Something that has always bothered me about these calls to action are and always will be that with every valid point they've got people like Jimquisition, Anita Sarkeesian, and Game Overthinker speak the gospel of equality in gaming for everyone, but it is their voices as critics against an industry that has put up their walls and prepared for a long and drawn out battle. What they don't have behind them are the voices of those also interested in seeing more positive females in gaming along side them applying additional pressure. There needs to be some outcry by consumers that they would pay top dollar for female lead protagonists, but not only that there needs to be some outcry from consumers that if they don't get that the developers will then pay top dollar for them not having more female lead protagonists. So then I ask, where do I sign? It does not seem like there are any significant petitions aimed at the big three to show them that this is wanted and also needed. Just a lot of talk by these public figures that there needs to be agreement with the community at large, but so far with no action.

Left to it's own devises the gaming culture will sooner forget what they were even fighting about and developers will enjoy another era of being able to release anything they wanted as long as it plays good. The war of video game violence started with a gale force, but ended with nothing, but a cool breeze. You have to ask yourself one question... Did it actually change anything? Sure, there is now the video game rating system, but content is as gruesome and barbaric as ever. A simple victory for some people is not going to reap the rewards of more proactive female characters. Anita Sarkeesian's sessions of sensitivity training for game developers is not going to make two licks of difference if the attempts of creating Strong Female lead characters flops badly. Which reinstates my point. The only way that we are going to get the attention of the big three is by Buying the games that feature the strong females, and not buying the games that are the same seven tropes they've been recycling since Donkey Kong for Atari. But how do you get others not to buy those games... That there is the tricky part.

The video gaming community and industry is wracked with fear. Fear of the unknown that will become of this call for more, better, stronger, female protagonists. The industry is afraid to invest in it because they don't want to lose money in it, and a good chunk of the community is straight up afraid of women taking their hobby away. I admit that I am not without my own fears. Mine are more akin to paranoia that the wrong people are going to take this concept, manipulated it for their own gain, and destroy gaming instead of help traqnsform gaming into what it needs to become. Angry Moms that know nothing of the media are going to take their kid's DS away because of a misenformed, and uncaring media making video gaming their target of the week. Some politician is going to take Jimquisition's ideals on gaming and distort it into a war on women. That Video gaming is a boot camp for little Jeffery Dhamers. That they will learn how to hate and reject women like so many kids were never taught before they started to play games. That some teacher is going to buy Anita's Curriculum CD on her Tropes Vs Women in Video Games series and teach the next generation of kids, possibly my daughter or son, that video gaming makes people think the women are inferior, and that most women in games are designed to be weak... when that's just not true. But if you watched Anita's videos on the subject all you'd know about Peach and Zelda are that they get captured... and live so that a man can save them. It's their destiny only to get caught and then rescued. "A Political football between men in the game of Patriarchy." I will never get over this abuse of character because Nintendo IS my Disney. I will be telling my kids of the legend of zelda and super mario brothers as bed time stories. They will know well of Peach's Compassion, and Zelda's Wisdom and abilties. They will know of a Powerful, Space, Bounty Hunter, and of the heroics of a top agent of S.T.A.R.S. They will know how a regal woman, scientists created a living weapon to attone for her own sins and those of her bloodline. They will know of a mother's fight to save her children from the evil sword of power. What I fear the most is that when their time comes they will never get the chance to learn of the powerful aspects of women in video games and futher more that they will never discover strong female protagonists of their own. Either by the absense of gaming all together or that this ideal will simply go the way of the War on Violence in gaming. Where the critics of the games will win a minor victory and then stop fighting for more.

This battle will not be won if developers make a few games with powerful female leads and then those don't sell and they give up. For the good of your daughters who get into games you have to keep pressure on them to never give up. We can't forgive them if they do either. Another fear of mine is that these people I come in contact with who seem passionate about gaming taking this road to recovery are not truely invested in it. They talk a big game, but when they are called into action they will just stand back and let someone else take the heat for what they want too. That will not help anyone. Call out the developers, report sexists who verbally assault women in game, Do not offer any quarter or this battle is as good as never been started in the first place... and then all we've got to look forward to is call of duty, modern warfare: 17... And the next string of "The Next year" sports titles... and nothing worth a shit to play for storyline what-so-ever.

What's it going to be?