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Sexism and Video Games - Role and analysis of females in modern video games
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Transcript of Sexism and Video Games - Role and analysis of females in modern video games
Sexism and Video Games Role and analysis of females in modern video games
by Chris Walden
08002952
Ludology 2 MEng Computer Games Design
1 Abstract Females are often misrepresented when it comes to video games, whether this be their
appearance and actions in the video games themselves, or when trying to market tailored
'games for girls'. This essay looks at both of these areas of female representation and
analyses them, both to underline the problems that currently exist, as well as to determine
whether they are commonplace as many would suggest. It will also touch on feminism and
sexist video games, as well as the games involved.
2 Introduction Female representation in video games has, for a long period of time, been a heavily debated
issue, with the most common argument being that the portrayal of female video game
characters, as well as the treatment of female gamers, is frequently sexist. The
Entertainment Software Association (2012) claims that, as of 2012, forty-two percent of all
gamers are in fact female. With a video game market that is rife with "dominant male and
submissive female characters" (Jansz, 2007) and developers that condone "the enforcement
of artificial and oppressive ideals of femininity through pop icons" (Mikula, 2003), is it
indeed selling games on a sexist approach?
The first issue that will be observed and analysed is that of the female video game
protagonist. While it is becoming more and more common to see a female play the lead role
in a video game, it can be argued that they are still being tailored towards a predominantly
male audience. The second issue to be analysed is that of female representation as gamers,
including stereotypes, misconceptions and potential ways forward.
3 Female representation in video games While there are a number of examples of female protagonists in video games, Lara Croft
from the Tomb Raider (Core Design, 1996) series is perhaps "the prototypical example"
(Jansz 2007). Although there is general agreement that Lara "marked a significant
departure from the typical role of women within popular computer games", it is still
questionable whether or not this was indeed "a positive role model for young girls or just
that perfect combination of eye and thumb candy for the boys" (Kennedy, 2002). The
problem at the core of Lara Croft is not her personality or actions, but her appearance.
Espen Aarseth (2004) dismisses this, claiming that "when I play, I don’t even see her body,
but see through it and past it", which brings the game itself into consideration. Does Lara's
appearance ultimately make a difference past an advertising viewpoint? It is true that should
Lara be replaced with another character model, the gameplay would not change as a result.
Even if her appearance isn't to everyone's tastes, her character can be deemed non-offensive.
As Mikula (2003) puts it, Lara is "everything a bloke wants and everything a girl wants to
be".
Characters like Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985) offer an
interesting vantage point into the sexism argument. As Newman (2009) puts it, "Princess
Peach’s legacy has been an everlasting scar on the world of gender politics and gaming for
decades". Based on her character and mannerisms, Drucker (2009) claims that she "sets back
women 200 years". The base of the arguments comes from many different parts of her
character. She is renowned for being kidnapped continuously, and being rescued by Mario,
as well as acting and dressing extremely femininely.
The problem with her character was reinforced with the release of Super Princess Peach
(TOSE, 2005), where players would see the princess use "her wildly fluctuating emotions to
defeat her enemies" (Newman, 2009). Some families saw this as a betrayal of trust, taken
from the "family-oriented reputation of Nintendo"(Galbraith, 2011). It can be argued that
this is but a simple game mechanic, not intended to cause offense with a sexist appearance,
however the game was advertised on television by dressing young girls in clothing similar
to the princess, while they were shown to use emotions to overcome obstacles (Super
Princess Peach Commercial., 2006).
"Women's bodies are constantly used to sell products including video games" claims
Sarkeesian (2010), while discussing the game Bayonetta (Platinum Games, 2009). The game
in question features the titular character Bayonetta fighting hoards of demons, while, as the
ESRB (2009) rating board state, she performs "suggestive taunts and poses". Games such as
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Team Ninja, 2003) and Mortal Kombat
(NetherRealm Studios, 2011) have also used these "hypersexualised" (Jansz, 2007)
depictions of women, and all of them can be deemed sexist. The reasoning behind this is
simple; as Kreider (2011) puts it, it is "for maximum sex-appeal for the straight male
viewer". The problem is rooted in the display of "objectifying women's bodies" (Sarkeesian,
2010), and worse so that it boils down not to gameplay reasons, but advertisement and
therefore monetary gain. While it can be argued that it was never the aim for Bayonetta to
cause such insult, it is widely agreed that her character is largely distasteful. Holmes (2011)
states that "she's an empty shell of a character; a shell made from her creators' sexual
fantasies, negative stereotypes, and misconceived notions of the female gender".
