So, yeah... I'm pretty late to this party. I game on a budget, so sometimes I don't get to play the cool games until a year after they come out. because of this, I bring you...
This is a spinoff from another thread! I always wanted my own spinoff.
Bayonetta is an action game from Platinum Games, and directed from the same guy to direct Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami. Within the game, the titular character slinks around killing angels for a convoluted reason, and goes about it in a way that is both incredibly bad ass and dripping in sexuality. If you're familiar with past games from this studio, you know that over the top is the name of the game, and isn't meant to be taken seriously. But does portraying the game's heroine as a sexual person (note: she never has sex with anyone in the game, though she does pose a lot) and a stylized feminine form automatically make it sexist?
For those who haven't played the game, or need a reminder, here's the prologue cinematic.
AshburnerX managed to hit a lot of points that I agreed with, so here's a repost of what he wrote:
As a funny note, Bayonetta's character is so damn long that it's hard to find an image that shows her full figure.
So, is Bayonetta sexist? And if so, is it any more sexist than the super macho hyperbole that goes into male action-game characters? Is it worse when a female character is exaggerated, and if so, wouldn't that itself describe some sort of unequality, and thus, sexism? I'm interested to hear what people's take on this is. While I may be late to the game, I still think it's an interesting discussion.
This is a spinoff from another thread! I always wanted my own spinoff.
Bayonetta is an action game from Platinum Games, and directed from the same guy to direct Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami. Within the game, the titular character slinks around killing angels for a convoluted reason, and goes about it in a way that is both incredibly bad ass and dripping in sexuality. If you're familiar with past games from this studio, you know that over the top is the name of the game, and isn't meant to be taken seriously. But does portraying the game's heroine as a sexual person (note: she never has sex with anyone in the game, though she does pose a lot) and a stylized feminine form automatically make it sexist?
For those who haven't played the game, or need a reminder, here's the prologue cinematic.
AshburnerX managed to hit a lot of points that I agreed with, so here's a repost of what he wrote:
Similarly, Tycho at Penny-Arcade wrote this during the game's release.AshburnerX said:I think it really depends upon how they treat her sexuality. Bayonetta is in many ways a step forward, if you can believe it.
- Her limbs are exaggerated, but the rest of her is in proportion (and she actually has HIPS). She is slender, but also defined (I.E. her legs look powerful without turning in Chun-Li). She even has a more mature look, like someone in their mid-30's. Most developers are shy to break out of the mid-lower 20's.
- She doesn't move like a sultry stripper... but rather like a graceful dancer, showing off some surprising power.
- She drips sexuality, but she is THE MASTER of it, as opposed to having her sexuality defined by what she can do for others. I think the lollipop imagery shows this best: Most games would have given her large, phallic ones to play to the obvious. Instead, she has tiny, dum dum style lollipops... and STILL makes it look sexy.
- NONE of her relationships with the male characters revolve around romance or sex, but she is able to do this WITHOUT coming off as a frigid ice queen, which is often used in other stories to prevent reducing women into objects or tools... by completely removing their sexuality. She comes off as more bemused by Cheshire's antics: She acknowledges and even toys with his male sexuality, but doesn't use it to genuinely hurt him.
- There are few, if any, lesbian overtones to make up for the lack of male/female relationship, despite having a reoccurring female nemesis. This helps keep her from falling into the exploitation zone.
I mean really... Bayonetta may have lots of skin and imagery, but it was actually pretty mature about it. It could have been a lot worse.
Penny Arcade - His Most Recent SuperpowerTycho said:Because every buckle, every decoration, every insignia is placed with such care, I started to wonder about where exactly the line was between something that is exploitative and something that is epitomized. When you look at something like Marcus Fenix, and I said something as opposed to someone on purpose, there is the same exaggeration that borders on mutation in his physical structure. But since Marcus Fenix is a man, his physical virtues are an acceptable template for such extrapolations. If a woman is the subject, and is thus interpreted, now you're engaged in a truly dangerous enterprise. There's something very strange simmering below that assertion, and it's weirding me out. I was glad to see Leigh Alexander discussing the same thing in her article, because now I seem kind of smart by association.
There's all kinds of cheesecake bullshit that people try to get away with, particularly in popular media - I'd never say this wasn't the case. People are understandably very sensitive about this kind of thing. Manipulation of human beings via the female form is more or less de rigeur. This established, would we be able to distinguish between such manipulation and an authentic creative statement? Bayonetta more or less says no.
As a funny note, Bayonetta's character is so damn long that it's hard to find an image that shows her full figure.
So, is Bayonetta sexist? And if so, is it any more sexist than the super macho hyperbole that goes into male action-game characters? Is it worse when a female character is exaggerated, and if so, wouldn't that itself describe some sort of unequality, and thus, sexism? I'm interested to hear what people's take on this is. While I may be late to the game, I still think it's an interesting discussion.