Awful women deserve better games

Under the double standards of patriarchy, women have far less latitude to plumb the depths of moral iniquity than men. This isn’t exactly news. Fictional women who venture into the realm of gray morality are treated like two-dimensional objects in a morality play, fit to be brutally punished to set an example, while the exceptions to this rule often come with some pretty serious caveats.

Feminist moral philosopher Susan F. Parsons calls this the “loss of the person,” a process that comes about as a result of the relative moral latitude men enjoy under patriarchy. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of games, especially in the indie space, that skilfully rebuke this trend, offering flawed, complex women who are allowed to live up to and face the consequences of their less-than-ideal actions, rather than being objectified as the targets for excessive moral punishment. 

However, before we can get to these more mature titles, we first need to confront what we’re up against. 

Back when story-driven action RPG Final Fantasy 16 hit our shelves in 2023, I enjoyed my time with the game, but the paper-thin portrayal of the title’s female villains made my skin crawl. 

The writing of the character Anabella Rosfield, mother to protagonist Clive, offered a hamfisted attempt at a Machiavellian villain who strives to gather political influence at the expense of those around her. We are offered no real glimpse into her motivation (beyond facile allusions to a vague lust for power), and, most distasteful of all, once the story discards her in favor of a ‘true’ villain, she suffers a psychotic break, which uncomfortably reminded me of problematic portrayals of ‘female hysteria.’