The problem with Aion (and other MMOs, but not as bad)
Aion is a gorgeous, gorgeous game set in a wonderfully weird world. Sadly, it has got the worst case of chain-mail bikini syndrome I've ever seen in an MMO. Now, I realize that it's only the forth MMO I've played and I'm sure there may be far worse offenders out there, but I really hope not.
Chain-mail bikini syndrome is what I call it when character design and clothing design in a game has a vast gender divide that seems to suggest that the designers had only one thing in mind with the female characters - their sex appeal. Plausible armor? Feh. Plausible anatomy? Don't make me laugh. It's all about the sexy!
This is why you can't change the waist size of your female character in Champions - the "waist" slider actually changes her hips. Not the same thing. This is why armor in WoW sometimes has the problem that my hunter here is modeling.
(And, no, I don't mean the color of her heirloom chest piece. I mean the fact that her belly is completely exposed. That's not armor!)
Now, in WoW, there are a couple of ways around this problem, once you're done facepalming or headdesking. You can whip up a shirt that goes with the piece. Or you can put on a tabard. Voila! No more silly sexism slapping you in the face when you log on.
But for the most part, WoW isn't horrible. Some of the "that's not armor!" pieces, like various loincloths, and even - at least on Blood Elves - chest pieces are just as silly and not armor on the men as on the women. Both genders of characters periodically have to quest for pants. Real pants, that is, not the hot pants they've suddenly found themselves wearing. And, most of the time, the high level gear looks like armor, as my three 80s here can model for you. That's a death knight and two mages in decent, though not absolute end-game, level 80 outfits.
That's armor. (Skipping over the fact that robes are not, actually, the most sensible combat attire ever. That's a fantasy genre issue. The guys wear them, too.)
And then there's Aion. Oh gods.
You notice the problem the moment you log in to create a character. You have example characters, in what I've been told are end game outfits, waiting for you to choose your class and gender. Notice something just a tad wrong about the clothing differences. (Using Elyos - angel - side for this demonstration. The Asmodians - demons - are in different, but equally chain-mail bikini, outfits.)
Warriors
Priests
Scouts
Mages
The guys are in reasonable attire. The women... not so much. The warrior woman might look all right, if it weren't for the fact that the guy has pants. The others don't even resemble adventurers. Okay, okay, it's a Korean game, and, yes, they resemble adventurers in mahwa, but that really isn't an excuse, any more than American comic book aesthetic is an excuse for the enforced hourglass waists in Champions.
And it gets worse. Here are my two Asmodian (demon) characters in their flash-forwards, when they get to wear higher level gear.
My scout looks fine, but what in blazes is my mage wearing? It looks like she's gone adventuring in her negligee and panties. Really, game? Really?
Oh, and on the subject of Asmodians, what's up with the difference between the feet of the men and the women.
Yeah, they're demons and they've got claws, but while a heel claw is plausible, a natural high heeled shoe spike is not. Head, meet desk.
Aion is a beautiful and, so far, fun game. But every time I log in, I facepalm. It so horribly clear that the women are there for teh sexy. And that bothers me. But, at the same time, I find myself wondering if the lesser cases are really that much better. This is egregious. This is something that most people would agree is at least ridiculous, even if they might not admit it's sexist. But the waists in Champions (and, I've heard in the up coming Star Wars MMO) are subtle, easy to miss on a conscious level. Which doesn't mean that it doesn't have an impact. It's a subtle suggestion of what women are supposed to look like or ideally look like, even though it's what only a small percentage of the real population looks like (if any percentage - I don't know if the proportions are actually possible). At least WoW has gotten better about chain-mail bikinis. Though the game, or at least the company, has other issues. (Yes, I'm still mad about the way the one forum representative responded in the Real ID on the forums fiasco.)
I really want a game as gorgeous as Aion, set in that kind of fantastical world, but in which all the characters get sensible clothing. Or at least the choice of whether or not they dress sensibly. It is a fantasy world. They may, in fact, have all the need for armor that Superman does. But I only want to do battle in a negligee if that was my choice, not the game designer's choice. (And if someone makes an Underwear Warriors game, at least it says what it is on the tin.)
