This article contains minor spoilers for Valkyria Chronicles 4.
This year has been defined by the #MeToo movement, and women around the world have been speaking out against decades of sexual harassment, assault, and mistreatment from men in positions of power.
Thanks to countless brave people coming forward and speaking out against such abuses, a worldwide re-examination on sexual misconduct has begun. Unfortunately, it seems Valkyria Chronicles 4 didn't get the memo.
A few hours into the game, the mood within Squad E, the battalion of troops you take charge of throughout the campaign, is jovial. You've just liberated the city of Reine from Imperial forces and are continuing to advance through their territory. Your squad has a chance to relax after a tough battle. Riley, one of the main characters and leading figures within the group, is talking with the commander – a childhood friend called Claude Wallace – about tweaking grenades to give them an edge against the enemy. Raz and Kai – two other characters within your squad who are also childhood friends – are watching this conversation from a distance. Kai's brother left the army and asked their sibling to take their place, so Kai disguised themselves as male and did as their brother asked.
Raz is the stereotypical bad boy. While watching the conversation between Riley and Claude unfold, Kai notes that they sense a void between the two characters. Raz responds by saying that it must be Kai's "women's intuition" kicking in. Kai snipes back, reminding Raz that, in the army, people see them as a man. Raz then stands up, walks behind Kai, and grabs their butt. "No guy's got an ass this tight."
This scene sets the tone for the rest of Valkyria Chronicles 4's campaign. Although the game has a diverse cast of male and female characters with unique personalities, the women on either side of the war are degraded, sexually harassed, and mistreated.For women in this game, a respectful experience is impossible. When they're not being groped by their squad mates, the camera frames them at angles that accentuate their sexual value over their value to the squad. Whenever a character speaks positively of a women's contribution, it's condescending in tone. "At least she's good for something." A women's ability is never given the same level of treatment their technical skills would grant them as a man. At multiple points within the game's script, a woman is not even considered a person – they are merely a possession. After all, "A gentleman shouldn't keep his ladies waiting."
Even worse, the perpetrators of these sexist acts face no punishment. Many times, these moments of degradation occur openly and without shame. No one in the squad is surprised by Raz's derogatory comments towards women when they happen, and often they're allowed to pass without incident.
Upon arriving at the base for the first time, the men stare at a female navy officer while stating their desire to "swab her deck". The response to this is a resigned sigh. There's no comment on the fact these sexual advances may be unwanted.
When you have a game like Valkyria Chronicles 4 that contains a distinct lack of condemnation or consequence for such actions, you are setting a dangerous precedent.It normalises the idea that women are inferior to men, that they exist for male satisfaction, and that unwanted sexual contact should be welcomed and not challenged. Such portrayals make it harder for attitudes towards women to change, even with the pressure of the #MeToo movement shedding light on the issue on a global scale.
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