Lingerie Is Not Effective Protection.

The objectification and sexualization of female characters in video games is horrendous. Originally women were portrayed as the overtly sexualized and objectified damsel-in-distress in constant need of rescuing from the heroic male protagonist. In modern games, such as the Tekken and Final Fantasy series women have begun to gain strength and power. However, these women continue to cater to the male gaze by being depicted wearing almost nothing and are always gorgeous. The newer versions of Tekken, for example, have recurring male characters that have naturally aged since the original versions. The female characters, however, were either not allowed to age or were replaced by their daughters. This is not equality. Games should at least be consistent across gender.

The majority of games feature women for sex appeal, even if it is inappropriate for the circumstances of the game. Many of the outfits that they are given are skanky and impractical. No one goes hiking cross-country in high heals or runs into a vicious battle in metallic lingerie. This again brings up equality as A. Lingerie is not effective protection; and B. I do not see the male characters dressed only in metallic boxers. Aren’t games concentrating on realism now? Rather than being primarily concerned with graphics the companies should take a long hard look at their characters.

The pictures (see below) that were discussed in the lecture actually offended me. I believe that I am the same size as the woman in the picture, and I did not for a second think that I am at the extreme end of the spectrum, even if it is a game. I felt very grateful towards the guys that were on my right commenting “What the fuck! She’s not fat at all!” A lot of media is, in my opinion rightly, blamed for indirectly causing self-esteem issues and in more severe cases depression and eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa in society, specifically amongst teenage girls. It is only since the lecture on gender and video games that I realized Video games belong to that category as well. As well as this, depicting women in this manner gives the male gamer (and the majority of media consumers) unrealistic expectations of what females should look like.

Wanda Hart