Most of us who play games can appreciate

當我們玩遊戲時，我們大部分都會欣賞

the importance of a well-timed jump in a platformer,

適時地跳耀的遊戲

or a skillful dodge in a fighting game,

或是擁有傑出躲避技巧的戰鬥類遊戲

but sometimes it's the seemingly ordinary movements

但是有時候，只是看似平常的動作

that actually tell us the most about a character.

卻能真正的像我們表達一個角色

The way they do simple things like walk, or sit down.

當他們做一些小事，像是走路或是坐下

And like anything else about a character,

以及其他任何關於這個角色的小事

movement can be used in ways that resist tired gender stereotypes,

動作都可以用來抗拒迂腐的性別刻板印象

or in ways that reinforce them.

或是用來強化它

In Bungie's hugely successful online shooter Destiny,

由 Bungie 製作的知名線上射擊遊戲《天命》

players start by creating their own character,

玩家始於創建一個自己的腳色

a Guardian who will fight to protect the last remnants of humanity.

一個守護者，捍衛著最後的人類文明

As with character creation tools in other games,

和其他遊戲的腳色創造材料相比，

this one lets you choose from different genders and races.

天命給了你許多性別與種族的選擇

In most ways, Destiny treats its playable female characters

大致上來說，天命對待可玩的女性腳色

almost identically to how it treats its male characters;

幾乎與男性角色一致

for instance, the armor you acquire

以你得到的護甲當例子

when playing as a female character isn't sexualized,

當你玩女角時，護甲並沒有被色情化

but looks just as practical and stylish

它看起來和男角得到的裝備一樣

as the gear equipped by male characters.

實用也很有風格

However, there is one way in which the male and female characters

但是，有個地方，男角與女角

are differentiated by gender,

卻因性別而有所差別

and it has to do with their movement.

而這跟他們的動作有關

Watch how a male guardian sits down,

仔細看男角是如何坐下的

taking a load off after a long, hard day

在對抗純粹的邪惡力量之後，這漫長而艱難的一天

fighting the forces of pure evil.

終於可以卸下重擔

It's simple. It suggests confidence.

這很簡單。也暗示著自信

When a female character sits down, however,

但是，當一個女角坐下時

it's a completely different story.

卻完全是另一回事

She sits like a delicate flower.

她坐得像朵嬌貴的花

This is supposed to be a hardened space warrior

她本該是個強悍的太空戰士

and yet she is sitting around like she's Ariel

但她卻坐得像

from The Little Mermaid.

小美人魚的艾麗兒

A character's animation and movement is just as much a part

角色的動畫與動作就跟他們的外表還有服裝一樣

of who they are as their appearance and their clothing.

表示了他們的身分

And like any other aspect of a character,

而就像角色身上的其他面相

game designers use movement

遊戲設計師用動作去

to communicate information about them to the player.

將這些資訊告訴玩家

This isn't inherently a bad thing;

這其實不是件壞事

expressive character animations are just a way for the game

有表情的角色動畫只是一種遊戲手法去

to contribute to our understanding of who a character is

幫助玩家更了解他們的角色

and what defines them.

以及什麼本質定義了他們

How a character walks, jumps,

一個角色如何走路、跳躍

even how they sit down can tell us a lot about them.

甚至是如何坐下，都能透漏很多他們的個性

For instance, Ryu Hayabusa 's precise and graceful movement

舉例來說，龍隼精確且雅致的動作

conveys that he is a highly trained ninja,

透漏了他是個受過高度訓練的忍者

while the way Nathan Drake scrambles and fumbles

而奈森．德雷克笨拙地爬行於

in dangerous situations is meant to suggest

許多危險的場景暗示著

that he's more of a relatable, ordinary guy

他是個像我們一樣平常的傢伙

who just keeps finding himself in extraordinary circumstances.

他只是一直發現自己身陷於特別的場合

Nathan: "[Laughing] We were almost in that!"

奈森：「(笑) 我們差點就在裡面了！」

By contrast, the way that women move in games

相對的，女角在遊戲裡的動作

isn't just used to suggest their confidence or their skill

不只是暗示了他們對自身技術的自信

or some other facet of their personality.

也展示了他們其他面向的個性

It's very often used, in conjunction with other aspects of their design,

這時常與其他遊戲設計的面相混在一起使用

to make them exude sexuality

去展現他們的性別特徵

for the entertainment of the presumed straight male player.

好娛樂他們設定的直男玩家們

Catwoman from the Arkham series

阿卡漢系列的貓女

has a deeply exaggerated hip sway when she walks.

