I Have One Question For Team ICO

[korinna]

I Have One Question For Team ICO by Alex @ Border House: What the fuck century are you FROM?

In a 1UP post about Team ICO’s next project, The Last Guardian, from this week’s Tokyo Game Show, Matt Leone writes:

Early in development, the main character in The Last Guardian was female, but the team ended up going with a boy. The reason: they thought

Comments

[benndragon]

Actually, traditional is just as easy: they have these things called petticoats and bloomers, you see. Yes, there will be fanboys trying to look up her skirt, but bloomers are so baggy there's nothing to see, even if you catch a glimpse of them underneath several petticoats. So I'm not giving them a pass on that pitiful modesty excuse just because of traditional styling.

As for arm strength, women actually gain upper body strength faster than men when doing strength training (the study was for purposes of seeing how hard it would be to train women up to Army standards and the answer was "not particularly"). Also, last I checked there was no complete lack of women in rock climbing gyms, so I'm pretty sure women are indeed capable of climbing around on things. Did Team ICO even bother talking to any women before making this utterly stereotyped non-reality-based decision?

Finally, I'll buy the "tradition!" excuse when people start dying of plague (not necessarily The Plague) or getting smallpox in fantasy games. If we can get rid of that type of bad shit from previous eras, we can ditch the sexism too.

[ellonwye]

The game isn't an attempt at realism, so discarding their 'tradional, ye olde worlde' design because not every part of that particular setting is applied is a little nonsensical. You'd assume the characters would also occasionally go to the toilet too, but that part of reality is suspended in the interests of design.

But anyway, I'm not sure I can put my thoughts into writing eloquently enough and I'll probably end up going in circles trying to explain my meaning. I just think that Team ICO deserve a little less vitriol for something that was admittedly poorly-worded, but with some reasoning behind it.

[dzurlady]

I just think that Team ICO deserve a little less vitriol for something that was admittedly poorly-worded, but with some reasoning behind it.

Yeah, but the reasoning was sexist and relies on stereotypes, not reality. Besides, if you're making a fantasy game game and you put a gryphon in it, you can put a far more justifiable female character in it just as easily. It's just more of the same crap and excuses, no matter how awesome the rest their work is. (And there is stuff in their work to celebrate, don't get me wrong, but being mostly awesome does not mean they deserve a pass on this.)

[arrngingmatches]

Finally, I'll buy the "tradition!" excuse when people start dying of plague (not necessarily The Plague) or getting smallpox in fantasy games. If we can get rid of that type of bad shit from previous eras, we can ditch the sexism too.

YES this! (I mean, everything you said, but especially this.) I hate when people use "but it's historically accurate" to explain why there are no women or POC in a game or movie, but if you point out other anachronisms or missing major elements of daily life that's somehow justified. Hmmm, I wonder why the selective justification of erasure of women and people of color and nothing else...? Mysterious.

[demeure]

Not to mention that "this is my rock-climbing petticoat" would make a really, really awesome costume design and I really want that now.

[flamingcat]

I really, really hate it when someone comes up with an idea that I simultaneously love, and know will never exist. :(

[benndragon]

Not to mention the "outer skirt as parachute" meme, which would be tons of fun to play with in this context :).