In a recent interview, Irrational Games’ Ken Levine stated he was disappointed with how much attention the main heroine’s breasts have received in the upcoming Bioshock Infinite. Rather than talk about what Elizabeth may be dealing with during the game, gamers are focusing on the shapeliness of her bosom. Levine says that gamers are free to discuss whatever they like about his upcoming game, but he hopes that some will take the time to appreciate the work his team has put into her personality and the expressiveness of her eyes. It’s a great message to gamers who have a tendency to focus on the hotness of female characters above anything else about them. However, I can’t help but feel that Levine’s stance has been undercut by the revelation of Namco Bandai’s print ad of SoulCalibur V, which features a close-up of an unknown woman’s cleavage.

This isn’t a new issue. For years, games have struggled with the balance of legitimate female characters to women who are mere eye candy or, at its worst, fetishistic ideals. Back in the 90s when the Tomb Raider franchise was at the height of its popularity, gamers championed Lara Croft as a great example of a strong female. Yet at the same time some were viewing her as a mere sex object, positioning her in ways to look at her breasts or trading secrets about a rumored “nude code.” The developers at Core didn’t help matters either with each subsequent game increasing her bust by at least a cup size. In the end Lara Croft became something of a joke, both because of her increasingly lousy games and ridiculous figure. Of course, there’s always hope that Crystal Dynamics’ reboot of the franchise will return the series to greatness as well as make Lara a great female character.

It’s hard to know where to place the blame of this issue. Is it the developers’ fault making their women so shapely yet completely lacking of a personality? Or is it the gamers’ fault for buying into these kinds of women and, in some cases, taking it even further than even the creators intended? Most of us have come across the artistic depths some gaming women have taken on DevientArt or in Google Images. Even someone as benign and innocent as Princess Peach has been featured in hardcore pornography, lending her name a whole new meaning. So can we really blame the developers when they use marketing strategies like SoulCalibur V?

That’s not to say that all gamers are like this. Many are devoutly against that kind of mindset and strive for more three-dimensional female characters. Samus Aran from Metroid, Ashley Williams from Mass Effect, Madison Paige from Heavy Rain, and Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2 have all been held up as some of the best examples of strong women. Best of all is that more are being added to this list each year. Games are growing up and Ken Levine is one of the developers leading that charge with his immersive storytelling and well-rounded characters. When asked for the reasoning behind his design choices of Elizabeth, he stated that he wanted her to be recognizable even from far away in the game. It’s been said that the best characters are instantly recognizable from their silhouette and to see him strive for that is refreshing. He wanted a simple color design and a body type that would be memorable. Elizabeth did not have to be beautiful, but people prefer to look at something pleasing.

That in itself is the best reason why women in games are almost universally gorgeous. Of course it’s idealized but gamers like having something nice to look at. Attractive men aren’t a necessity because male gamers usually project themselves within the main male character. As long as that character is cool or interesting, it doesn’t matter what they look like. Maybe someday that same line of thinking will include the female characters as well, but gaming hasn’t quite gotten to that point. The continued rise of the female gamer and the female developer will likely change that. It’s all about progress and perception in the end.

And to that same effect, even the best female characters are sometimes overly sexualized in their own games. Anytime Samus appears outside her armor, she’s in a skin tight bodysuit that leaves very little to the imagination. For the longest time it was even considered a reward to get her out of her suit. Players can have sex with Ashley Williams in each Mass Effect game if they make the right choices. Many view these choices as character development, but other may see it as the road to titillation. Madison Paige also has an ultimately pointless nude scene in her game. Gamers don’t need to take a shower when playing as her, but it was heavily advertised in all the preview material. And then there’s Alyx Vance, perhaps the greatest example of a strong female character. She’s never sexualized and players felt a strong connection to her because of how real she felt. It was a great step forward, but I have to wonder how much of it was undone when gamers used modding tools to undress her for the entire game.

As Ken Levine has discovered, even the best examples can be cheapened by a subset of gamers. But by no means should that discourage him or other developers from trying to create these meaningful women. Gaming is growing up and although there will always be those who use scantily clad women as a means of selling a game, it does not mean that tactic is guaranteed to work. The reaction to SoulCalibur V’s advertisement, at least in the US, has been mixed at best. Many are left wondering how good the gameplay will be if they have to use breasts to sell their game. In the end, gamers will flock to the games that are the most fun to play, not the ones with the biggest boobs.