Video Games with Female Leads: Wicked Role Models

Unfortunately, video games with female leads are incredibly hard to come by, especially if you're looking for some wicked role models who star in titles appropriate for the whole family. Many of the most famous (or infamous) female leads, such as the Tomb Raider series' Lara Croft, or the unstoppable Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, are well-known for their roles in video games which carry a Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

So, where do you find video games with female leads that are appropriate for everyone in your family? Strong, independent, and capable female leads can be a great way to show young female players that girl heroes are just as wicked as boy heroes - and that girl gamers can be just as savvy as their male counterparts - but how do you find them?

Vintage Console Titles: Timeless Female Role Models

One of the best places to look is vintage console titles, in video games from the 80s and early 90s, when censorship on how risqu© video games could be was still rigidly enforced. Back then, the ESRB didn't exist, and video games didn't come with ratings based on mature content. Fortunately, these older titles have a wide range of availability, thanks in part to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console. You can purchase credits, which roughly equal $5 for most Nintendo Entertainment System titles, or $8 for Super Nintendo and Sega options. The library is ever-evolving, so you can check back later to find new editions.

Princess Peach (formerly known as Princess Toadstool) is one of the most popular options for female protagonists and main characters among the vintage gaming option. Although she's only starred in one of the vintage titles, Super Mario Bros. 2, in which she was arguably the best character choice thanks to her pink floating dress'"she has appeared in dozens of Nintendo-owned video games over the years, and has been a playable character in several. Originally a damsel in distress, Princess Peach eventually stepped into the ring to go head-to-head with her male counterparts.

Another great choice among the vintage console library is the Streets of Rage series, and the incredibly wicked Blaze character. In this franchise, cops take to the streets to end crime at its genesis, and Blaze kicks butt along with her male co-stars. Elaborate combat movies - many of which require the assistance of a second player - and clever combo styles keep Streets of Rage exciting, and Blaze is once again arguably the most balanced, best character to choose whether you're a female or a male player. Many fans of this older series have been advocating for the vintage titles to be reloaded, or for the world to be revisited for a modern chapter. In fact, an unofficial Streets of Rage remake has been under development for several years, with version 5.0 going live in April of 2011. It is free to download, and while not actually affiliated with Sega, it was obviously a labor of love.

Modern Console Titles: A New Generation of Female Power

The options here are far more minimal compared to the abundance of female characters in the vintage category, which may say something about how predominantly-male gaming industry continues to be. As already discussed, many of the "most famous" female leads in the last decade are limited to mature titles, or to a single chapter of a series of RPG titles, such as Final Fantasy.

One choice is to turn to video games based off TV series, movies or comic book franchises such as the X-men Legends titles for the Playstation 2 console. Younger female players can choose between a variety of strong, capable female characters like Storm, Rogue and Jean Grey, whether or not they are currently playing co-op with other gamers. Barbie and Dora the Explorer video games are also available, but these niche titles aren't terribly popular with a wide range of female players, or those typically and over the age of eight.

Video Games with Female Leads: End of an Era?

It seems as though video game designers believe male players - who unfortunately make of the majority of consumers - don't enjoy a strong, competent female protagonist. Steve Watts reports that a former employee of the success video game company spoke out about this trend: "Activision doesn't believe female leads can sell games, and has even gone so far as to change characters to avoid a lady protagonist." Although Watts states that Activision has denied this claim, it does seem to fit with the lack of video games with female leads released in the modern era. Although, if you trek into the land of blood and violence'"and the Mature rating'"many more options become available. Of course, those options are often scantily clad, incredibly busty members of the female gender.

One can only hope more video games with female leads will hit the market in the future, specifically of a non-Mature rating, so that young gamer gals have an opportunity to get their game on with a character of their own gender. Many enthusiasts believe that video games can impact real-life, for good or for bad, to varying degrees'"why not let the young ladies have positive role models?

Sources:
Steve Watts, "Why Activision Games Have No Female Leads," 1Up
SorR Project, "Streets of Rage remake development blog"