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One of the key plot points in Jurassic Park revolves around the concept of parthenogenesis: the curious biological miracle in which certain animals can functionally change their gender to compensate for an environment dominated by one gender. "Life", as rock and roll maths whizz Ian Malcolm informs us, "finds a way". Something very similar happened this week over at Marvel Comics, as it was revealed that The Mighty Thor, that most masculine of superheroes, is to become female.Having dropped that bombshell, the company followed up with the news that Sam Wilson, aka African American superhero The Falcon, is to take over the mantle of Captain America. Earlier this year, a less well known character, Captain Marvel, was reinvented as a teenaged Muslim girl. In a comic book landscape still dominated by white male characters, these were all much needed adjustments.
It's relevant here because while most people, for some reason, instinctively compare games to movies, their true cultural parallel is more likely comic books. Both began as children's entertainment, and both were accused of corrupting young minds when they began to break out of that infantilised ghetto. Both, of course, have also struggled with the question of diversity, and both have been spotlighted in recent months for their shortfall in this regard. Thanks to Marvel, comics have just taken a small but notable step forwards. Games, it seems, are still fumbling around looking for excuses not to deviate from the status quo.
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