Addicted to Heroines: Why we need more female characters in video games

Video games are a booming industry. They offer a fresh, interactive platform for storytelling and an easy escape from the drudges of the real world.  While gaming is generally considered a male pass-time, females actually represent 45% of the gaming community. That's nearly half.

That may or may not surprise you. What doesn't follow through with that statistic is that women remain poorly represented in the gaming world.

Many male gamers offer up the excuse that games cater to their greater audience, stating that if more women played, there would be more heroines. Clearly, many women do play video games. Again, almost half of gamers are women. Others will cite that female protagonist simply aren't as complex or interesting. That's just grossly offensive and sexist. FYI: A woman's brain functions just like a normal human being's brain.

After playing through the 2013 Tomb Raider in a matter of days, I was searching racks at the store for another interesting game that features a female lead. I could not find one. I want a protagonist I can connect with. Personally, some hulking man who's wife/mother/girlfriend/sister was killed is not that. I love scrappy, resourceful characters like Mirror's Edge's Faith, who has to save her sister, and Tomb Raider's smart and curious Lara Croft. A game is easier to play when I connect more with the protagonist.

Gaming industries have the male audience. If they want to sell more games, they should branch out, offering a wider array of characters. I've seen too much of this cookie-cutter white macho man. Give the world variety. People of color. Women beyond sex symbols and prostitutes. Diversity in gaming will help them sell more games because more people will feel welcome. Let's admit it, the gaming community doesn't exactly welcome women with open arms.

Some progress has been made, sure. You could say that. But the diversity in gaming protagonists is scarce. As much as I love playing any game that captures my attention, it would be nice to feel a little more represented. And that's just coming from a white girl.

So I ask, would playing as a girl in a video game really make a man feel less manly? I just don't understand the logic behind the lack of female leads.