Several female characters have played iconic roles in games over the years, such as Lara Croft, Tifa Lockhart, Mai Shiranui, and Bayonetta. So it’s safe to say that women are a huge part of the industry and have largely become fan-favorite characters over the years.
However, to appeal to larger audiences, some, in addition to those mentioned above, have “exaggerated proportions” and for this reason the Microsoft called on game producers to avoid using beautiful female characters with sculptural bodies.
As part of your initiative inclusion, the Microsoft offered programmers a questionnaire to consider before creating female characters for their games. These include several stereotypes that the company believes are not the best to include in the creation of female characters.
Other key points mentioned in the text of the Microsoft ask if there are unnecessary gender barriers in designand if “are creating female characters equal in powers and abilities to male characters, with clothes and armor consistent with their tasks”.
This is a very controversial time and ends up dividing the public. For some, this initiative is seen as an action of good taste that aims to objectify women less and, with this, combat the structural and structuring machismo of society.
For others, it is an act that blocks the creative vision of producers in design. At a time when Stellar Blade is about to receive an exclusive release for PlayStation 5 and is based on a sculptural Korean model, this issue further separates users from both companies and leads to new controversies.
