The first downloadable character for Borderlands 2 was Gaige, the Mechromancer, a fifteen-year-old girl who can summon a robot to fight for her.
This had the immediate effect of everyone switching characters, leading to all-mechromancer groups in multiplayer co-op, just like the Mists of Pandara expansion for WoW led to a glut of Pandas. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, I suppose, aside from wondering who’s robot was who’s.
The most alarming change, however, was with the voice acting. Video games are a male-dominated affair, outside and within. Men and boys alike are use to playing as men. Gaige’s character is a little girl. When she takes damage, you’re punished with a girl’s bloodcurdling scream of agony. What’s supposed to be a shooter is now a horror game. The worst is when she’s lit on fire. You don’t get the same reaction when a male character is hurt. He usually just grunts, like he’s trying to squeeze out a particularly wide log. It’s unnerving.
The other weird aspect of the character is playing as an under-aged girl. It’s nothing new, really. There’s even Lilith and Maya in the game series as playable female characters, but they’re essentially super models playing at guns. They’re not necessarily over-sexualized feminine characters, but they’re definitely made to be gentle on the eyes. It’s always been that way in games. Unless you’re customizing your own character, you’re going to be playing as a “bimbo” if you choose a female character.
Like I said, games are male-dominated, especially shooters. Why then, are so many people flocking to play as little girl when there’s three male characters out of five to choose from? Because it’s awesome?
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