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@atomic_dumpling: the answer is money. From 1975 to 2004, video games were nerd games for nerds who couldn't kiss girls because eww nerds and their nerd games. Even women who were nerds and played games were social pariahs. But all those nerds stayed with games into their adult years, and their white collar full time jobs, and suddenly it's a 'mature industry', it's now socially acceptable to play games, and now we have to do something to 'get women into games'. If they remained the embarrassing pastime of losers, no one would care, but they developed market cache, being a programmer or developer is now a prestige career... And that's how it works. The 'job equality' push is not for actual equality or freedoms, it's for prestige positions. When you hear talk of more women in the military, don't think they're talking about grunts or soldiers; they're talking about generals and officers.

Consider if you were a 'gamer girl' in 1993; you were not cool. No one would ever say you were cool. If you were cool and you played games you kept it a bigger secret than herpes. The only people who would call you cool are the other nerds who no one thinks is cool. Compare to 2013. If you're a 'gamer girl', you get a webcam and a twitch channel and start making money. Gamer girls are the darling of both nerd and mainstream media. Gamer guys... eh, still seen as juvenile 'boys' who haven't 'grown up' and become 'real men'... but gamer girls? Put that shit on ET.

I hope you've never whined about anything in your blessed life because people are being starved and raped and murdered in other countries. Excellent point.

roflwell, congrats on never ever whining about a video game ever?

You don't get it. It's not about the violence. It's about disempowerment. When a women is in a damsel in distress role, she has no power. In a situation like female soldiers in Battlefield 4, both men and women are on an equal playing field.