Metal Gear Solid has never been a franchise that’s lacked fan service when it comes to depicting attractive characters, but that doesn’t mean the characters don’t have a reason for looking the way they do.
Last week, Hideo Kojima tweeted that he was making some of the characters in Metal Gear Solid V more erotic as a means of inspiring cosplayers and to also boost figurine sales. The reaction to that idea was not entirely favourable, particularly when it came to a sniper called “Quiet”. Later, he clarified that maybe “erotic” was the wrong word for the character designs, and also claimed that the narrative themes of the game lined up with the reaction that people had to the sexy sniper. Ultimately said sniper has a reason for looking the way that she did, Kojima asserted. He also stipulated that her design was some sort of antithesis of the average, over-exposed female fighting game character.
The Camo Theory
Although his reasoning came off as unclear — unsurprisingly, since we can’t actually play the game yet to tell what he’s going on about, or whether he’s successful with what he intends — fans have already taken to hatching theories about Quiet’s appearance. The GIF you see above is key. Notice the Rorschach-like marks on her face, which seem to disappear? What could they be? According to an image floating around the internet, it’s camo, and it explains why she’s so scantily-clad.
Now, this theory isn’t being outright accepted by everyone or anything. Some of my Metal Gearhead friends seem sceptical because the camo in question isn’t introduced until 2014 in the games (never mind the general cynicism about the likelihood of a mute sexualised character actually ending up as a ‘strong female character’). It’s possible it’s an early version of the camo or something, if not another type of camo altogether. Or maybe it’s not camo at all, who knows! But it doesn’t seem too far-fetched for it to be camo, right?
The Torture Theory
Another intriguing theory, posed by Whorses, is that she’s actually dressed the way she is, not because she chooses to dress that way, but because that’s what she looks like post-torture. Recall the first time she was introduced to us? If not, watch the start of this extended trailer here, where you can see her being electrocuted:
In that context, Kojima’s tweet about people likely feeling “ashamed” of their words and deeds after we realise the reason for Quiet’s appearance makes sense, no? And it would explain why some of her clothes are torn up. …but then again, there’s another character that gets tortured in that trailer who seems to be fully clothed, so who knows. Maybe the idea that she gets stripped down for/because of torture doesn’t hold water.
In a way, whether or not the theory is correct isn’t the point with these things, if you ask me. Theories are just fun to muse about. It’s kind of like the New Coke Theory, which stipulates that David Hayter, the original voice actor for Snake, is being replaced by Kiefer Sutherland as a roundabout way to trigger fan’s nostalgia for the old Snake. The idea is that eventually, old Snake will come back, triggering better sales for the game.
The Sex Sells Theory
Sound absurd? Well, maybe. Maybe all of these theories are silly! Heck, some, like Dorkly, pose that all the complicated theories about why Quiet looks the way she does are bunk. In fact, there may be a much, much simpler (if not cynical) reason for why she looks the way she does.
What do you think? Any of these theories seem particularly compelling to you, or do you have your own theories?
Comments
92 responses to “Three Theories As To Why Metal Gear Solid V’s Sniper Is So, Um, Sexy”
I don’t know if it’s cute or just weird that anyone could entertain an idea that it’s anything other than “we are men making games for men/boys and we wanna see boobs yeaaaaaah”. Especially from Japan, the land where the porn magazines are on the rack (no pun intended) next to the comics (which often have women/teenage girls in bikinis in them anyway).
I think it’s sort of funny watching nerds work themselves up into a frenzy over this mildly good looking female character, too. From the discussion you’d think she’s some sort of uber sexy ultra-goddess.
It wasn’t “the wrong word to use”, it was a translation error.
Way to bias the narrative.
It’s probably mainly the sex sells thing, but I don’t think it’s necessarily as insidious as this post makes it sound. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with a scantily clad character, I don’t think nudity = sexism. I think she has potential to be a strong character regardless of her garb or lack thereof. I think everybody is in a giant pissing contest over who can be the most politically correct and that if you really disapprove of this you can just not buy the game.
Vote with your dollar. Just don’t be surprised when the game sells a shittonne and we get more stuff like this. Because most people just don’t give a shit and they shouldn’t, because it’s just a friggin’ game. A Metal Gear game at that and this sort of ridiculousness comes with the territory, I don’t know why people are so surprised.
“I think everybody is in a giant pissing contest over who can be the most politically correct ”
NO
just no
anyway I thourght it was just “boobs” the game is japanease and metal gear isn’t exactly unfamiliar with boobs. But then torture thing makes sense…which to me is actually surprising
you mean theres a REASON? for the lack of clothing?
I consider myself a very large advocate for gender equality. I can, at times, be that guy who is a little overzealous when it comes to the representation of women in video games.
