Have you ever wondered why characters are who they are? For example why did Mario have to be an Italian plumber with poor English? I know his visual design of the hat and moustache we're due to the basic graphic abilities of the time, so to rationalise his appearance were his characteristics and personality based on racial stereotypes?
Why are soldiers regularly portrayed as arrogant muscle bound jerks? The characters in Gears of War, Bulletstorm and Halo are mountains of men, and let's not forget The King himself, Duke Nukem. He's got muscles on muscles.
Another massive, flexing group are the fighters. Have developers never watched UFC, boxing or any other combat sport? Not all fighters are huge and scrawny Indians and sumo wrestlers aren't the only other size options. And, for reasons other than fueling the imagination of 14 year old boys, why are all the women scantily dressed and heavy breasted? I challenge you to find a real life female fighter that looks like Chun-Li, Cammy or Kitana. Wait, was she the hot one or the one with the demon mouth? If she's the demon one I meant the hot one.
With impending holidays I'm bound to hit the controller again soon for a pixel fix and stop my mind from wandering. Have you ever asked questions about your favorite games? I'd like to hear them.
The Gears books do a pretty good job of illustrating why the COG are so huge. But, like the scantily-clad female fighters you refer to, it's all about appealing to your target market. Most gamers are assumed to be the following:
ReplyDeleteStraight, white males.