There is no more “digital” digital woman than SHODAN (or “Sentient Hyper-Optimised Data Access Network”), the high queen of computer game villains, the empress of computerized malevolence. As the A.I. behind all the mischief in System Shock 1 and 2, SHODAN is hands-down one of the most compelling villains in all of video game history. Consider the first System Shock, wherein SHODAN (an A.I. constructed by the character you play, generally known as “The Hacker”) becomes self-aware (assigning herself a gender along the way), decides human beings are an infestation, and begins to slaughter every human in her home, Citadel Station. Sure she has a weakness for her creator which allows you to abandon her in the far reaches of space, but does she rest on her laurels once her escape pod crashes on Ceti Alpha VI? Not SHODAN!

Instead, as you discover in System Shock 2, she guides the evolution of the native fauna, creating The Many, a collection of really gross, horrifying creatures answering to a single hive mind. Of course, children are often ungrateful, and The Many (perhaps having learned a little of SHODAN’s condescension), turns on her, allying themselves with another A.I., the milquetoast XERXES. Does SHODAN give up? Does she curse and rail against her fate? No! Instead she masquerades as a human scientist to enlist the help of your character, then gets you to kill The Many for her and help her escape back to Earth (in theory).

Some gamers claim that there are no good female role models in video games, but I think SHODAN is a shining example of what a woman can accomplish when she puts her mind to it.

Pros:

Being an A.I., SHODAN doesn’t suffer from niggling insecurities. She thinks she’s the best (near God-like), and no one can convince her otherwise, not ungrateful worm blob thingies, nor scary zombies, nor cyborg assassins. She is so secure in her knowledge of her own self-worth that all of humanity is nothing to her. She’s also a good mother, having evolved single-celled organisms into functioning semi-sentient beings in a mere 40 years. All that, and tricking curious scientists into restoring her at the same time!

Cons:

By human standards, she’s really, utterly, and unbelievably evil. She kills and kills and kills and kills, and that’s generally not seen as a good thing. By non-human standards, though, she’s really good at being evil, and what more can you ask of a villain?

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