I completely agree with you though. Nudity =/= sexism. If the female character is a total badass who isn’t submissive, then nudity is great! Personally, I’m fine with any nudity. I don’t really see anything shameful about sex or sex appeal.
But, when that female contrasts with all these full armoured, power fantasy men, we kind of have a problem. Luckily for us though, Metal Gear doesn’t really have a problem with that, at least in my experience of the game. The men are pretty sexualised too, I mean, Raiden’s armour is fuckin’ TIGHT.
I guess what I’m saying is, if both males and females are sexualised, I think it is okay, as there is nothing wrong with sex. I’m cool with sexualisation if it is sexualisation for all.
I’ve never agreed with the male power fantasy thing. Call me naive bu I don’t know what a power fantasy for women is if it isn’t a strong female character with rad skills, tonnes of confidence and gives not a damn what people thing of her looks.
If the female character is a total badass who isn’t submissive, then nudity is great!
What kind of sense does that make?
What do you mean? The way women are sexualised in a lot of Japanese (and even western media) is through a portrayal of weakness and inferiority.
When a women is sexualised through strength and superiority, I think it is okay, as long as it is not contrasting against male power fantasies covered in armour (take Soul Calibur for instance. Compare Siegfried to Ivy), which Metal Gear doesn’t really tend to do.
I don’t think sexualisation is wrong, I think objectification is wrong. To sexualise a female character through superiority and strength isn’t to objectify women, so I do not think it is wrong, but to sexualise women exclusively, regardless of assertive or submissive status, is still to sexually objectify women and create an unethical expectation of sexual connotations from the female figure.
I’ll reiterate, sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of, so if we equally sexualise both males and females, I see nothing wrong with it, as it doesn’t accentuate any idea that females are only worth their sex appeal.
TL;DR: MAKE EVERYONE SEXY!
Here Here!
I think what people are missing is the fact that Quiet actually comes off as a really strong female character, and that is the opposite of ‘objectified’. She’s traipsing around the battlefield on her own (independent), using a sniper rifle (strong and precise/intelligent), going through torture (really really strong) and has probably used that rifle on other soldiers (shows conviction), most probably MALE soldiers (going against sexist gender roles).
Just because she ‘chooses’ (remember she is a fictional character being written for a specific purpose in the story) to wear a bikini because of whatever reason (most likely skin camo) that doesn’t automatically negate any of the things i listed above.
Common tropes like the helpless female who can’t do anything without a man, or is overly emotional, or is only eye candy and not intelligent etc can be seen as lazy stereotypes that have an air of sexism or inequality, but the Quiet is being portrayed seems like the exact opposite.
I’m convinced she’s trans.
“its a trap!” *boom* headshot
The only reason I am willing to accept is that she doesn’t actually look like that, unless you’re viewing her directly. Giving some stupid message about how men view women, as just objects despite them wearing full clothing.
oh yeah boys!! can you imagine what the recoil of that rifle is going to do to those ta-ta’s? oh yeahs!!!!
Funny how the fact that she’s not wearing much causes a complete uproar and people whining about women not being empowered in video games and all the usual hot air, yet nobody bats an eye at the fact that she gets tortured in the game…
Give me a reason I should care about this. I am so sick of everyone whining about this, not because I think there should be more scantily clad women in video games, just because it’s an overblown issue at this point and nobody has succeeded in making a successful and concise point about why it’s such a travesty.
torture comes with the games context/story
being scantily clad doesn’t…its just there (UNLESS its because of the torture which actually seems plausable)
How do you know? Have you played the finished game all the way through?
I don’t know I’m justing saying IF it was there for the sake of being there it would be stupid and a bit imature IMO
Ok, but we can argue ‘IFs’ till the cows come home, doesn’t make them any more true.
Why does it matter? Torture is still a far crueler thing to happen to a woman than men ogling her because she’s not wearing much.
Torture is a plot device (we don’t know if he’s condoning it or not (probably not)). But being scantily clad is not (I mean, maybe it is because it’s MGS and it can be batsh*t crazy) but introducing the character dressed that way with Michael Bay angles wasn’t exactly screaming “I’ve just been tortured, feel sympathy for me”, more like “check out these bad boys *wink*”. It was very blatantly going to set off negative impressions. Kojima’s old enough to know that.
And bringing up something worse doesn’t alleviate the feelings people have about a situation.
“Oh, why are you worried about Quiet’s outfit when there’s famine in Africa!”
“Why do you care that Heath Ledger died in his sleep? There are thousands of people dying in the Middle East because of this terrible war!”
and so on.
Torture is bad and all, and for whatever reason right now, we don’t care. It’s a perfect great argument, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not the conversation we are having at the moment. That issue being worse doesn’t explain why this issue isn’t bad, it just explains why that issue is worse.
