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Gender In Bayoneta

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Though there were initial controversy concerning the game’s content--rumors of a rape scene certainly stirred the pot--the portrayal of Lara’s character as a determined, skilled adventurer-in-training resonated well with consumers (Meltzer, 2013). Tomb Raider (2013) sold 8.5 million copies, becoming the most successful game in the entire franchise. Although a single game may not make up for the years of objectified portrayals, the 2013 reboot allowed Lara Croft to become the empowering icon that many fans of the series, men and women, once struggled to see her as: “Gamers came to recognise her as fearless, even arrogant, thrill-seeking and callous, bold and brave: in short, a badass” (Meltzer, 2013). In contrast to Lara's predicament, the titular character of the series Bayonetta relies on her sexuality as part of her character and embraces it without falling victim to objectification. This series does not pretend that femininity …show more content…

Although each game allows the player to choose the Commander’s gender at the beginning of the game, there are few differences between the male and female versions of Shepard throughout the series. Both the male and female iterations of Shepard follow the same story (Payne, 2013). Much like choosing gender, RPG games often allow players to decide how the characters should behave. The decisions lead to different events occurring in the game. In Mass Effect, Shepard can be a lawful sheriff or lawless warden. Her story epitomizes the space western of venturing into unknown territory to bring justice to other worlds (Bioware, 2012). Like Lara Croft, Shepard is an adventurer and a badass. Like Bayonetta, Commander Shepard demonstrates personal agency via the game’s mechanics (Bioware,

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