Recently, blogger @YorchTorchGames posted a poster comparison picture of Sony PS's masterpiece "Returnal" on social media, triggering a heated debate among the player community. In the picture, Selena, the originally capable and mature heroine, has been "exploded" and her image has been replaced with a sexy woman with a hot body and delicate face.
The blogger had sharp words when publishing the comparison chart, saying bluntly: "Ultimately vilifying female characters is destroying the gaming industry. If "Death Return" had a beautiful and sexy protagonist, it could have sold more PS5 consoles."
This view quickly ignited the fuse in the comment area, and netizens launched tit-for-tat discussions on "whether the character's appearance directly affects sales" and "aesthetic and political correctness".
Some supporters believe that everyone has a love for beauty. One netizen exclaimed: "Oh my god, if she looks like the one on the right, I will definitely play "Death Return"."
Some netizens pointed out that this design trend reflects deep-seated problems within development studios. “When an obvious fact is repeated so many times, you know there must be something big wrong with these studios.”
There are even female perspectives participating in the discussion, saying that women themselves also yearn for more beautiful and powerful heroine images, which is more attractive to both male and female consumers than so-called "progressive designs".
However, there are also rational objections in the comments section. Some players believe that the character's setting should serve the atmosphere of the game: "Although I support more attractive women in the game, in "Dead Return", I actually like the unique atmosphere that the original appearance brings to this journey."
More technical players pointedly pointed out that the sales problem cannot be entirely blamed on "face-seeking": "This is one of the few times when I disagree with this point of view. I think "Death Return" cannot attract a large number of players because of its game type. It is a good game, but it is too difficult, really very difficult. The difficulty alone will deter many people, no matter what the protagonist looks like."
