Dan Houser about no female Protagonists - OXM

[iNero]

 

Ben's already written a piece about this excellent Guardian feature on GTA 5, but I wanted to single out a remark from Rockstar co-founder and writer Dan Houser about the game's lack of playable female characters. It's just a sentence, but it's the first time I've actually read anything from a GTA 5 developer that's relevant to the debate about the console industry's notorious aversion to female protagonists, which has become increasingly prominent in the past few months.

For context, the game features three playable male characters - up-from-the-ghetto Franklin, burned-out ex-con Michael and the psychopathic Trevor. In a first for the series, you'll be able to switch between them instantly, for different perspectives on the same series of events. "Having three protagonists allows us to create nuanced stories, not a set of archetypes," Houser explains in the piece. "Rather than seeming like you've got this super-criminal who can do everything effortlessly, they're all good and bad at different things.

"We liked the idea of a protagonist retiring with a family, and how awful that would be," he observed of Michael in particular. "We've never done anything like that and you don't really see it in games - to feed into these concepts of parenting and pseudo-parenting."

GTA 5's script runs to 1,000 pages, and the smaller narratives woven into its colossal west coast setting are the product of fearfully in-depth research. "We spent a minimum of 100 days in Los Angeles on research trips, probably more," Houser commented. "Out and about, all night long with weird people, strange cops showing us around, a lot of first-hand research.

"We spoke to FBI agents that have been undercover, experts in the Mafia, street gangsters who know the slang - we even went to see a proper prison. These poor buggers in the middle of the salt flat desert, miles away. It was eye-openingly depressing."

Given these ambitions and Rockstar's perennial taste for social commentary, the absence of a female lead seems a strange omission - a missed opportunity to contribute to an important discussion. As Houser fleetingly observes elsewhere in the piece, however, "the concept of being masculine was so key to this story". Naturally, it's impossible to judge this remark without playing the game through, but still - what do you think?

Read Jonty's GTA 5 gameplay preview for more on the single player, and step this way for details of the multiplayer. It's not clear whether you can create a female character in multiplayer - this seems probable, however, given that you could create a female multiplayer character in GTA 4.

 

http://www.oxm.co.uk/62001/why-doesnt-gta-5-have-a-female-protagonist-a-brief-explanation-from-rockstars-houser/

 

 

Just C&Ped it

Edited September 9, 2013 by iNero

[BullworthAcademy]

I wanted a female protagonist.

[r34ld34l]

I though you C&P it, I didn't know you can copy and paste colors.

[DaRkL3AD3R]

I'm f*cking sick and tired of this feminist agenda.

 

You women want a lead character in a GTA so badly? Enjoy when she's a post op tranny, since ya know those are women too apparently. Sick f*cks.

[Don Sal Leone]

TBH i dont really care what gender the character is. Just how good the story/gameplay is.

[exmpletree]

Well you can in GTA Online...

[DeafMetal]

To be fair, most of the people who would enjoy a female protag would be straight males who like watching her ass animations. Most of the women wanting a female protag probably don't play games to begin with.

 

Still though, it wouldn't hurt to have one in a future entry.

[matsix]

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Edited September 9, 2013 by matsix

[DaRkL3AD3R]

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Exactly, they won't fit.

 

Unless they change the name from GTA to something else. Last time I checked you almost always have to physically rip someone out of a car in a GTA game to perform the action that the title of the game is named after. How can a naturally born female weighing in at less than 120lbs and standing at a mighty 5'3, rip a grown adult male out of his car against his will?

 

The answer: she can't.

 

But MUH FEMINISM and MUH EQUALITY. It's a f*cking video game. It tells a story that the writers want. But because these social justice c*nts push so hard for this sh*t in videogames as if it matters, now you better believe this will be the last GTA game to not have it's content be forcefully altered due to these social justice c*nts. They will eventually break down and shoe-horn a female character into the game just because the feminazis and transgender wackjobs demand it. Unbelievable.

[Realistic Steak Cult]

What about hookers and strip clubs then?

[Market Basket]

I'm f*cking sick and tired of this feminist agenda.

 

You women want a lead character in a GTA so badly? Enjoy when she's a post op tranny, since ya know those are women too apparently. Sick f*cks.

This I f*cking hate feminist

[DwnShft2Xcelr8]

What about hookers and strip clubs then?

