Lydia of Whiterun

Random Elder Scrolls fanart. Lydia from Skyrim. I love her, she's an amusing mix of optimistic, loyal, tough, and sarcastic.

I really feel like I should pay more tribute to this series. Honestly I could write a whole essay about how much I love the Elder Scrolls series, specifically for the way it treats its female characters. Unlike most video games, Elder Scrolls doesn't sexualize and objectify women. Female characters wear the same armor as males, not some skimpy cheesecake bullshit. They're treated respectfully and given unique personalities and backstories. Also the number of important female characters is nearly equal to the males.

They're mothers, wives, bandits, warriors, commanders, queens, goddesses, villains, and heroes...You know, like in real life. This is one of the only game series I can think of that treats women like actual people instead of a pair of tits with generic dialog who constantly needs to be rescued.
(The Fallout series is also awesome for this, specifically from Fallout 3 onward.)

The fact that this is even a big deal is pretty fucking sad. Come on, game companies...Bethesda is /decades/ ahead of you with this stuff. Leave the sexism and objectification to modders; they're always on top of it anyway...