OK, so as far as my one-piece-of-Portal-fan-art-per-day streak goes, this is a bit of a cop-out, but after yesterday's marathon effort, I think felt I needed a bit of a break.

I have wanted to write an essay for some time on gender representation within Portal. The first game had an entirely 'female' cast, with no direct attention to gender called at all. Its presentation (at least within the realm of "first person shooters") is essentially unique, without any sexualisation of female characters, or use of gender stereotypes. Beyond that, Portal itself seems effeminate. Its 'weapons' are neither visceral nor penetrative, its environments are almost entirely passive, there are no 'enemies' beyond the limit of the player's creativity and reflexes.

This seems to change in Portal 2, with the addition of at least two male characters, and the potential gendering of the two playable characters in cooperative mode. Chell, the single player protagonist carried over from the original game has now also been given a more 'revealing' wardrobe, with the game's designers talking about wanting to give a more athletic feel whilst adding an element of 'vulnerability'.

Blah blah blah, enough philosophical stuff. I'll post something a little more artistic tomorrow <3