Pro Argument -- Page 1
When you pop in a video game, chances are that, as you get going in the game, you will find some pretty prevalent forms of sexism. Half naked women, gigantic men…it’s all there. The question you have to ask yourself, though, is “do you think this portrayal has a negative effect on society?” Or do you think that sexism is just natural to video games? Can they exist without it, or is it an inherent quality of the industry? Here on our PRO section of the site, we would like to present to you how sexism in video games can be seen as a negative aspect through popular opinion and research studies that were done on this topic.
When looking at sexism in video games, the first thing that comes to mind is the female stereotypes. Women are portrayed with large breasts, and tight or revealing clothing which enhance the unrealistic figures they possess (Children Now 13). The woman’s stereotype shown here is simply an object of lust and affection clearly developed for men. Common qualities of video game girls include bare upper bodies, arms, and legs (Beasley, Stanley). Feminist critics have spoken up about the trouble with historical sources and their sexist qualities such as writings by Shakespeare. Unfortunately, this form of sexism is still prevalent and frequently displayed today in our culture with the help of video games. There has been a surge of more and more activity and opinions on the topic of sexism in what we like to think of as the “new virtual world.”
Lara Croft, the main character of Tomb Raider, has completely unrealistic bodily proportions and a lack of clothing. Catwoman and Poison Ivy from Batman: Arkham City have revealing, skin tight suits and consistently use methods of seduction to reach their goals. Any girl from Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball is treated as a model: one that you can dress up and parade around as you please. These stereotypes are being displayed for the pleasure of their main audiences: men. These depictions of women are used as a marketing strategy to draw young men in to purchasing these products. These buyers marvel at the unrealistic features of these women, and it has developed a form of sexism in the “Gamer World” (Children Now 14).
In most cases, if you enter a chat room about video games, the sexism is evident by the way men talk about their women counterparts (Peterson). Not only are females looked down upon in this gaming community, but they are also being segregated from the world of video games. They are seen as atypical players; gamers that are abnormal simply because of their sex. Women are treated completely different. When was the last time that you saw a male praising a woman for her new high score? Why is it that it is looked upon as “cool” when boys sit around playing games all day but, when a girl does the same thing, she is labeled “weird?” The difference is only one factor: sex.