Fighting Stereotypes: 3 Of The Best Female Protagonists In Video Games

As of 2021, more than 45% of gamers in the US identify as female. Yet, this hasn’t changed the prevailing feeling that games are a men’s club. There’s still a large underrepresentation of women in video games, and for the longest time, female characters have mostly taken on the role of the damsel in distress in need of saving, with only a few female protagonists taking the stage. However, there seems to be a change on the horizon as more studios are introducing female characters into their games.

With this in mind, we want to appreciate some of the best female protagonists in video game history who break stereotypes. These impressive ladies show physical and mental strength and are walking proof that a woman is just as good a video game protagonist as a man.

Aloy – Horizon Series

Let’s start with a rather young addition to the roster of video game protagonists: Aloy, who took the world by storm in 2017 with the release of Horizon Zero Dawn. She immediately rose to stardom with her iconic red hair, her jaw-dropping skills with a bow and arrow, and her intelligence and determination to boot. Born and raised in a world reigned by monstrous robotic dinosaurs, she is on a dangerous mission to find out the truth about her past.

Aloy is much more than an average good-looking heroine. She’s a well-rounded character, with depth and personality. In both her games Horizon Zero Dawn and the newly released sequel Horizon Forbidden West, she shows what a strong and compelling female lead can be. She’s never objectified because of her gender, which strengthens the normalization of women as protagonists in games. Aloy’s stardom will soon continue outside the video game realm, with Netflix currently developing a TV adaptation of the story, bringing Aloy onto the silver screen.

Lara Croft – Tomb Raider Series

Being recognized as the “Most Successful Human Video Game Heroine” by the Guinness Book of World Records, she’s a protagonist who truly holds her own: Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series first appeared in 1996 and quickly became an icon with her passion for archeology, love for adventures, and flawless ability to eliminate bad guys. While her curvy body and scarce clothing were her trademarks in the early days, the character has evolved tremendously over the years. Now, her strong will, empathetic personality, and insatiable curiosity – on top of her outstanding killer abilities – are much more emphasized.

Besides the main series, she starred in many spin-off games, such as the mobile endless runner Lara Croft: Relic Run and the turn-based puzzle game Lara Croft Go. She has even had an impact on online slots around the world. Online casinos are known for offering a wide variety of slots with all kinds of topics. Proving Lara’s international reach, even the best online casinos in India, which have been reviewed and rated by experts, include slots such as the Lara Croft Temples and Tombs slot within their game libraries. With her immense popularity around the globe, Lara Croft might just be the queen of female video game protagonists.

Jill Valentine – Resident Evil Series

Another star in the night’s sky of female protagonists is Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series. Making her debut in 1996 as one of two playable characters, she has since become the face of several of the series’ entries. With her military background and her outstanding zombie slayer skills, nobody ever doubts that she’s an equal among her S.T.A.R.S team members, who is just as capable and strong as her male counterpart.

Besides her fearlessness and ability to survive in a horrific zombie apocalypse, she’s a driven woman with strong beliefs she’s ready to stand up for. Jill Valentine isn’t just loved by audiences, and always earning universal acclaim, she was also the first playable female lead in the entire survival horror genre, truly earning her a spot in the top rankings of the best female video game characters ever.

While this list is in no way conclusive, these three strong ladies are great examples of how powerful a female lead in a video game can be. There is still a lot to be done for female representation in games, but characters such as them are helping turn the tide – hopefully, in the future, there will be a lot more strong female video game protagonists to point to.