Women in video games is a topic that is frequently discussed – especially when they are sexualized. Rainbow Six Siege does everything right here. Or at least right enough to be listed as a positive example of the topic of sexualization in an ethics textbook.
What kind of textbook is this? In an ethics textbook from Korea, a picture of the Rainbow operator Valkyrie appears. This was noted by the reddit user reptydecrew, who showcased the image in his post.
According to another user who partially translated the text in the image, the chapter deals with gender or sexual commercialization and pornography. Valkyrie serves here as one of two examples that readers want to discuss “how they think about these game characters” (via reddit).
Even though this is an assignment where interpretation and discussion should take place, it is clear that Valkyrie serves as a “positive” example of how women can be portrayed in video games without being sexualized.
Who is the operator? Meghan J. “Valkyrie” Castellano is a defender in Rainbow Six Siege who can monitor large areas of the map with cameras. She is one of the more popular operators in the game due to her useful abilities and balanced gameplay.
Before joining Rainbow, Valkyrie was part of the US Navy SEALs according to her backstory, the Navy’s special forces. She studied computer science with a focus on security and encryption, which is why her military role was primarily reconnaissance.
By the way: The headscarf that Valkyrie wears is not a religious and concealing hijab. It serves as protection from the sun, as the agent often operated in hot desert regions. Such scarves (“Shemagh” or “Keffiyeh”) are commonly used in hot regions by both women and men.
“Siege does the whole male/female thing perfectly”
The image sparked a large discussion in the Rainbow Six subreddit. After just one day, the topic received over 25,000 upvotes and more than 670 comments. The discussion seems to occupy the community a lot.
Many agree that Rainbow Six handles gender in the game very well. It doesn’t matter what gender an operator is, as long as they perform. The user mingusrude states:
Siege does the whole male/female thing perfectly. There are characters of both genders, but their gender does not matter in their strengths and weaknesses […] From my perspective, it is important to have both genders in a game for the sole reason of representation, and Siege hits the nail on the head.
mingusrude on reddit.
The user Fr0glol also agrees: “Very good example. Characters need to be created so that their appearance aligns with what they actually do” (via reddit). Other good examples of women who are not sexualized would be Mira, Clash, Gridlock, or Nøkk.
However, there are also some women in Rainbow Six who look “sexy” – like Iana or Ela, whose backsides players say are quite pronounced. However, that’s not as bad, as the user Takoma_d notes:
As a woman who plays competitive video games, I’m very grateful to Siege. It’s the only game where I don’t constantly roll my eyes at every design of female characters. Sure, Ela has a big butt, and Iana has a pose that shows off her rear, but neither of them is hypersexualized; they are just ‘thicc’ girls within realistic bounds.
Takoma_d on reddit.
Rainbow Six Siege: So seht ihr die Deutsche Liga
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The discussion about women in video games and gaming has been going on for some time. Apparently, Rainbow Six is a good example here, but in other games and studios this has not yet caught on. In 2018, for example, there was a larger discussion in League of Legends:
Riot admits: New LoL heroine Kai’Sa is “unnecessarily sexualized”
