Together Retro: Eighties' Ladies' Night

[BogusMeatFactory]

I feel like the message I should be taking away from this is, "It was the 80s. Just be glad there was a woman in it who wasn't the one being rescued."

Yes and no. Some of the responses have definitely leaned towards "These characters were being used for sex appeal" while others were knock offs of one of video games' most famous female protagonists(who appeared in a bikini if you got a really quick run...). One thing I did notice was how many said gender didn't matter or play a part in a given game, which implies to me that we should have gotten more games with female leads. If the takeaway is that it's not a big deal, why then were there so many fewer female protagonists? And how many of those were there purely for sex appeal?

Also, Null's bringing up his views on the game he is playing, which was principally designed and developed by a woman, serves a great point. Null said he didn't feel the game is shaped by the lead dev's gender, which says to me that the industry should be more willing to continue to strive for greater inclusion. After all, if the absolute worst it might bring us is pretty much the same as we already get, what is the harm in being more welcoming?

How I viewed the idea that, "It could have been a guy in the role," as being a case of having it a female for eye candy. I would say that the vast majority have a female main character or female characters to fill the eye candy role and not provide a different perspective.

[Gunstar Green]

Pictured: Sex appeal.

Though I agree most female characters in the 80's were there for that purpose.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Pictured: Sex appeal.

Though I agree most female characters in the 80's were there for that purpose.

I find that picture to be extremely sexy.

[marurun]

Pictured: Sex appeal.

Though I agree most female characters in the 80's were there for that purpose.

Those boots are hawt. I can say the art style is totally sexy.

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal, because it was really about earning the bikini at the end. So Metroid knock-offs, even if they're not going for sex appeal themselves, still exist because of it.

[noiseredux]

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal,

I always thought Samus was female because Metroid was kind of going for the Ripley/Alien thing. Am I just naive?

[Gunstar Green]

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal, because it was really about earning the bikini at the end. So Metroid knock-offs, even if they're not going for sex appeal themselves, still exist because of it.

Baraduke: 1985
Metroid: 1986

[marurun]

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal,

I always thought Samus was female because Metroid was kind of going for the Ripley/Alien thing. Am I just naive?

Might be 6 of one, half a dozen of the other, but the bikini screen at the end of the game is not an accident. Just sayin'...

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal, because it was really about earning the bikini at the end. So Metroid knock-offs, even if they're not going for sex appeal themselves, still exist because of it.

Baraduke: 1985
Metroid: 1986

[img]<span%20class="skimlinks-unlinked">https://emojipedia-us.s3.amazonaws.com/ ... .png</span>[/img]

Oh, I thought that was one of the Metroid clones like Layla and one of the others brought up earlier. My statement still applies to them. Doesn't apply, apparently, to Baraduke.

[nullPointer]

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal,

I always thought Samus was female because Metroid was kind of going for the Ripley/Alien thing. Am I just naive?

I'm actually not so sure on this either. In retrospect we can certainly look back at it in this way. For a modern gaming audience it's hard to imagine Samus as anything other than a female character, but at the time of its release I feel like the end reveal was rather clever and subversive. "You mean I've been playing as a chick this whole time!? And I didn't get cooties!?"

In truth though I didn't even make this connection as a kid. I took so long to beat Metroid that I only got the ending where her helmet is removed. Like, "Huh, that kind of looks like the dude from Simply Red."

[ElkinFencer10]

I like sexy video game ladies.

[Gunstar Green]

I mean, really, Samus was ultimately for sex appeal,

I always thought Samus was female because Metroid was kind of going for the Ripley/Alien thing. Am I just naive?

I'm actually not so sure on this either. In retrospect we can certainly look back at it in this way. For a modern gaming audience it's hard to imagine Samus as anything other than a female character, but at the time of its release I feel like the end reveal was rather clever and subversive. "You mean I've been playing as a chick this whole time!? And I didn't get cooties!?"

In truth though I didn't even make this connection as a kid. I took so long to beat Metroid that I only got the ending where her helmet is removed. Like, "Huh, that kind of looks like the dude from Simply Red."

For the original Metroid the game obviously wasn't being sold for its sex appeal so I kind of agree. It only became a little weird in sequels where you were playing knowing the reward was to take Samus' clothes off even though the twist had already come and gone.