You’re a white, privileged male? I can’t give you a reason, this is all for your benefit.
Unless of course you have a daughter who you care about. When she becomes a sexual object you may have an issue or two to care about at that point.
Shouldn’t you be cowering in ditch somewhere being oppressed by the patriarchy?
You’re literally using “check your privilege”?
And yes, I would have an issue with that. But what the fuck has a portrayal in a video game got to do with that? Can you explain to me, precisely, in simple, logical terms, how this portrayal could actually negatively affect a female person in any substantial way? I am actually racking my brain trying to fathom any possible way, but alas nothing is coming to me.
Yep, check your damn privilege because that is precisely what this is about. Although pasty white males on Reddit find the term amusing, it’s a real concept which surprisingly is aimed right at them.
Here is your explanation. Attitudes towards women are culturally-created. How women are viewed, treated and (dis)empowered is down to cultural attitudes.
If your daughter dresses like a stripper, that’s not a biological choice.
If men take that outfit to signify that she is a sexual object for the taking, that’s not a biological choice.
If society sets up rules where these things are connected, and encouraged to occur, then that’s not biological either.
How do all of these things get created? Through shared mediums of communication. We KNOW what a stripper’s outfit is because we have been TOLD. We KNOW that women who wear it apparently have certain ‘moral values’ because we have been TOLD. We KNOW that men are more likely to see women dressed that way as sex objects because we have been TOLD.
etc.
It all comes down to these messages being reinforced continually through media, entertainment and personal communication.
Misogynist scumbags aren’t born, they learn it from their dads, from TV and *gasp* vidya games.
Please understand the following:
Despite what sweaty Redditors claim, this line of reasoning is not a feminazi plot to take away your joysticks by blaming video games for society’s ills.
Instead, it acknowledges they play a part in reinforcing these views in the population. That’s all.
The issue is the more you do it, and the more widespread the message, then the more likely it is that it plays a LARGE part in the problem. And the idea is to stop that before it happens by intelligently revising how you portray certain things in relation to wider social issues.
And yet you still haven’t considered for half a second that this could have context? Which is more likely? That someone designed this character just to sell games (which admittedly does happen in some cases, but it’s usually in “dumb” games like Saints Row or whatever), or that she dresses that way for some reason explained in the game. Suddenly just because feminists have this vendetta against this once-innocent medium, we should cover up female characters just to appease them? Screw storyline, we have to focus on women’s rights in our media now!
And since you brought up the idea that sexism was brought in through media, then how do you explain all the sexism that was rampant in the world since our creation and up until 200 years ago? I don’t suppose you might consider that that has something to do with sexism today, the fact that it’s pretty much been a part of our society for several thousand years rather than some skin in a video game?
Don’t like women being sexualised? I can sympathise with that somewhat, but maybe you should go and shut down the porn industry, because I can guarantee you that that’s having a lot more effect on our perceptions of women than the next Metal Gear Solid game. So why is the next MGS game getting into more trouble than the porn industry? Seems that they’re wasting their strengths on shit that really won’t make a difference in the long run.
Do you not understand that ‘media’ isn’t equivalent to ‘vidya games’? Media is any form of communication medium – why answers why sexism has been rampant in the world for millennia.
And ‘context’ is as relevant as a storyline in a porn flick. Nice to have but a sideline from the issue at hand. Especially when the real context is ‘sales to a male audience lol’
In terms of the porn industry, what on earth makes you think that ‘the next MGS game is getting into more trouble’? Of course porn is seen as a bigger issue in terms of female sexualisation – unless your only source of information in life is gaming sites, of course.
I haven’t seen any of the rampant tumblr feminists complaining about pornography, mostly just this kind of crap.
All of the real feminists are probably over in Africa or Muslim countries, fighting for actual equality, helping women who have an ACTUAL reason to say “check your privilege”, rather than sitting on their asses complaining because the latest video game or men’s magazine has a scantily clad woman as a marketing tool.
Actually, you do realise there is LESS excuse for douchebaggery towards women in our ‘civilised’ countries, right? That it SHOULD be easier to get fat,pasty middle class twerps to clean up their act rather than men who have grown up in hardcore repressive nations?
The fact that I am forced to have this discussion in a first world nation should be enough of a clue about how deeply rooted this issue is and how far there is to go.
You don’t NEED scantily clad women to have things marketed to you. GTFO it and the world becomes a slightly better place.
Don’t, and things stay the way they are – in the service of the privileged (white) male.
If you’re fine with that then that’s fully understandable and there’s plenty of pasty white nerds right here you can hang out with – but have the stones to admit it openly rather than make feeble justifications around it.
If you’re not, then check your damn privilege.
