No longer a hobby exclusively for young boys and teenagers; games and consoles are now being advertised to entire family members including young girls and more senior people. Such examples of this include the Nintendo's Wii and DS consoles.

But are games still dominated by masculine ideals? This essay will examine how – in spite of the growing popularity of computer games amongst people of all ages and genders – Gears of War 2 constricts the role of women in order to perpetuate masculinity.

One need look no further than the successful Tomb Raider series of games to see how female characters are able to take the place of the male hero as the strong, dominant protagonist. In this instance the franchise's heroine Lara Croft is synonymous feminine video game champions who undermine the otherwise masculine authority.

However, in their online article Gender and Computer Games: Exploring Female Dislikes [2006] Tilo Hartman and Christoph Klimmt say that “visual portrayals of females tend to highlight physical attributes (e.g., through clothing) or exaggerate female sexuality”. It is then perhaps worth pointing out that in many of the game's series Lara is often the focus of male sexual fantasy, with particular reference to her breasts and clothing. This is evidenced by the game's choice to utilise a third-person perspective throughout, giving the player maximum view of the entire character.

Lara Croft has also become something of a parody over the years, particularly when the infamous 'nude' cheat became widespread. The website CheatCC ran a Top Ten which listed the Playstation's 'nude code' for Tomb Raider no.8 on the chart. The website states that: “They wanted Lara to 'take it ALL[sic] off'. And they were pretty damn sure that Core Design had left a code within the game...”

Arguably there are female game characters who are more of a step forward than the above example. Although Lara Croft pioneered the way forward for female-oriented gaming, maturity and technological advances have allowed for a more sophisticated approach. Mirror's Edge's Faith is perhaps a noteworthy example of women as central character in modern gaming. Her role as feminine is never down-played and her compassion for her sister shows her as a caring avatar.

Regardless, Faith is a highly capable protagonist shown through her ability to subjugate and intercept enemy territories dominated by male antagonists and S.W.A.T. Teams. The game may be in first-person perspective but through the use of intermittent cut scenes the audience is always reminded of her femininity both through her interactions with her sister and friend, and conversely with her stance against brutish and powerful masculine figures.

Though it may be worth mentioning that it is not abject violence that drives Faith in the Mirror's Edge story. In many instances the player is forced to run rather than shoot (what's known as the 'fight or flight' response). Interpreting this as a means of basic survival skills rather than an act of cowardice shows a level of logical thinking on the part of the female protagonist when compared to the masochistic tendencies of more masculine characters who tend to go in 'guns blazing'. (the primary text of this very article being a key example)

However, it is Alyx Vance from Valve's Half-Life 2 game who can be looked at as perhaps the best example of an important, strong woman who is not regarded as an object of sexual voyeurism. Her clothes, facial features and even her name set her apart from more traditional, male-viewed representations of women in games. Daniel Bullard-Bates describes Alyx as a character who is “...not what advertising and patriarchal society want us to believe is the ideal; she does not wear makeup and her clothing is practical, not revealing.”

Although only a side-kick to the game's protagonist lead, Gordon Freeman, Alyx revels herself to the game from the opening level 'Point Insertion' where the hero is knocked unconscious by a horde of the game's standard enemies: the Combine. During this sequence the player sees nothing but a blank screen but hears the sound of a female voice shouting “Over here!” before a fight takes place.

When the hero's vision returns we see the looming figure of Alyx Vance standing over us; short-haired, tough and – above all – of mixed race heritage (perhaps the most sophisticated in-game representation of true equality).

Looking at the above examples one can easily see how female characters have fought through gender stereotypes to take centre stage in gaming. Comparing these examples to Gears of War 2 one can see how Epic have ceaselessly undone what current generation games are trying to push forward.

It could be feasible to analyse aspects of the game in terms of the more archaic Mother form or examine ideas of feminine traits in other areas of the game. For instance: the giant rigs the Gears use to transport themselves in chapter three are given female monikers. Which, in turn, leads to Fenix's partner Dom claiming “...apparently, I'm riding on Marilyn.”

The phrasing of this has comical implications whereby the male figure is expressing some mild joke about being on top of a woman. The rigs are also used not only as a form of protection for the protagonists (their immense size making them tougher to destroy) but they become the subject of protection themselves when they are subjected to attack from enemy fire. This then causes the male marines to leap into action in order to save Marilyn and the other rigs (the other names also being feminine: Lola, Betty etc.)

As for the female characters themselves, they can be split accordingly into three different categories according to their in-game role and purpose. The Gears' voice-over assistant, Anya, can be classified as a 'protagonist's aid'. The Locust Queen would fall into the 'antagonist' description. While Dom's wife – who is the subject of Dom's motives when he goes looking for her – can be seen as a 'sub-plot' or 'storyline McGuffin'.

