10 Video Games That Got Women (And Men) Completely Wrong

Bayonetta is often the game credited to empower women through a strong sexual representation. The problem with Bayonetta isn't necessarily in the sexual content - a woman should be allowed to be sexual. The issue is more in the stigmas that the seductress witch represents. The western culture has an unfortunate history with witches and just about every aspect of Bayonetta's personality roots from the witch stigma (even if it involves a much different story line). Witches were depicted as promiscuous dark women who used seduction as a method to usurp. Witch burnings were common as a method of suppressing influential women (and alternative medicine). A completely false stereotype was formed of the "witch" (often wicca that were victims of religious prejudice). And so to seek out empowerment through a promiscuous dark "witch" really only empowers the stigma. In the video game industry this is like applying a band-aid to a broken leg. To solely represent and even empower a "strong female" as the puritanical representation of a witch is to solely empower the structure of social prejudice that created the witch stereotype. While women should not be begrudged any more than a man for being promiscuous, it's a twisted interpretation to think a stereotypical witch will somehow empower womankind. It's this misrepresentation of how to empower women that makes Bayonetta deserving of such a high spot on this list.