Strong Women in Video Games 

I would love to see you do more "Forgotten Protagonist" videos. Female or not, it would be cool to see lesser known characters be talked about.

Strength is the ability to overcome adversity. Laura is a very strong character because she survives a mass homicide TWICE with her wits, so she is a very strong character. This was a lovely video, Than you Roses!

I forgot to mention this in the video and forgot. Laura and Yvette are played by the same voice actress. I always found that neat for some reason. It's fun when they are talking to each other.

I love the Laura Bow games. I need to go back and play The Colonel's Bequest, I agree with you about its unique design. It's a game that really sticks with you.

2:24 *gets on soapbox* YES, I'm really tiring of this insistence of 'badass' woman being the only kosher design for quality female characters lately. I love Ripley or Velesquez or Bayonetta as much as anyone but... there is so much more to not just women but humanity than tough and\or stoic. Good on you for challenging this a bit, it's getting rediculous lately!

Now I want to see your Top 10 Personal Favorite Female Protags list.

The main reason Laura for the same reason I like Superman, Cinderella, and King Graham. There's just something I love about a character's who's a good person who's always trying to do what's right. Listening to your description of her, I realized I kind of tend to base my female protagonists in RPGs on her. I tend to play them as nice people who are a bit sheltered, but observant, and occasionally smarmy when the situation dictates. My male protags, incidentally, tend to be Roger Wilco: Big dumb idiot, but a decent person who (mostly accidentally) saves the universe. So yeah, I also want more adventure games so I can get more characters like them. But also more characters like other things. And like nothing. I want more variety in characters because there more different characters there are, the more likely I am to discover things I never knew I loved. Like I never knew smarmy cyborg mechanic lady was an archtype I wanted till I read Cinder.

Despite not having yet played the game, I agree with the qualities of Laura Bow being strong. Strong often gets portrayed on physically or aggressively, but never really so much as clever, cunning or polite. Cheers for this video, Roses!

I think one of the best female protagonist (and characters all-together) I've ever seen is April Ryan from The Longest Journey. Coincidentally also one of the best point n' clicks I've ever played. Highly recommended if you haven't tried it.

Yuna from Final Fantasy X is probably my fav female video game character. And for the record I am female.

My favorite female heroine! She proves you can be strong without being aggressive and rebellious. Her relationship with her father reminds me of my own. My father encouraged my interests and never tried to pigeonhole me into doing more "girly" things. He also gave me these games along with the King's Quest series.

Reminds me of how a lot of people don't readily think of Kimmy Schmidt as a strong female protagonist, then once they take the time to think about it...

One character less bumbling then Guybrush who i'd compare Laura to would be Tintin- I mean, he's even a reporter. Basically, Nancy Drew mixed with Tintin is Laura.

Given your opinion on Laura, I'd love to hear some extensive thoughts on the Nancy Drew series. Everything you say about strength rings too. It's why I love Sansa Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire.... and hate what the show did with her

My most enduring favorite female protagonist is still Aya Brea. _Transistor_'s Red is up there, too, though.

I like how characters similar to Laura Bow are becoming a bit more common(although hard to find). For example, the female protagonists from The Longest Journey Franchise or Max from life is strange.

I love this video. It's really refreshing to see someone openly acknowledge that strong female characters don't have to be physically strong or aggressive. I would love if you turned this into kind of a series, picking different female characters and pointing out what makes them strong characters (even dedicating ones to all the characters you mention at the beginning whom you admired)

Another female character I wished could come back is Cate Archer from N.O.L.F. but it's stuck in legal Hell, because executives from various companies refuse to cooperate and share each bit of their IP since the trademark is on paper and put into storage. Great work on the video! Absolutely enjoyed the livestreams which supplemented this video. I saw it as a BTS and as a good way to show us games we never played. Kind of like uh... These videos. So... Times two?

...dat Leave it to Beaver clip, tho. Wow.

