A common argument against objectification of women in the medium is that male characters are equally objectified. To which Jim argues: "No, they're idealized, not objectified." He went on to say that this too was a problem.
It was a very well worded piece and I recommend watching it if you can stomach his style of "humor".
Ideals: Good or Bad?
While most moral people can agree that reducing a person to an object is wrong, holding someone up to an ideal should be preferred. But what do we mean by "ideals".One definition is an archetype or something that exists only in fantasy.
Another definition is a principle or value that one pursues as a goal. (wikipedia)
So an ideal is abstract and often used in characters to uphold said value. For game characters or heroes, that value often reflects the values held by the culture which is a mixed bag of good and evil.
For example, courage, strength and sacrifice are all values that game heroes often ascribe to. These are generally good. Other values such as womanizing, sarcasm and callousness are often portrayed as well.
A good character is generally a mix bag of virtues and vices. It's necessary for them to seem human or relatable to the audience.
Ideals and Idolatry
Idols are images that we worship or uphold that we believe support our system of values. To take an example outside of games, Team Edward or Team Jacob in Twilight fans illustrates this concept rather well. Large groups of people uphold Edward as the ideal lover for his qualities of protectiveness, focused attention and faithfulness. (Which most sane people translate to controlling, jealousy, and obsession.)There are many examples of our culture idolizing celebrity status for a myriad of values: beauty, singing talent, wealth, political standing, leadership, knowledge, etc.
The danger lies in setting that person as only that value. Placing the person as a goal to be attained. Which is often why we become disappointed when a celebrity does something completely human like cheat on their spouse or lies.
Holding a person to represent an ideal value perfectly is unrealistic. It turns them into "objects".
Ideal Characters
Characters set in a fantasy world are not human in the same sense that a celebrity is human. They can be vessels of values attained near perfectly. In morality stories, they work well to illustrate a moral value or lesson.The question becomes: Is this bad for games?
When considering an audience and the nature of the story told, it will be more or less effective. It's good for characters to uphold good values and overcome vices. Audiences generally like that sort of thing.
Conclusion
Art idealizes many things. The human form is made beautiful, but it does not exist in that way in our current reality. Simply because such perfection or idealization cannot exist in our reality does not mean we cannot hope for it in true reality (heaven).It is common in our culture to reject ideals because they're unrealistic. Realism is what matters most. It's a very utilitarian viewpoint.
Should video game characters be less idealized? Or perhaps should they portray different values?
