The third instalment of the Mass Effect series marks the first time developer Bioware has included the female version of its protagonist, Commander Shepard, in its marketing.

Fans were pretty excited about the prospect of seeing Female Shepard, or FemShep as she’s known, star in her own trailer, and Bioware capitalized on this with the hashtag #FemShepFriday.

Here’s a round-up of some of the anticipation leading up to the launch, and an interview with the founder of the community FemShep.com about FemShep finally getting her day in the sun. 

My rebuttal to group of entitled male gamers who say strong female characters in video games are unrealistic and should have strength and intelligence penalties.