The Feminist Manifesto of Mass Effect

Mass Effect gets generous praise for a variety of things. Yes, the combat for a Role Playing Game is above par. The game also gives the illusion of a complete universe as well, furthered by the incredible in-game codex that describes many of the planets, races, and technology. The books based on the franchise are not horrible (or at least better than the awful, but popular, Halo novels); the graphics and the art direction are stunning; the music, particularly in the first game, is unique to video games (despite being similar at times to the work of Vangelis in Blade Runner). There are many things this game does magnificently.

But what interests me the most and what surprises me the most is the complexity that arises in the story and characterization of the main character Commander Shepard when played as a female. In all promotion for the game, Shepard is presented as a generic, bald, "space marine". Furthermore, the design artists went so far as to create a specific version of Shepard derived from a male model. As a result, the developer, Bioware, was creating a standard, canonical version of their main character that they seemingly desired for players to use. If the character of Shepard ended there, the game would still be sound and a feat.

However, like many games today, the player is allowed to customize its protagonist, including gender. And, to Bioware's credit, they hired the prolific female voice actress Jennifer Hale. Jennifer Hale has done the voice work for many games, and particularly roles requiring a strong female vocal identity. Perhaps her most famous role is that of Naomi in the Metal Gear Solid series. So, while Bioware did not promote a female Shepard during the game's release and did not spend the time designing a canonical female model for her, they did, at least, hire a necessary talent to give Shepard a proper female voice.

Or so it seemed until Mass Effect 3 became a reality. Now, Commander Shepard will have a canonical female version that is currently being voted on by the audience. As of this writing, the default Shepard will be created using the game's character customization tool, and not based off of a physical human. The next logical step will be for the female version of the game to get the same care and attention it its male counterpart, specifically basing the character on a real world person.

Importantly, the story does not change if the player uses a female Shepard. What this does is empower her and provide a model for females. There are no speeches on how it is difficult for a woman in space or any specifics like that. Think of it as the Bill Cosby approach to race relations. Rather, it is not just the fact that Shepard is the first "human" to join a special alien council, but the fact that she is the first "woman" human. It is not that the men under her command doubt her actions because of contrite plot devices, but in part because she is a woman. None of this is overt because the game's script is identical for both female and male versions of the character (with the exclusion of the romance options in the game), but ever-present just beneath the surface. In a scene where Shepard must romance a woman to advance a subplot, an added dimension emerges when a female Shepard must possibly betray her sexual preference to achieve the necessary goals, or give in to her bisexual or lesbian preference. This never occurs for a male player, and in fact, only female characters can engage in same-sex relations.

Stepping back, one could conclude that this decision to allow same-sex copulation for females and not males is sexist and homophobic in itself. Society has no problem with women getting it on with other women. Mention a threesome to anyone and the assumed pairing is male-female-female. Games avoid homosexual men like the plague. Even in a game like Persona 4 where one of the characters questions his sexual preference, the game avoids explicitly making him homosexual, or even bisexual, and cops-out to him eventually claiming to like women. Hell, sticking something up the butt is gross, gay or straight, and this might be a non-homophobic barrier. But, by permitting same-sex intercourse for only females in Mass Effect, the game uphold certain stereotypes and societal normalities. This is the most damning and saddening aspect of the female Shepard in Mass Effect.

So in a bizarre and unintentional way, Mass Effect acts as a mostly positive feminist manifesto for those looking for one. Perhaps as female gamers increase and the ability to customize characters continue, more and more games will further this trend of presenting females with equivalent, yet subversive, plot lines for its characters. It is a start.