The Witcher 3 has been subject to a lot of criticism since its release, some of which has been valid—but much of which no one in their right mind should bother to take seriously. Criticism could be leveled against the first game in the series and its use of collectible cards that the game’s protagonist, Geralt, accumulated by bedding as many women as possible, the same can’t be said about the latest version — one of last year’s best games.
CD Projekt Red, the game’s developer, has come a very long way since its first game. With The Witcher 3’s release in 2015, the Polish studio released a title that’s widely regarded as one of the best games ever made. And while accolades from the press may not mean much these days, gamers heralded it as a fantastic role-playing game with mature storytelling that is rarely seen in video games. The Witcher 3 is a rare game that offers story quests which forced the player to make difficult decisions in the role of Geralt, with no clear-cut choices between good and evil.
World-building in The Witcher 3 is meticulous. Politics are both international and local, as landowners and lords squabble with their peasantry. Set against the backdrop of a war and internecine strife, racism against non-humans is rife. A helpless populace clings to superstition and religion as their only means of salvation. The setting of The Witcher 3 is well-made, and so too are the cultures and fashions of the people who live within it.
The Mary Sue recently published an article attacking the game for its clothing. Megan Patterson argued that the world isn’t believable because some of its women wear clothing that the author finds objectionable. She says they have “hot boob disease,” (her words, not mine) and complains that none of the outfits are realistic.
This isn’t the first time that The Witcher 3 has fielded condemnation from social justice warriors. When the game was released in 2015, Polygon’s Tauriq Moosa attacked the game for its “race problem.” Anticipating defenses against his argument, Moosa stated that Slavic people are “predominantly white,” therefore calling for the game to be populated by black characters wouldn’t be the same as demanding that games with mainly non-white characters be peppered liberally with white ones.
“Things are not equal,” Moosa stated. “We are not in a medium that features predominantly Indian men, Chinese women, or focuses on stories from Africa. We’re part of an industry that frequently tells the stories of white people and stars white people.”
If The Witcher 3 removed black characters from a story about Anansi in order to replace them with white ones perhaps this criticism would have some teeth. Based on the works of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 3 is one of the few games that feature Slavic mythology, strongly influenced by the culture of the region. Most western RPGs do not do a great job representing Russians and Eastern Europeans. As for JRPGs? Forget about it. The Witcher 3 is not only a rare experience because of its narrative quality, but also for its representation of Russian and Eastern European gamers.
Writing to complain about The Witcher 3 over a year after its release, The Mary Sue takes particular offense with Ves, a professional soldier who refuses to lace up her top. The writer argues that the clothing worn by many of the sorceresses in the game undermines what power they wield by “treating them like sex objects.”
It’s interesting to note that the only people who remark upon Ves’ clothing in the game are the male knights who judge her by her appearance rather than her accomplishments and fighting ability. Could CD Projekt Red be trying to say something about the game’s puritan critics?
The writer goes on to take issue with the simple, yet modest outfit Ciri wears throughout the game—a thin white shirt. Unlike Geralt’s heavy armor, her clothing offers her little protection. I’d argue that she doesn’t really need to wear heavy armor because she exhibits more natural skill than her mentor and father-figure. It’s certainly how she’s described in both the original books as well as the game.
The piece ends up undermining itself by pulling out examples of a few of the many women in the game who do wear heavy armor. It’s clear that the character designers had no intention of subjecting women in its game to what feminist theory refers to as the “male gaze,” nor is the clothing of these characters designed to reduce them to sex objects.
An individual or a fictional character can have sex appeal while still maintaining autonomy and self-actualization. If sexual objectification is a legitimate problem then why do these critics not concern themselves with Geralt? The opening scene literally shows him sitting in a bathtub naked. He ends up naked multiple times throughout the game.
Based on Megan Patterson’s reasoning, one might ask whether Hollywood actresses at red carpet events and mega-wealthy celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift are undermined for wearing figure-accentuating dresses or see-thru tops. These famous women must forfeit some portion of their humanity to appear fashionable by this reasoning. All things equal, are Geralt and Yennefer any less badass just because you see them naked? The answer is, of course, an emphatic “no.”
