Exploitation of Women in Mass Media/Video games- Draft
editVideo games, one of the largest form of media to date, has been wrought with criticism over the treatment of Women in and out of their platform. Women while being one of the biggest audiences for gaming, have been shown lackluster representation in comparison to male characters[1]. While even if women are received representation in a game, there has been criticism for stereotyping based upon the character's sex, race, or sexuality[2]. One of the most regarded criticisms for Video games is the Sexualization of female characters[3].This exploitation of women for sales, lead to a reluctance of video game fans to adapt to a growing audience of women[4].
Women, despite one being one of the largest audiences for video games, are on average represented once per every four male characters [1]. With that number in mind, while depending on the genre of a video game there is on average forty to fifty percent female playable characters. [5] Critics have said even Women even when they are shown own screen,[1] are often portrayed in an stereotypical roles that propagates negative stereotypes.[2] Usually, Instead of playing women out as fully formed characters, they are often placed in a minor helping role, or in a damsel in distress role[2].While stereotyping also goes on more than just sex, with race, sexuality, or class often being portrayed in an exaggerated or unrealistic way with female and even male characters.
One of gaming's biggest criticism is the vast sexualization of women in video games [6]. Women are shown to have unrealistic body proportions, and are often treated like sex objects. In comparison, men also receive many exaggerated and unrealistic characters, but in a different way. Many critics of sexism in gaming point out that while male characters are often exaggerated and out of proportion, they are still treated like characters and not objects. [1] .Many people in the video game business believe that sexualization will cater to male fantasy and that it will bolster sales of their product, and that has been an object of criticisms and creating a wide fan base that is in support of this unrealistic portrayal of women[3].
The exploitation of women and their portrayal in video games has been criticized by many, but extreme fans have been show to be avid defenders of the unhealthy portrayal of women[4]. With many controversies from fans arising from any attempt to bring a discussion about being more inclusive in gaming[4]. Many critics of the gaming culture chastise male fans for protesting and harrassing anyone who attempts to hold a dialogue about the state of the gaming industry [4], which some critics don't find surprising given the years of women's portrayal in the gaming culture[3].
FINAL DRAFT/EDITS (Somebody came and posted their own wikipedia article after I added a Video Game Section, I skimmed my project down to coincide with their post)
According to a report done by the Entertainment Software Association in 2013, 55% of game players are male and 45% are female[1]. Despite the large percentage of the gaming audience being women, on average men appear on screen more often than women.Women's roles in many modern games usually are less important to the game and rely heavily on stereotypes[2]. Video games' female characters also tend to be portrayed as light skinned, with racial stereotypes coupled with women of color in games, with white male characters often being the main characters with little to no negativity in their presentation.
Many video game roles for women are often simply just minor helpers, or a love interest that requires rescuing. These roles for women have been found to have a negative impact on the perception of women in gaming. Even main playable female characters are found to be unrealistically proportioned with revealing clothing. Even if a sexualized female female character is the main protagonist and portrayed in a positive light, but studies have shown a potential negative effect if the character is hyper-sexualized in a stereotypical manner.[3] A recent Ohio State University Study has found that sexist and violent content in games cause Male Gamers to identify with the male lead, and find less empathy with female victims of violence.[7]
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- ^ a b c d e Kondrat, Xeniya (Summer 2015). "Gender and video games: How is female gender generally represented in various genres of video games?" (PDF). Journal of comparative research in Anthropology and Sociology.
- ^ a b c d Mou, Peng (3/15/2016). "Gender and Racial stereotypes in Popular Video Games" (PDF).
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d "The Effects of the Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept". www.academia.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ a b c d "Gamergate controversy". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- ^ Divnich, Jesse. "The Divnich Tapes: Female Representation In Games Across Genres, Consoles". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Sexualization Of Women In Video Games: Controversy Over Censorship Fueled By Recent Developments". Headlines & Global News. 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160413151057.htm". www.sciencedaily.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
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