Feminists are forever whinging about the portrayal of women in video games, but now gamers appear to be matching their spurious complaints after a few minor alterations to character animations in the upcoming Street Fighter V.
The controversy erupted after fans noticed R. Mika, a somewhat clothed fighter from the game, was no longer shown slapping her arse as part of a finishing move, as demonstrated in the following clip:
https://youtu.be/B1NrENvIvPo
A similar video also showed another woman, Cammy, had been given similar treatment, the camera shifting slightly so her arse is no longer fully in view during an entrance animation:
https://youtu.be/sSv1lXYm2js
Such was the ire of gamers that one Daniel Young set up a petition on Change.org demanding a reversal to the “censorship”:
“We do not want to accept any censorship of this kind, and we do not wish to purchase censored games. This content must remain uncensored, retained in its original form when the game is released, as should all the current content in the beta builds thus far that your company may wish to censor for whatever reason.”
As of now a mere 1,245 have signed the petition, though in the comments for videos relating to this subject many claimed to have cancelled their order for the game because of the change.
Fans on a Street Fighter subreddit appeared to be more sanguine about the changes, with some seeing them as an attempt to gain the game a lower age rating, though pulsating bosoms are still aplenty in the game footage.
Others, such as Sony Santana Monica design director Derek Daniels, pointed out lots of changes take place before a game is done:
Regarding R Mika's super, the general public is know seeing behind the curtain of how games change as they get made. Lots of things happen
— Derek Daniels (@derek_omni) November 8, 2015
So, much ado about nothing?
Image Credit – Street Fighter V via Capcom
