Gender Representation In Video Games

Words: 2235
Pages: 9
Open Document
How is Gender represented in Video Games?

Gender representation within video games is a widely debated topic, some people believe characters are portrayed equally and some stating female characters are mere sex symbols. To address this debate, this essay will explore how gender can be represented in Video Games. It will go into depth on the comparison between femininity and masculinity, looking at ten popular games and how their main characters are portrayed. It will look at how the portrayals of Lara Croft, Juliet Starling, Harley Quinn, females from the Grand Theft Auto series and Princess Peach compare to male characters such as Mario himself, males within Far Cry 3, (Pick Assassin), Duke Nukem and Adam Fenix.

Women in video games are …show more content…
Studies have shown that women playing a non-sexualized heroine had more self esteem than those playing a heroine that was more sexualized (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2009). This proves that being exposed to these idealized female images in video games can actually effect self esteem. The same can most likely be assumed of male objectification, lowering the self esteem of males if they are not as muscular as the characters they play. Another important impact these stereotypes can have is in the messages these video games send to youth. Since children can idolize the characters they play in video games, the roles and messages played in the game can affect their perception of many things. These include the way children see traditional gender roles, as well as their ideal …show more content…
If a male protagonist is not the silent blank slate character common in RPGs, they are muscle bound warriors portrayed with little intelligence. An example of this is the once beloved character Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem Forever, 2011). Bursting with muscles and with obviously lower than average intelligence, the Duke is a great example of how men are objectified in video games. This character can just as easily send the wrong message as a damsel in distress character can. Being exposed to characters like Duke Nukem can lower self esteem in children and encourage them to do whatever they can to be more like him. It does not take someone with a Ph.D. to see that having young boys trying to be more like Duke Nukem as a
Show More

Related Documents: Gender Representation In Video Games

Gender Representation Of Gender In Video Games

many video games when gaming culture became popular decades ago, and that is something researchers and feminist noticed over time. There are many prominent researchers who studied the representation of women in video games, but the first researcher I wanted to discuss is Yasmin Kafai. Despite writing Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspective on Gender and Gaming in 2008, Kafai touched on many topics that are currently relevant in gaming. In her book, Kafai presented the topics of gender in gaming…

Words 202 - Pages 1

Gender Performance In The Media

this paper is the use of gender performance as a form of entertainment for a heterosexual audience. From this topic, arise many different questions. I have been lead to wonder: what forms of gender performance are there? What makes a performance geared towards heterosexuals? How do these performances affect the queer agenda? How is gender performance in the media viewed by queer culture as well as heterosexual culture? This topic was originally inspired from a game for the Nintendo 64, The…

Words 3962 - Pages 16

Essay on Video Game Addiction

Literature Review Video game addiction has become a major problem in our society. Many children and teenagers play an excessive amount of hours of video games a day that they develop countless problems such as violent behavior, hostility and social isolation. These are but few of many examples of problems young teenagers face when they have gotten to the point of addiction. However, video game addiction is proven to be associated with academic achievements and social skills as well. (Chui et al…

Words 3001 - Pages 13

Can Television Improve Social and Political Life in the United States Essay

Theme two Media and American Culture- The medium is the message As the development of media, our society has been explored further and better by those mediums that people created. And every medium is now playing a important role which has been promoting the development of society because some messages that the mediums bring to people exactly makes our lives more fun and convenient such as the TV shows we always watch is what TV brings to us, or the news is what Internet brings to us. However, the…

Words 1239 - Pages 5

Essay about Gaming: a Search for Good Amongst the Bad

and violent video games as a reason for his disturbing actions. It is unfortunate that violent media, especially video games, is to blame for societal ills. The hysteria built up around this form of entertainment is nonsensical when the benefits of video gaming have been greatly overlooked. If we look at video gaming in a broader aspect in relation to its effects, good and bad, the definition of video games may not get such a bad rap. Literally, a video game is defined as a game played by electronically…

Words 2042 - Pages 9

Media Body Image

shows, music videos, video games and even news segments, women have to play up their sex appeal. This can be seen by the clothes women wear or the fact that they aren't given much character. Women’s Media Center’s annual report, on the status of women in TV states that “Women were quoted in only 19% of news articles in January and February of 2013”. Women are not represented in media for anything other than body; it's always men playing sports or inventing things. Also, in case of gender roles the society…

Words 790 - Pages 4

Causes And Consequences Of Violent Video Games On Presence And Aggression

Violent Video Games on Presence and Aggression Marina Krcmar Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 27106 Kirstie M. Farrar University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269 Abstract The level of presence is likely to influence the effect of media violence. This project examines the causes and consequences of presence in the context of violent video game play. In a between subjects design, 227 participants were randomly assigned to play either a violent or a nonviolent video game. The results…

Words 7014 - Pages 29

Miss Representation Essay

Social Action Rep(resentative) Kit Be A Rep Program Powered by About Miss Representation www.missrepresentation.org Miss Representation is a feature-length documentary that exposes how mainstream media, with its limited – and often disparaging – portrayals of women and girls, contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. Building off the themes of the film, MissRepresentation.org is organizing tens of thousands of individuals…

Words 3547 - Pages 15

Media Influences On Developing Stereotypes

Psych 1: Introduction to Psychology UCSC Fall 2013 Paper Topic Rough Draft DUE NOVEMBER 5 Media Influences on Developing Stereotypes One important possible explanation for the prevalence of racial, ethnic, gender, and class stereotypes in our society is that the media may influence children and adults to form or retain such stereotypes. In this paper you will consider evidence on such stereotypes in the media, and connect that evidence to theories and research findings discussed in class or…

Words 1070 - Pages 5

Understanding Stereotypes

Mrs. Pietrantonio English 12 10 November 2015 Gaming: Understanding Benefits and Stereotypes “If you don’t play games, you’re not just missing out, you’re ignoring the most rapidly evolving creative medium in history.” (Brooker.) Though we as a society know of the success and benefits for people of all ages playing video games, we still cling to the stereotypes of the past, as though games are nothing but a silly distraction for children and sad, old men. Why is this? Perhaps the fault is in the lack…

Words 1536 - Pages 7