. Women's magazines are rife with it, for instance. Stir up that anxiety, sell a little more product...

Videogames are more of a boy's club traditionally, so you get a lot of these sexed-up model types in games as well. It's getting better, though.

 

[Frozpot]

I thought women were already portrayed realistically. Every one of those women are either a tomb raider or a fighter. It would actually be unrealistic to have a chubby or out of shape athlete. People are just too insecure sometimes.

+100
Maybe make them a bit more toned, IMO, especially the fighters. Unless it's a walking slowly simulator, there is no legitimate reason to have professional, active lifestyle females be carrying so much weight. Oh wait, it's so people can feel better about themselves without either accepting who they are or actually taking action to achieve a state where they can. Ridiculous pander art.

I guess the princesses could be fat, lol, if that is the lifestyle of the character. But many of these are warrior/extremely active characters, so no.

 

[The Living Tribunal]

I thought women were already portrayed realistically. Every one of those women are either a tomb raider or a fighter. It would actually be unrealistic to have a chubby or out of shape athlete. People are just too insecure sometimes.

Exactly. That is what I take issue with.
How can Lara be Tomb Raiding if she is too busy raiding the fridge?

 

[sharkboy1200]

This must be the cosplay edition. Although realistic Cortan (oxymoron) is sexy as f***.

 

[Andy]

Exactly. That is what I take issue with.
How can Lara be Tomb Raiding if she is too busy raiding the fridge?

But on the other hand, those Lara proportions are not realistic, either. Look at how skinny her waist is, in comparison to her boobs. Do you know many women like that? Could you introduce me?

Nabooru is a better example. What is that, a six-inch waistline? Come on, lol. That's anorexic.

 

[Plainview]

 

[Videodrome]

Max Payne 3 online seemed realistic for both men and women. Some looked athletic, but many of the crime family characters were not as they relied on firepower.

 

[Predator JP]

i've seen tons of fat ladies in GTA5.

 

[ZombiesRUCrazy]

This is stupid imo.

Instead promoting healthiness, promote overweight as healthy?

Fat lara isn't going to be spelunking, tomb raiding or climbing the side of mountains.

 

[Troublegum]

I want to see the fat female equivalent of Bob in Tekken.

Fat and fast.

Fat fast.

Fat arse.

 

[Kassen]

Video games set unrealistic standards. They have to slay countless hordes of demons and slay the all-powerful god of their world with one arm amputated. These video game characters shall forever mock your inability to conquer kingdoms and save the world!

 

[Frozpot]

I want to see the fat female equivalent of Bob in Tekken.

Fat and fast.

Fat fast.

Fat arse.

What is ironic is that the character immediately falls into comedy because it is so at odds with itself. So should we be laughing at that?

But on the other hand, those Lara proportions are not realistic, either. Look at how skinny her waist is, in comparison to her boobs. Do you know many women like that? Could you introduce me?

Nabooru is a better example. What is that, a six-inch waistline? Come on, lol. That's anorexic.

Yeah, I can't wait until we remove all art style from our entertainment. They should all be exact representations of of some SJWs version of reality! Smh, what is wrong with these people? Perhaps we should be teaching people how to find worth in themselves rather than relying on projection or degrading others work/standards/vision to fit whatever sub-par or unimaginative paradigm the whiner chooses.

What's funny is these people never create this preferred representation themselves- They don't have the talent, and no one would buy that s*** anyway.

What's even worse is this strange idea that a thin or athletic woman is a bad thing, somehow not womanly, or not to be aspired to. These women's magazines are chock full of anorexic women, but men like myself prefer a woman with "meat". And by "meat" I mean meat. not fat. How ironic that we do, in fact, find strong women preferable to skin and bones women. It's these for-woman publications that push that s***. Look at the ladies in say, Maxim, compared to those Calvin Klein ads (yuck), even. Why does Ronda Rousey appeal to so many men? Strong, baby.

