A Feminist Analysis of HORIZON: ZERO DAWN (2017)
“In many ways, digital games seem to be the lease progressive form of media representation, despite being one the newest mediated forms” (Shaw, 2015).
It goes without saying the world of gaming has been strongly dominated by male culture. Not only is this concept well known amongst the gaming community, but also it has been both a consistent and significant controversy throughout the years. It is estimated that about 50% of the gaming industry is made up of women, and the world simply does not know it. Many game developers and women speaking on behalf of the gaming community have worked hard toward the gaming achievements that we have unlocked in the real world today. Without further ado, …show more content…
As discussed in Adrienne Shaw’s Gaming at the Edge, this female lead moves beyond being a sexy sidekick or damsel in distress. Aloy was deemed an outcast from her tribe at birth, and because of this she takes on the responsibility of becoming a brave warrior by enhancing her skills, defeating and learning about the machines, as well as attempting to find out what caused the stone age movement to occur in the first place. What truly aids her is the smartphone device that she finds as a child, which enables her to essentially communicate with the machines. It is extremely important to note that Aloy’s character is one of the few women characters in gaming that is not sexualized, which further emphasizes her role as a born leader. As quoted by the game’s developers, “It’s really important that we didn’t look for a woman and that turned out to be Aloy. We had Aloy and one of her very many attributes is that she is a woman. She’s also an outcast and a very fierce person. She’s brave and independent, but why I like her so much is that she’s also kind-hearted…”. Aloy’s character development can be described as being feminist since she is represented as being both strong and intelligent, and while she sometimes gets defeated, she still has the ability to fight …show more content…
This is mainly due to the aspect of the game in which we find out that the primary cause of the current environment and failed artificial intelligence is based on the corporate greed of men. Even though this is an accurate representation of our world today, this view of the game representing a battle of the sexes can be immediately put to rest when considering the many men that Aloy befriends and works alongside throughout the course of her journey. Not only do these men respect her, but also as Aloy becomes stronger and more well known, they even begin to consider themselves fortunate to have even spoken to her. Another significant game representation is HORIZON’s incorporation of the LGBT community and prevalence of mental health. Aloy’s character is depicted in a culture in which concepts such as sexism; bigotry, discrimination and stereotypes surrounding gender and mental health issues are not only present but also being discussed in full. Within the game, the player chooses how to handle these situations, and that is extremely important in terms of shedding light on the consequences of actions and having certain morals, including the decision to let machines roam as inhabitants of the new Earth, kill them, and determine whether or not Aloy will be a kind
“In many ways, digital games seem to be the lease progressive form of media representation, despite being one the newest mediated forms” (Shaw, 2015).
It goes without saying the world of gaming has been strongly dominated by male culture. Not only is this concept well known amongst the gaming community, but also it has been both a consistent and significant controversy throughout the years. It is estimated that about 50% of the gaming industry is made up of women, and the world simply does not know it. Many game developers and women speaking on behalf of the gaming community have worked hard toward the gaming achievements that we have unlocked in the real world today. Without further ado, …show more content…
As discussed in Adrienne Shaw’s Gaming at the Edge, this female lead moves beyond being a sexy sidekick or damsel in distress. Aloy was deemed an outcast from her tribe at birth, and because of this she takes on the responsibility of becoming a brave warrior by enhancing her skills, defeating and learning about the machines, as well as attempting to find out what caused the stone age movement to occur in the first place. What truly aids her is the smartphone device that she finds as a child, which enables her to essentially communicate with the machines. It is extremely important to note that Aloy’s character is one of the few women characters in gaming that is not sexualized, which further emphasizes her role as a born leader. As quoted by the game’s developers, “It’s really important that we didn’t look for a woman and that turned out to be Aloy. We had Aloy and one of her very many attributes is that she is a woman. She’s also an outcast and a very fierce person. She’s brave and independent, but why I like her so much is that she’s also kind-hearted…”. Aloy’s character development can be described as being feminist since she is represented as being both strong and intelligent, and while she sometimes gets defeated, she still has the ability to fight …show more content…
This is mainly due to the aspect of the game in which we find out that the primary cause of the current environment and failed artificial intelligence is based on the corporate greed of men. Even though this is an accurate representation of our world today, this view of the game representing a battle of the sexes can be immediately put to rest when considering the many men that Aloy befriends and works alongside throughout the course of her journey. Not only do these men respect her, but also as Aloy becomes stronger and more well known, they even begin to consider themselves fortunate to have even spoken to her. Another significant game representation is HORIZON’s incorporation of the LGBT community and prevalence of mental health. Aloy’s character is depicted in a culture in which concepts such as sexism; bigotry, discrimination and stereotypes surrounding gender and mental health issues are not only present but also being discussed in full. Within the game, the player chooses how to handle these situations, and that is extremely important in terms of shedding light on the consequences of actions and having certain morals, including the decision to let machines roam as inhabitants of the new Earth, kill them, and determine whether or not Aloy will be a kind