Sometimes I feel like people take "strong character" a little too literally. A character doesn't need to be physically tough and aggressive to be strong, they just need to be vivid, well constructed, believable (and having flaws, like naiveté, is part of making that work). And it's always nice to see some varied representation. Stories that show all kinds of women from all sorts of backgrounds, not just women with more traditionally masculine traits, have a wider impact and help people think about female characters differently. Great video Roses :D

I think Laura looks really cute with those curls :D Plus her accent makes her even more cuter!

While not a protagonist, I think the The Witcher games have great and very varied female characters. The Blood and Wine expansion for the third game especially. Few of them act all tough, or try to be like men. They mostly act feminine and a happen to be interesting and complex in their own right. They're varied in the sense that there's young, old, beautiful, plain, ugly etc., in addition to having very different personalities.

Just want to say that I really enjoy the content that you put out. I love hearing the passion that you have for computer games and it really shows in the videos you produce. Continue with the good work.

I just have to say that Grace from the Gabriel Knight series is another character that I absolutely love. She's smart, she's strong, and has a great personality.

One of my favorite female protagonists of all time is Aya Brea from parasite eve. I even got my first pair of heeled boots when I was a litte kid so that I could have the same *dok dok* sound in my step : P

Really great video, I enjoyed it. Sadly I somehow missed all the Laura Bow games, but they look fun.

She feels a bit like Marge from Fargo. Which is kinda one of my favorite characters in fiction. I might give Colonel's bequest a go soon.

Then she had a daughter named Fran Bow.

*Twitches curly mustache* "eet eez pronounced 'Er-kyul PWA-roh'"

the thing i loved about amon ra is the distinct stages to the game. the initial investigation, the conversations at the reception, and then the whole museum opens up. it maintained the 'things happen even if you're not there' from cb.

You mentioned Ayla. I think I need to give Lucca a boost too, she used her intelligence to be her bad assery. That's something I personally love and think we don't see enough of. Also her feelings fed her strength instead of being portrayed as a weakness. Honorable mention to Marle, even if she was damseled in the beginning, her feisty nature ensured no one ended up hating her. I know I would have.

Laura Bow is certainly a strong female character to me. She is thrown into two situations that would make most people piss themselves and survives while at the same time working out who is causing all the mayhem. Her guile and wit allow her to use peoples expectations against them, fooling them into thinking she is less of a threat so they reveal more than they might intend. All round she is a strong character and easily one of my favourite leads in an adventure game. The games themselves stand out from the usual Sierra style, breaking from the more linear path of both story and puzzle and while you might get to the ending of the game to truly beat it you must use your own brain to work who did what and why. Colonel's Bequest leaves enough open ended that I still find it entertaining to play and imagine other possible killers and scenarios going on.

@ 4:12 Hercule Poirot It's pronounced Her-cyool. Think like saying Hercules without the "es". Just a heads up for future reference.

Thanks for this! It opened my eyes to a game series I never even heard of, plus I agree 100% on your statement that one can be both strong and kind and naive (not exactly the same phrasing but point remains). I get so tired of the same personality type being typecast all the time.

Hey Roses, just wanted to say that this was a really great video. Your love and passion for the character really comes through and I think you did a wonderful job expressing how you feel about Laura Bow in a more unique way than if you'd done a review on one of her games. I really enjoyed this one :)

Stumbled on your channel a couple days ago(through a suggested video after watching a full playthrough of Harvester... what a game), and have just been non stop reminiscing about games I watched a close friend play. The Dagger of Amon Ra was one that stuck with me in the back of my head. Excellent videos!

Another great example of what I think to be a strong, yet humble female video game protagonist: Jade from Beyond Good & Evil. I heard that Michel Ancel created her with the intent of making a strong female character without making her a "sexy action woman." She's supposed to feel like a real person. A "girl next door" type of character that's identifiable. A strong type of female character that doesn't necessarily have the aspect of physical strength in order for her to be considered as such.

The writers of this game really had the southern hospitality thing on lock down. Laura uses it as a method of gaining the upper hand in any snark off, while managing to sneak in some serious quips that confuse the character she's talking to. loved this game when i was a kid.

Almost 3 years too late to comment but... Sadly enough, nowdays a "strong female character" seems to be more or less a male character with a female skin and Laura Bow would be shot down by critics as not being aggressive or assertive enough.