Healthy is hot. It doesn't mean Fat. That's why Yoga bodies are so fantastic! And Ice skaters....oh yeah...

 

[Andy]

Yeah, I can't wait until we remove all art style from our entertainment. They should all be exact representations of of some SJWs version of reality!

No, you missed my point.

 

[Frozpot]

No, you missed my point.

lol, sorry, i was more spring-boarding than responding

 

[Andy]

lol, sorry, i was more spring-boarding than responding

No problem. Preach on, brother.

 

[Frozpot]

Well....it was bound to happen, and it has. Taking issue with the way in which female game characters are proportioned a site has gone above and beyond to 'fix' various female leads from popular games. The results are supposed to be more 'realistic' depictions of females.

My 2 cents/Meh. I go into games because they are an escape from real life. Plus....not all women in real life are overweight. Most of these game characters are freaking fighters or are really active. Why the flying feck would they be pushing 190 lbs???

Most ridiculous thing about this rendition of Cortana, is that she had very realistic proportions in Halo 4

 

[Troublegum]

What is ironic is that the character immediately falls into comedy because it is so at odds with itself. So should we be laughing at that?

Bob is actually a pretty cool character, usually the fat guy in fighting games is a slow sumo wrestler. So you go in with an expectation of him to be that lumbering stereotype but he is actually maybe the quickest fighter in the game.

There is also a 'slim' version of Bob, a typically 'cut' Tekken body type, who complains that he is ' just skin and bone...' before a fight.

 

[Frozpot]

Bob is actually a pretty cool character, usually the fat guy in fighting games is a slow sumo wrestler. So you go in with an expectation of him to be that lumbering stereotype but he is actually maybe the quickest fighter in the game.

There is also a 'skinny' version of Bob, a typically 'cut' Tekken body type, who complains that he is 'Just skin and bone...'

No doubt he is a fine character, but my point was that the speed is in-congruent with his obesity. It's a paradox, so becomes funny, thus Ironically making us laugh at the absurdity, rather than bolster some kind of "fat-acceptance", if that had been the goal (I doubt it is).

 

[Andy]

I read a little more about the article (which is getting a lot of circulation), and what they did was to alter the models to match the average female measurements.

So, to be a bit picky, the article is wrong in insisting that games are not making proportions "realistic," when what they mean is they aren't average. Just because it's not average doesn't mean it's not realistic (the waistline examples I mentioned notwithstanding). Games or movies rarely feature heroes who are average in looks, ability, social skill, or intelligence. People don't want average, they want better-than-average. And as others have pointed out, if you're a mountain climber who does amazing feats of strength, it's not realistic to have an average body type.

I understand where they're coming from, though. Most women are unhappy with their bodies and wish that the media had more average-looking women (but meanwhile buy magazines and products that support the unrealistically high standards they're complaining about). It's just a part of that general theme, which has a long history. I remember a couple decades ago, Dove soap had a series of commercials featuring average (rather than stunning) women. That lasted about a year, and now we're back to soapy, gorgeous models with anything but average physiques.

Anyhow, I appreciate their concerns, but you don't turn on TV or a movie expecting to see average-looking people and average-looking heroes. That's just not the way the entertainment industry works.

 

[Troublegum]

No doubt he is a fine character, but my point was that the speed is in-congruent with his obesity. It's a paradox, so becomes funny, thus Ironically making us laugh at the absurdity, rather than bolster some kind of "fat-acceptance", if that had been the goal (I doubt it is).

It definitely plays on the contradiction that is apparent there.

I don't think that the Tekken designers had any design goal other than 'comedy relief'.

I would be genuinely interested to see a female take on the same body type, but again it would land in that comedy relief territory.

I don't think this is a problem in gaming but popular culture at large (no pun intended). Hollywood leans on this trope constantly in movies, as the 'fat one' is usually the butt of all the jokes - Rebel Wilson, Melissa MCcarthy and Jonah Hill to name only a few have pretty much built their careers from such roles.