It was only earlier today that Hideo Kojima let the cat out of the bag and showed off the character model for Quiet, the hushed sniper set to appear in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and as you could've suspected, it's already caused a bit of a hubbub.
Taking to the soapbox that is Twitter, Halo series designer John Ellis chose to speak his mind on Kojima's design of the character, calling it "disgusting," and that "Our industry" "full of man babies" "should be better than this."
I'm not sure where or when sexuality meets objectification, it seems to be in the eye of the beholder, really, but seemingly as far as Ellis is concerned, it's perfectly acceptable provided said female is naked, blue, and a fictional artificial intelligence. A number of other Twitter users have said the same to Ellis, who has yet to comment on the apparent hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, Kojima and the game's designers are standing by Quiet's design. Speaking during a Q&A session, Kojima explained, "What I'm really trying to do is create unique characters. One of those is, of course, Quiet. She's a really unique character; I wanted to add that sexiness to her. It wasn't really supposed to be erotic, but sexy." Furthermore, Phantom Pain designer Jordan Amaro told VG247 that Quiet's outfit "will make sense in time. It's not gratuitous. Trust the guy." Perhaps it would be best to wait until then before passing judgment.
Given Kojima's body of work, I'd put my faith that he'll deliver on his word, and there will indeed be a reason for Quiet's outfit, or lack thereof.
Amaro was backed up by Quiet's motion capture actress, and basis for appearance, Stefanie Joosten, who said, "Mr. Kojima has his reasons for deciding why Quiet [is] wearing what she's wearing. Players will just have to look forward to that."
It should be noted that the MGS series has a bit of a tradition of its characters showing a bit more skin than is perhaps necessary for a battlefield, and for both sexes. But in my recent memory, I can't recall causing them causing this much of a stink in the past. The original MGS had some Merryl moments, her in or underwear, Snake noticing her "walk;" Raiden cartwheeling around naked in Sons of Liberty; topless torture scenes in the first three games, the use of girlie mags used to distract soldiers; and who among you never called Otacon while staring at one of the various posters in the Tanker to see what Snake was "up" to? All in all, right or wrong, sexuality and body image has always had a place in the series, and it'd be silly to expect that to change now.
To Ellis and everyone who's already drawn their line in the sand, please remember it's just a game.
