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No Female Lead in GTA V: A Missed Opportunity for Rockstar

By on November 9, 2012

Like every gamer in existence – I can’t wait to get my hands on GTA V. But I feel like Rockstar missed a huge opportunity to shake things up. Once again their latest effort takes place in a male dominated world. Obviously women don’t steal cars, rob banks, murder people, pay for tail, and then gun down the gigolo for a refund – that would be unrealistic. Sigh, here’s why a female lead in GTA V wouldn’t have been such a bad idea.

Many feel that Rockstar shouldn’t be forced to include a female character just to pander to certain groups of gamers (I’m looking at you FemShep lovers). And they’re correct; including a female lead character just for the sake of including one is a bad idea.

The reason they should have added one is because she could have breathed new life into the franchise and presented the studio with a new challenge. Everyone knows Rockstar is the master of open world crime games and that they can emulate movies like Scarface and Boyz n the Hood.

A playable female character would have gave them an opportunity to explore stories that are mostly untouched in crime dramas. I hate to say this, but the three male leads already look like characters we’ve seen a million times before. How many times have we’ve heard stories about people who try to escape a life of crime only to be drawn back in?

Here’s something we don’t see often, how about a housewife that’s forced to take up a life of crime to support her family? Or how about a high school graduate who is accepted into an Ivy League college, but she has to do a few odd jobs to pay her tuition? Sure these aren’t the most original ideas, but neither is former gangster’s past comes back to hunt him.

The gaming industry needs more strong female leads, and Rockstar could turn a female criminal into their best character to date. It would be a homerun if handled correctly (she has to be real an non-sexualized). We’ve seen countless men and minorities struggle in urban environments; it’s time to highlight something new.

Honestly it feels a little lazy on Rockstar’s part. There are three main characters; a female one wouldn’t have ruined the game. This would have been the perfect opportunity to test the waters and see how gamers react to a female lead.

Instead they decided to keep women in support roles and as eye-candy. “Check out the picture of the blonde with the fake iPhone — damn she’s hot?” Unfortunately this is the role most women play in the series. Why do you think Rockstar released that image and the one with the female cop roughing up the same girl? It’s all about the sex appeal. They had a chance to change this with the inclusion of a strong female lead, but they decided to continue to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Maybe next time…

I'm DeShaun Zollicoffer, and I approve this message/bio. "26-years-old, Proud Northeast Ohioan, a Gamer Without Loyalties, an Equal Opportunity Offender, Apple Evangelist, Apple Hater, Music Lover, Anime Junkie, Little Monster, Frequent Flyer, Dexter Fanatic, Title Case Addict, and Geek Revolt's Founder and Editorial Director."
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  • Joe

    lol, the number of people that are already complaining about the game is ridiculous enough as it is. Throw a female lead into the mix, and you’d never hear the end of it.

    “It just isn’t GTA. Game is ruined.”

    • http://www.geekrevolt.com/ DeShaun Zollicoffer

      I doubt they say that since there would still be two male characters :)

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Lamens-Mari/100003356665563 Steven Lamens-Mari

        I have to agree with you DeShaun this was a missed opportunity from a business standpoint especially. There lots of gamer girls out there and I’m sure tons of them would have like to see a female choice in the series.

    • Howitzer

      Men are so fucking entitled. When you still have TWO OTHER CHARACTERS, and playing as a woman is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, you still would boycott the game. God you are such a selfish fucking pig. Not only do you want to play as a man, you get happiness by going out of your way to MAKE SURE that women can’t play as women. And when you see women losing oppurtunities and being oppressed, Ah, Now THAT’S rockstar!

      • http://www.geekrevolt.com/ DeShaun Zollicoffer

        Yup, that’s why I said “Honestly it feels a little lazy on Rockstar’s part. There are three main characters; a female one wouldn’t have ruined the game. This would have been the perfect opportunity to test the waters and see how gamers react to a female lead.”

        One female lead wouldn’t have meant the end of the free world.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Henny-Winkelman/100001435711434 Henny Winkelman

    Oh piss off, you’re the problem in this scene.

    if females want to be in games, let them start a gameing studio and cry feminism from their own, instead of poisoning weak ass fools like you to do the work for them.