Chain-mail bikini syndrome is what I call it when character design and clothing design in a game has a vast gender divide that seems to suggest that the designers had only one thing in mind with the female characters - their sex appeal. Plausible armor? Feh. Plausible anatomy? Don't make me laugh. It's all about the sexy!
This is why you can't change the waist size of your female character in Champions - the "waist" slider actually changes her hips. Not the same thing. This is why armor in WoW sometimes has the problem that my hunter here is modeling.
(And, no, I don't mean the color of her heirloom chest piece. I mean the fact that her belly is completely exposed. That's not armor!)
Now, in WoW, there are a couple of ways around this problem, once you're done facepalming or headdesking. You can whip up a shirt that goes with the piece. Or you can put on a tabard. Voila! No more silly sexism slapping you in the face when you log on.
But for the most part, WoW isn't horrible. Some of the "that's not armor!" pieces, like various loincloths, and even - at least on Blood Elves - chest pieces are just as silly and not armor on the men as on the women. Both genders of characters periodically have to quest for pants. Real pants, that is, not the hot pants they've suddenly found themselves wearing. And, most of the time, the high level gear looks like armor, as my three 80s here can model for you. That's a death knight and two mages in decent, though not absolute end-game, level 80 outfits.
That's armor. (Skipping over the fact that robes are not, actually, the most sensible combat attire ever. That's a fantasy genre issue. The guys wear them, too.)
And then there's Aion. Oh gods.
You notice the problem the moment you log in to create a character. You have example characters, in what I've been told are end game outfits, waiting for you to choose your class and gender. Notice something just a tad wrong about the clothing differences. (Using Elyos - angel - side for this demonstration. The Asmodians - demons - are in different, but equally chain-mail bikini, outfits.)
Warriors
Priests
Scouts
Mages
The guys are in reasonable attire. The women... not so much. The warrior woman might look all right, if it weren't for the fact that the guy has pants. The others don't even resemble adventurers. Okay, okay, it's a Korean game, and, yes, they resemble adventurers in mahwa, but that really isn't an excuse, any more than American comic book aesthetic is an excuse for the enforced hourglass waists in Champions.
And it gets worse. Here are my two Asmodian (demon) characters in their flash-forwards, when they get to wear higher level gear.
My scout looks fine, but what in blazes is my mage wearing? It looks like she's gone adventuring in her negligee and panties. Really, game? Really?
Oh, and on the subject of Asmodians, what's up with the difference between the feet of the men and the women.
Yeah, they're demons and they've got claws, but while a heel claw is plausible, a natural high heeled shoe spike is not. Head, meet desk.
Aion is a beautiful and, so far, fun game. But every time I log in, I facepalm. It so horribly clear that the women are there for teh sexy. And that bothers me. But, at the same time, I find myself wondering if the lesser cases are really that much better. This is egregious. This is something that most people would agree is at least ridiculous, even if they might not admit it's sexist. But the waists in Champions (and, I've heard in the up coming Star Wars MMO) are subtle, easy to miss on a conscious level. Which doesn't mean that it doesn't have an impact. It's a subtle suggestion of what women are supposed to look like or ideally look like, even though it's what only a small percentage of the real population looks like (if any percentage - I don't know if the proportions are actually possible). At least WoW has gotten better about chain-mail bikinis. Though the game, or at least the company, has other issues. (Yes, I'm still mad about the way the one forum representative responded in the Real ID on the forums fiasco.)
I really want a game as gorgeous as Aion, set in that kind of fantastical world, but in which all the characters get sensible clothing. Or at least the choice of whether or not they dress sensibly. It is a fantasy world. They may, in fact, have all the need for armor that Superman does. But I only want to do battle in a negligee if that was my choice, not the game designer's choice. (And if someone makes an Underwear Warriors game, at least it says what it is on the tin.)