The original games were unrealistic in that LC had the proportions of a sex doll rather than a real person. Part of that is just that the technology back then could not do a realistic looking woman, it had to be a cartoon of some sort so they chose a sexy cartoon. Not ideal, but somewhat reasonable given the limited options. Now technology is more advanced and they can make her look more realistic. I think that’s a good thing, and I’m happy to hear they are making her look like an athletic woman rather than a playboy model.

The issue about being in a situation where she might get raped really depends on how it’s handled in the game. The sad reality is that females in combat situations not only have to worry about all the same violence males also encounter, but if they get captured it is likely that they could be raped. It’s terrible but it’s sadly a real risk. So if she is captured in the game and they are making a realistic game that’s not targeted at kids, then exploring the risk of being raped is something I think they should do. It’s a painful situation, but maybe it will help bring more awareness to the real risk of rape faced by female soldiers, doctors, aid workers, and others who go into dangerous areas of the world.

Of course, I hope they treat the issue in a serious way, not some stupid juvenile jokes. The person in the interview talked about how the player would want to help LC, as if she were a 3rd person. That sounds a bit odd to me. Most people playing first-person games don’t see the main character as someone else, instead they see the character as themselves. For example, they don’t say “oh, Commander Shepard went through the omega really and stopped the collectors”, but instead they say “I went through…” So what happens if a man is playing a female character that gets raped in the game? I suspect the male will feel violated and upset. Obviously not anywhere near what a woman would feel in real life! But I think it is the sort of thing that could actually help men be more sympathetic to rape issues.