    Let me tell you something you are going to find out years from now bro…..
    Trying to defend women isnt going to get you laid, and if you’re gay (my bet) then go fuck yourself and play some GTA4′s Gay Toney.

    • http://www.geekrevolt.com/ DeShaun Zollicoffer

      Best Comment Ever! I kid you not, this is better than being called a “non-gamer”.

      No one’s trying to be a white knight, find where I said they should add female characters to appeal to more female gamers? I’m saying they should add one because it gives them a chance to tell a different kind of story.

      And I’m the problem you say? Sure, I’m the one with the problem. Man you look way to old to be acting like a 12-year-old brat on Xbox Live.

  • Guest

    Oh piss off, you’re the problem…

    If females want to be in games, let them start a gameing studio and cry feminism from their own platform, instead of poisoning weak ass droopy fools like you, to do the work for them.

    Let me tell you something you are going to find out years from now…..
    You’re a man who got mind fucked into playing for the female team…
    Trying to defend women isnt going to get you laid, and if you’re gay (my bet) then go fuck yourself and play some GTA4′s Gay Toney.

    Females need to start investing into their own shit, instead of bitching and moaning about equality, What the fuck is EQUAL in a man moving out of the way for a female in any sector?
    Thats not equall, thats opression.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Henny-Winkelman/100001435711434 Henny Winkelman

    Oh piss off, you’re the problem…

    If females want to be in games, let them start a gameing studio and cry feminism from their own platform, instead of poisoning weak ass droopy fools like you, to do the work for them.

    Let me tell you something you are going to find out years from now…..
    You’re a man who got mind fucked into playing for the female team…
    Trying to defend women isnt going to get you laid, and if you’re gay (my bet) then go fuck yourself and play some GTA4′s Gay Toney.

    Females need to start investing into their own shit, instead of bitching and moaning about equality, What the fuck is EQUAL in a man moving out of the way for a female in any sector?
    Thats not equall, thats opression.

    Missed oppertunity my ass, give the chicks some DLC and see how well it sells.

    • http://www.geekrevolt.com/ DeShaun Zollicoffer

      Stop posting the same comment, dude. We get it you’re a man-child who hates women, blah, blah.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Lamens-Mari/100003356665563 Steven Lamens-Mari

      Hmmmmm…. i dont think i can take you seriously with the name Henny Winkelman. I guess you’re mom must have lost some brain cells before she came up with that one (probably from your dad hitting her over the head). Ohhhhhh i get it! Thats why you hate women so much; you’re dad taught you how using your mom as the example……..U MAD BRO?

    • Kayli

      That’s the pot calling the kettle black. If you hate women that badly, then you could never be with one, and have no place calling DeShaun gay. As for having the option of female leads in games, it’s usually not in the main interest of female players. Notice that the women in games usually
      have boulder sized boobs and huge asses, covered with little more than a
      square of cloth. That’s because MEN like to look leer at them as they
      go through the game. I know several men, in fact, that will use women
      characters because of how hot they are. If I remember correctly, this
      series capitalizes on things such as drugs and hookers, and very few
      males wouldn’t be interested in having their female character go pick up
      a hooker for some girl-on-girl action. If I was to make a guess as to
      which games YOU play, it would simply be COD. Probably because you like a
      world filled strictly with men and like to pretend that you’re a manly
      man instead of a sexist pig sitting in his parent’s house with only his
      hand and men in army suits to keep him company.

    • Howitzer

      That’s not oppression. If that’s the closest thing to “oppression” you’ll ever face, you stupid smiling frat bro doofus, then your life is cushy as fuck.

    • Howitzer

      THERE’S MORE REASONS TO SUPPORT WOMEN THAN JUST THE POSSIBILITY OF VAGINA, WHICH YOU IMPLIED IS THE ONLY REASON EVER TO HELP WOMEN.

  • Howitzer

    I hate men so much. How is it that when you publish an article that says “Hey guys, maybe you can have two characters, and women could have just one?” and they get angry? How the hell can that anger them? Having twice as many as women STILL isn’t enough?! How the hell can they defend the position of 3 men 0 women?! ugh, stupid cavemen idiots.