This would normally be the part where I launch into
a paragraphs-long tangent only slightly related to the topic at hand, but I
think I’d better get straight to the point.
I’m taking a hardline stance on this and saying what I’ve had in mind
for years now: video games need more
elegance. Or, if not that, then video games need more elegant characters. Or just elegance in general.
I’ve got no problems admitting Overwatch is the catalyst for this
post. Really, it’s my sincere hope that
it’s the catalyst for changes throughout the industry as well as the gamer
zeitgeist; it’s one thing to beg and plead for change in posts and articles and
videos, but it’s another thing entirely to have it subtly suggested by the
media we consume. That is to say, Overwatch isn’t directly asking for diversity
in games. It’s just doing its best to
prove how freakin’ cool it is when
you have a cast that mixes it up. Given
the choice (and the resources), it’s always best to offer more options and
means of expression. That way, everyone
can be happy.
And you know who makes me happy in this game? Mercy.
Because she’s literally the best.
Okay, let me run that back a little. As my brother might say, I’m still doing a
little soul-searching to find my character of choice -- my main, if you
will. In a pinch (and assuming no one
else has taken her), I’ll gladly use Zarya.
If there’s a Support-type needed and we need to go on the attack, I’ll
use Lucio. I’m trying to learn how to
use Winston and Pharah, with varying levels of success -- mostly because I’m
not used to shooters and thus have the skills of the average marmoset. And I’m struggling to learn how to use Hanzo,
because sometimes I would rather snipe than deal with the chaos on the front
lines. I mean, it’d help if I could
actually snipe, but I’m working on it.
But Mercy?
I don’t know, man. Every time I
use her, something clicks with me. Maybe
it has something to do with the fact that I don’t have to aim nearly as much --
unless I need to bail the hell out with Guardian Angel -- but I can’t help but
feel like this is a character I have to
play. I thought she was cool well before
I started playing the game, but I thought to myself “Nah, I’ll only play her
every now and then. I want to have some offensive power.” Imagine my surprise when Mercy can use her
pistol to score a kill if she needs to, even if it’s not a good idea to play
soldier.
Also, not to go off on a tangent but does Mercy
fighting act as a contradiction of the Hippocratic Oath? Eh, I’m sure it’s fine.
Chalk it up to Overwatch’s
game mechanics and nuances, but I find Mercy incredibly fun to use. She’s not the only one, of course -- Lucio,
Zarya, and Winston are all characters in my little stable -- but there’s
something strangely thrilling about being able to glide from teammate to
teammate, keeping them alive and boosting their power for an enemy rout. It’s not quite as glamorous as landing a
one-shot kill with a sniper or rushing in with twin guns blazing, but it
doesn’t have to be. It’s more than
possible to take pride in the fact that, as a supportive healer, you’re able to
contribute something significant to the team without scoring a single headshot.
I’m not just saying that because my healing
bonanza led to my team -- after scoring the win -- took time out to give thanks
to me, AKA “that badass Mercy”. Though
it helps.
But I digress.
The important thing is that gameplay-wise, Mercy is a cool
character. But in terms of audiovisual
appeal, she’s even cooler. I’d liken it
to Street Fighter, or any number of
fighting games from the past or present (or future): before you get your hands
on a character and learn his/her playstyle, chances are high that you’ll be won
over by whoever has a design that appeals to you. I’d bet that that’s what turned innocent
arcade-goers into lifelong Zangief fans back in the day, having grown enamored
with his iron body. Meanwhile, you’ve
got a mostly-unknown gem like Under Night
In-Birth; when you don’t know who’s who or what they do, your gut instinct
is to just go with whoever seems like your jam.
That’s the beauty of fighting games. In a lot of cases, you’re not spoiled for
choice. Blazblue may have only launched with12 characters back in the day
-- and Skullgirls clocked in with a
whopping 8 -- but those characters were diverse enough and intriguing enough to
warrant a second look…and eventually, loyalty.
Even though it’s a shooter, Overwatch
is on the same axis. The draw is the
diverse roster, and the sense of progression felt when developing as your hero
of choice. It leads to a bond that’s
hard to break -- a bond stronger than the ones made to what might as well be a
floating gun in others hooters.
Does it all start at a superficial level? It depends.
I can’t help but wonder how many people bought into the game just
because they first laid eyes on Tracer -- and I wonder how many Tracer fans
jumped ship once Mei was revealed. I
can’t say I blame them, because goddamn
Mei is adorable. Then again, that just
helps illustrate my point: Overwatch has
won over plenty of people because it has plenty to offer. Plenty for every persuasion, I’d say; that
should be patently obvious given the four primary class types, but if we’re
talking strictly about AV appeal? It’s
probably not hard to find a character that resonates with you.
