In this post I will discuss a series of video game characters and their significance during their introduction and at present.

1980s: Pac-Man (Pac-Man)
Having first been featured in the 1980 arcade game released in Japan, Pac-Man is potentially the first named video game character in history. The impact of Pac-Man was so huge that Pac-Man himself is still a highly recognised character 35 years later, and has also made a debut in the exceedingly popular Smash 4 as a third-party character. Although Pac-Man has no clear personality, unlike later characters, it can’t be denied that he is a highly significant character whose relevance is still obvious today.

1990s: Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
First introduced in 1996, Lara Croft still holds an impressive legacy as the most recognisable female video game character. In a time where female protagonists were largely nonexistent (bar a few, such as the revelation of Samus Aran's gender in 1986), Lara Croft's creation and rise in popularity during the late 90s provoked a more realistic approach to female characters. Although some of Lara's depictions throughout the years have featured some questionable sexualisation, it's almost undoubtedly Lara who kicked off the rise of the female video game characters, and continues to be used as the prime example of famous female protagonists in video games today.

2000s: GLaDOS (Portal)
Puzzle-platformer Portal gave us GLaDOS, a feminine AI and antagonist of the game. Valve successfully avoids all of the pitfalls associated with feminine robots, giving GLaDOS a non-sexualised (and non-humanoid) design, and gifting her with an iconic robotic sarcasm, wit, and a certain extent of brutality in place of the seductive nature that is often given to female antagonists. As the series continued, she becomes more relatable, and has come into her own as a well-rounded character despite not actually being human. GLaDOS has continued to inspire many robotic characters since her conception in 2007.

2010s: Undyne (Undertale)
Although at the time I am writing this, the viral sensation that is Undertale is just a little over a month old, I feel that Undyne has recieved such positive feedback so far that it is important to mention her . A strong female warrior with the features of a fish, and one of the game's major characters, Undyne shows that female video game characters can be just as strong as males and don’t need to be limited to a supporting role. In fact, in the No Mercy route of the game, Undyne is described as the ‘heroine’ as the player character (a nonbinary human child) is playing the role of the antagonist. Futhermore, her in-game homoromantic relationship with amphibian scientist Alphys means that she is valid and important representation for the LGBT+ community. Both Undyne's and Undertale's skyrocket to popularity suggests that other game developers will take note of her importance in the future.


References

Pacman.com, (2015). Pac-Man History | PAC-MAN Official English Site. [online] Available at: http://pacman.com/en/pac-man-history [Accessed 15 Nov. 2015].

Tombraiders.net, (2015). Tomb Raider Timeline | Stella's Site. [online] Available at: http://tombraiders.net/stella/timeline.html [Accessed 15 Nov. 2015].