當她走路時，有著誇張的臀部擺動

In combination with her clothing and the game's camera angles,

搭配著她的服裝與遊戲視角

all of this is meant to drive

這所有的設計都是為了

the player's focus to her highly sexualized butt.

讓玩家的注意力到她性感化的臀部

In Resident Evil: Revelations, Jill Valentine

在《惡靈古堡：啟示》裡，吉兒．范倫廷

somehow manages to wiggle her whole body while she runs.

跑步時，時常擺動著她的全身

In Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Evie Frye is a character

在《刺客教條：梟雄》裡，伊薇弗萊

who avoids falling into many of the sexualizing traps

規避了像其他女角一樣的

that some playable female characters do.

性感化陷阱裡

But she still walks with an exaggerated hip sway.

但是，她走路時仍有著誇張的臀部擺動

In Saints Row the Third,

在黑道聖徒裡

you can change your character's gender at any time.

你可以隨時改變你的角色性別

If you go to the clinic and swap your gender from male to female,

如果你去趟診所，把你的性別從男換到女

you also come away with a newly sexualized walking animation,

你也會跟著換成一個全新的性感化走路姿勢

even though you're literally supposed to be the same character.

即使你根本上還是同一個腳色

Male heroes are allowed to simply walk like normal human beings,

男性英雄可以簡單地走路像正常人類一樣

in ways that are “average” or strong or graceful or goofy.

就是平常地走，或是強壯地、優美地、傻笨地

Meanwhile, motion-captured animations for female characters

此時，動態相機拍攝女角時

often make them look as if they're walking down a runway

時常讓他們看起來像

at a fashion show in stiletto heels,

穿著細高跟鞋走在時尚秀的舞台上

even when the characters are actually in combat situations.

即使他們當時正在戰鬥場景中

Watching these characters in-game movement animations,

當你看著這些角色在遊戲中的動作

you'd think that the director of the motion capture session

你會覺得動作捕捉的製作人

directed them to walk like a model

設計她們走得像模特兒一樣

instead of a hardened space warrior or master thief

而不是個冷酷的太空戰士、大盜

or bioterrorism agent or crime boss or vampire or assassin.

生化武器的探員、黑道老大、吸血鬼或是刺客

Of course, in the real world, people do walk

當然，在真實世界裡，當人們穿著高跟鞋走路時

with a sway of the hips when wearing high heels.

的確臀部會有特定的擺動

If we want to get really technical about it,

如果我們從技術上認真去討論的話

this slight hip sway occurs in order to maintain balance.

這些微的臀部擺動是為了保持平衡

This in and of itself is not a problem,

這本身不是個問題

(other than generally being deeply uncomfortable),

除了大部分人對這深感不適

but it raises an important question:

但這提到了一個很重要的問題

why are these female characters in combat roles wearing high heels!?

為什麼這些身為戰鬥角色的女角穿著高跟鞋？

With all the fighting, running, and climbing these women have to do,

她們除了需要打架、跑步以及攀爬

dressing them in heels is clearly a decision

讓她們穿著高跟鞋明顯是個決定為了讓她們性感化

rooted in sexualized aesthetic pleasure rather than believability.

好變成視覺上的娛樂，而不是遊戲的可信度

In fact, animating so many female characters in games

事實上，在遊戲裡這樣製作女角

to fit into this very gendered, sexualizing walk pattern

去迎合一個非常性別化或性感化的走路模式

is an example of one of the ways

這正是其中一個例子去說

the male gaze manifests in video games.

男性凝視是如何在遊戲中顯現

The term male gaze was coined in 1975

男性凝視這個詞在 1975 年時出現

by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey

是由 Laura Mulvey 一位女性主義的電影評論家創造的

and refers to the tendency for the visual arts to assume,

它指出了視覺藝術傾向去

and be structured around, a presumed masculine viewer,

構築在預設的男性觀者上

or in this case, player.

或者，在這裡的話，就是玩家

The male gaze manifests when the camera

男性的凝視出現時，藉由攝影視角

takes on the perspective of

運用了刻板印象中

a stereotypical heterosexual man.

異性戀男性的視角

An indisputable example of this is when the camera

一個明顯的例子就是當視角

lingers, caresses, or pans across a woman's body--

在女性的身體上逗留、奉承或是游移

although it's not always that obvious.