Laura Bow eavesdropping should be a meme. That image always cracks me up. I've never actually played those games, but I did enjoy watching them.

You're so cool for reviewing and playing all these cool point and clicks. I had been looking all over for this character I'd only seen her once, but she was totally this strong cunning type I'd never see again. thanks dude!

Great overview of a greatly underrated character, Roses. I've always had a soft spot of Laura Bow, since Dagger of Amon Ra was the first game that ever scared me into not finishing it way back when I was 8. A few years later my sister and I played through Colonel's Bequest together and we were struggling with it until we figured out the secret passageway thing. We were floored by the creativity of that solution and just how pervasive it was at solving the game. As for Laura herself, the one thing that struck me in your review is that, while she is somewhat a naive country mouse, she's intelligent enough to realize that and play it to her advantage. While a more serious character would demand that others treat her with respect, she clearly recognizes that no one takes her seriously and plays towards their biases. She reinforces her unassuming appearance with an unassuming personality so people ignore or underestimate her until it's too late. As a result, she actually ends up earning the respect of characters in the best way possible in a murder mystery: they don't trust her. The smarter characters start to realize that she's a force to be reckoned with even before she starts intellectually destroying people and treat her warily from thereon out.

Thank you for this feature, PUR. Back in the early 90's, we used to spend summers at my grandmother's. Since she had approximately a billion grandchildren, she had 2 Tandy computers and loads of games. King's quest and all the Sierra games. My cousin and I used to play the Colonel's Bequest and we had so much fun trying to learn all there was to learn about the characters, motives, clues, etc. My grandmother had a grandfather clock in the hallway that sounded the EXACTLY the same as the clock that advanced the acts in the game. My overactive imagination had so much trouble sleeping there. It's experiences like these that cement the importance of these games in each of our gaming histories and memories. Thank you for preserving and promoting them to new users. :)

I know we’re talking about video games, but my favorite strong female character is Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. She takes no shit, but she’s polite, kind, and incredibly smart!

As this was my first time hearing the actual voice acting from The Dagger of Amon Ra, I must say that you and LGR /nailed/ the voices in your LP. Bravo!

I think the term "Strong" in "Strong female character" is the problematic bit. I think the term "COMPLETE female character" is better.

I have not played any of those adventure games, but I'm starting to think that I should give them a try someday. Laura Bow does seem like a great character. She's naive and seems harmless, but she also seems very intelligent. Now that I think about it, she really reminds me of Columbo. On the outside Columbo seems to be a bumbling detective, but he's brilliant and can easily catch people off guard. That seems to be similar to Laura, who appears too naive to be a threat and catches people off guard when she reveals just how smart she is.

I loved Laura Bow so much as a kid that I tried to copy her look. I still admire her, and the fact that the Laura Bow games were placed in my favourite era the roaring 20's makes them even better.

Haha lost it at the "youtuber commentor" bit! This video definitely deserves a like! Also because it is a well thought out video and addresses many issues with what is deemed as a strong female character! Great job!

"No body mods--that we can see." Then we find out in her next 2022 sequel that Laura has a cyberspur and an infrared eye with a beam weapon in it.

So after watching this video yesterday, I spent all day playing through Kathy Rain, and I have to say, the story is super amazing. Only a couple of the puzzles are actually difficult and they are more near the end, but anyone that likes adventure games definitely needs to support the team that made it. The art style is an amazing 90's adventure game throwback, and the writing and voice acting are top notch. I really want the team to get a lot of support, because I have heard the sales of the game weren't great, and I really REALLY want them to make another Kathy Rain game, or at least make another adventure game in the same style.

As always, a great vid, Roses. It's always a joy to see a new offering from you pop up in my notifications. I especially appreciated this video because I'm a writer and I'm working on my own game concepts, and I have quite a few women with prominent roles in them. Learning about Laura got me thinking about how I could diversify them in terms of personality so that all of them are strong, without being that now archetypal aggressive, take-no-shit, punch-assholes-in-the-face-at-the-slightest-provocation kind of "strong." You especially got me thinking about how I could tweak the protagonist of my adventure game concept, who is funnily enough a private detective. So thank you particularly for getting me to take a step back, look at my creative efforts, and put my mind to work at fine-tuning and improving them. Stay cool, eh?

