Portal as a Feminist Statement

Generally, first-person shooter games are considered “masculine.” The weapon of choice is an obvious stand-in for the phallus, and the game usually puts the hero in a “search, kill, conquer” situation. But the game Portal, which was released on PlayStation 3 this past week, seems to be made of something different.

Video games are the key to unlocking gender difference?

According to a study at the University of Toronto, women rapidly improved their spatial abilities by playing videogames.

Videogame Heroines

by Andy Lemke Ah, videogame heroines and their unrealistic proportions and impractical outfits. Erin Hoffman writes of her desire, as well as other female game designers desire, for more realistic portrayals of female videogame characters.