Ideas stemming from "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games"

Finally got around to watching all of Anita Sarkeesian's "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games" series. She does a very good job, with a polished, well-informed approach that improves in precision with each installment of the series. I was slightly frustrated by how pretty much all her examples are presented free of context, but not because that I thought that diluted her point-- if the trope is that widespread EVEN WHEN THE EXAMPLES ARE MORE NUANCED, there is definitely an issue to be recognized. But I do often find myself wishing for more discussion of particulars and design choices, even though I know her work isn't the format for it.

Part of her point is a call for the abandoned of overused tropes and the inclusion of women in different roles in video games. It got me thinking about less represented story and themes that could be used. Through a somewhat convoluted train of thought, it struck me that motherhood has never been much explored in this medium. It's a female experience that is powerfully motivating, and yet one I find is not often explored in a context of how it can make you act like a hero (which is a frequent end that video games need a catalyst for.) Motherhood is often coded as simply loving and nurturing, when I believe it is also protective and motivating to action.

I started thinking about how you could translate that to an adventure video game. Maybe a story about three generations of women, with the middle one as the protagonist. She is driven to undertake an adventure for her daughter's sake, attempting to figure out how to be a mother from only the memory of her own mother, who is dead/otherwise not present but who casts a long shadow on her. I could even see maybe the first third or so of the game involving rescuing the daughter, but after that, it's about raising/protecting/teaching the daughter as they continue along on the adventure. The protagonist could be struggling toward a larger goal out in the world, but her personal journey is in mothering her girl in a way that's both influenced by her mom's example but still finding her own path. I think it could incorporate traditional video games structure by means of themes that would be different on both a subject matter and a gender representation level.

Also, I miss my mom and I'm thinking about this stuff.