Portal bucks masculine first person shooter trends

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 9th 2007 at 1:15PM }

If you're in the mood for an thought-provoking read this Sunday afternoon, you should check out a recent article on Games Radar which dissects Portal's "feminist critique of the FPS genre." The essay describes how the game purposefully avoids many of the masculine trends with which shooters are often imbued -- for instance, the game's use of an anti-sensational female protagonist, or the way the game dispatches the game's cuboid male lead.

Spoiler alert: Unavoidably, the essay takes a Freudian look at the key gameplay mechanic of the game, comparing a portal to a vajayjay. If you'd like to preserve your innocent opinion of the game, you might actually want to steer clear of this particular article. Fortunately, we're firm believers in the "sometimes a banana is just a banana" school of thought, lest we be subject to disturbing imagery next time we go traipsing through the Aperture Science building.

Tags: Orange-Box, Portal, The-Orange-Box, TheOrangeBox, Valve

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 9th 2007 1:21PM

I love having news Sundays... thanks to Griffin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPV3oS3RAo8

Dan @ Dec 9th 2007 2:48PM

Well, narbacular drop was just about a princess with the power to make the portals, it could have easily been a guy, and its almost completely arbitrary, although many have speculated that the character you play is someone from the Half life universe, which further removes any chance of the character choice being gender-motivated.

StrangeBum @ Dec 9th 2007 3:55PM

@ Dan

Actually if you read an interview with some of the developers in the (I forget which issue) Games For Windows magazine, they clearly said that they had plans to bring Chell into the HL universe in possibly Episode 3 or Half-Life 3.

Kenny @ Dec 9th 2007 1:24PM

Wow, I'm surprised that article managed to avoid any male bashing. I'm impressed.

how_much_I_carrot @ Dec 10th 2007 5:59AM

...show how much you know about real feminist critique. Here's another shocker- this was written by a man!

Kenny @ Dec 10th 2007 4:23PM

Where did I say I thought it was written by a woman?

JB87 @ Dec 9th 2007 1:25PM

"...or the way the game dispatches the game's cuboid male lead."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the companion cube had a gender in the game dialogue.

Aero @ Dec 9th 2007 2:06PM

GLaDOS refers to Companion Cube as him in the last bit.

Thatoneguy64 @ Dec 9th 2007 3:04PM

Yes, but the pronoun "he" and "him" are gender neutral pronouns, as well as being masculine pronouns.

This means they don't necessarily mean the Cube is male, and were most likely just used because the Cube doesn't have a gender, therefore a gender neutral pronoun was needed.

diverguy @ Dec 10th 2007 7:58PM

no, i think they are only gender neutral in spanish... "he" is masculine, just as "she" is femenine... they could have said "it" since "it" is a gender neutral pronoun...

on a slightly less intelligent note, if the main character is a woman and the portals symbolise vaginas, then does that make her a lesbian? or are the portals more symbolic of her vagina than vaginas in general?

Regulus Tera @ Dec 9th 2007 3:33PM

Actually, the gender neutral pronoun in this case would be it.

Obie @ Dec 9th 2007 3:50PM

I can't believe you boners are arguing the gender of a goddamn videogame cube.

Thatoneguy64 @ Dec 9th 2007 9:37PM

"Actually, the gender neutral pronoun in this case would be it."

Yes, but I'm fairly certain the pronoun "he" is still in valid use in this case as well.

Zarim @ Dec 9th 2007 1:27PM

I read this last night and laughed at it. It does bring up some interesting points, but the author seems more interested in sounding smart than really saying anything important. I'd be willing to bet that almost all of those "purposeful feminisms" are a coincidence. Yeah, Valve made the portals elliptical in order to reference the womb, because the usual standby for portals is a giant penis shaped doorway. Also the author's quotes for the turrets are incorrect and I'm fairly sure they refer to the companion cube as "it."

Bad article aside, I am glad someone made a game with a more normal looking female character instead of the usual "congratualations male game, here is some eye candy!"

how_much_I_carrot @ Dec 10th 2007 6:28AM

There is no need for "purposeful feminisms" because most of the analysis in psychoanalysis finds meaning in things you didn't intend. I'm not a big fan either tbh.

Phi Nguyen @ Dec 9th 2007 1:30PM

"I thought my girlfriend's portal was a gateway to paradise but all it lead to was a daily ointment regiment."

DemonGSides @ Dec 9th 2007 1:38PM

Grossss

+1

snowy @ Dec 9th 2007 4:21PM

Ointment for teh Nguyen

Phi Nguyen @ Dec 9th 2007 4:56PM

LOL. I see what you did there.

tyetheczar @ Dec 10th 2007 6:06PM

Yay! someone made a 4chan quote, oy.

