Videogames: an introduction
The videogames industry is a huge media market – bigger than video and music combined. It is worth £3.86bn – more than double its value in 2007. Remarkably, these figures do not include mobile and free games such as Fortnite (which has over 200 million players worldwide).
With FIFA19, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 each selling more than 1m copies, it is important to consider the influence games can have on audiences and society.
Women in videogames
The representation of women in videogames has long been considered sexist. Female characters are rarely playable and usually reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. Games that did feature female characters presented them as damsels in distress or sex objects.
Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series is one of the most iconic characters in videogame history. But while she is a strong, independent playable character, her appearance and costume turned her into a digital sex object.
Tropes vs Women in Video Games
Vlogger and gaming expert Anita Sarkeesian has produced two series of YouTube videos documenting the representation of women in videogames.
Vlogging as Feminist Frequency, the series are an important example of digital feminism (and a superb resource for Media students). However, as a result, she has been a target for online abuse and threats – most notably as part of the #gamergate controversy.
Medium article: Is Female Representation in Video Games Finally Changing?
Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:
1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?
The portrayal of women in games often reflects traditional gender roles, sexual objectification or negative stereotypes, such as that of the "damsel in distress". Male characters are often stereotypically depicted as big and muscular. Multiple critics point out the "male gaze" as the reason why male characters are not overtly sexualized in the same way as female characters are, mentioning the assumption in the video game industry that a majority of gamers are heterosexual men, to whom companies cater.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
Traditionally, gamers are stereotyped as typically male but based on the survey “Distribution of Computer and Video Gamers in the United States from 2006 to 2017 by Gender”, 42% of the video game demographic is female. This is almost half of gamers being female showing that video games cannot survive by solely targeting the male audience.
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
Recent popular games like Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead series have female protagonists, co-protagonists or otherwise important characters. These games were all released within the past 5 years. These games each have characters who are role models for real women, because they are strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate.
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I agree with this statement to some extent - audiences would be more attracted and interested in playing a game they can relate with or feel represented in (users and gratification). However, I think that the video games with a dominating male target audience may have some misrepresentations of woman as they feel less inclined to cater to a female audience. Most video games do however represent genders appropriately - COD: female characters are covered and in similar clothing to male characters.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
Most people have heard of Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft but may not be caught up on her evolution from “sex symbol to icon”. Consider for a moment Lora Strum’s article, “Study Tracks 31 Year History of Female Sexualization in Video Games” in which she talks about how women in video games are mainly defined by their bodies. In her PBS NewsHour article she writes that “hypersexualizing women in gaming has contributed to diminishing the participation of women in the industry. Though 47 percent of gamers are female…those women aren’t playing games with hypersexualized representations of themselves,”.
Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis
Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:
Title of video: Body language and The Male gaze
The video suggests that female characters in video games are highly sexualised through their body language and appearance. Anita questions the more feminine disposition of the character shown through the character movement and 'swaying of hips'. Laura Mulvey's 'the male gaze' is also referenced to in this video - it is argued that women in video games are objectified and sexualised for the viewing of the majority male audience. However, she contradicts herself towards the end of the video when she states that in the videogame 'The Last Of Us' character Ellie has multiple emotions and characteristics that do not portray her as a sexual object - it is highly likely that Anita is leaving out other contradicting factors to her argument in order to completely back up her initial point.
Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview
Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesisan of Feminist Frequency and answer the following questions:
1) What reaction did Anita Sarkeesian receive when she published her videos on women in videogames? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.
She has experienced harassment but this has not stopped her from fighting for the change she hopes to see - "While I always expect some level of harassment when discussing gender issues online, this time it's a more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats. All the horrible backlash has just made me even more determined and committed to creating this video series. I'm also happy that all the backers and supporters of the project have been and continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration".
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings." Of course feminism has a long, diverse, and complex history with many interpretations and applications, but at the very core it's really about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically. "Feminists want an end to gender-based oppression, and although we have made great strides in some areas, there is still a long way to go in others".
