Shallow Depths

If you are bothered by ten-year-old television spoilers you might want to skip this entry.

I have a large X-files box set, which I've been working my way through at a rate of approximately one episode per day for, well, quite a while now. I am currently in Series 7, and just watched the episode "First Person Shooter". In this episode, Mulder and Scully investigate a virtual reality game which has somehow started killing people for real.

The X-files is not a show that always takes itself too seriously, and that is fine by me. I'm happy to ignore the ridiculousness in a lot of the cases investigated. However, in this particular example they really missed their mark for me, and First Person Shooter may well be my least favourite episode. Which is sad, given my interest in gaming, and love of geeky episodes and the lone gunmen. The episode is even written by William Gibson, which I would have thought was a good sign.

I think the X-files in general does quite a good job of portraying an equal partnership, and exploring gender dynamics in a relatively genuine way. They don't always get everything right, but Dana Scully remains one of the best examples of a strong female character I encountered during my teenage years. So, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth when they decide to cheapen those dynamics.

In FPS, Scully spends a lot of time ranting about testosterone fantasies, and arguing against the possible merits of violent games. Meanwhile, Mulder effectively regresses to adolescence and gets very excited at the prospect of running into the simulation all-guns-blazing.

It's as if the mere use of video games as subject matter makes it okay to hype up gender stereotypes. And I don't consider that okay. Not even ten years ago when this episode was aired.

If there is a twist (and in the realm of X-files there is usually a twist) it's that the sexy virtual assassin woman causing all the problems was not created as a man's fantasy. Rather, she was a female developer's reaction to working in a testosterone-dominated environment. She was her "goddess", designed as a source of strength. In the scheme of plot twists it wasn't a very important one.

Ultimately it's Scully who has to kick enough arse to bail Mulder out, but that's a rather tired girl-power story. I've become accustomed to something better than that (though I will admit she looks pretty cool...).

I know video games are still finding their feet when it comes to gender. It would be pretty stupid of me to try and claim otherwise, and I do think it's important to address that. But that doesn't mean games should be portrayed as though they cannot ever be divorced from gender imbalance. Sadly, I'm not convinced that in a similar scenario created today would be any better. That is really quite upsetting, and it's stories like these that give non-gamers of the world skewed perceptions. We can all do better than that.

It must be time for a post about Borderlands.

I don't usually play first-person shooters. But after all the raving on Screen Play I decided to give Borderlands a go. Besides, add some character classes, levels and a talent tree and I'm much more in my comfort zone.

I have the PS3 version, for one simple reason: split-screen co-op. Yelling between rooms just isn't the same as settling down with my partner on the couch. What this actually involved, of course, was a romantic evening of him getting shot and me running around saving his arse. Plus glaring at him whenever he started to pick up a hick accent.

Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but snipers do seem to die a bit.

I was surprised at how much fun Borderlands was, and that inclines me to overlook some problems. I experienced a recurring graphical bug where the sky would start flashing bright pink and orange. Often just on my side of the screen, so I'm sure the game hates me. So, I guess that was my trade-off for wanting the split-screen experience instead of the more standard online multiplayer. Inventory management and comparing weapons was very messy. But I loved the cel-shaded graphics, and I enjoyed setting people on fire or coating them in acid possibly a little too much.

The TV series Firefly has probably made me more receptive to futuristic/space western as a genre, and I liked to pretend sometimes I was on a rim world in that universe. No real connection, but I don't have a lot of other experiences that easily compare. Borderlands keeps things very simple story-wise, but I think they did a good job of the general feel of the place.

I'm actually very glad there was such a focus on the co-op elements in this game, because it meant the lacklustre ending didn't bother me quite as much. I was focusing less on the story and more on just having a fun time with the gameplay. But it was still very disappointing.

Next on my list of games Screenies talked about so much I feel I should play them: the original Bioshock.