You can’t have a video game without designing the characters. It’s interesting to see all the male leads having strong jaws and broad shoulders while their female counterparts tend to be slender but curvy, revealing enough skin to tantalize some audience members. This sets a standard for the male and female gamer. Has that changed in recent years? If so, for better or worse?
One thing I found very interesting was Rust's Permanent gender given based off of a persons steam name. There is no changing and they do not care about those who wine – Fluxz7 years ago
It might also be interesting to analyze the self-designed characters in the tradition of say, Sims (though I would focus on less intricate designing programs). Is there representation for all body types, or is the default less generic than it seems? Are paid/unlocked purely-aesthetic avatar features typically leaning towards a different, more idealized representation of self (do you unlock things that look tougher/larger/sexier/sillier/etc.; what is deemed desirable enough to make it a prize)? – m-cubed7 years ago
Most characters are being made in order to appease the male gaze. However, things seem to be changing now with Lara Croft and others trying to establish strong female characters too. – Vishnu Unnithan7 years ago