Now, look.
I know people have been spitting in Overwatch’s
general direction (and Blizzard’s by extension) because of its attempts to
offer a breadth of options. That’s true
of its ladies, obviously; there are different races represented, but -- in a
bit of a rarity -- there are differences in body types as well. Okay, it’s most obvious in Zarya and Mei, and
not so obvious with the rest of the women, but hey. Baby steps.
And not to play strawman, but apparently some people aren’t okay with
there being a little diversity? For some
reason? Like, there are guys out there
who just think there are different skin colors and body types to satisfy some
fringe demographic/boogeyman’s agenda?
I’d prefer to pretend that there aren’t people
like that out there -- and I’m overreaching here -- because the alternative
would really, really suck. In my eyes,
it’s not about playing to the whims and demands of others. It’s not about arbitrarily filling slots,
either. I’d normally say that it’s all
about fulfilling a creative vision, and as true as that is, I have an even simpler
answer: because it’s cool.
The end goal is to create a game with lots of
different characters with different styles, and mixing up their looks is the
fastest way to achieve that. Yo, you
want to play as a high-flying soldier with an Egyptian motif, hundreds of
rockets, and
may or may not have a body underneath her avian super-suit? You got it!
Want to play as a shifty and hyperactive Australian mad bomber who’s
probably a bigger threat to himself than his enemies? You’re in luck? So many options, so many tastes, and so many
chances to please; part of what makes Overwatch
special is that even without a dedicated campaign (for now), there’s still
more than enough to be had from its heroes.
That’s the clincher. Yes, the end goal is to use the roster to
convince everybody of how cool the game is (or at least act as a lure, given
that the game itself is more fun than a pizza party with a bouncy house on
tap). But it’s not necessarily about
making everybody slot into a cool archetype. Poster girl Tracer is cool because she’s also
full of fun, energy, and spirit; I hope that whoever decided that one of her
highlight intros should have her burst into laughter was paid handsomely for it. Winston is cool because he offers a charming
juxtaposition between a cultured man of science and a raging beast. And in Mercy’s case? She’s cool because she’s elegant.
You can see it clearly in almost everything she does. Admittedly, her design is a big part of it;
she has a slender yet feminine form.
Motions that are measured, but smooth nonetheless. A sense of sharpness and softness all at
once, whether it’s in her features or in her animations (even in something as
simple as her hand wave). The game’s not
afraid to put its ladies in skintight suits, but it’s also not afraid to
feature a futuristic dress for one of the canon’s senior members.
Nor is it afraid to bust out the heels…though that
brings up questions of combat appropriateness -- as it did with Zero Suit Samus
in Smash Bros. -- but it’s offset
because this is a character whose kit is half-built on flying around. Besides, it fits the character a lot better
than, say, a pair of army boots. Context
is important; it’s always a pretty good idea to analyze and judge on a
case-by-case basis, unless you want to
look like a dumb-dumb doo-doo head. So
let’s analyze here as an example.
I’d think that when people observe female
characters (or, let’s be honest, real females)
there’s a pretty good chance they’ll focus on a few choice areas. Fair enough.
But I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe it’s not so much the curves
of a woman that we should focus on -- at least in the AV space. Maybe it’s about the lines and angles. Like I said, there are some sharp features on
display with the character; the eyes, the face, the fingers, and pretty much
everything from the knees down are some examples. I can’t help but focus on two things, though:
her waist, and the arch of her back. I
wouldn’t call them realistic, but look at the game we’re
talking about here.
The angles on display are emphasized enough to act
as exaggerations, but they only help highlight the abstractions of the
character. That is, it’s a matter of
drawing lines and building silhouettes.
Even with the Valkyrie suit on, it’s not hard to notice that Mercy’s got
hips wide enough to bear Paul Bunyan’s children. That’s made possible by subconsciously being
able to break down her design into basic parts, which in itself is made
possible thanks to those angles. So on
one hand, you know that her penchant for standing the way she does -- firmly,
yet with a sense of peace and poise -- is made evident thanks to a detail like
her spine’s curvature. On the other
hand, you’re more likely to de-emphasize minor details to look at the big
picture. That’s where the lines come
in. Even though this is a game
experienced almost exclusively in first person, it’s kind of important -- and
plenty appreciable. As Mr. Plinkett once
said, you might not have noticed it, but your brain did.
