Key figures

From E.V.A. to Eva – The Liaison Agents:

Command & Conquer begins with E.V.A. (Electronic Video Agent), the GDI’s central computer. Throughout Tiberian Dawn, this female voice accompanies us, providing information and so on. This “liaison officer” remains a constant presence throughout the Tiberium Saga, in contrast to CABAL and Legion from Nod, who have male voices. She even reappears in the Red Alert Saga in the form of Lieutenant Eva McKenna.

Why does E.V.A. have a female voice and a female first name? This question is tantamount to asking, “Why do most assistance systems have female voices?”

Experts have looked into the matter, and here are the main answers put forward:

• Biological reason– a foetus is said to be more responsive to its mother’s voice than to other voices;
  -Historical reason– navigation systems in Second World War fighter planes used female voices so that they could be distinguished from the co-pilots’ voices;
  -Cultural reason – in contrast to HAL 9000, the malevolent computer in Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey”, had a male voice – an idea which was, incidentally, exploited by the Command & Conquer team in the creation of the “character” CABAL, the Nod computer.

Tanya Adams – The Commandos:

Tanya Adams is the Allied Forces commando throughout the Red Alert saga. Her outfit is reminiscent of another video game character who also appeared in 1996: Lara Croft. And like the heroine of the Tomb Raider series, inspired by Neneh Cherry’s comic book character Tank Girl, Tanya is self-assured, uninhibited and determined to carry out her mission as she sees fit.

From Red Alert 2 onwards, the developers also played on the fantasy of the female Commando by choosing top models to portray the character of Tanya, particularly in the games’ promotional material – for example, this advert for Red Alert 2:

“You have a date to save the country, and she’s bringing the protection!”

Yuriko and Izumi:

Many members of the Command & Conquer development team at EA Los Angeles were fans of Japan and manga, so it is no surprise that, in their search for a third faction for Red Alert 3, Japan was chosen.

From Tesla Missions onwards, Red Alert also became a parody of the Cold War and the nations comprising each faction.

It was against this backdrop that the character of Yuriko, the Empire’s Commando, and her sister Izumi were created. She embodies two ‘classic’ archetypes: the young schoolgirl in uniform (a fantasy for many men, particularly in Japan) and the psychopathic little girl with psychic powers. A full article is dedicated to her.