Tyrus @ Dec 9th 2007 1:38PM

I give it a week until someone mods portal to replace the wooshy teleport noise with disturbing birthing sounds. Who am I kidding, it's probably already been done.

I think it rather rude to say that violence is masculine and thinking to solve problems is an overtly feminine trait. That said, most non-gaming women I know seem to be more interested in puzzle games and less interested in shooting sweaty men with normal mapped veins. It's valid to say that first person shooters tend to be targeted at males, but broadening that to make violence a male trait, rather than, you know, a violent one, is pretty low.

James @ Dec 9th 2007 1:39PM

I thought nothing of sexes in FPS games until my girlfriend asked me "are there any female classes in TF2?".

We could probably do with more girls in FPS.

Sihylm @ Dec 9th 2007 1:54PM

Yeh, I was shocked that TF2, which in the same package that came with Portal, which had a female lead, had no female alternatives to the class.

They should add female versions for all the classes, it'd be hilarious, we all know it.

WiNG @ Dec 9th 2007 9:09PM

The Pyro is a female.

It's not a joke. Her locker in the dressing room has a purse and some other feminine items.

Patrick M. @ Dec 9th 2007 4:11PM

I think that they might be over thinking this just a tiny bit. I read this yesterday and while an interesting read it is a bit of stretch. I was listening to the Game Theory podcast a couple of weeks back and they asked Kim Swift about the use of female characters and she seemed to suggest that it was just what they worked out and seemed best and that there wasn't any sort of hidden feminist message in it.

Grey Acumen @ Dec 9th 2007 2:08PM

I agree with some of it, but Freud has been known to be flawed for a long time now, and anyone who uses that type of analysis is just asking to be bashed.

Anyone who says men are inherently more aggressive than women has never had to fight one. Also, when it comes down to puzzle solving being a feminine tendency, even if that is true, spatial orientation is considered a masculine proficiency.

Also, I don't consider myself an EXPERT on female anatomy, but I've had some experience on the subject, and oval is NOT the first word that comes to mind when describing that particular area.
A portal is oval because a round structure is the most stable shape for an object without rigid structure (like bubbles) By making it ovaloid, it is designed more efficiently for a human to walk through, as humans tend to have greater height than width.

If anything, this only stands as an example of how feminism can warp anything it touches.

On that note, I can't wait for the Hot Coffee mod for this game.

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 2:25PM

I always find it ironic when feminists start quoting Freud, or using his theories, considering he was a remarkably sexist man. Penis envy anyone?

He had some good ideas, but the whole "that looks like a penis, that looks like a vagina" thing is not one of them, yet that's the one theory that everyone seems to use.

All in all this seems a bit absurd. If I'm not mistaken, the original designer of Portal was a woman right? So of course it's going to be more feminine.

And if we really want games to appeal to more girls, all we really need to do is hire more women artists, writers, and game designers to make them.

Probot @ Dec 9th 2007 5:20PM

You're mistaking Freud psychology with Freudian literature analysis. The former was abandoned long ago as pseudo-science. But the latter is incredibly common. Any lit class I took at least mentioned Freud, if not devoted a section to that brand of analysis. Freud would be mentioned almost as much as Marx in some classes. They are common lenses through which a work is viewed.

Brad Lee
"I always find it ironic when feminists start quoting Freud"

In addition to using ironic wrong, the sentence is fundamentally ignorant. Feminist literary criticism can be seen as complementary (or at least a reaction) to Freudian literary criticism.

This is why video game criticism goes nowhere. If you treat games like art and critique them using methods well-established for literature, trolls come out of the woodwork just to boast about their ignorance.

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 8:48PM

Probot

Ha, wow. Did I hurt your ego? I'm so sorry, let's have a hug.

I can't even take you seriously. Your little rant has very little value and is clearly just ego-boosting.

And just because I have a hard time choking down this third-rate over-analysis does not mean I'm the reason why people can't video games seriously. Get over yourself.

You're the reason why most people can't take English majors seriously.

Probot @ Dec 9th 2007 9:11PM

I majored in English and I don't take English majors seriously. That wasn't my point. I was clarifying a common misconception about Freudian psychology and literature theory.

You commented about something you knew nothing about. Then you get upset that I called you on your bullshit. And you say I'm the one with the ego problem?

Critical analysis of any work isn't something that most people really need to understand or care about. But it is important in its context. People that are saying this is over-analyzed have no idea. This is what genuine criticism looks like. In fact, it's probably on the shallow side.

Brad Lee @ Dec 10th 2007 9:41AM

So you don't take English majors seriously, you say that the reason why people don't take video games seriously is because people (like me) rag on others for making critical analysis of video games, yet you go on to say that nobody really needs to care about the critical analysis in the first place, even though they are in fact important in context.

