In my review of Haunting Ground, I argued that the over-sexualization of the protagonist hurt the game’s ability to be scary. My point was that the bouncing breasts and mini-mini skirt that follow Fiona around throughout the game amount to fan service, and ultimately distract from the game’s primary goal of being scary.
Leigh Alexander, author of the weekly column The Aberrant Gamer, thinks otherwise. In her recent column about Haunting Ground, Alexander argues that portraying Fiona as an obvious sex object serves to heighten the player’s sense of fear because we understand that the game’s antagonists are also thinking of her this way. The cost of failure is very high for Fiona, as her assailants seek not only to kill her, but to violate her in terrible ways as well. This, Alexander argues, puts Fiona in an even more vulnerable position than she might otherwise be in, which makes her easier to be scared for.
This is not an angle that I had previously considered. If you are interested in this sort of thing, the article is a good read.
http://racooncitytimes.blogspot.com/
wel the ‘tube and mini combo didnt really give off that vibe for jill valentine in resident evil 3, though the type of enemy would have to play a big part in this theory i suppose.
Personally i agree with you, not just in ames but in horror movies i find the use of sex appeal and this sort of fan service is usually there to direct the attention of its audience away from something else that makes up the scene that remains lacking.
personally i found fatal frame to be much scarier than this on a few points-
1: the enemies are not corporeal, which means in a “real” situation a nutjob would be easier to deal with than a disembodied ju-on type entity.
2: usually when a female appears in skimpy clothing she usually has an attitude to match the outfit, usually confident and outgoing, not the frail and weak type of protagonist like the girls from fatal frame or yorda from ico.
3: like i said fan service is usually there to gain attnetion, and direct from something else so i couldnt take it as seriously as fatal frame.
This might be a bit simple, but I think a big part of the suggestiveness in female character design is that it’s fun for the concept artist. It’s certainly easier to be creative designing flashy (slightly ridiculous) costumes, rather than something practical. (Would Jill Valentine really have run around the streets of Raccoon City decked out in a skin-tight tube top and a short skirt?) Whether or not the costume in question contributes to the atmosphere of the game is really up to the game designer, but I think the artists are allowed a bit of freedom when it comes to certain elements of female character design, if only because sex, unfortunately, does sell.
I read an article ages ago on survival horror in GamesTM. It didn’t really tell me anything I already knew when working on my dissertation, but I did find a paragraph about female characters interesting (and frustrating that they didn’t elaborate!).
Taking the Project Zero/Fatal Frame franchise as an example, it mentioned that the protagonists were purposefully dressed skimpy to add to their vulnerability. While this isn’t apparent to parts 1 and 3, it’s definately the case for the twins in the second game. They’re clothes are flimsy, short and unlayered; unlike Heather in Silent Hill 3, who is sort of protected by puffer jacket despite the skirt and sleeveless top combo (a nod to her stronger personality in a way).
Jill Valentine in RE3 is kind of a weird one. Her outfit is skimpy; the opposite of her combat gear. Kind of emphasises the idea that she’s lost her personal safety net (along with her back-up in the form of Brad). As the game progresses, she meets Carlos and the others. Who are completely armed to the teeth and very much in combat gear. She’s totally different, a woman in their ranks. While she becomes commanding of the remaining squad, the outfit reminds you that she is after all a woman. Claire Redfield is designed in a similar way. She’s in charge despite her vulnerable outfit. It’s all a nod to Alien’s Ellen Ripley for me.
But to be honest, Ellen Ripley was in a jumpsuit and trainers when she was commanding a rag-tag bunch of marines in Aliens. Her feminity was shown through the protection of Newt. Despite her apparent masculinity throught the films (she’s dressed in jumpsuits or prisoner gear), she manages never once give up her feminity throughout.
So in a way, all this ‘vulnerable outfit’ theory creates a paradox. It’s lip service at the same time it’s trying to convince you it’s not. Obscure does this all in a tongue-in-cheek way with Shannon Matthews (in both games infact) and does address it throughout the manual and scripts. It’s the only time I’ve seen it work properly in games since Silent Hill 2 (Maria) and 4 (Eileen).