3) Why do stories matter?
Stories matter because they have embedded myths and messages that can ultimately shape the way that people view certain issues or situations. For example, stories have the power to reinforce or challenges ideologies and certain stereotypes; the importance of stories highlights the importance of culture and art.
4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
Sarkeesian views these characters as an indication that women are being represented in games however, the issues that she believes are apparent with both characters proves that female characters are still objectified and sexualised in the gaming industry. For example, Samus Aran's suit is removed as a reward for completing certain sections of the game - this creates the impression that her body is something to stare at and focus on.
5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
There has been an increase in the number of female characters in video games since the early releases of games such as Metroid, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda. However, Sarkeesian also argues that representations have actually gotten worse. This is due to the fact that as the number of female characters has increased, their violence and hypersexuality has also increased.
6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
- Both female protagonists are women of colour
- The first-person/shooter style of the game means that they are not overly sexualised or objectified
- Have unique plots
- Both games showcase positive female characters who are strong, less violent and also use creative problem solving techniques.
7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?
- Having storylines where the characters are overcoming their own personal flaws
- The protagonists not being directly tied to their sex appeal
- Stepping outside of typical conventions
- Emotional depth and expression in the characters
8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
The gaming industry has typically been male-dominated; therefore, the characters in games have been designed to feed into male desires - 'the male gaze'. Sarkeesian suggests that this can be combated by including more women on development teams so that female perspectives can be offered during the designing/development stages of the projects.
9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
Sarkeesian aims to promote media literacy and make people more aware of the issues surrounding the representation of women in video games. Her goal is to encourage people to engage with the media and recognise problematic or potentially harmful representations without telling people to simply throw away the game. She would also like gaming to become more diverse and complex in terms of the female characters offered so that gaming is better for gamers of all genders - not just women and young girls.
10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
She hoped to spark debate about the sexist representations of women in video games. She wanted to let young women know that while these issues are present in fictional video games, they are real life issues that we do need to be aware of.
The videogames industry is a huge media market – bigger than video and music combined. It is worth £3.86bn – more than double its value in 2007. Remarkably, these figures do not include mobile and free games such as Fortnite (which has over 200 million players worldwide).
With FIFA19, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 each selling more than 1m copies, it is important to consider the influence games can have on audiences and society.
Women in videogames
The representation of women in videogames has long been considered sexist. Female characters are rarely playable and usually reinforce traditional gender stereotypes. Games that did feature female characters presented them as damsels in distress or sex objects.
Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series is one of the most iconic characters in videogame history. But while she is a strong, independent playable character, her appearance and costume turned her into a digital sex object.
Tropes vs Women in Video Games
Vlogger and gaming expert Anita Sarkeesian has produced two series of YouTube videos documenting the representation of women in videogames.
Vlogging as Feminist Frequency, the series are an important example of digital feminism (and a superb resource for Media students). However, as a result, she has been a target for online abuse and threats – most notably as part of the #gamergate controversy.
Medium article: Is Female Representation in Video Games Finally Changing?
Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:
1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?
Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:
1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?
The portrayal of women in games often reflects traditional gender roles, sexual objectification or negative stereotypes, such as that of the "damsel in distress". Male characters are often stereotypically depicted as big and muscular. Multiple critics point out the "male gaze" as the reason why male characters are not overtly sexualized in the same way as female characters are, mentioning the assumption in the video game industry that a majority of gamers are heterosexual men, to whom companies cater.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
Traditionally, gamers are stereotyped as typically male but based on the survey “Distribution of Computer and Video Gamers in the United States from 2006 to 2017 by Gender”, 42% of the video game demographic is female. This is almost half of gamers being female showing that video games cannot survive by solely targeting the male audience.
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
Recent popular games like Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead series have female protagonists, co-protagonists or otherwise important characters. These games were all released within the past 5 years. These games each have characters who are role models for real women, because they are strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate.
