I wanted to start off with a positive review of a game from a feminist perspective: Dragon Age Inquisition. As those of you who know me from Reddit already know, this is my favorite game, but I will try to keep things objective.
WARNING - SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE SERIES
Dragon Age: Inquisition is not only a great example of a game from a feminist perspective, it also shows us that games can deal with important, difficult social themes on a level that no other media can achieve. DA:I also shows us that games are on the forefront of social progress, dealing with subjects like trans issues that mainstream movies and books still shy away from. Although it’s not a perfect game, it is a great example of a what a game can do for feminism. More importantly, DA:I is an example of role playing that creates an environment for heightened empathy and openness to new ideas.
Social issues as a theme
Dragon Age: Inquisition takes place in a magical world with demons, dragons, magic, and heroes fighting evil villains. But the Dragon Age universe’s most basic problems are in their societies. Thematically, social issues are at the heart of every conflict in the series. Characters express prejudice about their other companions constantly. In DA:I, the companions treat Dorian with suspicion for his Tevinter background. Meanwhile, Dorian disapproves of Cassandra for her religious beliefs. Solas expresses a low opinion of dwarves and Qunari. The team you lead is a heroic group of allies, but they have complicated feelings about each other, Qand the web of prejudice the exist in runs pretty deep. In this way, the Dragon Age universe is a compelling example of world building we can relate to.
Though many of the Dragon Age series’ conflicts are about fictional things, such as magic and elves, the series also references social issues we face in the real world, such as classism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism. Elves’ treatment in the game mirrors issues such as slavery. Dorian’s story of rejection by his family for his sexuality is a familiar story for any person in the real world.
Some people argue that games have no relationship to how people live in the real world, and that we should not take their messages seriously. DA:I, however, shows us that games can explore important real-world issues. In doing so, they deepen our understanding of our issues, and of ourselves.
By role playing as an elf character, the player is forced to deal with recurring prejudice and racial insults. People question your ability to be a leader of the Inquisition. You are called a Halla Rider and knife-ear. You can never fully escape your position in society, no matter how much power you accumulate. DA:I allows the player to learn about racial discrimination through virtual simulation. For furthering social progress, video games may be the superior form of medium.
This is a personal, effective learning experience that even the greatest book or movie cannot achieve. After playing an elf in DA:I, you will not fully understand the experience of, for example, an Asian person living in America, but you may have more empathy toward their problems. Being called racial slurs in a fictional world can help create empathy for when people are called racial slurs in the real world.
DA:I’s complex world of prejudice allows the player to explore the issues with a freedom not otherwise possible. Should the player confront intolerant characters with hostility, or should the player ignore the issue, hoping that as Inquisitor, she will change their expectations? In DA:I, there is no single correct approach, and the player must decide for himself based on his own values.
Notably, DA:I includes a storyline with Krem, a trans man. The game provides a dialogue option where the player can discuss Krem’s experience. I consider myself a trans ally, but I still found myself moved by Krem’s story to an even greater level of empathy for trans people.
Your companions ultimately join together as a diverse group, despite great differences in backgrounds and beliefs. But their social issues never really go away, and demand the Inquisitor’s careful attention. In real life, we all strive to achieve the same kind of harmony, but we have to learn to navigate our own differences.
Choosing your own character
Though character customization is common in games now, it is still worth taking the time to appreciate. White male protagonists still represent the majority of games. This is because white men are the “default” character in our culture; in other words, a white male is considered a neutral “everyman” that most people will be able to identify with. When a protagonist deviates from this, it draws attention to the different quality. Game developers thus choose white male protagonists, either consciously or unconsciously intending to provide a blank canvas to the audience. If we, as players, don’t take the time to pay attention to this choice, we risk internalizing the idea that white men are the default. Thus, games can accidentally get involved in a vicious cycle: the white male default informs game choices, which then further perpetuate the cultural assumption of the white male default.
Games like DA:I with character customization sidestep this issue and let the player choose what’s best for herself. But character customization is significant on another level, because it requires that the game story in general be gender-neutral.
My personal experience with DA:I illustrates this. In real life, I’m a feminine woman who is uncomfortable with leadership. Leadership, in our culture, is associated with the male gender role, and not the female gender role. (Look, for example, at the list of words commonly associated with each gender, from Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/gender-gender-identity) I try to read books like Lean In to help me learn to assert myself.
I created my Inquisitor to look as much like me as possible. I tried to make decisions that I felt reflected my personality. So imagine my experience seeing someone who looked like me comfortably giving orders and leading people. Roleplaying this character empowered me in a very personal way. I felt like I could be capable of anything.
When there is a gender imbalance toward male protagonists, it’s natural for people to associate strength, leadership, and heroism with masculinity. Games are able to mix these things up, breaking the association of these traits with just one gender, and allowing us to think of ourselves and others as individual human beings, and not as stereotypes.