Whether she’s in motion in a highlight intro or
stone still in a victory pose, you can’t help but see the lines rearrange into
distinct, deliberate shapes -- forms that try to give a concrete understanding
of abstractions. In Mercy’s case, even
with the threat of battlefield horrors -- spurred by the desperate and
ever-important struggle of winning a match of King of the Hill -- she moves
with grace. With confidence. With beauty.
The positions of her limbs and contours of her form give the sense of
what she’s all about, and create the divinity that her character thrives
on. If Blizzard’s crew wanted to make an
elegant woman, they succeeded.
And that brings me back to my earlier point: video
games need more elegance.
As a guy who’s dabbled in (subpar) art, I
understand that it’s important to find ways to breathe life into your
characters. You have to show off what
they’re all about, which sounds difficult if you’re working with just a simple
pencil and paper. But it’s not
impossible; there are plenty of aspects to take advantage of, and any artist
worth their salt should make use of those tools alongside their
creativity. And as an art form, video
games aren’t exempt. Given that we’re
smack dab in the eighth console generation, I think it’s safe to say that we
have more than enough power under the
hood to get whatever we want rendered exactly as imagined.
So with all of that in mind, I have to ask: why
aren’t game devs rendering elegance?
Well, let me run that question back a little. It’s not as if games are devoid of elegant characters; it’s true that fighting games get a
lot of flak thanks to the bodies/costumes of characters like Mai Shiranui, Ivy
Valentine, and R. Mika, but they’re no lost cause. Elisabeth Blantorche of King of Fighters, Orie from Under
Night In-Birth, Aoi Umenokoji of Virtua
Fighter, and Helena Douglas from the eternally-respected Dead or Alive are just a couple of
examples. There are even more out there,
I know; say what you will about Nintendo, but it’s hard not to appreciate the
likes and airs of Rosalina and (various incarnations of) Zelda.
As I’ve admitted before -- however begrudgingly --
video games aren’t always the medium you turn to if you’re looking for
top-notch narratives. To make up for it,
they can excel in two ways: with their gameplay, and with their AV
wizardry. I’m sold on Overwatch because it proved its wizardry
via Mercy; even a basic 3D model takes time, effort, and skill to put together,
and the fact that Blizzard can nail a
sense of elegance in a mass of polygons is worth a round of applause. But the trade-off there is that those devs actually went for it. You could argue that they needed to fill a
slot in the Big List of Archetypes; still, even if they did, they still had a
Big List of Archetypes in the first place.
I hope that at this stage, nobody out there is
pretending like video games (and fiction in general) don’t have a problem with
their portrayal of women. They have in
the past, and they have in the present.
Steps are being taken to change things, which is good. It’s something worth celebrating, without
question, even if it’s something that devs have had to fight for (see:
Remember Me). Yet I can’t shake the feeling -- the worry --
that those devs’ good intentions might lead to more problems created than
solutions.
The thing I want most -- whether it’s out of
female characters or games in general -- is variety. Different styles exist in art, and we’re
better off for it. Obviously, I have a
strong lean towards elegant characters or aesthetics; despite scraping the
bottom of the tier list, I play Palutena in Smash
4 because I found her
style to be a revelation. And yeah,
I know that it’s hypocritical to say that games need more elegance when just a
few paragraphs ago I said that it’s not about catering to the whims of the
public. Here’s the thing, though: it
couldn’t possibly hurt the medium to have characters (in particular, but also
worlds and styles) that emphasize elegance.
Beauty, grace, class, whatever you want to call it -- there’s value to
be had when a game manages to pull it off.
It’s the sort of thing that can take your breath away. Something tailor-made to dazzle, and leave
audiences in awe.
Do we get that affect in modern gaming? Opinions may vary, but as the Eternal
Optimist I’ll go ahead and say “yeah”.
As someone with at least a few points in his Reason stat, though, I have
to expand that statement to “yeah, but”.
With another E3 in the books, there are likely dozens of videos running
through the standard fare: explosions, guns, action, violence, grit, and the
usual fare. It’s really telling that,
even though games can be and have been
more in the past (and present), the bigwigs make a point of showing more of the
same accepted, expected, monothematic “epicness” that’s supposed to be a
selling point.
Then again, maybe they have every right to do
that. If they’re trying to sell us on
the stuff that actually sells, then can you really blame them?
Obviously, indie games and niche titles are doing
their best to pull eyes and minds away from the stuff that’s become standard
operating procedure. As always, they’re
doing the lord’s work. How are the guys
in the big budget space responding? More
shooters! More zombies! More violence! More seriousness! More sequels, remakes, and remasters! As much as I want to be fair, it’s hard to
sing praises when we’re in 2016 and we’re still seeing the tricks of the trade
used at least a half-decade
earlier. If E3 is a representative of
what games are -- or what they should be in the eyes of a lot of companies --
then games are the complete opposite of elegant. They’re ugly.