Pretty much this. I'd hate for features like that to be removed because people want a female protagonist.

 

I feel like R* might accommodate this request in a future installment of GTA, but it'd be stupid because the women who ask for it don't even play video games.

[BullworthAcademy]

I'm f*cking sick and tired of this feminist agenda.

 

You women want a lead character in a GTA so badly? Enjoy when she's a post op tranny, since ya know those are women too apparently. Sick f*cks.

How about you let people want what they want and GTFO.

[DaRkL3AD3R]

 

What about hookers and strip clubs then?

Pretty much this. I'd hate for features like that to be removed because people want a female protagonist.

 

I feel like R* might accommodate this request in a future installment of GTA, but it'd be stupid because the women who ask for it don't even play video games.

 

They WILL accommodate this in the next GTA. Mark my words. The heavy push from the social justice crowd started towards the end of GTA V's development, not nearly enough time to make massive changes to the story, dialogue etc. Next GTA we will have a female protagonist, calling it now.

 

Especially once GTA V launches and the feminazis blow up all over it. Just wait. They're already trying to rip down the king, Kojima, for his design of Quiet. And they made Ben Yahtzee apologize for his transgender comment in one of his reviews. That man NEVER apologizes for sh*t no matter how offensive over the last decade. But these f*cking social justice c*nts? They're like a plague, they make everyone bow before their will. It's unbelievable.

[selamkardas]

_{thanks to R' no female protagan}

[DaRkL3AD3R]

 

I'm f*cking sick and tired of this feminist agenda.

 

You women want a lead character in a GTA so badly? Enjoy when she's a post op tranny, since ya know those are women too apparently. Sick f*cks.

How about you let people want what they want and GTFO.

 

By your logic then people should be entitled to want what they want, and not have to worry about bowing before these social justice fa**ots. Dan Houser should want male protagonists in his games and no one should be allowed to force him into changing it to females just to appease other people.

 

But guess what? It'll happen. Because there is no equality here. These people, the LGBT crowd and feminists, they are above you and me. They have more rights than us. Their words carry more weight. The irony is incredibly strong with this one.

[Fuzzknuckles]

I'm f*cking sick and tired of this feminist agenda.

 

You women want a lead character in a GTA so badly? Enjoy when she's a post op tranny, since ya know those are women too apparently. Sick f*cks.

 

Sick f*cks, to want to play as a female character?

 

Calm yourself down, go sit on the naughty step and think about what you've done.

[BoyzNGroveStreet]

R* should take another note from Saints Row and let the player design their protag.. just sayin

[Andreas]

I though you C&P it, I didn't know you can copy and paste colors.

That is a feature of the new forum software. You can copy content from another websites, and paste it here; the code stays the same, which includes font sizes, colours, italics, bold parts, et cetera.

[iNero]

R* should take another note from Saints Row and let the player design their protag.. just sayin

 

and have a story with any depth and point?

 

Saints Row is a different game. Saints Row is good in its own aspects and customization is one of them.

GTA is more about authencity and story

[GTAVTheHeat]

Well we can play as whoever we want when GTA Online comes out, don't know what all the fuss is about. Why don't people get upset when action movies feature male protagonists? Its no longer about equality but rather sexism and feminism at this point.

 

And if anyone wants to flame me then remember this, a story is a story that doesn't have to bend to your will and what you want. If they want to tell a story about all males, so be it, the real outcry should come if they decide to feature all male characters when GTA Online comes out because those are our avatars and should not be infringed on. But as far as story elements go, their choice is their choice. If you want to cry about it don't buy the game.

[RastaMentality]

 

 

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Exactly, they won't fit.

 

Unless they change the name from GTA to something else. Last time I checked you almost always have to physically rip someone out of a car in a GTA game to perform the action that the title of the game is named after. How can a naturally born female weighing in at less than 120lbs and standing at a mighty 5'3, rip a grown adult male out of his car against his will?

 

The answer: she can't.

 

But MUH FEMINISM and MUH EQUALITY. It's a f*cking video game. It tells a story that the writers want. But because these social justice c*nts push so hard for this sh*t in videogames as if it matters, now you better believe this will be the last GTA game to not have it's content be forcefully altered due to these social justice c*nts. They will eventually break down and shoe-horn a female character into the game just because the feminazis and transgender wackjobs demand it. Unbelievable.