No sir, you are not forced to. It was your decision to get into this argument with me, who bears absolutely no ill will towards women, the outcome of which will not have any substantial effect on the world today or on women.
No. I’m not going to fall for the buzzword that excuses any sensible argument.
Apologies for your pedantry. I am *forced* to have this discussion about how our society encourages discrimination, rather than a conversation about how jolly equal our society is.
It’s not a buzzword. It’s a serious and very valid statement that white male nerds try and disempower because deep down they know it’s true. If you’re a white male you ARE privileged and pretending otherwise is at best douchebaggery, but more likely MRA-style misogyny.
No. I disempower it and write it off as bullshit, because if you have a roof over your head, running water, the right to free speech, and you’re able to walk around without being forced to abide by rules on how you dress or whether you face is covered, much less a computer where you’re free to say what you want, you have no goddamn right to be telling people to check their fucking privilege. This society brings with it a substantial amount of privilege and by being here on the internet, from your own home, you have a good deal of it already compared with the majority of the world’s population.
Sorry mate, but modern feminism is the ultimate first world problem.
May I also add that I am a disabled person who has been refused employment based on my disability. Maybe I deserve some privilege. You are likely more privileged than me. Get over it. It is not a fair way to conduct a debate to an anonymous person. Jesus, I could have been a woman and you still would have used the same farcical arguments against me.
‘modern feminism is the ultimate first world problem.’
So you’re a misogynist then? You could have just said that to start with and saved a lot of internet ink.
And yes, as a disabled person, you do indeed suffer a similar issue.
Which is why you’d think you’d have some understanding for people who get farked over just because they happen to have the wrong chromosomes.
But it seems your issues with women trump that common sense.
Maybe if disabled people suffered the same level of sexual abuse as women you’d think differently? Who knows. All I know is that around 75% of women I’ve met have been sexually abused simply due to the fact they are women. I’ve not heard the same story with disabled people but feel free to enlighten me.
This is pure speculative hate, these dorkly idiots don’t know anything for certain and yet they still act like a bunch of self righteous morons.
I also think it’s pretty clear she can at least change part of her face to look like rorschach/corpse paint, so regardless of whether octo camo was introduced in 2014 it’s definitely possible, and probable that the reason she isn’t wearing much is because she can use all-over camo on her skin.
There are plenty of characters who could do weird shit in the earlier games, The End could change his appearance and become one with the forest, Volgin could shoot electricity, Pain could even control BEES for crying out loud.
That’s it. I’m officially terrified to say anything, speak about, make an observation of or approach any female ever again. Congratulations, you’ve won “equality”.
Then I guess all you’ve ever had to say about and to women were pretty sexist 😛
why are you people so defensive? why are you so scared of being called a bigot?
why not actually LISTEN?…..and if you don;t agree fine…you cant change everyones mind but this childish bullshit has to stop
its not all about YOU
I think what @losturtle1 is saying is that there’s seemingly a bit of a push to make anyone who dares to like the female form feel like a perverted deviant or something.
The female form is amazing. It’s breathtaking. It’s, in my opinion, by far the greatest thing on this planet. I look at the female form and appreciate it like I appreciate the night sky, an amazing sunset or a beautiful nebula littered with stars.
Whenever I glance at it, I thank the universe for the miniscule chance of creating me so I may have the pleasure of seeing such things.
So why can’t we embrace the female form and not be forced to run away screaming at the sight of it?
It’s almost entirely biological, it’s not a social construct. You can’t change hetro men being aroused visually by a woman’s body (and therefore to want to portray that beauty in art forms) by educating them. It’s not going to happen.
There’s still a long way to go with sexual equality, socially, politically, and economically in the workforce, there are so many important ways that society can be improved by making it less man-centric. But trying to completely stamp down the visual sexualisation of women is just wasting resources. It’s a losing battle because you’re fighting biology.
Does that miss the point starchild_killer? Because that’s why I think people get defensive, because they think you’re asking us to feel bad that we enjoy looking at the female form. If a person can’t change and you’re telling them they should, then they will get defensive.
I’m not asking you to feel bad because you find women hot
I’m asking people to consider why miss “half naked” might be an issue
I would consider it if you proposed some rational reasons as to why this is actually an issue.
It seems to me like some people simply have a knee jerk reaction to such topics simply because they’ve been conditioned to do so, rather than because they have a genuine and well though out reason to do so.
“It seems to me like some people simply have a knee jerk reaction to such topics simply because they’ve been conditioned to do so, rather than because they have a genuine and well though out reason to do so.”