Despite those scathing words, I won’t act like the
industry isn’t making progress. Tomb Raider’s been successfully
rebooted, we’ve got a Mirror’s Edge sequel,
and there are two upcoming IPs starring leading females -- ReCore and Horizon: Zero Dawn,
both of which managed to get some time to shine in recent trailers. Indeed, the first step toward getting some
cool shake-ups in the industry is to actually have a shake-up with characters,
especially the female ones. But that’s
where a whole new set of problems start.
It’s one thing to have a leading lady, and another thing entirely to
have a different one. Or a good one, for
that matter.
I referenced Remember
Me earlier, but even if it took a bold step by having a female lead, I’d
imagine that Nilin didn’t exactly set the world on fire with her
characterization. I have some hang-ups
about nu-Lara in the recent Tomb Raider games,
because it seems like the zest has been taken out of her to make her
more…”relatable”, I suppose?
“Realistic”? Arguably, but I
wonder if that’s an approach that works.
I’ve seen plenty of reviews rail on Mirror’s
Edge: Catalyst for a lackluster story, and given how vital a main character
is in determining a good story, I’d imagine that some of the blame falls on
Faith. Both of the ladies from ReCore and Horizon seem fine for now -- and it’d be silly to judge too harshly
given that they’re mostly visible in snippets -- but they don’t scream “we have
a winner” to me. They’re functional, yet
they lack pizazz.
Don’t get me wrong. I want tough, capable, bold female characters
as much as the next guy. With that in
mind, I want other types of female characters, too. They don’t always have to be survivors, or
hunters, or soldiers, or would-be action heroines; if they were, then that
would be boring. It’d also be pretty
unfortunate territory if we measured the worth of a character (female or
otherwise) by their kill count or how much punishment they can take. I want to feel the character of these
characters, but how am I supposed to do that when
creative culture in
general sticks to nigh-immutable
rules? How can characters thrive
when the only distinct trait they have -- what some believe they should have in
their entirety -- is “strong”? And
even then it
can go way
off the rails?
I’m not going to get in deep with a rundown of the
characters I called out. But what I’m
going to do is make a request. Video
game industry, don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid to have characters that are
glamorous, or have movements that flow like silk. Don’t be afraid to flex those animation
muscles -- to take advantage of the inherent unrealism of the medium, and use
abstractions for a powerful effect.
Don’t be afraid to toss in some pleasant scenery, or build a sense of
class. Don’t be afraid to put your women
in a glimmering dress. There’s so much
that can be done to diversify the medium -- and better yet, draw attention and
sales to a product. The fact that Overwatch has basically had to do by
itself what should come naturally to any given company -- use the tools at hand
to offer a wide array of options -- in goddamn 2016 is ridiculous.
Blizzard is a big company, but that didn’t stop it
from delivering a game that’s full of artistic flair. And that flair has long since been
appreciated, even if it’s only by me (and I suspect it isn’t). Mercy’s elegance makes me get hyped for Overwatch even before I jump into a
match. Surprise, surprise, the game’s
been a runaway hit without doubling
down on the tiresome violence and teeth-clenched machismo that’s gripped the
industry -- and as easy as it is to hate a AAA company, Blizzard used those
sweet, sweet WoW bucks to offer up
something different. True, Overwatch isn’t 100% devoted to a chic
affect, but the fact that it even has one in the first place just goes to show
how there’s a hole that games could stand to fill. There's a place for everything and everyone, really.
I don’t expect executives from EA or Ubisoft to
read this and suddenly decide “Oh yeah, we should totally greenlight a game with lots of frilly dresses!” But I expect that people on the lower rungs
of the industry -- the lowly gamers who form the backbone of everything -- are reading this. In which case? I hope I’ve helped open your mind to the
possibilities inherent in the medium.
Even if you’re not like me and don’t want more elegance, that’s
fine. Not everybody likes Mercy, I
bet. But I suspect that there are styles
and affects that you do like. And I hope that going forward, you recognize
them. Enjoy them. Defend them.
Fight for them, if need be. Make the
world of creativity a better place.
Because who knows? Maybe that’ll
make the world at large a better place, too.
And that’s my case. Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope that you find
new ways to respect your Overwatch waifu
even more. I know I do -- though she
doesn’t even qualify as a mistress compared to my true waifu, Makoto. Because not even elegance can trump loyalty.
Now, if someone were to combine the two…well, then they’d be invincible. It’s a simple fact of life.
LITERALLY. THE. BEST.
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