Considering that the video game industry appeals to gamers of all genders, the representation of female characters in gaming has always been a prevalent subject of debate. Since there have been many oversexualized, stereotyped and limited portrayals of women in video games over the years, many people tend to overlook the dynamic, well-written and amazing female characters that exist throughout various genres who are every bit as heroic and inspirational as they are believable. Here are ten strong female characters in video games who fall in the latter category.
- Jill Valentine – Resident Evil series
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This former bomb disposal expert of Delta Force has been through hell and back. As a counterterrorism officer who works to fight the Umbrella Corporation (a pharmaceutical company whose bioterrorism results in zombie outbreaks), Jill Valentine has been up to her ears battling zombies for the majority of the survival horror series’ run, whether it be trapped in an infested mansion, fighting her way through Raccoon City, or even outlasting the fearsome Nemesis. With a broad range of skills at her disposal, like her extensive experience in bomb disposal, her proficiency at lock-picking, her athletic prowess and her hand-to-hand combat skills, Jill has faced some of the most horrific monstrosities in gaming history with ease, thus becoming one of the earliest characters who has carried the mantle for strong females in video games.
- Elena Fisher – Uncharted series
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Originally looking to make a name for herself through her documentary work as a journalist and later as an investigative journalist and foreign correspondent, she accompanies protagonist Nathan Drake on his adventures in this action-adventure series. As charming as she is intelligent and tenacious, Elena masters several languages including Tibetan and Arabic, is an expert puzzle solver, and has an extensive knowledge of history that can help the main duo out on their journeys. As a skilled fighter who can hold her own when climbing or under fire by enemies, Elena quickly proves herself a resourceful and capable ally, for she is driven and doesn’t let a little danger deter her. She is an independent, strong female who acts as an equal to the series’ protagonist and, in some cases, is even one step ahead of him.
- Faith Connors – Mirror’s Edge
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In this first-person action platformer, Faith earns her living as a “Runner”, a courier who transports sensitive information from a network of revolutionaries inside a dystopian city while evading totalitarian government surveillance. It’s inevitable for players to be pulled in by Faith’s determination as she glides over rooftops, slides under barriers, runs across walls and uses other vertigo-inducing parkour actions and unarmed combat to battle against a corrupt system in the hopes of seeking justice for her sister who’s been wrongfully accused and convicted of murder. In a world where obedience is brutally enforced and any deviance has potentially fatal consequences, Faith becomes a free-running, rebellious heroine who puts her life at risk to defend the victims of a sham democracy.
- Clementine – Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead
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Forced to join a group of survivors to find safety in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Clementine is the emotional core for this episodic horror adventure, acting as the moral compass of the game as she struggles to maintain the humanity of the main group. Through her development from a scared and innocent child to a remarkably intelligent and resourceful pre-teen, Clementine bravely overcomes the dangers of a zombie-infested world in spite of losing the people closest to her, slowly exhibiting a hardened and more mature outlook of humanity in her search for survival. Because of the seriousness of her environment, her unconformity, and her confidence, Clementine becomes an independent individual, making her own choices not just to continue living but also based on her own beliefs and values.
- Jade – Beyond Good & Evil
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Though her martial arts prowess and discipline in Jōdō make her a capable fighter, Jade’s investigatory skills are what make this cunning protagonist really shine in one of the most underrated action-adventure games of all time. After becoming a freelance journalist to help provide for the orphans under her care, Jade begins to work in a resistance movement to uncover a planet-wide alien conspiracy, soon becoming entangled in an anti-government plot. By solving puzzles and fighting enemies, Jade uses both brawns and brain to uncover conspiracies involving human trafficking and the fierce alien race known as the “DomZ”. By using her martial arts skills and photographic journalism and analysis, Jade succeeds in uncovering corruption, taking down a totalitarian alien dictatorship and in showing journalism at its finest in her relentless search for the truth.
- Princess Zelda – The Legend of Zelda series
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As a princess born into the Royal Family of Hyrule, Zelda is a kind and benevolent ruler with deep wisdom and a strong desire to protect the subjects in her kingdom. Since Zelda is associated with the Goddess Nayru, one of the most powerful creatures in this fantasy adventure game and is the main bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, this princess possesses keen insight, wise judgment, and psychic powers, such as telepathy and precognition. These abilities help her guide the main protagonist Link throughout his journeys.
