Better stories, stronger characters and more involved game play have assured that 21st century gaming will become known for its innovation and style.
In this era of improvement, more women have become involved in gaming as well, causing game companies to target this new and lucrative market.
According to Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of gamers today are women, causing many people to wonder why so many women are becoming interested in video games.
The infamously unrealistic women like Ivy from Soul Caliber and the insufficiently clothed girls from the Dead or Alive series are slowly being phased out of many games, which may be a factor. Critically acclaimed female characters like Alyx Vance from Half-life and Elena Fisher from the Uncharted series are slowly beginning to take over the industry.
Even everyone's favorite tomb raider, Lara Croft, is undergoing a major redesign in favor of a more realistic look.
"We don't want to play sexuality up for sexuality's sake," said brand manager Karl Stewart, according to the GamesRadar website.
The same site also has test information provided by Stewart about the general reaction to the new design, which reveals that, while the old design drew attention to the characters' breasts and hips, in the new design 'people spent most of the time piercing her eyes.'
Justin Patterson, GameStop employee, said he feels that women may be getting involved because it is such a cheap, easy source of entertainment.
"I pay the price for the system one time, and I've got daily entertainment for a few hours that I don't have to spend gas to go out and do," Patterson said. "I don't have to spend $9 at the movies. In the long run, I think it's cheaper."
Whatever the reason, it is becoming more accepted for women to play video games. Games like Demon Souls, an RPG that won several awards in 2009, are beginning to add findable items that only female characters can use.
Even more games, like Mass Effect, are adding game content, including the ability to explore relationships with certain characters, which is a feature only available to female characters. Many are wondering about the game companies' new attention to their female audiences.
"It's probably because the world's changing," said GameStop employee Phoenicia Jackson. "It's OK for us to do a lot of things compared to 10 or 20 years ago."
Jackson also said games targeted specifically toward women don't particularly sell well, and targeting women in the advertisements for other, more mainstream games may be a more effective strategy.
The most hostile place for female gamers in the market seems to be in the multi-player arena. Ashley White, a GameStop employee who has participated in several competitive gaming tournaments, said the welcome she received from the male players was lukewarm at best.
"With me being right in there with them, most of them weren't very happy about it," White said. "Some of them thought that it was cool, but some of the were just like, 'What are you doing here?'''
Jackson, who plays multi-player in World of Warcraft, said although some guys are not entirely accepting of her presence, she is glad to prove she can match their skill in the games she plays.
"It's encouraging to be female and playing games like that," Jackson said.
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