I love that in Dagger of Amon Ra none of the female characters are stereotypical - you mentioned Yvette but I also have a huge soft spot for Olympia. She's also kind to Laura, though more detached than Yvette. Even the Countess is the sort of female character you rarely see in adventure games - older, quite cunning and devious, and much more than she appears (not only with her charade as a snooty peer but also her speakeasy girlfriend!). I am glad there are still strong female characters in indie adventure games, but there aren't any quite like Laura - the trend seems to be to make them very cynical and sarcastic along with intelligent these days. Nothing wrong with that (Grace Nakimura is probably my favourite adventure game character of all time and she ticks all those boxes) but it would be nice to see something different.

I thinknone of my fav female protags is Garnet from ff9 She is secondary to zidane, but her arch does challange the player and has really helped me with my own depression I think her acceptance of help in the end isnt a damsel in distress story but a story about growth

Great video Roses! I think that i am going to get the game, and try to overcome the clunkiness of this old adventure game. I think that Laura is a CHARACTER, i mean that she is not an stereotipe or an empty vessel. She looks real at "human level", i mean that you can relate to her profoundly, and she makes you think, for me that is what represents a good character. Love your work! can you recomend more murder mystery adventure games?

Even tho ive never heard of this character up until now i am always a strong supporter of well written characters male,female or other. And as someone who likes being a good too shoes in RPGs i always love seeing genuinely nice characters that arent nessecarily just kinda flat as a person just cause they preffer to treat others well and that i feel is almost more difficult then writing a tragic character

Yes! More murder mystery games!!

I think a common misunderstanding writers have when it comes to constructing strong female characters is the idea that strength is a purely masculine trait. Therefore, for the girl to be strong, she has to sacrifice her own femininity for it, and while there's nothing wrong with masculine women, they shouldn't be the only ones who can kick ass and save the day! And I agree that a character doesn't have to be part of a serious story to be strong. That's largely why I love Shantae as much as I do. She's brave and formidable but she's also very goofy. I know some people think the belly-dancing mechanic is just fan-service but it's actually the way she accesses her unique abilities. I'd say that means her femininity empowers her. Plus, she beats up her enemies with her hair, so there's that too.

I really liked this video PUR. I love also that you don't say that the alternative/psychically strong ladies AREN'T also good, but these other characters who aren't alternative/strong are also awesome. One of my favorite strong characters isn't from a game but Mr.Brigsby from Secret of Nym is awesome.

We don't exactly know what happens to Laura after the Dagger of Amon-Ra, but if I remember, she is mentioned in a Gabriel Knight game where she is mentioned as "Pulitzer Prize Winner Laura Bow-Dorian" giving a speech at her alma mater, Tulane. And she was like, 80. Doesn't appear in-game, but is mentioned.

Seems fun. Never played these games with her, but i remember playing adventure games with female protagonists in gerenal like Kyrandia 2 , Blackwell series, Vampyre story, Edna & Harvey, Cat Lady, etc. I don't really like the term "strong female character", because in my mind it implies some kind of infallibility or invincibility. And that's not the way you do fun characters - Guybrush fails all the time, that's part of the journey. So let them fail too. Make interesting characters, not necessarily strong ones.

highly enjoyed both of these games and always found it a shame that they didn't continue with the series. Great video!

Awesome video, very well put together, and a cool perspective. Though "Her Q Lee" Poirot made me giggle...

I'm so glad more people are calling for the inclusion of females who're strong, but in their own ways. Characters like Laura and Rosella possess something that, for some reason, isn't as valued by gamers: intelligence. Really says something about us, doesn't it? I'll always love my Milly, my deformed empress, but there are just times when I don't relate to her. (Which is rare.) I also don't know how 'awesome' it'd be to take a walk in her boots, either. There's a lot of pain and vulnerability she had to get through, just to be where she is, now. Especially in MKX. Dunno if I'd personally want that. But I digress. Great video, Roses!

this game really draws me into another world. thanks for the great tribute you made here.

