Final Concepts

With designing the characters I researched representation and structures of existing video game characters in relation to masculinity vs femininity. I concluded that the masculinity and femininity were not restricted to male and female so I was able to combine certain traits to enforce characters power relations to each other and the fictional world. I aimed to do this in a way to challenge, not enforce the implications of femininity representing weakness by presenting females with predominantly feminine characteristics as powerful by applying certain masculine traits.

The male characters, I designed are crafted with applications from [Ewan Kirkland, 2009] which suggest that masculinity is challenged in silent hill by making the protagonists weaker than the average hero trope of many video game narratives. Kirkland assesses how most academic study of video games, “conclude that video games contain regressive models of male behavior characterized by aggression, domination, and heterosexualized superiority to women. [..] instead, they are

ordinary, flawed, even neurotic to the point of psychosis.”

With this in mind I wanted to make the characters appear powerful but show subtle hints of their shortcomings that make them flawed to challenge the idea of the perfection and superiority of masculinity, commonly portrayed in video game narratives.

With this in mind I aim to reverse this idea for the female characters to design them to be empowered without sexualizing them as well as applying design techniques for them to be heroic as most male characters would be.

The Beautiful and the Monstrous Masculine: The Male Body and Horror in El espinazo del diablo

(Guillermo del Toro 2001) Ann Davies

“Del Toro presents masculinity as unfixed, in inherent danger of collapsing in on itself and mutating into the feminine abject. The male body comes to haunt itself, always already implying a return of the regressed: male beauty always carries within it a potential decay into the abject. The horror lies not only with the monstrosity of the ghost Santi, but also with the fact that the monstrous and the beautiful male body are not so much opposites but points on a spectrum, so that beauty and virility can at any time revert to monstrous decay.”

This article refers to the centralization on masculinity in terms of horror and relates it to feminine and masculine power discourses of society. Davies describes the power and beauty of the masculine body in relation to the fear that comes in its imminent decay into a weaker feminine state.

Davies' article argues the reasoning behind horror comes from the dismemberment and decay of the sacred masculine body.

The sacred and heroic masculine body is a congregation of certain traits, most of which are not bound to the male body. By identifying the traits not hindered by gender I can apply them to the female body to suggest the sacred and power of the character. In designing the female characters I wanted to make them appear feminine but powerful without relying on applying too many "beautiful masculine" traits.

In the case of designing the hybrid creature Venitu I combined cyborg, mechanics, with the female body. To achieve the horror described in Davies article I attached a decrepit scorpion claw to her hand and an almost phallic tail with a tribal shield to combine the masculine with feminine again but with more aggressive traits to present a horrific yet powerful character.

Nir is designed to have a masculine, athletic body. I gave her practical armour with enough space to reveal her athletic attributes and suggest her femininity. I was selective in which parts to highlight her athleticism without focusing on her sexuality in a way that would onjectify her [arms and legs rather than cleavage]. The combination of masculine traits on a feminine body aim to give the end result a triumphant and powerful look for this strong female character.

Maha is hooded and cloaked to show her mysteriousness and secrecy behind her and her abilities. I wanted to present her as extremely feminine but not weak or sexualized. Considering Davies ideas behind masculine and female complexes wanted to portray feminine traits but highlight them in a way that did not portray them as inferiority as many texts do.I wanted to design Maha to be a appealing without resorting to objectifying her sexuality. Maha's hood and cloak were designed to suggest her sovereignty which is typical of masculine ideals.

References like Raven from teen titans and Spider Gwen were great examples of the portrayal of combining the masculine sovereignty with the neutral mystery and feminine body [all in a way that does not objectify or make femininity appear weak]. The darkness of raven makes her hidden aggression[masculine] have an exponential affect on the viewer. Spider-Gwen's design [monochromatic with red and blue trims and tints] present uncertainty and mystery and the traditional eyes show innocence and wonder [like that of a wide eyed youth]. Both designs are minimal and iconic which I intend to apply to Maha's final design. I aim for the culmination of these traits to produce an appealing, mysterious, curious, sovereign female character. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kirkland, E. (2009). Masculinity in Video Games: The Gendered Gameplay of Silent Hill. Camera Obscura, 24(2), 161-183. doi: 10.1215/02705346-2009-006

Davies, A. (2006). The Beautiful and the Monstrous Masculine: The Male Body and Horror in El espinazo del diablo
(Guillermo del Toro 2001) . Studies in Hispanic Cinema, 3(3), 135-147. doi: 10.1386/shci.3.3.135/1