I don’t always agree with this theory, but I have to say I did feel this way with Haunting Ground. I think it had a lot to do with the fact in this particular game they made it apparent within the story that the person who has her trapped is always watching her (heck, he had the clothes picked out for her, watches her change and such, and if you die against Pursuer #3 you’ll hear some very awkward noises going on), and Fiona also makes a comment on it herself about the outfit being tight around the bust.
I gotta say, I never felt that vibe from Fatal Frame 2, probably because it was never made apparent that the girls were viewed for anything other than a murder ritual (nothing sexual there from the guys chasing them), and I really didn’t think their outfit’s to be that “skimpy”. Rei’s outfit from Fatal Frame 3 seems to have a bit more of that kinda flare to it, even though that one is a bit of a stretch too.
I really don’t think Jill’s a good argument for this case either given the overall style of the Resident Evil games. The enemies aren’t exactly out there to violate her, as 96% percent of them are more concerned with flat out eating her. The style of the game is just different in most regards than Haunting Ground.
While I think her main outfit of the game serves the purpose of heighting the tension of what’s out to get her, her optional outfits fall more into the category Shinji described: designers just enjoying themselves a little too much (hey, girls like survival games too!).
Townsend: “So in a way, all this ‘vulnerable outfit’ theory creates a paradox. It’s lip service at the same time it’s trying to convince you it’s not”.
I don’t entirely agree with that. I think that’s more of something to apply to individual cases rather than the whole theory. Part of the problem is that they start the main game off sometimes making a girl seem uncomfortable and vulnerable in her surroundings (in Fiona’s case she awakens in nothing but a sheet and then the clothes given to her are pretty but in a rather skimpy way), and it serves the purpose of adding an additional type of tension to the game. This sort of backfires to me when the designers then add trashy extra outfits for additional run-throughs, though (same problem in Silent Hill 4…).
Hellsing:
“1: the enemies are not corporeal, which means in a “real” situation a nutjob would be easier to deal with than a disembodied ju-on type entity.
2: usually when a female appears in skimpy clothing she usually has an attitude to match the outfit, usually confident and outgoing, not the frail and weak type of protagonist like the girls from fatal frame or yorda from ico.
3: like i said fan service is usually there to gain attnetion, and direct from something else so i couldnt take it as seriously as fatal frame.”
While I definitely agree that Fatal Frame 2 is a scarier game than Haunting Ground (though to me the least scary of the series by far), it’s scarier for different reasons, and I also think people need to keep in mind that different things scare different people. Point Number 2 isn’t entirely the case in Haunting Ground, as Fiona is noticeably very uncomfortable in her situation and not confident at all. Actually, Mio of Fatal Frame 2 shows quite a bit more confidence in that game than Fiona Belli. “Usually” doesn’t really apply in this game here. While point number 1 seems like a good point, I have to ask, what are the odds you’re going to have a “Ju-On” situation compared to running into a nutjob? In a game it may be easier, but if you think about it like a “real” situation the nutjob isn’t going to be that easy to deal with.
Granted there is an element of fan service going on it almost all these cases, I don’t really feel the outfits are taking away that much from these games. To me the tension and horror is created from who these characters are. In Haunting Ground, Fatal Frame, and Clock Tower 3 you always play a relatively helpless young girl. Without Hewey Fiona has very little she can do to fight back. The little girls in Fatal Frame can barely run. Your main weapon in CT is some holy water which buys you a few seconds to run some more. In general I’m too busy on these games running for my life to notice too much how they dress or how jiggly they may be.
This topic actually makes wonder about how much it might be necessary to be able to identify with or relate to the character in order to have an emotional investment in the game, and subsequently be invested in the livelihood of the character and be scared by the circumstances. Honestly, peri-adolescent girls are probably the one demographic that I can relate to the least. Perhaps this would be different if I had sisters or daughters, I don’t know. Thus, playing a character from that demographic has little appeal for me. I especially can’t relate to characters who are “bimbo-ed out,” i.e. skinny, blonde, big boobs, scantily dressed – I dont even really like them in real life. I first thought of this type of thing when I began playing Silent Hill 3. Initially, I was struck by how foreign the experience was playing a teenage girl. I got over it, though, because the story is such that I really started to get invested in her. Playing something like SH2 or SH4 is pretty easy to get into – heck, that could be me, an average 25 – 35 year-old male. A female character that I immediately liked playing was Claire in RE Code Veronica. I liked her because she kinda breaks the sterotype of the male action hero. I appreciate that and can relate to that type of thing much more than any Fiona-like character.