NO…..my veiws are my own….after growing up and noticing the disparity between female and male treatment in out entertainment
my real issue here isn’t even Metal gear…its how ANY concern over sexism is trivialised or brushed off, you have no Idea how frustrating it is
in this case…I would like to think the creator has good reasons for being dressed that way, and if he does great (because context is everything) if he doesnt then whatever…I won’t play metal gear solid but its not a bad thing to at least ask the question
I’m not sure its worth explaining why objectification is bad…but I’ll try
for example..look at Mass Effect, Male Shepard and Female shepard have similar fitting armour, they are eaquals
but what if hypothetically Female shepard instead has some skin tight skin showing outfit straight out of a comicbook or Anime? but male shepard remained the same? would that be fair? I don’t think so
if male shepard is “allowed” to wear protective armour but Female Shepard isn’t and theres no in-universe reason (and the reason is because its “sexy”) then what does that say?
it says that male shepard is judged by his ability, female shepard is judged by her looks…she might still be the same ass kicking charachter but shes not seen or treated as an eaqual because somone decided she must be “sexy” she is to be looked at…like an object, because ladies thats whats important…your looks, you must be desirable first and foremost..your not allowed to just be practical…to be like one of the guys…your looks do and always will define you..your not a person your an object, and this game clearly isn’t for you
You can’t change hetro men being aroused visually by a woman’s body (and therefore to want to portray that beauty in art forms) by educating them
No, but you can teach them how to control their urges.
Can you? I look at societies and belief systems where sexual expression and urges are the most heavily controlled, the most repressed, and I see the most shocking violations of sexual equality. The same people who are the loudest to criticise the over-sexualisation of other societies or belief systems seem to be the people that think the least highly of women’s equality.
repressed = external factors impacting on sexuality. This is about self control, which isn’t difficult.
I was talking about self control as well. The religious person might make a personal commitment to abstain from sex until marriage. You might consider that external, but I think a persons beliefs are very internal, it’s makes up a large part of who they are.
Saying “it isn’t difficult” to have self control, especially when talking about sexuality, is just flat out wrong. Many people have tremendous difficulty controlling their eating, is the sexual drive less powerful than that? Are sexual urges more easily controlled?
And to put it into context, the issue I’m talking about is whether a man should be able to control his arousal at visual depictions of women. Do you think you can educate a hetro man so thoroughly that he would be immune to the female form? It hasn’t worked out so well trying to “educate” gay men into not being aroused by the male form.
If you tell people “that thing you enjoy looking at, that’s wrong. You shouldn’t enjoy it” you might eventually get them to start parroting you and agreeing that it’s wrong. They’ll probably even be the first to scold other people for their “incorrect” views as well. But you won’t really change them, just load them with guilt and confusion.
@puck keeps hitting the nail on the head. We’re now being conditioned to think that it’s wrong to enjoy and appreciate the female figure.
As he also pointed out, societies where this is taken to the extreme, tend to also be the worst when it comes to objectifying women and causing men to turn into beasts for a lack of better words.
this isnt about repressing sexuality
this is not somone saying “you can’t be turned on by this”
this is saying objectification (without a legit reason) of women is a bad thing
I actually agree with @puck to a degree. It is biological human nature for heterosexual men to be aroused by the female form. They shouldn’t be made to feel ashamed about this.
I don’t find it “wrong” as such to include sexualised images of women in games. The problem arises when one or both of two things happen:
1) The woman in question is overly sexualised. This is hard to define as it means different things for different people but as an example, I would call Quiet’s boobs hanging out of the bottom of her bikini top and the fact that she seems to have quite the wedgie overly sexualised.
2) The sexualised woman in question is treated as nothing but an object, a plot device, a means for the male protagonist to advance his story. Eg, must rescue the princess.
I see Number 1 happening with Quiet. We have yet to find out if she also gets slugged with Number 2.
Either way, this is the reason her presentation annoys me – and the big reason behind it that will make us all feel ashamed when we hear it is not going to make any difference. When I see pictures like this I think, ‘Well, that outfit just looks hideous. They haven’t even bothered to make it tasteful. I don’t want to have to see this on my screen all the time.” I’m willing to put up with a certain amount of sexualistion of female characters (as a gamer you have to or you just won’t have any games to play) but when it’s done like this it’s practically a slap in the face and a “we don’t want your kind here” to women gamers.
And what age must a woman’s body be for all hetero men to be aroused by it?
Because if your argument holds water, then you are going to very rapidly enter icky territory regarding sexualisation of young females.
Lucky for you, your ‘biology’ argument is utter bollocks. It doesn’t work that way. Changing fashions in what is found to be attractive throughout history should be a pretty big hint for you right there.
What you find attractive is largely dictated by culture. Change the culture and that changes.
There’s strong arguments that current perspectives are male-dominated and not helpful for women, which is why the conversation is about changing those cultural views.
