For the last twenty five years gaming has been stereotypically viewed as the pastime of teenage boys. The sports games and the testosterone-soaked shooters stood on one side with titles set in space or themed around magic and the supernatural on the other. Females in games were either there to be ogled or rescued and female gamers weren't even considered. The Xbox 360 and PS3 generation made great strides to change all of that. Now with the advent of the new generation, modern games are edging closer and closer to mainstream acceptance as a universal entertainment like music, television and film. Sales of the biggest titles can now eclipse the takings of blockbuster films and in the case of The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite, the plots are even better. In this changing landscape the notion of a boy's club is fast becoming a myth. Around 45% of gamers today are female and this is being reflected in the wealth of exceptional female characters emerging over recent years. Other than being remembered for exceptional games, 2013 was without doubt the year of the female protagonist. But which women from the last 30 years have gone beyond becoming fully rounded characters and are literally bring the fight to the men?
