Representation of Women in The Witcher 3

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The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is a role-playing video game, based on the fantasy series of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. Just like in the previous installments, the main playable character is Geralt of Rivia, however the entire plot of the game revolves around the search for his adopted daughter – Ciri. She is only playable in a small amount of missions, which helps tell the story from her point of view, and the gameplay is significantly simplified. The game draws upon an established universe, as well as European medieval culture and history, which poses as an explanation for the treatment of female characters ingame. The portrayal of women in The Witcher 3 is extremely diverse; the multiple main, secondary, and background characters are not portrayed as mere love interests for Geralt or shallow NPCs, but have compelling character arcs and personalities. On the other hand, it also does not avoid being problematic, for example in case of their visual representation.

[womenofthewildhunt]

A significant number of conversations and quests in the game are connected to finding Ciri and then protecting her during the battles – if the Witcher 3 were analyzed under the criteria of a reverse Bechdel test, it would likely be close to failing. Ciri is fully indepentent throughout most of her journey and faces her obstacles alone, but this time the threat is too big for her to overcome. She is the most powerful of all characters ingame, determined, and decisive. Despite all that, the game perpetuates the trope of a damsel in distress, which according to the Feminist Frequency video “Damsel in Distress: Part 1 – Tropes vs Women in Video Games,” has been one of the most commonly used driving forces behind the plot since the earliest video games. In case of this plot device “a female character is placed in a perilous situation from which she cannot escape on her own and must be rescued by a male character.” Similarly to Ciri's situation, “this is most often accomplished via kidnapping but it can also take the form of petrification […]. Traditionally the woman in distress is a family member or a love interest for the hero.”(1) Ciri is placed in a state similar to a coma, helpless and defenceless, while Geralt is the one to finally rescue her. Regardless of all her qualities, she is portrayed as a vulnerable girl who needs to be rescued and protected. What is more, in contrast to the novels Ciri is portrayed as more immature, naive, and innocent. She sometimes lacks the understanding of her situation and does not show any trauma after all she has been through. The changes were similar with the characters of Yennefer and Triss –  Triss acts more altruistic and pure, while Yennefer often presents unpleasant qualities. In the article “Yenn, Triss, And Complicated Sexism of Witcher 3” Barbara Oudová-Holcátová claims that “Triss, as she is in Witcher 3, is a very good role model. Yennefer is not, or not particularly. Given that the situation is almost the exact reverse in the books, it makes you wonder why. And I for myself feel like the answer is not pretty. Be soft spoken and feminine, girls, it says. Otherwise, whatever great deeds you do will never count. After all, no one likes a shrew.”(2)

1.  feministfrequency, Damsel in Distress: Part 1 – Tropes vs Women in Video Games (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6p5AZp7r_Q

2.  Barbara Oudová-Holcátová, Yenn, Triss, And Complicated Sexism of Witcher 3, The Fandomentals (2017) https://www.thefandomentals.com/yenn-triss-sexism-witcher-3/

[womenofthewildhunt]

One of the most significant plot points in the Witcher 3 are the witch hunts, carried out by King Radovid of Redania and his witch hunters. The oppression includes male sorcerers as well as nonhumans, but in reference to the historical events with the witch trials in the Middle Ages women are depicted as its biggest victims. The moment we step into Novigrad we see a woman getting burned at a stake; Triss needs to hide in the city to avoid getting recognized and plans an escape. There is a group of sorceresses called the Lodge, who will later help Geralt fight against the Wild Hunt. The player is tasked to save them from the dungeons – they were awaiting execution, one of them got her eyes gouged out by Radovid, another was wounded so badly that she only asked Geralt for a merciful death. Radovid hatred comes from the fear of the women's previous political influence. Sorceresses are hunted down and tortured, accused of murdering kings, starting wars, and scheming. They are called derogatory terms related to their gender, blamed for trying to seduce men. Power is regained through violent revenge, by killing the hunters and Radovid himself. One of the members of the Lodge, Keira Metz, tries to reason with the king with hope of return to her previous social status. She does not meet forgiveness and ends up being brutally impaled on a stake. The witch hunts show a story of systemic oppression of women, where the fear of their influence is the most important motivation for taking away all their power and dignity.

*screenshot: https://www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/37k51x/spoilers_so_i_let_keira_go_away_as_she_wanted/

[womenofthewildhunt]

The physical appearance of women in the game is in many instances a subject of controversy - the characters are often hypersexualized. One example would be the Lodge, whose all members wear extremely revealing clothing and show a  deep cleavage. The sorceresses are known for using their sexuality to their advantage, however given what they were subjected to their appearance and objectifying them seems rather inappropriate. Triss, wounded in the novels and despite the fact that her scars were healed unable to wear clothes with a low neckline, seems to have forgotten about her trauma as well. Ves, a soldier from a special forces unit, is criticized by her commander for fighting with an exposed chest – she dismisses him by claiming he cannot tell her what to wear. Even Ciri herself, treated like a daughter by Geralt, tells him that to distract people from looking at the scar on her face she unbuttons her shirt. The article “The Complicated Women Of The Witcher 3” by Nathan Grayson describes Keira - “from the moment you meet her, she’s wearing this outfit that looks like it belongs on a porn set. It’s hilariously impractical, allowing her nipples to oh-so-slyly peek out from the right camera angles.”(3) The outfit in a way downgrades the fact that she is a well-written character and distracts from the story, treating her like not much more than a love interest instead.