I suspect that if developers were really interested in creating a “vulnerable” protagonist for the sake of the game, and had no concern for fan service, they would create a game in which the main character was a spunky yet frail grandmother. Come to think of it, I think that might be pretty cool. All in all, I would liken all of this to a good horror movie – you have to care about the characters in order to be scared by their circumstances. One thing that results in caring about them is being able to relate to them. Also, good horror films invest in character development so even if the character is someone is initially outside of your familiarity, you can still come to care about him or her. It seems to me that most games dont really do that – what you see in the first five minutes is what you get. Okay, I’ve rambled adn ranted and this is becoming more tangential. All that being said, I did really get into SH3, and I havent played any of the Fatal Frame series although I really want to just because it looks so damn cool. But, I just cant see me playing another game with an over-sexualized adolescent girl – I just wouldn’t really care.
I agree with Royal. And the Aberrant Gamer article. Nicely written.
The game is pretty terrifying in how it presents horror as pretty much we are viewing 80% of the cut scenes from the enemies viewing Fiona. If you know a little feminist film theory (Mulvey) or even seen enough western slasher films, this is nothing new.
Certainly the outfits in Fatal Frame 2 ain’t S.T.A.Rs combat gear, but they seem to work on a level of enforcing the twins young age, rather than exploiting it on a sexual level. Then again I can’t remember the reason for the whole strangle ritual?
Xombie Hunter: “In general I’m too busy on these games running for my life to notice too much how they dress or how jiggly they may be.”
Very nicely put o_o Though, I think if these girls started the main story in a lot of their unlockable costumes it would be more noticeable. I think you brought up a good point about the horror coming from who the girls themselves are. Part of why I like scary games as opposed to most movies is because during films it’s easy to say “Hey! Don’t do that stupid!”, whereas in a game you are actually in control, so you’re pretty much responsible if they do something stupid. In movies you don’t have control over their actions, but in games these characters are actually in your hands and it’s up to you to get them to the ultimate goal. It allows you to see past potentially skimpy outfits and see the girls aren’t bimbos at all.
altercon: This topic actually makes wonder about how much it might be necessary to be able to identify with or relate to the character in order to have an emotional investment in the game, and subsequently be invested in the livelihood of the character and be scared by the circumstances. [/i
I’m just highlighting a piece here since I wanted to acknowledge your whole paragraph. I agree with you that identifying with a character can make a huge difference, though I don’t believe it’s necessary- it just helps. I guess I really like a lot of these horror games that have younger women because I CAN relate to that (I’m a young woman and all), so I feel that I can understand what’s going on with them a little better. But at the same time, one of the scariest games to me is the original Silent Hill because of the way they portray a role I’m not used to. It showed that men can be vulnerable, even the father figure that most little girls might view as their “superman”, and seeing him struggle like that hit a bit of reality home, too. I also think the role of the female in the horror genre has gotten a very bad reputation of being a “bimbo”, as I’ve seen stated a lot. But needless to say, the gaming world is proving that you can be vulnerable without being a idiot (like Fiona and Mio).
But, I just cant see me playing another game with an over-sexualized adolescent girl – I just wouldn’t really care.
Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, but that statement kind of bothers me. I don’t like seeing “fan-service” based games, but I agree with the article in that the game touches on a scary element, even if it’s only scary to girls. But just because it doesn’t scare you doesn’t mean it can’t bother you… and I guess maybe I’m disturbed by how people blow this sort of thing off without caring at all. Sure, you may not be able to relate to it, but if the idea of someone going through what Fiona does if you get a game over doesn’t affect you at all… That’s probably not a good sign.
erotikill: “The game is pretty terrifying in how it presents horror as pretty much we are viewing 80% of the cut scenes from the enemies viewing Fiona. If you know a little feminist film theory (Mulvey) or even seen enough western slasher films, this is nothing new. “
I agree pretty much, but I think Haunting Ground caught on to something slasher films haven’t, and unlike in some of the movies you have a harder time seeing ahead to what lurks around the corner for Fiona, while you can almost predict the entire death scene in a movie for the standard slasher-victim, and this includes the guys! I see a lot of people commenting on the “bimbo blondes”, but just because the guy isn’t posed as much as a sex-object doesn’t mean he’s any smarter than the girl. But this is getting off topic, so I’ll stop now.
