- GDC 2014 speaker Michelle Clough exhorts developers to critically examine how they design their male and female characters. The sexualization of female characters is a controversial topic in the game industry, but their counterparts, sexualized male characters are rarely discussed, and even more rarely created. Writer Michelle Clough gave an excellent talk addressing the subject during the GDC 2014 Narrative Summit in which she examines desirable men in video games, how they contrast with current trends in male character design, and how they can create a more welcoming atmosphere for straight women, gay men and others. Clough also delved into non-Western cultural standards and shared practical advice on how developers can move beyond "male gaze" when writing male characters while avoiding "equal objectification" in an effort to better equip writers and designers to make exciting, evocative games. It's a fun talk so we've gone ahead and embedded the free video of "Fewer Tifas, or More Sephiroths? Male Sexualization in Games " above, but you can also watch it here on the GDC Vault.

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