3.  Nathan Grayson, The Complicated Women Of The Witcher 3, Kotaku (2015) https://kotaku.com/the-complicated-women-of-the-witcher-3-1711003491

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The variety of female characters is very well demonstrated by the background NPCs. In the poorer locations there are older women washing clothes near the rivers or feeding chickens; in the cities we can observe dancing and drinking aristocracy. In the forests we can find female elven archers. On Skellige Isles, inspired by the Nordic cultures, there are female warriors wearing armor and carrying swords. One of the main quests on Skellige leads the main character to choosing the ruler – one of the options is Cerys, who is depicted as much more reasonable than her reckless brother. The background characters are fleshed out by secondary quests. One of them is related to a female warrior who was never defeated by any man in sword combat, another is about a girl leading a band about to plunder a village. There is also a story of a woman simply grieving for her lost son and asking Geralt to find him. During the quest “Master Armorer” it turns out that one of the most skilled blacksmiths in the area is actually a woman, but she lets her male assistant to take credit for her work. As Nathan Grayson points out, “it’s an interesting usage of the sexism that’s so often present in The Witcher 3’s world—and one that, once again, confronts a real world issue (women not being taken seriously in the workplace) and calls it out for being shitty.”(4)

4.  Ibid

[womenofthewildhunt]

Another aspect of The Witcher's portrayal of women are the monsters and creatures Geralt fights ingame. Many of them take form of attractive naked women; there is an elements of seduction that lures their prey close enough to attack. Its important factor is transformation – in case of sirens beautiful blonde girls with fish tails and wings turn into fanged and clawed hideous monsters. The ancient Crones (Whispess, Weavess, and Brewess) are treated as an object of cult in the young female forms and protect the villagers, though at a terrible cost. There are also vampires, alps and bruxae, which haunt and attack men at night. On the other hand, there are water hags that reinforce the image of a scary deformed witch, as well as noonwraiths – rotting skeleton brides driven insane through their agony. Those examples continue the concept of beautiful and seductive women, but immoral and dangerous, as well as ones driven by emotions to extreme lenghts.

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Women in the Witcher universe are facing a cruel reality. With a series of tweets, the Feminist Frequency stirred up a debate about the gendered insults and sexual harassment aimed at Ciri, but not present in case of Geralt.(5) One one hand, it was claimed that the medieval setting and established world are not an excuse for this kind of treatment of women in a fantasy game, and all that was rooted in the real life sexism. However, in “Why Feminist Frequency Is Dead Wrong About The Witcher 3” by Erik Kain there is an argument that “Ciri isn't always treated horribly by the bad guys and NPCs in her game. Well, other than the bad guys trying to kill her I suppose---and surely such gentlemanly enemies ought to not have gendered insults as part of their assault?---but the NPCs don't simply write off Ciri as various horrible names.”(6) It is not fair to consider fiction that portrays a world full of sexism as sexist by itself, as long as this is not all the role of women has been reduced to. There is also the question of empathy; it is possible that when the player experiences what female characters go through, it helps them understand their struggles. According to Matt Conn's “Gaming's Untapped Queer Potential as Art,” the interactivity of video games is very useful at making similar topics more understandable and easier to relate to.(7) In the moments when Ciri becomes a playable character, her encounters might seem more affecting than in case when they are simply observed or written about.

5.  https://twitter.com/femfreq/status/604896858654113792

6.  Erik Kain, Why Feminist Frequency Is Dead Wrong About The Witcher 3, Forbes (2015) https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/05/31/why-feminist-frequency-is-dead-wrong-about-the-witcher-3/#1557cc30435b

7.  Matt Conn, "Gaming's Untapped Queer Potential as Art." QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking (2015): 1-5.

[womenofthewildhunt]

In conclusion, the representation of women in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is certainly diverse. The main, secondary, and background characters are well-written; some of their stories are rooted in traditional gender roles, and others depart from them. The Witcher universe is oppressive and sexist towards women, but their problems are shown in a sensitive and reasonable manner. Their depiction might also contribute to a better understanding of sexism in the real world. The biggest issue with the game is the physical appearance of women, where no matter what kind of personality they have and what their struggles were, they are shown in a sexualized way. Some of the characters are simplified in comparison to the novels the game was based on, contributing to reinforcement of stereotypes about female behavior. In the end, The Witcher 3 greatly contributes to diversity and representation of female characters, although it does not avoid making many mistakes.