The genre of survival horror in gaming paved the way for characters that are mostly dominated by male protagonists who are capable of defending themselves and effectively pushing through ceaseless hordes of creatures native to whichever franchise of game you play. Let's look at these women who broke barriers and showed us who's the boss.

Nadia Franciscus

"Nightmare Creatures" was the first horror fiction game I ever played on the PlayStation, Nightmare Creatures' protagonist Nadia is a real baddie. The daughter of Dr. Jean Franciscus, Nadia vows to avenge her father's murder, Nadia uses her mastery of acrobatics, martial arts, and swordplay towards that end.

She is a prominent scholar in her own right, as well as being a professional adventurer and explorer.

Claire Redfield.

"Don't shoot! I'm a human." - Claire/R.E. 2

Sister to Chris Redfield, Claire is the main female protagonist of "Resident Evil 2." Claire remained strong in the R.E. franchise, making it to several other games in the series as "Resident Evil: Code Veronica," "Resident Evil 6," "Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles," "Revelations," and "Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City." Claire is also seen in CGI and movie adaptations. A survivor of the Racoon City incident, she went to the city in search of her brother and later escaped the city with the help of Leon as the game ends.

Heather Mason.

"Who the hell would make something like this? Furthermore, who the hell would eat it?" (Heather commenting on a barbecued dog.) - Heather/S.H. 3

Heather is as much a teenager as you can get, she is carefree and she loves to shop. She is quite moody and loses her temper easily. She can also be very sarcastic towards others which are normal traits for a girl in her teens.

The game takes you through a feeling of vulnerability as you take on the role of Heather in "Silent Hill 3." But make no mistake because this tough girl can wield a flamethrower and even a Beam Saber.

Zoey.

[ When walking past fuel tanks ] Zoey: "Hey Francis, look. We're passing gas. Hahaha..." - Zoey/Left 4 Dead

*actual description

After spending her first semester holed up in a dorm room watching old horror movies, Zoey was given a choice: Stop fooling around and get her grades up or drop out.

Now that the planet's overrun with murderous zombies, and all of her professors are dead, Zoey at least has the cold comfort that she's been studying up on the right subject after all.

We know there is still a lot to be covered in the world of gaming. This only shows how these games can influence how characters reshape and evolve.