雖然這可能不會總是如此明顯

In games, it can be as simple as the in-game camera

在遊戲裡，最明顯的的就是當遊戲中的視角

resting so that a character's butt or breasts or both are centerline,

停在腳色的臀部、胸部或是兩者作為中心點

it can be cutscenes that rest on a woman's butt,

它能是當過場畫面中停頓在女性的臀部

it can be clothing that they are wearing or the way they talk,

或者是他們穿著的服裝以及走路的姿勢

or it can be as basic as the way

也可以只是女角在這個遊戲世界裡

a female character moves around the game world.

移動等的基本的小事

The male gaze reinforces the notion that the man looks,

男性凝視強化了男性主動地看

and the woman is looked at.

而女性被動地被看的概念

Or as art critic John Berger explains

或者是像藝術評論家 John Berger

in the 1972 book Ways of Seeing,

在他 1972 年的書 Ways of Seeing 中解釋的

“men act and women appear. Men look at women.

「當男人行動時，女人出現了。男人看著女人。」

Women watch themselves being looked at.

「而女人看著他們自己被凝視著，」

This determines not only most relations between men and women

「這不只決定了大部分男女間的關係，」

but also the relation of women to themselves.”

「也決定了女人與自己的關係。」

To be clear, the male gaze is not a hard and fast rule;

我們說清楚一件事，男性凝視並不是個快速且堅決的鐵則

it's a theoretical concept that is meant

它是個理論上的概念用於

to help us understand the sometimes subtle

幫助我們體認到有時

and nuanced ways in which our culture influences media,

文化細微的影響著媒體

and the way that media, in turn, can shape and reinforce

而媒體也同樣的塑造並強化

existing gender dynamics in our culture.

我們文化中現存的性別概念

The male gaze is also not in any way limited

男性的凝視不只侷限於

to men or heterosexual people.

男人或異性戀

Almost all of us internalize

幾乎我們所有人都內化它

and sometimes identify with the male gaze to some extent.

甚至在某些程度上認同男性凝視

Eradicating the male gaze is not as simple as

消滅男性凝視並非簡單

introducing an inversed female gaze that sexualizes men, either.

如介紹對立的女性凝視去色情化男性

Not just because equal opportunity sexual objectification

因為只是讓性別物化的事公平

isn't the answer, but also, because it isn't actually equal.

不是解答。也是因為這並不是真的公平

One reinforces preexisting oppressive ideas about women

其中一個強化了現存對女性的壓抑觀念

that are real and damaging to women in their everyday lives,

它確切的傷害了女性平日裡的生活

the other does not reinforce anything.

而另一個並沒有強化任何事

Nor are the two interchangeable.

它們倆並不是可互換的價值

For example, when the satirical website The Hawkeye Initiative

舉例來說，一個充滿諷刺性的網站 The Hawkeye Initiative

reimagines male characters in sexualized poses

重新設計男角擺出女性常有的

that are common for female characters,

性感姿勢

it isn't using the “female gaze.”

這並不是女性凝視

This is just the male gaze, applied to men.

這只是男性凝視運用在男人身上

When male characters are depicted as shirtless or wearing little clothing-

當男角被塑造成裸著上身或是穿著較少的布料

like the character sometimes dubbed "Hot Ryu" from Street Fighter V-

像是我們時常聽到街霸 5 的隆

their lack of clothing demonstrates their power and strength,

他們的裸身表示了他們的力量與力氣

rather than depicting them as erotic playthings

而不是個色情的玩物

or reducing them to sexualized body parts.

也不是讓他們委身變成色情的身體

The same is true when it comes to movement.

同樣的道理也適用於動作

Male characters get to move in ways that emphasize

男角的行動強調了

all sorts of characteristics and personality traits,

各式各樣的個性與人格特質

but there's a whole world of untapped potential

但是，對於女角的表現手法

for representations of female characters

仍有一大片未知的潛力

who aren't animated in ways that frame them as sex objects,

尚未被製作，而目前卻只標誌他們為性感尤物

but who get to just be stealthy or strong,

他們能隱身或很強壯

swift or imposing, clumsy or graceful.

敏捷或咄咄逼人的，笨拙地或優雅的

The way Ellie moves in The Last of Us

艾莉在最後生還者中的動作

communicates a sense of tension and danger,

傳達了緊張與危及感

demonstrating what it's like when female characters

他展現了有時女角也能被做成這樣去

are animated in ways that emphasize their personality

彰顯她們的個性

and emotional state rather than serving to sexually objectify them.

而不是性感地物化他們

The path towards equality and liberation

平等與解放的路

does not lie in equally reducing men and women to objectified parts,

不是建立於矮化男人和女人成為物化的東西

but in treating people of all genders and with all types of bodies

而是對待各種性別與身材的人

as full and complete human beings.

如一個完整且完美的個體