This is dumb on so many levels.

[s-u-r-y-a]

It's not impossible to have one female protagonist out of 3 ones but for this GTA they chosed to have only male ones and I have nothing against both possibilities. It's already an improvement to have female officers, MAYBE even female criminals (Ballas, The Lost?)

[DaRkL3AD3R]

 

 

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Exactly, they won't fit.

 

Unless they change the name from GTA to something else. Last time I checked you almost always have to physically rip someone out of a car in a GTA game to perform the action that the title of the game is named after. How can a naturally born female weighing in at less than 120lbs and standing at a mighty 5'3, rip a grown adult male out of his car against his will?

 

The answer: she can't.

 

But MUH FEMINISM and MUH EQUALITY. It's a f*cking video game. It tells a story that the writers want. But because these social justice c*nts push so hard for this sh*t in videogames as if it matters, now you better believe this will be the last GTA game to not have it's content be forcefully altered due to these social justice c*nts. They will eventually break down and shoe-horn a female character into the game just because the feminazis and transgender wackjobs demand it. Unbelievable.

This is dumb on so many levels.

 

Good counter argument there, Sparky. You've really proven how you're so much more intelligent from that post.

[Showstopper 26]

 

 

 

 

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Exactly, they won't fit.

 

Unless they change the name from GTA to something else. Last time I checked you almost always have to physically rip someone out of a car in a GTA game to perform the action that the title of the game is named after. How can a naturally born female weighing in at less than 120lbs and standing at a mighty 5'3, rip a grown adult male out of his car against his will?

 

The answer: she can't.

 

But MUH FEMINISM and MUH EQUALITY. It's a f*cking video game. It tells a story that the writers want. But because these social justice c*nts push so hard for this sh*t in videogames as if it matters, now you better believe this will be the last GTA game to not have it's content be forcefully altered due to these social justice c*nts. They will eventually break down and shoe-horn a female character into the game just because the feminazis and transgender wackjobs demand it. Unbelievable.

This is dumb on so many levels.

 

Good counter argument there, Sparky. You've really proven how you're so much more intelligent from that post.

[TaviColen123]

R* should take another note from Saints Row and let the player design their protag.. just sayin

Thats one of the main reasons their stories are crap, because their characters dont have any personalities of their own. Rockstar crafts their characters well not like Voilition who let characters have pink hair or whatever because its so funny in their puny brains .

Edited September 9, 2013 by TaviColen123

[AlmightyHabbib]

 

I honestly just don't feel like a female protagonist would fit a gta game...

 

Just make a female character when online comes out...

Exactly, they won't fit.

 

Unless they change the name from GTA to something else. Last time I checked you almost always have to physically rip someone out of a car in a GTA game to perform the action that the title of the game is named after. How can a naturally born female weighing in at less than 120lbs and standing at a mighty 5'3, rip a grown adult male out of his car against his will?

 

The answer: she can't.

 

But MUH FEMINISM and MUH EQUALITY. It's a f*cking video game. It tells a story that the writers want. But because these social justice c*nts push so hard for this sh*t in videogames as if it matters, now you better believe this will be the last GTA game to not have it's content be forcefully altered due to these social justice c*nts. They will eventually break down and shoe-horn a female character into the game just because the feminazis and transgender wackjobs demand it. Unbelievable.

 

You say it won't fit, but you only say so, because there was never a female lead in the game, but it doesn't mean it wouldn't fit if there was... Just like surely you would've said before any news of GTAV that a retired mafioso with a family is not fit for a lead, because you never saw one before in a GTA, but got used to the idea since the announcement of the first trailer. And as of physical limitation, it may be a problem in real life, but not in a game, no sir. Though I agree, that all these feminists and equal rights zealots only complain just because they can, because they want attention and to be a pain in the ass of everyone who hears their views.

[Frantz Fuchs]

I though you C&P it, I didn't know you can copy and paste colors.

Now you do.

[PhilosophyPanda]

I don't necessarily hate all feminists, just the extreme ones and I'm all for equality in a modern society. But Jesus fu*king Christ, I wish people could give it a rest with the lack of female protagonists in video games. Female protagonists will surely be implemented if the developers feel that it's the right choice in terms of the story.

[PowerKracker]

I agree with the whole physical aspect.

If we want a female protagonist in a game like this, she'd have to be a doped-up East German swimmer.