OMG, I need to play these games! It sounds like something I'd love!

Great video, Loved it. I love that physical strength doesn't have to be the only sign of a strong person.

I may not care that much about the Laura Bow games but I certainly appreciate any media that attempts to diversify female characters beyond just eye candy or love interests. Rosa Blackwell being an excellent example of this and I'm glad you mentioned her. She starts off socially awkward but nevertheless compassionate and intelligent, and as the series goes on she gradually evolves into a resourceful, no-nonsense investigator. Not to mention I love how she never takes any crap from Joey. Another good example is Heather from Silent Hill 3. Homely looking, reserved, and obviously freaked out by all the horror around her, but when push comes to shove, she can really get in people's faces and overcome the odds. All in all an excellent topic for a video and well-presented as always :)

I am Laura Bow! So painfully average, kind-hearted, and... ginger...oh, and southern. I would also say that her male counterpart would be more along the lines of Gabriel Knight right down to the bisexuality in the second game. I dunno, that's just my opinion anyway.

This isn't related to video games but J.B Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote is a fantastic female protagonist who doesn't have to be strong OR young to be awesome :)

Strength can be synonymous with competence.

I do wish there were more games like Laura Bow. I mean like the first LB game was kinda silly and full of blatant tropes (of which "うみねこのなく頃に Umineko no Naku Koro ni" is the only other time I've seen so many of the same exact tropes in one game.) The second LB game has great writing for a Sierra game of that vintage. Too bad Sierra has never re-issued the game, more people need to play it!

Colonels bequest is the first computer game I ever truly got into and I could not agree more about how great Laura Bow is.

I love the attention to detail. On the wall to the left is an old timey picture of a spinosaurs. Since no skull fragments were discovered at the time, it was assumed to look just like a t-rex with a sail. It's nice to see the developers do some research.

Fantastic video!! I hope you do more of these. I definitely want to play the Laura Bow games!!!

I think it's ironic you mentioned ayla in this video considering that chrono trigger other two female leads were a princess who turns out to be a rambunctious tomboy. and lucca, a girl mad-scientist who invented a time machine while inventing a teleporter before repairing and befriending a robot. she's like a slightly less mischievous washu.

She's like a female version of Columbo. She is someone who cultivates a personality that causes everybody to completely underestimate her.

The way you describe her makes me think I'd like her quite a lot, I'd also prefer the simpler aesthetic but I do feel like she'd wear on me if she never showed any kind of vulnerability or flaw

I hear ya, I was bullied alot as a young person and many video game characters really made me feel stronger than I am and that my actions could help people. Mass Effect was very much that kinda game, I played both male and fem shep and it always made me feel good to be out there fighting for everyone, not just our own. I always like the under-dog that comes up right and pushing past things to be the hero no matter the costs cuz losing would be worse! Video games were always my way of escape from how powerless and unimportant i truly was and how in this world of shit i can't do anything but as Commander Shepard I can save the galaxy!

i remember playing Dagger of Amon Ra shortly after completing Kings Quest 6 and while i really enjoyed it, i don't think i got much accomplished (solving things!). i love the style and flapper look of Laura. glad you showed her some love :D

I love these new 'essayist' videos. Keep 'em coming! :)

I usually think of strength as the ability to accomplish one's objective in the face of greater levels of opposition. A lot of Sierra characters fall under that, with the top of the tier probably being Prince Alexander of King's Quest 6 for accomplishing his objectives, despite opposition from Death. Laura faces tough odds and accomplishes her objectives, so yes; I would consider her strong, and the fact that she remains an indelibly good person through it all just makes her even stronger. Sure, like most Sierra protagonists, she can die, but apart from that, nothing ever seems to put a real dent in her.

