Are Women Well Represented in Square Games?

by Anonymous 

Squaresoft delivers personality to the characters in their games, most recently with Final Fantasy 7. The well-crafted storytelling depicts the triumphs and struggles of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and cultures.

Well, not all people.

Men have always been well represented in the Squaresoft games released in America. They have covered all ages, from the ferrel, adolescent Gau, to the fiesty old mage Tellah. The same statement, however, cannot be said or written about Square's female heroes.

The women of Squaresoft are comparable to the pristine, pure, voluptuous women of Hemingway novels. Observe that these all of these women could reasonably be considered innocent, young, and attractive (well, a couple don't fit all three, but I don't want to be blasted via e-mail for being shallow and insensitive). Is it too unreasonable that Square make a female lead character that doesn't fit this mold? The answer is a definite no.

Granted, there is no guarantee that varying the types of female leads will improve the stories of future Squaresoft RPG's. Yet after recycling the same trends, a little variety couldn't hurt, either. Roleplaying a sorceress similar to Tellah, Strago or FuSoYa would not be too unreasonable. Perhaps introducing a shadowy, mysterious, stoic woman into a party could add a distinctive new taste to Final Fantasy. The "Ol' Battleaxe" yielding the old batteaxe? It could happen...

Another character category devoid of feminine influence has been the "non-human" type, such as Frog, Cait Sith, Umaro, Gogo, Mog, and Red XIII, among others. Even the genderless Robo had masculine connotations. If the "non-human" of a future Squaresoft were female, it would be harder to compare her to any on this list, thus add to her uniqueness and shape her image away from borrowed themes.

When it comes to villains, Squaresoft sits at the opposite end as Disney. A large majority of the villains are men. This trend probably results from the fact that more men commit crimes and in many cultures, the harbinger of evil is associated to a man. Fanha, Scarlet, and Elena were three of very few female antagonists in the the Squaresoft universe. Even more insignificant than their number is their actual roles in the long runs of their games.

Certain aspects of Square games have become somewhat predictable. I guessed after completing FF6 that in the next game the best healer in the game would be a young woman and that the best attacker, the dark figure, the central villain, and a non-human would be men. Either Square needs to think up new ideas or I should join the Psychic Friends network. Creating more innovations in gameplay and presentation has become more difficult. It is advisable to reinvent aspects of storytelling in order to prevent stagnation.

Square is NOT a sexist producer. The women of Square aren't the typical Hollywood "girlfriends." Terra and Aeris were the key instruments in saving their worlds, Celes possessed strength and passion as she rose to the top of the Imperial army, Lucca demonstrated her superior knowledge of the technical, Rydia and Rosa provided the magic necessary to slay Zeromus, and Ayla could arm wrestle with the massive Sabin and the other big boys. Certainly women have their irreplaceable niche in the universe of Square. Arguably, the best characters Square ever created were female.

Inequality among the genders in Squaresoft games is not my argument; recent games has proven it isn't a problem. A more balanced representation of females, on the other hand opens avenues (good or bad) to more diverse stories, expectations, and gameplay. Heck, it might even attract more female players and boost sales. Lastly, if Square makes the transition, they should do it with caution. Square games have always emphasized the the struggles and triumphs of individuals and should not become political statements. In the words of KluYa, "Justice is not the only right in this world," so don't make a game that preaches otherwise.