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I agree with this statement to some extent - audiences would be more attracted and interested in playing a game they can relate with or feel represented in (users and gratification). However, I think that the video games with a dominating male target audience may have some misrepresentations of woman as they feel less inclined to cater to a female audience. Most video games do however represent genders appropriately - COD: female characters are covered and in similar clothing to male characters.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
Most people have heard of Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft but may not be caught up on her evolution from “sex symbol to icon”. Consider for a moment Lora Strum’s article, “Study Tracks 31 Year History of Female Sexualization in Video Games” in which she talks about how women in video games are mainly defined by their bodies. In her PBS NewsHour article she writes that “hypersexualizing women in gaming has contributed to diminishing the participation of women in the industry. Though 47 percent of gamers are female…those women aren’t playing games with hypersexualized representations of themselves,”.
Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis
Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:
Title of video: Body language and The Male gaze
Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis
Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:
Title of video: Body language and The Male gaze
The video suggests that female characters in video games are highly sexualised through their body language and appearance. Anita questions the more feminine disposition of the character shown through the character movement and 'swaying of hips'. Laura Mulvey's 'the male gaze' is also referenced to in this video - it is argued that women in video games are objectified and sexualised for the viewing of the majority male audience. However, she contradicts herself towards the end of the video when she states that in the videogame 'The Last Of Us' character Ellie has multiple emotions and characteristics that do not portray her as a sexual object - it is highly likely that Anita is leaving out other contradicting factors to her argument in order to completely back up her initial point.
Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview
Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesisan of Feminist Frequency and answer the following questions:
1) What reaction did Anita Sarkeesian receive when she published her videos on women in videogames? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.
She has experienced harassment but this has not stopped her from fighting for the change she hopes to see - "While I always expect some level of harassment when discussing gender issues online, this time it's a more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats. All the horrible backlash has just made me even more determined and committed to creating this video series. I'm also happy that all the backers and supporters of the project have been and continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration".
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings." Of course feminism has a long, diverse, and complex history with many interpretations and applications, but at the very core it's really about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically. "Feminists want an end to gender-based oppression, and although we have made great strides in some areas, there is still a long way to go in others".
3) Why do stories matter?
Stories matter because they have embedded myths and messages that can ultimately shape the way that people view certain issues or situations. For example, stories have the power to reinforce or challenges ideologies and certain stereotypes; the importance of stories highlights the importance of culture and art.
4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
Sarkeesian views these characters as an indication that women are being represented in games however, the issues that she believes are apparent with both characters proves that female characters are still objectified and sexualised in the gaming industry. For example, Samus Aran's suit is removed as a reward for completing certain sections of the game - this creates the impression that her body is something to stare at and focus on.
5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
There has been an increase in the number of female characters in video games since the early releases of games such as Metroid, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda. However, Sarkeesian also argues that representations have actually gotten worse. This is due to the fact that as the number of female characters has increased, their violence and hypersexuality has also increased.
6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
- Both female protagonists are women of colour
- The first-person/shooter style of the game means that they are not overly sexualised or objectified
- Have unique plots
- Both games showcase positive female characters who are strong, less violent and also use creative problem solving techniques.
7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?
- Having storylines where the characters are overcoming their own personal flaws
- The protagonists not being directly tied to their sex appeal
- Stepping outside of typical conventions
- Emotional depth and expression in the characters
8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
The gaming industry has typically been male-dominated; therefore, the characters in games have been designed to feed into male desires - 'the male gaze'. Sarkeesian suggests that this can be combated by including more women on development teams so that female perspectives can be offered during the designing/development stages of the projects.
9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
Sarkeesian aims to promote media literacy and make people more aware of the issues surrounding the representation of women in video games. Her goal is to encourage people to engage with the media and recognise problematic or potentially harmful representations without telling people to simply throw away the game. She would also like gaming to become more diverse and complex in terms of the female characters offered so that gaming is better for gamers of all genders - not just women and young girls.
10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
She hoped to spark debate about the sexist representations of women in video games. She wanted to let young women know that while these issues are present in fictional video games, they are real life issues that we do need to be aware of.
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