The many protagonists of the the GTA series have always left something of an impression on those that play them. Regardless of who that character is though they all have something in common. They are monsters. Some of us might feel sympathy for them yes but that doesn't change the simple fact that many of these characters be it Tommy, CJ, Niko, or Huang they are still deranged and at times pretty despicable people. Bottom line none of these guys are role models and they are not meant to be. That's probably what makes us like them. They are criminals and they don't give a fuck. They are characters that aren't doing what they do in these games for some greater good but for their own selfish needs and I love it.

But over time I feel like I'm seeing the same criminal regardless of who they are, where they are from, their ethnicity, etc. No matter whose shoes I'm walking in the shoe is still the same size and feels too familiar. Recently I read a piece on Gamasutra about how it feels playing GTA V and the characters you are cast as. Don't get me wrong I like GTA V and I think it's very well put together as a great game. But I think looking forward at the future of the series I think maybe, just maybe... Rockstar could have a woman take up the lead role. I think it'd give the series a great new perspective. A fresh pair of eyes to see GTA's world from. Best of all... a new kind of monster to unleash on the hapless city and it's virtual people.

One of the things I enjoyed seeing in the Saint's Row series was seeing a woman causing all kinds of havoc and destruction. Seeing her being just as maniacal about the chaos she caused on whatever rampage I made her go on. Granted though, being that SR as a series has to account for multiple combinations of custom characters in a game's design you can really only add so much character in writing and dialog when trying to tell a story. Imagine if you could tell that story from the ground up with a more defined character. That's what GTA could do with a female lead. She'd have more of an identity. Least that's my opinion.

What do you folks think? Would you enjoy playing GTA as a woman? Do you think people would finally accept it?

Would it be nice to have a female main character? Yes.

Does it need one? No.

I don't really think it matters what gender they are if the writing of the character is new and interesting. They should focus on that next time.

i want to play as a robot. that would be an interesting perspective.

I think games should have great characters. Gender is a non-issue.

Would it be cool? sure but it would probably also feel super forced because all of a sudden everyone and their mothers demanded it.
Depends on the story they write I guess, so we'll probably see one.

GTA VI. Main Characters and you can switch between them like in GTA V:
Mikki, Ulrika, Katie and Divine. And they're joined by their best friend Bubba

Edit: Kinda sad that nobody here has played Grand Theft Auto 1 ever and didn't get the reference with those names up there.
You're all terrible "human" beings.

If it fits the story they want to create sure. But not should it be in any way forced because people think we now need a female protagonist. And of course would she have more identity than in a Saints row game where it does not matter if you are male or female. GTAV is so great because of these 3 characters. And personally I think these are the strongest and best ones Rockstar has ever created.

I honestly can't see myself playing as a female for a GTA game.

I really want to see Bully 2.0 - Mean Girls.

Rockstar make a game with a female lead? How about first they make a game where a woman is a person and not a sex joke?

2013 Lindsay Lohan playing herself would be an amazing character.

It would be silly to have a female lead in a game with so much driving.

Please refer to Red Dead Redemption, GTAIV, GTA San Andreas and GTAIII for a litany of rebuttals.

Why should they? Everything in GTAV is a joke except the main characters. It is a joke about the american way of life and its perfect.

I just want more interesting characters, regardless of gender. Franklin, Michael and Trevor all feel like archetypes. Sure, they have their own small nuances and I am enjoying the game a lot but it all feels very familiar. I don't think there's anyway they can do this same structure again without some massive changes.

The fact that you can't answer that yourself is why.

Define "perfect."

Yep I already know whats coming.

But women that are career criminals are like a drop in a sea of piss. Where the sea is men. Wouldn't be that realistic if they forced a female lead. If the so-called activists want women in video games they should shut the fuck up and either make a game themselves or try writing for some of the developers.

Ok listen...

In the world of GTA everything is over the top and extreme. And for that matter so are women. We have extreme black gangsters, we have extreme rednecks, we have extreme men who getting chained to a tree with just their underwear, we have many comments about how America treats violence and sex and so on. So why should it be different with women? Women are nothing special that need protection. Women dont get a bad representation by being prostitutes. That is their life and many of of them like it that way in real life.

You never should try to force women what to wear or what female characters should wear or do. Because every women out there is different. Some like it to wear almost nothing, have sex with everyone and so on. And so do men of course.

Yeah because when I think Grand Theft Auto, I think "REALISM."

I don't even necessarily care too much about a female protagonist but try harder, please.

It is a great satirical commentary how America is. That is why its perfect.

You sexist revisionist scum! GTA1 had selectable female protagonists! Do not forget that!

Fuck. In all seriousness, this done by Rockstar could be INCREDIBLE!!! Damn it! Now I'm gonna be upset every day that this fake game isn't announced.

