Love in the Time of Reapers: Women & Romance in Mass Effect

Anyone who has played a BioWare RPG could probably attest to the fact that as far as game developers go, BioWare is fairly progressive and diverse. While the industry tends to pander to white, 18-25 year old males, essentially assuming them to be the only demographic, BioWare offers same-sex romances, female leads, and prominent roles for people of color. And not only that, but they’re well-written! They’re complex! Their stories provide us with messages about our own lives and society, which is what all great games should do.

I say all this so I can talk about Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, a few of the game’s female characters, and what their stories say about women and society, and how they make me feeeel.

Tali’Zorah nar Rayya

Let’s start with a fan favorite, Tali’Zorah nar Rayya vas Normandy. In a game full of unfamiliar faces and social structures, Tali still manages to register as an Other. She’s a woman, an alien (of a race that has been generally ostracized and shunned by Citadel space, no less), and she lives her life in a kind of envirosuit that keeps her weak immune system safe. It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that her design is reminiscent of a Muslim woman in her hijab, which perhaps further influences my headcanon of Tali as a woman of color.

Tali is smart – a mechanical genius smart; she’s proud of her culture and likable; and after she becomes available as a love interest in Mass Effect 2, she maintains a kind of bodily autonomy unmatched by many other characters. While the autonomy can mainly be attributed to her suit, it is still important to note that in a popular video game series there exists a prominent female Other character who is portrayed as desirable yet still in full control of her body and sexuality. While it’s true the game tends to paint Tali as somewhat naive and unassuming, and her suit could easily be interpreted as a full-body hymen, the fact that she chooses to let Shepard in without any later regret, while also taking care to put her emotional and physical health first, makes me feel all fuzzy and feminist inside.

Tali’s LI storyline makes it clear that just because a woman is covered from head to toe doesn’t mean she lacks a sexual identity, and that just because she has a sexual identity doesn’t mean that it’s for everyone to see and consume. While there are still certain problematic aspects to her character that I could spend days analyzing, Tali is a lesson in consent and sexual autonomy and I’m content to relish this small victory for at least a few minutes.

Jack (Subject Zero)

Another character who plays by her own rules with regard to her body is Jack, aka Subject Zero. I like to think women gamers everywhere stood up and cheered when Jack was introduced in trailers and promos for ME2, because she was just so refreshing. Because the default gaze in visual media tends to be male (especially true in film, see Laura Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema for more reading on this topic) female characters with villainous natures tend to be written more for the sake of decoration and titillation, rather than actual subversion of the concept of femininity and gender roles. In the case of Jack, her character resists being objectified every step of the way. With her shaved head, tattoo-covered torso, minimal utilitarian clothing, and devastating biotic ability, Jack is bad, and I like her that way. Her role as a love interest in ME2 shows that femininity is fluid, complex, and cannot be universally defined. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s white; this type of characterization is much less common for women of color, who are more likely to be portrayed as having the rough exterior without the sensitive, “human” reveal.

Jack is also a survivor, a victim of abuse at the hands of many. All her life she has been hunted, experimented on, and physically and psychologically tormented by the terrorist group Cerberus for her extreme biotic abilities. More so, she has been raped, abducted, and even sold into slavery. While the trope of women being motivated towards revenge by assault (particularly sexual assault) is legendary and tired, Jack manages to be more than just a victim out to get her attackers. She’s a multi-dimensional character who carries a lot of rage, but also has the capacity for healing and love. It’s slightly upsetting that most of this healing comes through the romance option for Jack (to say that Shepard has something of a Messiah complex would be the understatement of the year) but like Tali, the shortcomings of Jack’s character are eclipsed for me by her successes. I can forgive a woman like Jack being cured with “just a little tenderness,” as if in a summer romcom, for the sake of a woman like Jack being a major character in a video game in the first place. Are you noticing a theme here: it’s not perfect, but it’s a start? Welcome to the world of the female geek!

Miranda

Finally, I want to talk about Miranda Lawson. While I’ve personally never been an overt fan because of her strong Cerberus ties, I find her character fascinating and an interesting step forward for the concept of “eye candy” female characters. Miranda was genetically engineered by her megalomaniacal father to be perfect in every way, including physical attractiveness. She was made to be eye candy, as well as super-intelligent and skilled. Miranda provides the rare point of view of a character generally relegated to serve as mere T&A. Though she is visually objectified, she is written as a person: back story, feelings, opinions and all! Her loyalty to Cerberus has meaning for her, which we are allowed to see and consider as we shape our opinion of her, a luxury not many sexy bad guy assistants are provided.

The main failing I find with Miranda’s character development is the continued visual objectification, despite the constant reassurances that she’s more than that, as well as the sense that her image issues are dismissed with a single Shepard Pep Talk™. When a narrative tells us, “You are more than the sum of your parts,” and combines it with an image of a painstakingly animated ass in a skintight jumpsuit, the message gets a little lost. As I’m sure any woman can tell you, body image issues (especially ones that are inextricably tied to your very existence) are incredibly difficult to overcome, often remaining a struggle during your entire life. But then again, Shepard is basically Space Messiah, so I suppose one reassuring “Be proud of yourself” pep-talk translates to years of therapy and soul-searching?

Strong, diverse writing is the key to more inclusive characterization in video games and I think BioWare is one of the few developers that recognizes this and prioritizes it. But everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes the main plot or the development of the main character takes precedence. It’s also difficult, even if you have a diverse writing team, to step back from the social norms with which we are raised. The female romantic options in Mass Effect are notably docile and submissive: even Jack must be “tamed” before she is deemed acceptable to love (I was hopeful that we might see a role reversal with the asari justicar Samara, because she would certainly be the dominant party in a sexual relationship, but alas, it was not to be.) The only way around these mistakes and this type of characterization is to review games with a progressive eye. It’s a common misconception that this kind of treatment “ruins” the experience. “Where will it stop? What’s with this PC nonsense?” some gamers may cry. I argue that the more perspectives we draw from, the more cultures we include, the better our stories will become. The experiences of the Other are just as ripe for creative expression, and because those stories have never been told before, they offer the exciting opportunity to step outside our experiences of truth. The more we include these diverse perspectives and worlds, the more opportunities we have to entertain and teach about the world we live in; which, again, is what all great games should do.

(All images sourced from the Mass Effect Wiki)