A Discussion of sexualised design of male/female characters

[Tyaren]

Most panties seem painted on and certain bikinis definitely are.

Prove it (with pictures)!
Because it is not true. That's not how the character modelling and costume modelling of DLC works in DOA 5.

Even this is not just painted on:

It is very close to the skin but sticks out at certain spots (see on the edge of her body under her left breast).

 

[Tyaren]

Anita has imo a very good point here. There' s hardly any body or age diversity in female main characters in gaming.

Vs

 

[Sotherius]

Well, the Street Fighter female cast is actually very diverse.

Yeah, there is body types that don't get shown at all, and they're go mostly for a muscular look to things (since it is their style in general).

But Mika has a completely different body type than chun li, and both are so different from Makoto, Sakura, etc.

Age... i guess is a bit different, but not represented well enough, chun li is at least 10 years older than everyone else on that pic in the SF canon.

Honestly, the true offender in that aspect is Mortal Kombat, since all females have the exact same body model, just changing clothings and texture, and is not even because of style, or sexyness, is just that they're too lazy to make different models and have to work on different fatalities and brutalities animations for the bodies.

But i don't think a game or a mediu needs necessarily too much diversity, in the end the artists will do what they want or what they think it is better.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

Well, the Street Fighter female cast is actually very diverse.

Yeah, there is body types that don't get shown at all, and they're go mostly for a muscular look to things (since it is their style in general).

But Mika has a completely different body type than chun li, and both are so different from Makoto, Sakura, etc.

Age... i guess is a bit different, but not represented well enough, chun li is at least 10 years older than everyone else on that pic in the SF canon.

Honestly, the true offender in that aspect is Mortal Kombat, since all females have the exact same body model, just changing clothings and texture, and is not even because of style, or sexyness, is just that they're too lazy to make different models and have to work on different fatalities and brutalities animations for the bodies.

But i don't think a game or a mediu needs necessarily too much diversity, in the end the artists will do what they want or what they think it is better.

You're joking right?

 

[Xhominid The Demon Within]

Anita has imo a very good point here. There' s hardly any body or age diversity in female main characters in gaming.

Vs

I honestly find that sort of stuff pointless in the long run because the "body diversity" doesn't really count when it's big burly man, buff man, normal man and lanky man.

The SF example makes no sense for V simply because out of all of the guys, only Birdie, Dhalsim and FANG actually have completely different bodytypes from the rest of the males. Being slightly bigger or wider isn't enough when you are still buff as hell.

If Anita wants her point to make sense, find games where there are MORE diverse types for MALES than just a single one each(like 3 fat men, 4 old men and stuff like that).

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

I honestly find that sort of stuff pointless in the long run because the "body diversity" doesn't really count when it's big burly man, buff man, normal man and lanky man.

The SF example makes no sense for V simply because out of all of the guys, only Birdie, Dhalsim and FANG actually have completely different bodytypes from the rest of the males. Being slightly bigger or wider isn't enough when you are still buff as hell.

If Anita wants her point to make sense, find games where there are MORE diverse types for MALES than just a single one each(like 3 fat men, 4 old men and stuff like that).

she did Tyaren was just using SF5 as a quick example which she didn't even use. heck even that is enough to prove her point however.

 

[Sotherius]

You're joking right?

View attachment 21808

View attachment 21809

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in MK9, jade, kitana, sonia, mileena, and every woman that isn't sheeva (maybe skarlet is different), has the exact same body model.

and in MKX, every single female has the same body model, and even dvorah has the same proportions, with the exception being the kid on the back of that thing that you showed.

And see, the exceptions are monster or monster type characters, there is no variety in the body model whatsoever in the human characters.

 

[Argentus]

I actually prefer short thick girls so I'm thinking of having that body type in a game

But it also faces the real life problem: that body type isn't suited to athletic feats.

Like I like the maybe 4'8"-5'2" range, with the pear shape body (HIPS!).

Seriously the real reason the body types ate similar in games is simply because athletes are all athletic body types. The body will tone from the exercise.

 

[Jadeinchains]

in MK9, jade, kitana, sonia, mileena, and every woman that isn't sheeva (maybe skarlet is different), has the exact same body model.

Did you or did you not just come for me?

