Neonivek, stop casting this as a contest. The only way to fix a problem is to recognize its existence and its extent, whereupon you can brainstorm solutions. If you truly view this discussion as them damned feminists trying to make the struggle for gender equality more important or worthy than all the other issues out there... then you're just being asinine.
There is no Triage for issues of social justice; they all deserve our attention, and our efforts to address them. This is an exploration of part of the larger issue of equality. A part which, for reasons I can't understand, certain people are trying as hard as they can to dismiss as unimportant.
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So yeah, you missed my point entirely. Or you're mentally rejecting it and replacing it with your own version. Or you're arguing for the sake of argument. I'm not really sure anymore.
1) Let's start with Arkham Asylum. Completely ignoring the sexualization, each of the female characters in those scenes have something in common. They are trapped in the plots and machinations of a man, helpless to free themselves from their situation. And those that can be freed require another man to do it for them:
- Catwoman, normally a cunning criminal and fighter, is helpless and about to be killed by Two-Face. Her response to the situation? Flirtation. She is then rescued by Batman once when Two-Face prepares to shoot her, and again shortly thereafter when about to be sniped by the Joker. Her response to the situation? Flirtation. Such independence, and depth of character!
- Harley Quinn, a naive and pretty messed-up girl, is utterly dependent on the deranged Joker. Her world revolves around him, and she has no independent agency, or will of her own. The moment she shows any (she wants a peek under Batman's mask) the Joker barks at her and she shrinks away and back to his side. Yeah, girl power!
- Talia al Ghul is trapped under the will of her father. Only Batman can free her by killing her father, and making Talia his bride. Seriously? Even though it doesn't happen, this is Talia's introduction to the story. "Man deposes Evil Overlord and rescues Princess" is the exact trope you are trying to pretend doesn't exist anymore.
2) Portal was a great example of a good female protagonist, which I never contested. It may be part of why so many of my ladyfriends loved Portal so much; a story where you play as a capable and interesting female character, in a conflict with other characters; among whom is a deranged and essentially female computer overlord. Portal 1 and 2 had the same protagonist, so I don't understand your point in attacking my words. Are you're just playing Devil's Advocate here?
3) Yes, Dead or Alive spinoffs are minimal games acting more as glorified porn, via skimpy clothes and a boob-physics simulator. And yet they are interactive media, and they represent women purely as sexual objects. Same goes for Bayonetta, though they tack on some ass-kicking and a veneer of a personality to disguise the rampant objectification. My point stands for both.
4) It doesn't even matter if Duke Nukem was the worst-grossing game of all time, and everyone hated it. It was a mainstream game, and the women it represented were either helpless and fawning over the main character, reduced to sexual objects, or brutalized horrifically. It's part of our culture now. We cannot make Duke Nukem Forever unhappen.
So yeah, my point continues to be that the problems of minimization of the role of empowered women, the rampant objectification of women (sexually and otherwise), and the prevalence of distressed damselhood are not things of the past, which you are asserting they are. Do you agree with me, or is the world of gender equality in video games all sunshine and roses?