Most of the games that I have play are the action adventure type with some sort of definite mission
which usually involves puzzle solving to get through the game. 

Adventure games and role-playing games (RPGs) are actually quite similar.

The main difference seems to be that adventure games involve more puzzles (or problems to solve) and less combat.

The other thing is that adventure games generally come with just one predefined playable character, which is only viewable if the game has a 3rd person view.  And some adventure games, like "Myst" never even show what your character looks like.

I like to see my character (also called an avatar), and I really need to identify with her.

So I only look for adventure games that have a female for the main character.

The problem is that there are very few really good female characters.

Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series is probably the best known female character in any game.

The Original Lara Croft from "Tomb Raider"

The problem is (as you can see) that Laura is more than just a bit overdeveloped.

Goodness how is someone built like that going to be able to do any serious adventuring?

Is it even possible to run with THAT much upper body weight?

This is the problem with most female characters - plus the fact that they are often very underdressed.

It's really hard to identify with a Barbie-built-bimbo character.

Cate Archer from "No One Lives Forever"

Cate Archer, in "No One Lives Forever", was a much better character.

She had a fairly realistic figure and wore more normal clothing (well, normal for the 1960's).

And it was fun to play a game as a sexy spy character.

My all-time favorite character is still April Ryan, from "The Longest Journey"

(which is my second favorite game - right after Morrowind).

April Ryan in "The Longest Journey"

April is a spunky, enthusiastic, sarcastic, 18-year old art student, who finds herself in the unlikely position of a hero.

Finally a female character with normal proportions, who actually wears regular clothing - as in jeans and t-shirt!

This is a long, involved game, with an engrossing plot, quirky characters, and complicated puzzles to solve.

The funny thing was that this game was almost not released in the US, because they didn't think that it would sell well here.

But it finally made it here late in 2000 and it became the single best selling action adventure game ever made.

A sequel, called "Dreamfall", was released in 2006.

The three playable characters of "Dreamfall"

April Ryan (all grown up now), 20-year-old Zoë Castillo, and the mysterious Kian.

For me "Dreamfall" just isn't as good of a game as "The Longest Journey".

Don't get me wrong, because it is a pretty good adventure game and the graphics are very well done.

My biggest complaint is that the interface is clunky, especially when compared to games like Morrowind and Oblivion.

I found it extremely difficult to make my characters go where I wanted them to,

so I was constantly running poor Zoë into walls . . . being frustrated all the time takes away from much of the fun.
 

Up until a few years ago I hadn't had much experience in role-playing games (RPG's).

That's because RPG's tend to involve mostly combat - which is something that I'm just not interested in.

That's also why I don't play first-person shooter games (FPS's).

I just can't handle violence - and even some of the animated violence found in computer games really bothers me.

I can usually handle the cartoon whacking stuff, but I don't do blood or gore at all - not even the pixilated kind.

And most of the newer RPG's and FPS's are just way too graphic for me in the blood and gore department.

The other thing is that the female character selection is muchless appealing than that of adventure games.

Well, less appealing to me, and to most other female players.

Basically the female characters in most games are just eye-candy for the guys to look at.

In a RPG, your character is often involved in combat - which means that you usually provide them with armor.

All else being equal: the better the armor - the better the chance that your character will survive.

The really silly thing is that in most RPG's the best female armor often covers up the least amount of skin!

Sex and violence may sell games - but only when you're marketing the game to a certain type of player.

The thing is that most female gamers (and many male gamers) have much higher standards.

We want games that are a bit deeper - games with some realism - games with an involved plot.

So where are our RPG's?

Well, they're are a few, but they are pretty hard to find, because you have to sort through all the junk being released.

The good thing is that a well done RPG actually appeals to both genders - so these games are often best sellers.

Morrowind, which was released in 2002, is one of the "good" RPG's, and guess what?

It was the best game that I had ever played - by far. (see My Morrowind Journal)

I'm sure there are other good RPG's, but, like I said - I haven't had much experience with RPG's.

I was attracted to Morrowind before the game was even released because I could see that this was my type of RPG.

It had great graphics - with normally proportioned female characters, who actually got to wear normal looking outfits.

And you got to choose the type of character that you wanted to play as.

You picked from one of 10 races, male or female gender, and then selected your character's face and hairstyle.

(The characters appearance and selection was later greatly improved through add-on MOD's)

My Morrowind Wood Elf character - a custom MOD

You also picked your stats (basically your strengths) which determined how the game would play for you.

Plus you could play this game with a minimal amount of combat, and still complete the main quest.

Well, you still had to fight off a bunch of wild creatures, and kill a fair amount of monsters,

and defend yourself from some not-so-nice characters, but you didn't have to spend the entire game killing things.

Killing still happened way too often for me personally - but I could sometimes find another solution.

And the killing was just whacking - until the bad guy (or my player) fell down and didn't get up again.

It wasn't gory - there was only a bit of blood - so I could handle the fighting - when I had too.

Bethesda Softworks, the developer of Morrowind, released the next version of it's Elder Scrolls series.

ES-IV - "Oblivion" was released on March 20,2006.

My Oblivion Wood Elf Character
(Created with In-game FaceGen - Enhanced with MODs)

As you can see, Oblivion has even better graphics - with even more realistic characters.

Oh, and the female characters are still normally proportioned and got to wear normal clothing.

The only problem was that had some really major issues with the released version of Oblivion -

mostly because of the way that the game was overly focused on combat and by the way it was mainstreamed.

(Note: mainstreamed = dumbed down, because the result was that the game did most of the thinking for you.)

But I didn't give up on Oblivion, and I've been able to install MODs that have corrected most of these issues.

My modded version of Oblivion has finally surpassed Morrowind as the best game that I have ever played.

For more information on Oblivion and on improving it with MODs, check out my Oblivion Journal.

Even though my favorite games are RPGs, I like many different types of games.

Here are some of my favorite Strategy Games:

Civilization IV: "a turn-based strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meier's studio Firaxis Games. It is the latest installment of the acclaimed Civilization series."

Patrician III: "a real-time trading simulation featuring elements of construction and the historical background of maritime trade in Northern Europe during the 1300's. As a resident of a medieval town, your goal is to rise from the status of a simple, insignificant trader to that of a Patrician and perhaps even become the head of the Hanseatic League. You can raise your standing through town improvement and diplomacy or fill your coffers through piracy and smuggling

Anno 1701 (also called 1701 A.D.): "a unique empire building simulation set in the 17th and 18th centuries. In this third episode of the incredibly successful series, players are immersed in the golden age of exploration and trade, where they set out to discover and inhabit new islands – islands that will soon be home to huge cities. Players are tasked with establishing, expanding and maintaining a flourishing medieval metropolis while interacting with other players through trade, diplomacy or military conflicts. 1701 A.D. presents players with a 3D gaming world bursting with life from the vibrant citizens, to the incredibly varied flora and fauna to detailed animated animals."
 

Other Girl-Gamer Sites:

LadyGamers

Gamer Girls Unite

Game-Vixen

Girlz Clan

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