Spoiler

Jk

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

in MK9, jade, kitana, sonia, mileena, and every woman that isn't sheeva (maybe skarlet is different), has the exact same body model.

and in MKX, every single female has the same body model, and even dvorah has the same proportions, with the exception being the kid on the back of that thing that you showed.

And see, the exceptions are monster or monster type characters, there is no variety in the body model whatsoever in the human characters.

the fact they can even be monster characters is still more than than what most have. Street Fighter females may have different models but they aren't really different body types.

 

[Xhominid The Demon Within]

she did Tyaren was just using SF5 as a quick example which she didn't even use. heck even that is enough to prove her point however.

Not really because again it's just 3 different body types on only 3 characters out of 14 males. That's not much diversity at all.

And again, that truly doesn't make anything since again you are basically asking for different body types just to please some random people. I doubt old people are proud of characters like Dhalsim and Tung Fu representing them because mainly, they don't care. Some may, but not everyone does.

 

[Sotherius]

the fact they can even be monster characters is still more than than what most have. Street Fighter females may have different models but they aren't really different body types.

SFV has more variety than MK by a long range.

SF has short and tall women, more busty and less busty, more muscular and less muscular, different body shapes in general.


It gives you more variety inside its somewhat limited artstyle than MK that could give you way more options, but it doesn't, and the faces aren't really good work either, but it has variety on that at least.

The body will tone from the exercise.

Eh, not really, people get muscular and fit by doing exercises specific for that, if someone just practice his or her fighting style and the only kind of exercise is you know, the fighting in itself, then you normally don't have exactly fit persons, you'll have from the very fit, to the guy that has fat on his skin enough to hide its muscles, and you'll have sometimes someone with a lot of fat in his body.

So, Birdie is more believable than zangief, is what i'm trying to say here.

 

[KasumiLover]

Some people just have naturally tone bodies too, like me. XD I don't exercise or do anything athletic at all(The most I'll do is flip around and jump around the open space in my living room for fun) but I'm pretty tone anyway which makes me happy. Lots of people seem to forget that some people are just fortunate enough to have toned bodies, which is considered the most appropriate body type for most fighters, it's not always a sexualization thing. I do wish women had more distinct body types tho, it's always mostly the same in all FGs.

 

[Xhominid The Demon Within]

Some people just have naturally tone bodies too, like me. XD I don't exercise or do anything athletic at all(The most I'll do is flip around and jump around the open space in my living room for fun) but I'm pretty tone anyway which makes me happy. Lots of people seem to forget that some people are just fortunate enough to have toned bodies, which is considered the most appropriate body type for most fighters, it's not always a sexualization thing. I do wish women had more distinct body types tho, it's always mostly the same in all FGs.

I have no issues if there are Fighting Game females with more diverse bodies, ultimately, I just do not care nor see this as an actual reason to aim for.
It's still up to the designers, developers and creators if they want to make females like that and not just as a quota to fill.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

SF has skinny women with varying degrees of thighs. compare that to the practically cartoon proportions of some of the guys and no they aren't varied at all. MK on the other hand is more grounded in realism and outside of body builders thats honestly how most fit women look ESPECIALLY if they're in a military which almost all of them are so characters like D'vora and Ferra make a bigger impact on the diversity of the roster than any girl in SF.

And again, that truly doesn't make anything since again you are basically asking for different body types just to please some random people. I doubt old people are proud of characters like Dhalsim and Tung Fu representing them because mainly, they don't care. Some may, but not everyone does.

while agree that there is a lack of diversity i just want it because its more visually interesting same reason i wanted less skimpy designs, more surface area to work with. i don't think women are so weak as to have to be coddled and told they look pretty no matter what. Men sure as hell don't we're fine being a bit overweight or ugly and that's largely because our peers don't torment us nearly as bad as some females will do to other girls about our body image.

just take Ana for example

compare this

Spoiler

to this

Spoiler

one looks like a generic pretty girl, which while not bad has been done to death and will be forgotten. you aren't going to forget an old grandma with a sniper rifle though because thats just not a something you see everyday

 

[Brute]

Uh-oh. My female character who has to be physically fit to accomplish her gameplay feats looks physically fit!

The tragedy!

 

[Sotherius]

SF has skinny women with varying degrees of thighs

With varying degrees of waist, height, shoulder, breasts, hips, legs.

Makoto looks nothing like chun li, that looks nothing like cammy, that looks nothing like sakura, that looks nothing like Mika.