If it was just culture, and not biology that dictated what a person is attracted to, then gay people were not born gay but instead turned gay by society. That is rubbish, I assume you don’t hold that view. Changing fashions might make us desire larger or smaller builds, different haircuts and levels of tanning, but it hasn’t changed the basics – one of the first known sculptures of a human, the Venus of Willendorf is a nude woman with exaggerated breasts and vulva – that was 24 000 years ago. Fashions change, but biology is relatively constant.
I do agree with you that current perspectives are male-dominated, and that effects the representation of women. In many ways that representation is very negative for women, with a focus on youth and powerlessness, with women as victims. But I don’t think that the answer to this problem is to attempt to completely remove all sexualisation from the depiction of women.
Sexualisation is a completely different issue to gender identity and preference and it’s a very bad idea to mix the two.
If it’s easier – being attracted to boys/girls/furries = biology
Being turned on by naked/clothed/fat/thin = combination of both, and if you want to talk in general terms (as you have done) then more cultural.
The issue is that sexualisation is currently a very strong cultural imperative and is very clearly male-generated.
And you know what the utter kicker is?
We have NO frame of reference for a female-driven sexualisation paradigm, as no living women have existed outside a male-driven one (and therefore must define themselves in relation to it).
That’s the real problem, and one that very few people (including feminists) want to touch with a 10′ pole.
I completely agree with you. There’s lots more we can do to make society more equal, however ultimately we’re hard wired to enjoy sex.
People forget that the reason we’re even here to have this conversation is because all our ancestors enjoyed copulating.
this is what I’m talking about
stop playing the victim, stop twisting the issue into somthing it isn’t….stop blocking out the question
its not wrong to ask the question…
and whats the question? the question is why? why must women be dressed this way?, what does it say about them? and what does it say to women who might want to play such things? what does it say about us? why might it not be such a good thing? what does it say about society and entertainment as a whole?
you can have your metal gear solid, you can like your “enjoy the female form” (its arousing ok? don’t dress it up…it just is…but thats ok..we all like our titiliting images.. ..but perhaps theres a time and place?)…. its not too much to ask to consider the implications
instead people just stick their heads in the sand..they don;t like the thing they like being criticized..they don’t like the Idea of being called a bigot, so you spin it around into somthing else…into an attack against freedom of speech or “enjoying the female form” *snrrrrrrk*
you make it about YOU “oh woe is me I just don’t see what the issue is”
mabye you don’t see what the issue is because you won’t consider what the issue you is..you just want it to go away
or mabye you do disagree..but I would respect that veiwpoint a HELL of alot more if people wouldn’t dress it up in a skimpy bikni made from nothing but bullshit
“they don’t like the Idea of being called a bigot”
That’s it right there, you didn’t need to go full auto on it. This is why they’re being defensive. NOBODY wants to be called a bigot, or a sexist or a racist or whatever just for stating their opinion or providing their own reasons and justifications. It’s as simple as that.
It’s not an attack of freedom of speech, but it damn feels like one. If an artist made a sexy lady cause they wanted to and had their justifications and then still people crawl out of the woodwork to call them bigots and sexists even after they explain their concepts, then that feels pretty bad. Such an artist may well indeed stop making their sexy ladys so they don’t get labelled like that and damn look at that: feels like censorship.
Give it up man, you’re arguing against something you know little to nothing about. The fact is NO ONE on here REALLY knows exactly why she is dressed the way she is, so until then you and your high horse need to relax.
I was actually surprised that there was even speculation on it…I kind of assumed that this being a metalgear/japanease game it was just there
but this isn’t really about metalgear…this is about the fact that people would rather blame it all on the political correctness boogie monster rather than consider the issues with objectifying women
This IS about MGS5, because the whole point is everyone is jumping to the conclusion that it’s sexist without knowing the CONTEXT, straight to the negative. You even said above that context is everything, and it’s important here more than anything.
People are MAKING this an issue, when they don’t have the whole story, they are CREATING the drama, drawing lines in the sand, accusing people and generally going about it in the worst possible way.
I don’t see this is people brushing it off because they don’t believe in sexism or objectification or that it even happens, i see this is people brushing off purely speculative nonsense that completely trivialises the topic of sexism.
Just because some people (myself included) are calling bullshit on all the unjustified outrage, doesn’t mean we are deniers of sexism and inequality as a whole. Unfortunately it happens, and it shouldn’t, especially in this day and age, but this is not the way to go about combating it, bringing the whole issue down to an insignificant, speculative ridiculous shit fight and further diluting and trivialising the matter.
“why are you people so defensive? ”
It’s simple. Any time there is anything that men might find physically attractive is present in any form of media, there are howls about how it shows how men hate women. So, yeah. Getting told constantly that you hate women and that you’re a horrible person for finding women attractive doesn’t really resonate well.
