The ladies over at DiamondLobby are aiming to improve diversity in the video game industry. Their most recent creative article circles around the disheartening concept that female representation in games is still very low. Therefore, they worked with an artist to prove those female video game heroes can exist with just a little twist.
The Future is Badass Video Game Heroines
While working deep in the industry, writer Brittney Lin engaged in data analysis to support the article. According to a 1998 study from Michigan State University, only 15% of video games featured an active female character or protagonist. Over two decades later, statistics read that 18% of main heroes in video games were female, with the male aspect at 23%; the rest falls into gender ambiguity and titles that feature multiple protagonists of different genders.
Lin commented on the nature of the article and its inspiration, saying:
We wanted to show that female characters can look great without being hyper-sexualized, and this is demonstrated no better than with our Master Chief redesign — that we dubbed ‘Madam Chief’ — who looks almost identical to her male counterpart. It only takes a quick Google search to see that when most people think of a female version of Master Chief, they think breasts, legs and more. But why? Master Chief wears full body armor. Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you’re wearing full body armor you’re going to look pretty similar on the outside.”
DiamondLobby Works with Hossein Kalantari
Upon providing her research, Lin goes into her idea of imagining some AAA heroes would look like if they’re female. Has she and her team picked out the heroes, they contacted artist Hossein Kalantari to bring these to life. As a result, they produced seven unique redesigns for some of the industry’s more well-known faces.
These include Captain Price, Michael De Santa, Alex Hunter, Master Chief, Ezio Auditore, Marcus Fenix, and Johnny Silverhand. With the provided illustrations and original artwork, you can use the image sliders to see the before-then-after transition. With the exception of Price and Hunter, the heroines got a proper renaming. Madam Chief is fighting the Covenant instead of John-117; Michelle De Santa is returning to her life of crime; Eva da Firenze works in the shadows to serve the light; Sergeant Marcia Fenix is one of the COG’s most legendary soldiers; Jenny Silverhand is a complex fighter who aims to takedown corrupt organizations.
Female representation in video games is indeed a topic that needs more discussion. There’s no doubt that there’s a lack of having a female protagonist be the main hero in video games. And while it has improved in some areas, there’s progress that needs to be made.
To check out the rest of the designs, be sure to visit the article here on DiamondLobby’s website. What are your thoughts on these amazing pieces? Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment down below and let us know!