Zelda’s strength isn’t reserved only for her leadership role, however. Throughout the series, Zelda exhibits various types of both magical and physical abilities, ranging from her ability to cast spells, destroy barriers and seals, and her skillful wielding of a bow or sword. Depending on the iteration, Zelda has become the leader of a group of pirates, disguised herself as sheikha warrior, and has gone as far as to face the main antagonist Ganon alone, using her magic to restrain him for over 100 years, all for the sake of the safety of her people. Thus, Zelda is a complex and multi-faceted character who has managed for over 30 years to become an icon of female strength in video games.
- Samus Aran – Metroid series
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The iconic reveal of the silent hero underneath the Power Suit as a woman during the end credits of the first Metroid game back in 1986 cemented Samus’ place in video game history. This ruthless intergalactic bounty hunter has single-handedly committed genocide against a deadly alien parasite, stopped three space pirate operations, destroyed two planets and saved many other worlds. Through bravery, strength, inventiveness, and intelligence, Samus manages to overcome challenges in her fight to maintain peace in the galaxy.
She may be a woman of few words, but in her exploration of alien worlds in pursuit of various evil enemies and creatures, Samus has shaken the gaming landscape and has only gone on to further prove herself as a role model for all gamers, regardless of their gender identity. As such, Samus is widely and rightfully regarded as the first powerful mainstream female heroine by gamers of all generations and has continued to dynamically defy gender stereotypes and pave the way for a future of strong women in gaming.
- Lara Croft – Tomb Raider series
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There’s no adventurer quite like Lara Croft. An archeological prodigy, Lara has gone through several reboots over the years, but her central characteristics have always remained the same: an intelligent and athletic explorer who, no matter the danger faced by venturing into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around the world, always find the way to make it out alive. Her latest incarnation has taken her strength to whole new levels as she’s taken the role of an aspiring adventurer fresh out of college fighting for survival against the elements and wild animals while conquering challenges ranging from encounters with deranged cultists to fighting against hired killers.
What makes Lara so engaging is her lack of training. She is a self-taught fighter with no formal training in martial arts or marksmanship who has forged her skills in the trial by fire situations. Everything she has accomplished she has done by relying on planning and her own resourcefulness. Lara’s story has now shifted to focus from a sarcastic and over-sexualized explorer to a resourceful action hero who pushes herself to the limit in search of knowledge and experience, only to surpass it with those two iconic guns blazing.
- Aloy – Horizon Zero Dawn
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In this action-packed science-fiction game, Aloy, a young warrior, must use her proficient hunting and archery skills to survive in a post-apocalyptic reality where humans have been forced back to their primitive habits after the world has been overrun by machines. Having been an outcast in a tribe of traditionalists her whole life, Aloy bravely ventures to plains unknown to discover the dangers that kept her sheltered, using strength, stealth, and wit to face dangerous obstacles and enemies, all while breaking taboos and challenging traditions in the different communities she encounters along the way.
Aloy earns the reputation she carries throughout the game not by proving herself against a hyper-masculine standard, but rather by becoming an active participant in a world of strong and powerful women held back by the status quo, using her brains and brawn to overcome challenges and resist traditionalist ideals in the face of destruction.
- Ellie – The Last of Us
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This fourteen-year-old orphan is arguably one of the most groundbreaking female characters in contemporary video games. In this survival horror adventure, Ellie is escorted by Joel, a smuggler, across the post-apocalyptic United States after it’s discovered that she is the only known human to be immune to a parasitic fungal infection that has devastated humanity. Growing up alone in an oppressive quarantine zone, Ellie is naïve and curious about the outside world before the pandemic, regardless of the dangers she may face in her travels as a result of her immunity. Suffering an emotional trauma after losing many people in her life within the “security” of the quarantine zone, she fears being alone and experiences survivor’s guilt, resulting in her being rash, temperamental and impulsive in her decisions. Despite this, Ellie displays great physical resilience, emotional strength, and complete fearlessness as she fights through feelings of inadequacy to keep her loved ones alive, willing to sacrifice herself for the possibility of a cure to save humanity.
As she constantly perseveres against the dangers of her journey and slowly becomes an independent survivor, Ellie is a girl who’s mature beyond her years and highly capable of taking care of herself and those around her. She is resourceful, brave, and incredibly human in her conflicted approach to survival. Her realistic combination of strength and vulnerability avoids the damsel in distress cliché and instead creates a rounded out, full-fledged character who successfully evolves from a traumatized child to a tough, capable, and strong survivor who is a hero in her own right.
Overall, the situation of female representation in video games may have started off on a poor note, but it’s been gradually improving in recent years. However, there’s still a long way to go before female characters can reach the same level of treatment as their male counterparts. How the situation will pan out in the future remains to be seen, but with the creation and success of female characters such as the ones previously mentioned, it certainly seems to be promising.