Even if you argue that makes sense for MK womans to have the same body type, you still fail because a lot of things are defined by genetics alone.

Hips, height and breasts are things like that.

Even stuff like if the woman ever got pregnant, or breastfed a baby.

So, even if they had the same type of training, which they didn't because different martial arts makes you have different sets of trainings that would imply different results in a body, you would also have to deal with nature itself giving you different body shapes.

MK is not realistic and MK doesn't try to be realistic, the regular females and males in that game are a result of pure laziness and that is it.

Street Fighter i a series about human characters mostly, now, in a game like MK, filled with monsters, you have 4 female monsters, and 2 of them have the exact same proportions as the other humans, and the other 2 are really different, tell me how much diversity. KI and Vsav gives MK a harsh lesson on monster type characters in general.

, I just do not care nor see this as an actual reason to aim for.

I kind of agree, but i believe every character should be unique both design and gameplay-wise, which doesn't mean having to aim towards every kind of possible body shape and structure possible.

 

[Xhominid The Demon Within]

while agree that there is a lack of diversity i just want it because its more visually interesting same reason i wanted less skimpy designs, more surface area to work with. i don't think women are so weak as to have to be coddled and told they look pretty no matter what. Men sure as hell don't we're fine being a bit overweight or ugly and that's largely because our peers don't torment us nearly as bad as some females will do to other girls about our body image.

just take Ana for example

compare this

to this

one looks like a generic pretty girl, which while not bad has been done to death and will be forgotten. you aren't going to forget an old grandma with a sniper rifle though because thats just not a something you see everyday

And I'm not going to take that away at all(especially since it's obvious they use both her young and old models in case anyone wants to use both.), what I'm actually saying is that Anita always makes everything seem like it's a mandate rather than a simple suggestion. It should be up to the creators to make characters that people should care about.

Ana, Mei and Zarya are very unique characters...but let's be frank, it took AWHILE for Zarya to truly take off even compared to Mei(and with Mei, it's with people who believe she's simply thick, not fat or obese) and Ana still has her younger alt for those who would rather play as that rather than her adult self(not to mention that a few of her costumes have her face covered...)

So even then, you still have that chance to make those unique characters...and no one bites because ultimately, people would rather play as young, hot, able to beat you into the ground fighters rather than old and weird looking people.

 

[Argentus]

SFV has more variety than MK by a long range.

SF has short and tall women, more busty and less busty, more muscular and less muscular, different body shapes in general.


It gives you more variety inside its somewhat limited artstyle than MK that could give you way more options, but it doesn't, and the faces aren't really good work either, but it has variety on that at least.



Eh, not really, people get muscular and fit by doing exercises specific for that, if someone just practice his or her fighting style and the only kind of exercise is you know, the fighting in itself, then you normally don't have exactly fit persons, you'll have from the very fit, to the guy that has fat on his skin enough to hide its muscles, and you'll have sometimes someone with a lot of fat in his body.

So, Birdie is more believable than zangief, is what i'm trying to say here.

Depends on the fighting style. Most gymnasts, track runners, pro wrestlers etc all have similar body types.

It makes sense for videogame fighters because most females fight with kicks slaps and flips. Gymnastics.

Also its a notable point that girls like Mila and Tina DONT and should be much more visibly muscular than the other girls.

Also birdy does NOT make more sense its that he's simply not as athletic as Zamgief. Gief is constantly honing his entire body while birdy is a glutton who fights with chains so it makes sense that only his arms are muscular.

Like in the ongoing Squirrel Girl series the artists' style deliberately has her as notably thick and chunky. Which nothing against thick girls but squirrel girl literally can't be thick due to her lifestyle. She moves like Spider-Man.

My point is it depends on what the physical regiment is, and in the case of videogame females, MOST all fight in similar ways, flips, kicks, twirls and slaps. So it makes sense they would all generally have the same toned gymnast body.

Its like how big chested girls don't really play sports. They don't enjoy kneeing themselves in the tits.

So its not that all videogame girls are the same, its that the main characters are usually athletic and are built accordingly similar.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

Street Fighters characters have much weirder body types than Mortal Kombats monsters and yet they only chose slight alterations for their female characters. R.Mika should be ripped she worships Zangief's muscle power yet she's just slightly thick than the other girls. its something but its not body diversity when you have such extremes as Dhalsim to Zangief