Ehhh?

My point about your comments being more about inflating your ego was made because you seem more compelled to jump to conclusions about my intelligence, and to attempt to condescend by defining the word "ironic" than anything else. Which you're still doing by the way, by saying you "called [me] out on [my] bullshit." Oooooo, yes, you REALLY showed me. Allow me to bow to your intellectual superiority now.

As I'm bowing to your intellectual superiority, I might as well explain my original point about this essay, even though your whole point in your comments was obviously to "prove me wrong" rather than have any kind of intellectual debate on the matter. But ehhh, I feel like humoring myself so what the hell?

My point about this essay being an "overanalysis" is that the author has a bad tendency to constantly jump to conclusions. Portal is a critique of this male dominated medium because we're diving through birth canals? Give me a break. There's such a thing as analysis, and there's such a thing as BS. English majors seem to get these two confused quite frequently no?

Brad Lee @ Dec 10th 2007 10:34AM

After rereading my comment I realized it came off as much more assinine than originally intended.

Listen Probot. I ain't got nottin against you, mmmkay? I just get a bit pissy when English majors come barrelling along saying "ignorant" this "you don't know jack about" that, or whatever. I never meant for this to turn into a "thing."

I say we bury the hatchet before this snowballs into an even bigger "thing." After reading the article, I thought the author was a classic case of overthinking something simple. While on the flipside, you thought it was a thoughtful article worth thinking about. Fair enough, let's just agree to disagree.

And my apologies if I sounded assinine. It's just my sense of humor. It has a tendency to get lost in translation from my mushy brain to the massive, cold, soul-sucking vortex known as the internets.

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 2:16PM

"it subtly yet powerfully points out to the entire industry that games needn't exist solely to service the libido."

Man, what games have I been playing? I want some games that exist solely to service my libido...

Oh wait, DOAX, ok, I grant them that. But saying that games in general exist merely to make little boys' penises erect seems a bit far-fetched. Maybe that's just me.

tyetheczar @ Dec 10th 2007 11:45AM

Why that was the main reason a MAJORITY of Japanese Bishoujo(Pretty-Girl literally) games were made, oy. Such as School Days, To Heart 2, Bible Black, anything you might find on JList.com, oy. Some of them had anime adaptations. Yet some bid farewell the sexytime altogether(AIR TV, Kanon, etc.)in the transition.

Praxis @ Dec 9th 2007 2:25PM

The point was interesting how most games starring females revert to the third person to show off the character. Can anyone think of any first person game starring a female lead?

The only one that comes to mind is Metroid. Which is an interesting one; you never even get to see your character until the end, traditionally.

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 9th 2007 2:28PM

Or in the case of Metroid Prime 3, at the beggining.

=)

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 9th 2007 2:29PM

Portal?

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Dec 9th 2007 2:30PM

FPS games with a female lead? Perfect Dark and NOLF.

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Dec 9th 2007 2:31PM

And their respective sequels.

Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 9th 2007 5:13PM

What's NOLF?

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Dec 9th 2007 5:24PM

No One Lives Forever

Joe @ Dec 9th 2007 2:20PM

I'm really sick of journalist who try to make everything seem like either a penis or a vagina. Thankfully they are a rare breed.

But really, the whole "guns symbolize dicks" thing has been overplayed. If Portal really meant portray the portal gun as a pussy projector that symbolizes birth every time you walk through a portal, then given that guns (of the bullet shooting kind) are supposed to represent penis, shouldn't real penises essentially shoot death for this comparison to be complete? Really, when people make these comparisons, I think of a shallow teen who always chuckles whenever they hear the words "long" or "hard."

Grow up!

... ... ...

... ... ...
That's what she said.

I'm sorry.

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 2:29PM

No, if a gun really did represent a penis, after firing it would go limp and take a very long time to reload.

Also, if this really were a "power over women" thing, don't you think FPS games would feature nothing but female antogonists? Otherwise it's just a bunch of men "shooting" each other...

Paviel @ Dec 9th 2007 2:44PM

"No, if a gun really did represent a penis, after firing it would go limp and take a very long time to reload."

So a crossbow would represent a penis better...

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 3:49PM

I'd say a slingshot full of loaded with white (vanilla?) Jell-o would probably be more accurate.

Still a bit of a stretch though (har har).

Brad Lee @ Dec 9th 2007 3:53PM

Let's try that again:

"I'd say a slingshot loaded with white (vanilla?) Jell-o would probably be more accurate.

Still a bit of a stretch though (har har)."

Damn my masculine brain, apparently too preoccupied fantastizing about animalistic sex and bludgeoning people with blunt, "phallic" objects to construct coherent sentences...