Content warning: Abuse

Video game writer Noel Copeland is on his third scene re-write of the morning, unable to decide just how much violent abuse his female characters should have to endure before they can be considered believable and real.

“Everyone loves a strong female character,” complained Copeland as he slugged back another coffee and lit a cigarette. “But what a lot of people don’t understand is how difficult it is to choose which particular form of violent abuse strengthens them.”

Copeland explained that like Pokemon, strong females actually evolve from regular females once they have accumulated a certain amount of abuse.

“Not a lot of people know that about female characters,” he added. “It’s a bit of a writer’s secret. Trick of the trade.”

Copeland’s current draft calls for his female character to be strangled, stabbed, shot, run over and then shot again – a combination that he calls “gritty, powerful and hopefully award-winning”.

However, he says he’s willing to consider an extended torture scene with implied off-screen sexual violence if it comes to that.

“That’s what’s great about writing female characters,” said Copeland. “They’re so multifaceted.”

“You’ve got your fear of violence from men, you’ve got the actual violence at the hands of men, and of course, surviving the violence inflicted on you by men… video games really allow me as a writer to explore the three specific ways women can be strong.”

“That’s why this medium is so special.”