Characters that defy stereotypes
DA:I also achieves believable characters by giving them multiple layers. On the surface, the characters may seem like shallow stereotypes. Iron Bull, for example, looks like a brute, and since he is a follower of the Qun, one would tend to assume that he would be an intolerant fanatic. Discovering over the course of the game that Iron Bull is actually a caring person who is deeply invested in the well-being of his allies really threw me for a loop. Iron Bull, despite his background and religion, is fundamentally his own person, with his own unique point of view. He can’t be reduced to any one aspect.
Similarly, Cassandra looks like a tough, masculine warrior. You might assume that she has no soft side at all. But the player, after getting to know her, eventually learns that she is a sappy romantic who loves trashy romance novels. I personally did not see that coming. But why shouldn’t she enjoy that type of thing? I had made unwarranted assumptions based on superficial observations.
DA:I’s message of multiple, sometimes seemingly contradictory, layering of people is not only true, it’s also an experience that helps remind us not to judge people in real life the same way. And this also goes for judging people on race, gender, class, etc. We all may think we’re immune to making judgments like that, but DA:I forces us to consider that we still may be unconsciously doing so.
Sex and sexuality, but no sexual objectification
In general, feminists oppose female sexual objectification. The theory behind this is that the female gender role is associated with sexual attractiveness, and so in culture and media, we see women portrayed sexually much more often and in more contexts. To achieve gender equality, feminists want to see men and women portrayed more equally and with more diversity.
This leads some people to wonder if sex has any place in games at all. People point out that there is some value in having sexy characters, and that we shouldn’t try to purge games of all adult content. This is true.
DA:I shows us an example of a game that walks this balance. It is unapologetically sexually graphic, with full sex scenes and nudity. Sexuality is also important for many of the characters, and plays a role in their stories. And not only is there female nudity, but there are scenes of male nudity as well.
Characters also show diversity in their sexual expression. Cassandra, for example, dresses in full armor, appropriate for her role as a Seeker. Vivienne, on the other hand, wears sexy dresses with “boob windows.” However, she talks about how fashion and appearance are important values for her. So her clothes feel more like her own sexual expression, and less like they were just put there to please a heterosexual male audience.
Giving the world a range of diverse female characters avoids any implication that sexual attractiveness is a part of the female gender role. With diversity, we see women take on many different roles. And we see some of the male characters take on sexier roles in some situations as well.
Not Perfect
- One scene which broke my immersion in the game was the "Dance with Florianne" scene. At this point in the story, the Inquisitor is at the Winter Palace, and must make an impression on Empress Celene and the nobles. However, even if you are playing a female Inquisitor, you wear a military uniform and dance with Florianne, who is wearing a very feminine ball gown. You could argue that the Dragon Age universe is not strict in terms of gender roles (though there is not much evidence of this in the game itself), but the dance still uses gender role symbolism, with the Inquisitor performing traditionally male moves such as dipping Florianne. The effect is that this scene feels less like an intentional subversion of gender roles, and instead like they wrote the scene for a default male and just didn't have the budget to adapt it for a larger set of gender scenarios. Giving the player more options would likely be very expensive, so Bioware should have chosen something more gender-neutral for this scene, or at least more gender-neutral dance moves. Obviously, choosing a default, traditionally female scenario for male Inquisitors would seem too transgressive in our culture, though it would be the truly subversive choice.
- Dorian - Full disclosure, Dorian was probably my favorite character in the game. However, he is the only male character exclusively attracted to men, and he is also the only male character with stereotypical traits of gay men, such as an interest in fashion. Though after playing through the game, it’s clear that Dorian is much more complex than that, the game could benefit from more diversity in its portrayal of gay men. The stereotype of gay men as interested in fashion is connected to the idea that gay men are “effeminate” and thus have traits associated with women.
- Lack of non-white people - Vivianne is the only companion who is black, and Mother Giselle is the only black non-companion character. (edit - /u/Lumenadducere points out that if you choose Templars, there is another black character, Barris) In previous games, there have been no other black companions whatsoever. Isabelle may be the only other non-white companion. The game would benefit from more racial diversity in general, and such a choice would fit in well with the game’s themes of racism and social oppression.
- Sera’s transphobic quip - a small detail, but disappointing in a game that goes out of its way to be supportive of its trans character.
- Lack of alternate gender options - This is probably too much to expect from games currently, but I think it’s worth mentioning since I suspect more gender options in games will be standard in maybe 20 years.
Other aspects
Pros: An amazing score, great graphics, huge open maps that are immersive and well-designed, amazing writing
Cons: A disappointing final boss battle and ending (though the expansion helped address this a little), and probably the least interesting combat of any Dragon Age game
Note: Some of these images are not my own screenshots as this game is too long for me to replay for this review. However expect future reviews to include my own screenshots