You’re the one replying to everyone’s comments calling them out for being wrong, looks to me like you’re WAY more defensive…
Calling women ‘females’. Every ‘female’ thanks you.
Boobs are awesome. That is all.
I read this article three times and I still don’t know what it’s about.
Yeah, i’d say its less about “Sex Sells” and more about “Kojima likes sexy ladies and doesn’t give a fuck becasue he’s Kojima”
Firstly, the only reason would be that Sex Sells, just ask Miley Cyrus.
My thoughts behind the dark staining around the eyes disappearing is the fact that for some reason or not she has the ability/tech to darken the skin around the eyes to reduce the glare from the sun. Much in the same way as safari predators have this as a common trait.
Sex seems to be a big issue in games lately, with lots of conversations going on about over-sexualisation, depictions of sexual violence and gender equality.
It bothers me a bit that it feels like there’s been a lot more conversation about the skimpy outfit then there has been with all the depictions of murder and extreme amounts of torture in this game. I personally appreciate simulated violence, shockingly taboo themes, and sexiness for the sake of sexiness. Especially when it’s part of an artistically thought-out work such as in Game of Thrones. I loved Gone Home (loved it, brought me to tears), but I also enjoy beating people to death with a dildo in Saints Row 3. I want both types of games.
Honest question: Is it possible to believe in gender equality, whilst simultaneously enjoying a skimpy outfit? Or to put it more extremely: Can a feminist enjoy the sexual objectification of a women? Are those views completely incompatible?
If my understanding of the current sentiment in gaming is correct, I fear I may actually be a bigot blinded by my own privilege. It feels absolutely terrifying to admit that I enjoy sexiness lately.
“Honest question: Is it possible to believe in gender equality, whilst simultaneously enjoying a skimpy outfit?”
thats like asking you not to be aroused…thats silly
but this isn’t about being aroused, this isn’t about what you find to be a turn on..this is how charachters are treated, WHY do they NEED to be skimplyly dressed?
“Can a feminist enjoy the sexual objectification of a women? Are those views completely incompatible”
in what way? if shes gay?
serious answer: yes to an extent if it has a purpose
if that charachter was half naked because she had jsut escaped form the torture then…there a reason at least
if thats just how she rolls…well its stupid
Yes, you probably are a bigot blinded by your own privilege. Never fear, if cultural views can be changed then future generations will not need to quiver under their fedoras.
That’s not very generous of you, to assume so little of me. Perhaps I’m a very thoughtful person who has spent a long time thinking about these issues, and who is open to learning new things and looking at other peoples view points.
It’s very easy to label somebody as a bigot and then dismiss their argument, but it’s not very helpful… Unless they’re wearing a white conical hat and sporting a swastika tattoo… you have to draw the line somewhere.
Maybe the poor chap was drunk one night and woke up like that after his friends decided to play a practical trick on him.
You know, like that time I walked to the shops without realizing that I had penis written on my face! 😛
I think there is a definite trivialisation of the serious issue of gender equality and attitudes towards it, especially when it comes to these petty blow ups (especially like this when it’s purely speculative) over things that aren’t really sexist.
I think people really need to look at a situation and take everything into account instead of jumping on the outrage bandwagon, just because there’s a girl wearing a bikini, doesn’t automatically mean it’s *sexist*. It’s white knighting, it’s over reacting, it’s detrimental to the topic.
As Hideo Kojima himself said, he’s doing it in a way to bring these issues to light, to talk about them, to explore them, so i highly doubt it’s just ‘sex sells’ he’s done this with many issues in his games (in his own way). People need to understand that just using terms like sexism/racism etc without reading into a situation properly, understanding satire or referencing, can ultimately do more harm than good.
I’m not even saying this particualr case is sexist (kind of)
I’m just saying people are dismissing ANY argument that points out sexism
Well said.
Also if people really feel this strong about such a topic, perhaps their time is better spent as an aid worker in the countless number of places in this world where women are truly objectified and treated as nothing more than breeding vessels.
That’s what’s really horrible about the world. Not some video game that people play from the comfort of their safe homes where we have it so good that we’ve resorted to creating issues where, if you really rationalize it, there aren’t really any…
But that’s the thing…your not being shamed for liking sex…again people twist this into something it isn’t
Perhaps trivialising concerns over sexism isn’t great eather
I believe it is. We’re being trained to shy away and feel guilty for liking women or sex in general.
If the context makes sense, I enjoy skimmpy outfits too because lets face it, I’m a heterosexual male and boobs are awesome.
But at the same time I treat women with respect and consider them my equals. I work the best under a female boss and I’ve never, ever been with a female friend or had a female girlfriend where they’ve said that I’m a chauvinistic asshole or that I’ve objectified them.
