Video game feminism woman.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Ya know, Mass Effect was one of the most diverse-friendly AAA franchises ever released. It has strong, complex characters of all genders, sexualities and ethnic backgrounds. If you choose you can play FemShep which is almost a template for strong female characters in gaming.

But Mass Effect still has a whole species comprised entirely of of sexy, female, sperm stealing, stripper-pole dancing blue succubi!

So yeah, gender stereotypes really ain't that hard to find in gaming!

[Ultimate Paragon]

Ya know, Mass Effect was one of the most diverse-friendly AAA franchises ever released. It has strong, complex characters of all genders, sexualities and ethnic backgrounds. If you choose you can play FemShep which is almost a template for strong female characters in gaming.

But Mass Effect still has a whole species comprised entirely of of sexy, female, sperm stealing, stripper-pole dancing blue succubi!

So yeah, gender stereotypes really ain't that hard to find in gaming!

The only one doing the stereotyping here is you.  The Asari are much more complex than what you say they are.  And there's an in-universe explanation for why so many exotic dancers are Asari.  The Asari life cycle has a "maiden" stage, marked by a drive to explore and experience.  It seems likely that many Asari dancers are motivated by curiosity and/or restlessness.  That, combined with the fact that just about every species can find something to like about the Asari...

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Oh man, I've read the in universe explanation for why so many Asari are exotic dancers, but someone still dreamed up a race of sperm-stealing hot women with dermal cornrolls and made exotic dancing an explicit part of their culture.

Let's just say it's odd that in a diverse universe none of the exotic dancers are Krogans,  Batarians‎, Salarians, Hanar or even Drell but their are shitloads of human ones and exotic blue sperm-stealing ones that look exactly human except for the Star trek color scheme and hentai cornrolls!‎

EDIT: Also, the maiden stage leads to curiosity? Ok Liara T'Soni's interest in archaeology is a far better fit for that  than frickin' pole dancing which always takes place in the same dingy club and you learn nothing more profound than how easy it is to separate horny men from their money!

I mean good God, have none of these women heard of snorkeling, spelunking, museums or hiking in their several thousand year lifespans?

[ironbite]

And now I'm kinda glad I didn't play Mass Effect.

Ironbite-really?  And people got upset at a little bit of semi-clothed hanky panky in the first game?

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Eh, I'm not upset. Just able to spot boobies when a game designer puts them on a character in a way that isn't there for any other reason than to get me, a straight cis male, to look at said boobies.

(click to show/hide)

Matriarch Benezia, an ancient thousands year old Asari who is many centuries old and a wise and respected counselor.

With an enormous boob window to accentuate her "gravitas"!

[I am lizard]

Eh, I'm not upset. Just able to spot boobies when a game designer puts them on a character in a way that isn't there for any other reason than to get me, a straight cis male, to look at said boobies.

(click to show/hide)

Matriarch Benezia, an ancient thousands year old Asari who is many centuries old and a wise and respected counselor.

With an enormous boob window to accentuate her "gravitas"!

That's justified because it's a space boob window.

[Sylvana]

The developers even admitted that the design template for the Asari was that old Star trek the original series green alien women trope. Its sad that the games with some of the most progressive female writing, is still openly misogynistic. Although, it should be noted that femsheperd isn't really a good example of strong female character. The writing is done from a male perspective. It was made quite visible in ME3 with how masculine femshep approaches all the different relationships.

[I am lizard]

The developers even admitted that the design template for the Asari was that old Star trek the original series green alien women trope. Its sad that the games with some of the most progressive female writing, is still openly misogynistic. Although, it should be noted that femsheperd isn't really a good example of strong female character. The writing is done from a male perspective. It was made quite visible in ME3 with how masculine femshep approaches all the different relationships.

Eh, calling it misogynistic seems a bit much.

UP now gets mad at the use of the term.

[Askold]

Personally I think that the Asari were at least written to be more complex than just "alien sexdoll-babes" and they have a in-universe justification for their reputation. (Also, young Asari rebel in other ways as well and are likely to be found among mercenaries and other "cool" groups.)

My issue with ME is that after the first game took some turns towards sexism (and silliness.) In the first game all characters wore practical looking armour when they were fighting but in ME2 and ME3 the female cast suddenly decided to wear sexy clothing to battle. Even when they were in toxic or vacuum enviroment. (Apart from the ME1 characters who kept their old armour which simply made this change even more apparent.)

Many things in the game had a reasonable explanation from in-universe point of view. Like the way Jack wore sexy "clothing" most of the time which kinda made sense concidering how she was a punk and wanted to make it show. ...Not putting on any armour when going to battle did NOT make sense.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

It might be more complex and I never said it wasn't, Mass Effect is good in it's own merits as a well realized fictional world and space opera.

But it's also clear this is a male hetero sexual fantasy here, the foreign exotic "other" who seduces with their exotic charms.

And I don't think that they were intending to be sexist, but there is still sexism here. You have an entire species with a complex story, but the core-the very spine of that story is an objectifying fantasy. That's just what it is.

[Canadian Mojo]

Eh, I'm not upset. Just able to spot boobies when a game designer puts them on a character in a way that isn't there for any other reason than to get me, a straight cis male, to look at said boobies.

(click to show/hide)

Matriarch Benezia, an ancient thousands year old Asari who is many centuries old and a wise and respected counselor.

With an enormous boob window to accentuate her "gravitas"!

That's justified because it's a space boob window.

In space no one can hear you motorboat.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Eh, I'm not upset. Just able to spot boobies when a game designer puts them on a character in a way that isn't there for any other reason than to get me, a straight cis male, to look at said boobies.

(click to show/hide)

Matriarch Benezia, an ancient thousands year old Asari who is many centuries old and a wise and respected counselor.

With an enormous boob window to accentuate her "gravitas"!

That's justified because it's a space boob window.

In space no one can hear you motorboat.

But I thought windows were a structural weakness in space.
Ah wait-so that's why mass effect has never had a Geth boob window!

[Askold]

But I thought windows were a structural weakness in space.
Ah wait-so that's why mass effect has never had a Geth boob window!

First I thought, why would a Geth even have boobs? Then I realized: Geth sexbots.

I did wonder briefly if the male/lesbian/bi Quarians even cared about boobs, but at this point it is far too late to bring logical or biological issues into this thought experiment.

[Tolpuddle Martyr]

Maybe they use emergency induction ports?

[Askold]

Maybe they use emergency induction ports?

I'm talking about BEFORE the Geth revolution. Back when the Quarians didn't need exosuits at all times and they were the ones building the Geth.