Essay On Sexism In Video Games

It is no secret that video games are one of the world’s favourite pastimes, especially for the millennial generation. According to global games market intelligence firm, Newzoo, there are 2.2 billion active gamers in the world. There are many people who actively play games and thus their mindsets are capable of being influenced by their video games. While playing video games can come with many benefits, such as encouraging critical thinking and fast reaction times, it also comes with a set of drawbacks as well, one of which would be the inherent sexism in both video game culture and the games themselves. Sexism has always been a problem in modern society, and it is also reflected in the video games that we play. I believe that video games display

As mentioned above, women have a distinct lack of representation in video games, and when women are featured as characters, they often end up being hyper-sexualized. Often, male designers put practical detail into male characters’ armour, but neglect accurate female clothing by choosing to design sexy costumes that often sexualizes the female character. One example would be female character, Cammy, from Street Fighter. While Cammy’s outfit is sexy, “any woman who has done gymnastics or martial arts will tell you a bodysuit with no legs ends up riding up your butt” (Batchelor, 2016). This shows that women characters often have impractical costumes just so they can be sexy. Another example would be Lara Croft, the famed heroine of Tomb Raider, who fights her way through jungles and ruins while sporting skimpy attire or a bikini. Sexual objectification of women in video games is harmful as it perpetuates this cycle of exclusion for women in games. Women dislike being seen as sexual objects, so when game content does not positively reflect their sex, they are not interested (Strum, 2016). In addition to that, this sexual objectification of women adds to a sense of