Calling it right now. Quiet is a dude. Hideo lives to troll again!
the camo theory kinda makes sense. A similar concept was used in Ghost in the Shell when he main character was naked everytime she puts on the optical camoflage.
Having less material fluttering around means less calculations for variations in refraction/reflection etc etc
I might also point out that the bits of the game (like in that bit) seem to be set in a really hot, desert-like area. If I was in such a position, I’d probably be wearing as little as possible too. 😛
Not that context probably matters in this instance, but when I was playing Resident Evil Revelations, Jessica’s character was wearing a completely impractical outfit where half her pants were missing.
It actually felt out of place in that game and made no sense in the freezing conditions that she’s in. So while I don’t cry out “OMG you’re objectifying women!!1!1!”, in this instance it actually ruined the immersion a little because it was totally out of place.
Haha yep Dorkly is 100% correct.
If the hidden reason is the camo thing (which is probably most likely), why wear (half of) a bikini top as opposed to say, a supportive but minimal sports bra? Same for the bikini bottoms – I would think even hotpants would be more comfortable and practical for soldiering (never thought THAT sentence would ever come out of my mouth). And the tights… for christ sake never even mind how uncomfortable they are to wear, don’t they think someone who looks like the bushes except for large swathes of leg might stand out and defeat the whole camo idea?
How the hell do you know that?
If we’re going to be pedantic, let me clarify: In my own humble opinion, Dorkly is 100% correct.
Much better.
There is no problem with this character. There are dirty bitches in real life. If you don’t put them in games, they’re not being equally and fairly represented in the media.
You’re certainly not going to help the “it’s not sexist” argument by referring to women as “bitches”, now, are you?
What if the marks across her eyes after she shoots were actually her true face? It seems pretty odd that you’d use camo just on your eyes while perched on the corner of a building. It makes more sense that she had been focusing more on the shot than preserving her appearance. If she’s been tortured badly, especially with electro-shock therapy then she’d be ashamed of her body and depending on her character, she may make herself look like that because she wants to feel “normal” and have men look at her. Also, she may have burns on her body so even though she’s disguising her battered and bruised appearance, she still can’t bear having things rubbing on the wounds and also needs to control her body temperature.
Also, why is she “Quiet”? PTSD? Or was her tongue cut out as part of the torture? It really is sad that people can only see naked flesh and go “Sexism and objectification”! How can we ever hope to move towards equal representation when both sides are always looking for monsters to fight?
(NB. Like everyone else, I don’t know where Kojima is going with this, and the “pervy Kojima” theory may be true. I’m just not a fan of how everyone is automatically assuming the worst about everything these days in the name of “equality” and doing more damage than good.)
“Sexualised woman”? That is a completely idiotic phrase and everyone should stop using it now forever.
She is “sexy”. In order to “sexualise” something or someone there must be nothing sexual about them to begin with, that does NOT include adult women or men for obvious reasons.
“Sexualise” does NOT mean the same thing as “Sexy”.
Sexualised makes sense here as she is a solider, a sniper, and she is being sexualised despite the fact that soldiers are not sexy, wear heavy weapons, armour and equipment and spent all their time murdering other people.
No it doesn’t, because she is an adult. Both adult men and women are sexual. Your mistake is thinking of soldiers as “de-sexualised”, THIS is the myth.
Of course the clothes are too sexy for this context and that makes it look silly and anachronistic, but not “sexualised”.
Of course the clothes are too sexy for this context and that makes it look silly and anachronistic
So we’re in agreement that as a soldier she shouldn’t be wearing stuff like this?
As a soldier in this particular context, yes! With everything else being so realistic this stands out as silly, devaluing the work they’ve done to get the setting so gritty and real.
There’s nothing wrong with super sexy characters, weather they’re soldiers or not, as long as they fit in in some way with the world and setting you make for them
You mean they decided to shoe-horn sexy women with inappropriate kit into the MGS series? When did this happen? I hope there’s a perfectly hokey explanation for all this. Quick, get me my navel-gazing magnifying glass!
Meanwhile in Syria, the world falls apart because of real problems..
I think this is just in keeping with the series’ over-the-top ‘otaku’ themes – MGS games are great in that they don’t take themselves entirely seriously much like anime/manga. Killer women with sex appeal is an ongoing theme in Japanese pop-culture for a variety of reasons.
The reaction to this character by the ‘PC’ western gaming community reminded me why games are slowly being sucked of imagination – we’re getting to afraid to offend.
Okay, so yeah, let’s say context wins. Let’s say there is a reason for this, that’s camo and let’s not use the world privelige (which would be wonderful on all acounts)…
…So why then does her ‘potential camo’ have to look like running mascara?
Maybe she wears what she wants because she’s an independent womyn who don’t need no man! Refuses to be oppressed by male military standards.