To the OP's point, I think you'll find most people here will welcome a female lead in any game as long as it doesn't seem pandering. Although if you don't get a sense of diversity from the 3 playable dudes in GTA V, I honestly don't see how A WOMAN! would feel all that different either. Maybe my perspective's different because I usually play as a female character when given the chance, but really characters are characters and gender doesn't pose the profound difference that some make it out to be. Just to pick an example from a game with that choice, fem shep (aside from the amazing voice acting) is really just not different from male shep.

I think the more important question is after this one, would we want another similar GTA game... at all.

We'll agree to disagree about how great their satire is, I suppose. Some stuff works. Some doesn't. It's far from perfect.

C'mon son!

Agreed. Like many other people have said, R* shouldn't be pressured into making a female protagonist; let 'em do what they wanna do. If seeing the world through the eyes of Bigfoot/Chop is the ideal way of telling their story, then more power to them.

I think the problem people have that it is direct into your face instead of a more subtle way. It is on a southpark level. It is not clever and rather stupid but everyone will understand this. And that is why this series is so successful. Everyone will understand it.

I think when the Hausers find the right story for a female protag then sure fine that would be great. Until then it would be a disservice to just jam a female protag in there because hey we need to fill our equality quota.

@darji: That's exactly my problem with it. It's all very obvious. Also, it feels like Rockstar has been making the same jokes about the same things for a decade now.

The characters work because the writers at rockstar are able to put an incredible amount of passion and work into creating them, so honestly they shouldn't create a female lead unless they want to. It would be simple to have renamed Michael to Michelle and gotten Jennifer Hale to read the lines, but just being a female character wouldn't make 'Michelle' any more interesting or fresh. Ultimately, I would rather they never make a GTA6 and move onto new ideas and IP, there is room for more interesting characters-both male and female- outside of crime fiction.

No. The right time for a female protagonist is when they want to write one. Not make one just so they can have a female.

No. The right time for a female protagonist is when they want to write one. Not make one just so they can have a female.

Get it done Rockstar

I just feel that some peoples tastes have changed. Sure, they basically play around with similar jokes in the wheelhouse they know but most stand up comics operate the same way they'll have different routines/jokes but they write about what they know so its all going to come from a similar place. I've still seen some really good subtle zingers in the game. If the satire doesn't work for you or others then hey I guess you're tired of those jokes but I'd rather them write what they know rather than try to branch out and just shit the bed all in the name of innovation.

We need a GTA with a dolphin protagonist.

all these

PEACE OUT!

They do it because America has not changed but this time they added a lot of feminism stuff because that is what people are talking about since last year or so. And you really have to be so obvious when so many people buy it. It is a great casual game. People buy consoles just because of this game. They can not really do a more subtle way because all these people will not understand it.

They shouldnt put a female protagonist in for the sake of variety or to appease certain people. They need to put a female in when they have a character worthy of it, and when they feel comfortable with it. I cant believe you think that all the characters feel the same, I mean CJ and Franklin are fairly similar, but they all have unique stories and personalities, gender doesnt change that.

I don't think the feminine perspective on this kinda shit is any different than the masculine perspective. I don't think that it would address your issues about character because she would be exactly like the other GTA protagonists, just with a vagina that you don't see and maybe a higher pitched voice.

I mean I'm cool with a female protagonist, don't get me wrong, I just don't think that addresses your problems at all. I would say just demand better/more varied writing.

I don't think gta needs a female lead, I just don't think that this series is made for a female lead. Now I do feel other series or company's should start making female leads, interesting ones and cool ones. Like mass effect, resident evil, Metroid, etc.

I feel the industry is ready for that I mean they just made the biggest event in entertainment history and yet their the only ones who haven't really moved forward towards having great female leads in the entertainment business.

Mass effect? What? That makes no sense. You have a great female lead if this characters is defined like Ellie for example which was also a lead character in the last of Us. Mass effect did the same stuff than a Saints row does you just can play as what you want it does not change much.

I think the series needs something new. A female lead would be cool. It wouldn't be sufficient.

Or heck, check back to me in six years or however long it takes 'till we get VI.

It's time when the Hausers say it's time.

From FBI website, with 2011 statistics:

"Over 74 percent (74.1) of the persons arrested in the nation during 2011 were males. They accounted for 80.4 percent of persons arrested for violent crime and 62.9 percent of persons arrested for property crime."

Also:

"In 2011, 69.2 percent of all persons arrested were white, 28.4 percent were black, and the remaining 2.4 percent were of other races."

Women do not, on average, or even close to average, commit violent crimes. White people are arrested more often than any other ethnicity, because they are about 70% of the US population. Black guys make up the second largest percentage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a ratio of about 2:1 white guys to black guys is about the going rate for violent crime in the US (i.e. the main characters in GTAV), which is fairly representative of their choices for main characters in the GTA universe as a whole (which is almost entirely about violent crime).

Really?

@milkman: Try it yourself.

I'm a little surprised this hasn't happened already, to be honest. You'd think writers would get tired of cranking out a macho straight guy time after time. Rockstar hasn't produced a lot of memorable female side characters, either -- at least none are coming to mind.