To RoyalFlush: All good points. Im sorry about my statement that bothered you a bit. As I read it again, it really is too bold of a statement, I think I just got wrapped up in my tangent.
Ultimately, that statement resulted from frustration about “fan service-based” issues rather than some of the characters themselves, especially Fiona. To be sure, themes in Haunting Ground are very disturbing and creepy, and I am very sensitive to those types of things. After reading that article and this post, I should give that game another chance.
To altercon: It’s alright. I think Fan-service itself merits ranting (it certainly makes it easy to do so). I do agree with you about fan-service games being frustrating, and while I like to defend Haunting Ground for it’s story, the “extra features” scream fan-service… It kind of feels like they wanted to get the tension of the situation across, but included the extra costumes as a way to draw people in in-case the story flopped. But that could just be me being paranoid. Sorry if I sound like a feminist, as that’s not my intention.
And now to quote myself…
“But needless to say, the gaming world is proving that you can be vulnerable without being an idiot (like Fiona and Mio).”
I just realized that the way I worded this could be taken differently than I intended. I meant that Fiona and Mio are examples of vulnerable heroines, not that they are idiots XD
I’m too annoyed and frustrated at trying to find a hiding spot half of the time (how come they always know where I am!?) to notice anything about the game, scares or anything, I can’t pay attention to any of it, when I am nearly breaking my fist hitting the couch cause I keep dying.
Other than the high frustration, it can be fun, but I don’t think it’s scary. I got more scares out of Clock Tower 3, plus maybe that “Sexual” scare thing will work for maybe woman, but for men like me, I found it kind of erotic in a strange way. The sounds going on are so wrong when the stalkers get you. 😉
Not to be rude (by bypassing the previous comments), but: really?
There are some key symbols during the opening credits that suggest this, but some of the context from the dialogue and actions of the npc’s also make a very obvious use of sexuality as a catylyst for fear. o_o
The opening credits where Fiona is seen walking nude through a corridor suggest a very tense state of vulnerability.
The image of Fiona lying prone, seemingly unconscious, with blood flowing from an unknown source… (also in the opening credits)
Perhaps it is because the clues were very… uh, how should put this(?).. “feminine”?
I’m not sure of the terminology, but they were very implicit images that a girl would be more likely to pick up on, because of their nature.
Horror is a lot more…potent for girls because the possibility of being physically overpowered by an assailant is more likely than it is for males.
(I think you wrote an article touching upon this before, right?)
It doesn’t take a huge amount of imagination to make the extra leap and throw sex in to heighten that feeling.
The cutscene with the maid and Fiona is very plain about this, too. When Daniella finally voices the source of her malice for Fiona:
“You- Flesh Woman. You vile creature! You let the man into your body again and again because you are a pretty, little princess…”
Me, being a girl, this is the first thing I picked upon while playing haunting Ground. x_x
Fan Service aside, I don’t think that was the developers sole m.o..
Not to mention that sort of a tradition for Capcom games, anyway. And games that involve women in general. (
Bonus costumes in Resident Evil 4, and Fatal Frame anyone? 😛 )
>Atomic Zen
Yeah, I mean, it was obvious to me that the developers wanted to sexualize Fiona. I feel like most games with female protagonists (including the games you mentioned, though I think Silent Hill 3 is a pretty excellent exception to the rule) are designed to pander to a particular audience at the exclusion of everybody else, and I assumed at the time that Haunting Ground was no different.
The point that the article brings up that I hadn’t considered is that perhaps this level of sexualization is actually justifiable in Haunting Ground because it is in service to the horror aspects of the game. If the design was careful and deliberate (rather than just another way for the developers to provide digital breasts to a predominantly male audience), I think that I have a bit more respect for the developers.
http://bdaydnight.blogspot.com/
There is another nice material I found around.
Fiona is a character thats fits the “Final Girl” stereotype (scared girl who runs around from persuaders to avoid a grizzly death) just with the difference that she’s alone.
It’s more focused on the Final Girl type character, and what sex, drugs and alcohol have to do with them. Just be warned: contains some swearing.
http://www.pretty-scary.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=368
> Ultimecia
Thanks for the link! That was a fascinating (and extremely well-written) article!