She doesn't feel forgotten to me mostly because of fans like you who do these games and characters justice by showing how awesome they are. I plan to get round to these games some times but imo im quite lightly interested in serious adventure games like this. I go to mostly cartoonish or comedic games like Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Sam and max, Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb, Dropsy even though some of these games have some dark shit. I haven't got round to more serious games like Dejavu, Laura bow, Manhunter series (not Manhunt from Rockstar games), phantasmagoria, sanatarium but I have recently been playing Shadowgate the 2014 remake (and yes I've started off on normal mode with classic controls which is the 2nd hardest difficulty in the game so I can get my butt kicked)

Very interesting video. I grew up playing some of the Kings Quest games but never heard of this series (then again I've always been more of a console gamer than a PC one so go figure), will have to hunt down this series down. Anyway, I agree with what your saying here. Laura Bow has a different kind of strength, one that's sadly under appreciated in a lot of video games, strength of the mind. I would like to see more characters like her.

Grew up with these games XD Specifically with Dagger of Amon Ra, which I watched my parents play. i never got the chance to play Colonel's Bequest, but they had that as well. Mad props for highlighting Laura Bow; brings back good memories XD

I still hope her two games will show up on Good Old Games one day. I never did get a chance to play the first one but I loved the second one.

Great episode, PUR! Laura Bow is such a great character!

Another character I love and find similaris MacKenzie from the Touch Detective Games! She's observant and wry, and though she's pretty much a regular girl, is a very competent detective. The games are a little silly, but I really recommend them. (especially the sequel)

Laura Bow was always a favorite of mine. As a kid I watched my dad play Dagger of Amon Ra for hours, and later tried to take his diskettes only to discover they had been worn out with over use in certain areas... I later got a copy of King's Quest Collection which included this AND Colonel's Bequest. I remember hating the heck out of poor Bequest but loving Amon Ra as much as I ever did as a kid... I have to say, now that I'm older, I still love Amon Ra better, but I respect Colonel's Bequest for what it was trying to do more now. Always my favorite female protagonist, along with Rosella from King's Quest. :)

Yeah, I think some people believe that aggressive or physically strong women are the only marketable female protagonists outside of dramas and romance stories, because they don’t get that there’s a big difference between a character that is immediately and shallowly appealing and one you can really admire or fall in love with. I’ll take a Katara of the Southern Water Tribe over a Captain Marvel any day.

I think Senua is currently one of my favorite female leads. She's strong but has plenty of vulnerabilities and I really wanted to see her reach her goal.

I didn't know Laura Bow, now I want to play her game. She reminds me of the female protagonists in hidden object games, they're usually smart and average looking, though most of them lack personality.

The Laura Bow games are definitely some of my favorites from the golden adventure game era. I'd love to see another sequel some day.

I actually never played any game with her in it, but I learned a long time ago that cunning and whit in the right hands can be just as powerful as physical strength.

Another great video Roses, everything you stated in this video resonated so much with my own thoughts and opinions about female characters in video games. To boil it down simply, when I think of a great female protagonist, I think of complex characters. While gun toting, complete badass, beautiful female characters are enjoyable, I would much prefer complex characters who have different strengths and weaknesses. Take for example, Susan Ashworth from the Cat Lady. While some may consider her a victim throughout the game due to her crippling depression, I believe her battle with mental illness makes her a strong female character. Not only that, her depression isn't her entire character. While yes, depression can constantly loom over a person, that isn't their only characteristic. Susan Ashworth isn't just her depression, she can also be compassionate, caring, funny, snarky, and fierce. Anyways, I really enjoyed the video and just wanted to share my own thoughts on female protagonist!

I mean, to be fair, Rudy figured out the mystery in Colonel's Bequest too, despite being an opportunistic asshole

i've had a crush on Laura Bow for decades...thanks for giving her a shout out...

Another set of wonderful, nuanced female characters I've always loved can be found in the amazing Blackwell series. Like Laura, Rosa Blackwell is not a bombshell, or aggressive at all, but by gawd she will do the right thing, get to the bottom of things, and catch you out in a lie.

Shantae, she's such a funny character : P

I really like this. I've never played the Laura Bow adventure games but I want to look at them now. I think there's a lot of talk about "Strong Female Characters" but most of them are traditionally aggressive and tough. I think a strong female character should be well written and I'm up for all kinds of variety.