Over the years we’ve collected data proving that AAA game studios aren’t creating more solo female characters they are creating more player choice for the protagonist’s gender. This very good thread explains one reason why this isn’t the solution to our industry’s sexism problem.
We’re still compiling and finalizing the numbers from the pressers we’ve seen this summer and so far there is a statistical increase in the number of games with solo female protagonists but the trend continues to be a focus on binary choice or multi choice games.
This isn’t the exciting improvement that some folks claim because it isn’t actually an increase in sincere, genuine stories about people who have been rendered invisible or worse, degraded and dehumanized in games for decades.
We have to tell specific stories of women, women of colour, non binary folks, people of colour, disabled folks, trans folks. Having these stories centered, static, and not simply a choice or a side quest is paramount if we want to see sincere steps towards inclusion.