Anya

Evidently a key character for the male protagonists, Anya assumes her role as a rather enigmatic helper (the player only sees her physical form during the opening sequence and the end scene – her physical attributes seem to conform to the gender stereotype: blonde hair, slim, tight-fitting uniform) who assists Marcus Fenix and the other Gears by relaying information to them from the headquarters. Simon Ferrari says this:

Her role as 'hidden secretary' to the Gears is perhaps taken a step further when one notices that the information is relayed to the marines via means of a floating robotic helper under the alias Jacks. This masculine name seeks to further undermine Anya by having her involve herself in missions behind the guise of a male-controlled robot who is ordered, primarily, to open doors and send signals out.

Her relationship with the game's lead Marcus Fenix is one that is rife with ambiguity. Gearspiedia maintains that Anya is “in love with Marcus...”, thinly veiled connotations of which are seen in the end cut scene where the Gears are airlifted from the explosion. Fenix looks over to the other helicopter to see Anya staring back at him, her hand on her heart. However, the response does not seem reciprocated as Marcus stares back with little to no emotion.

Perhaps this is an attempt to show Marcus as a cold, highly trained killer by perpetuating his stance as a man of action, not emotions, especially towards Anya.

Maria

Perhaps seen as a less significant female character, Dom's wife, Maria, seems to serve as nothing more than a meagre incentive for a sub-plot. One may go so far as to refer to her as a McGuffin. Popularised by Alfred Hitchcock, the McGuffin is described as “essentially something that the entire story is built around and yet has no real relevance.”

Other than Maria's emaciated figure when we encounter her in the game, the only other time the player sees her is during Dom's flashback sequences. In these scenes we see her standing over him, filtered and in soft focus. She takes her place in domestic servitude by bringing her husband breakfast in bed. Her role in the game is established as that of a smiling, proud housewife who's tortured physical appearance later in the game only furthers her stance as a weak character.

Her being captured by the enemy forces Dom to go looking for her in a bid to add depth to the masculine character. He must protect and rescue his most prized possession from the clutches of the Locusts.

In doing so we find ourselves in the midst of an interesting scenario. One which can be compared to a similar situation portrayed earlier on in the game. Upon seeing his wife; now a skeletal, zombified former version of the woman he married (one assumes through torture and malnourishment subjected to her) Dom makes the decision to euthanise her by putting a bullet into her brain.

In a previous level the Gears uncover a torture ship which houses those that have been captured. One of those being their Native American friend Tai. Similar to Maria's situation, Tai is no longer responsive to his rescuers and shows physical signs of torture and maiming. Taking the gun Marcus gives to him, Tai puts the barrel to his chin and pulls the trigger.

Ultimately it is man who is in charge of life here. In Tai's situation it is the male character who makes the decision to end his suffering by pulling the gun on himself. However, it is Dom who makes the decision for the woman who served him food in bed to end her life for her; Maria being unable to do it herself.

The Locust Queen

Perhaps the most obvious example of masculine power over women. The Locust Queen is not only female but is also (at least aesthetically) human. In many respects this seems surprising when one considers the hideous and occasionally gargantuan monstrosities that the player must encounter first.

She is the Archaic Mother represented throughout the game via a number of the beasts that the player must battle. One such example being the Rift Worm. Although phallic in shape and penetrative in its destructive nature (it destroys cities by burrowing beneath them and bursting through in order for them to collapse) it eventually engulfs Fenix and crew in its yonic mouth and seals them inside.

The marines must then destroy the beast from within and in doing so emerge through the creature's skin by severing a hole (a kind of violent caesarian perhaps?) and being 're-born' back into the open.

The crowning achievement of Gears of War 2 seems, then, to be that man must hunt down – and destroy – woman. This matriarch is the arch nemesis of the Gears and it's through her voice-over taunts later on in the game that serve as a fixed motive for the heroic marines.

At one stage the player intercepts the Queen's lair; invading her home and destroying her 'children' along the way before finally confronting the matriarch herself. The marines are shocked to see that the enemy they have been pursuing is human-like in her appearance. Female attributes and physical traits are once again noted by the masculine protagonists when, during the confusion, Cole states “I thought she was supposed to be butt-ugly!” upon seeing the Locust Queen.

A battle takes place whereby, once again, the Queen enforces her dominance over her minions by ordering her right-hand man Skorge to destroy them while she escapes.

It is perhaps worthy of noting that this chasing of female as the enemy somewhat subverts the traditional story arc of other games which entail the rescue of woman (popularised in older titles such as the ever popular Mario franchise) from captivity at the hands of more masculine figures.

Gears of War 2 has instead opted for a more pro-masculine method of plot devices. As stipulated before women are nothing more than “garnish” and serve as a driving force for man to reassert his position as the dominant gender in the face of more contemporary feminist and more liberal outlooks.

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