The act of "objectifying" a female in a video game is becoming increasingly common, with
several Japanese video games pushing the boundaries further than Western companies have
done. RapeLay (Illusion, 2006), a game that features rape and sexual violence towards
females as a part of gameplay, was so heavily controversial outside of Japan that Equality
Now, a group aiming to end violence and discrimination towards women and girls, launched
a public appeal to see the game banned (Anantnarayan, 2009).
This type of game is part of a niche genre of Japanese games known as 'galge', literally
meaning 'girl games'. While there are certain restrictions to games in this category, these
games can be "shockingly violent and perverse" (Galbraith, 2011). However, RapeLay is not
an outlier in this genre; there are many other games with similar content. Japanese culture
is different to that of the West, and therefore the boundaries on female representation in
video games are dissimilar (Taylor, 2002). Galbraith (2011) points out that many women
are actively involved in the production of such games, and are "often in the role of character
designers" for such projects. These games may seem extremely sexist and vulgar to the
Western audience, but this does not mean that Japanese females necessarily feel the same
way.
Even though there are many examples that can be deemed sexist, there are also many
examples of highly-praised female protagonists. One such protagonist is Jade from Beyond
Good and Evil (Ubisoft Montpellier, 2003), who is widely received as being a great
representation female lead. Fong (2009) states that "Jade was simply a regular girl caught in
the middle of a conflict", while Elston (2009) claims that she "leans more towards
competence than eye candy". Other highly regarded female protagonists include Chell from
Portal (Valve Corporation, 2007) and Faith from Mirror's Edge (EA Digital Illusions CE,
2008) (Fong, 2009).
4 Games for females While the idea of 'games for girls' has been explored for over twenty years, the abundance of
games specifically targeting the female gamer demographic is a recent occurrence, spurred
on by the popularity of hand held games consoles like the Nintendo DS and smart phones
(Ashcraft, 2007). According to Cassell (1998), "the “girls games” movement has emerged
from an unusual and highly unstable alliance between feminist activists who want to change
the “gendering” of digital technology, and industry leaders who want to create a girl’s
market for their games. The Game Group plc advertises such games under the slogan
"Games 4 Girls", using imagery from extremely feminine games such as Bratz Forever
Diamondz (Blitz Games, 2006) and My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party (ValuSoft, Inc.,
2008). The adverts can be interpreted as being particularly broad, so many older females
can feel that these games that target younger girls in particular are being associated with
them. It's an issue, and unfortunately one that won't be solved quickly. As Mikula (2003)
states, "the ‘girl games’ which multiplied on the market since the mid-1990s almost
exclusively focused on shopping, fashion, dating and appearance".
A potential explanation for the prevalence of such branding can be attributed to the fast
pace at which games that fit into this category are released. An example of this can be seen
in the 'Imagine' series of games that are published by Ubisoft. In the span of three years,
Ubisoft published a total of 43 unique games in the series, 19 of which were released in the
year of 2009. On top of this, up to three different iterations of each game were released for
differing platforms. The publisher also has a similar 'Petz' series, as well as various other
standalone titles that are aimed at young females. This, combined with the competition
between rival publishers and dedicated developers "such as HerInteractive, Girl Games,
Girltech, and Purple Moon" (Cassell, 1998) means that the market becomes flooded with
'games for girls', so companies like The Game Group plc have to use marketing like the
aforementioned in order to sell them.
With such frequent releases, the quality of the games themselves is brought into question.
Cassell (1998) questions the games "earnest blandness", convinced that the minimum-effort
design model attributed with 'games for girls' "ensures the maximum return of investment"
but also "seems to ensure the minimum amount of personality and warmth". As a result of a
survey held by Nintendo in 2007, it was discovered that 53% of Nintendo DS users were in
fact female (Ashcraft, 2007), though a look at the all-time best-selling Nintendo DS games
will reveal a surprising collection of gender-neutral games (VGChartz, 2012). None of the
games in the top ten are specifically aimed at either girls or boys, featuring games like
Nintendogs (Nintendo, 2005) and Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Version (Game Freak, 2006)
which all boast '3+' ratings by PEGI. Disregarding the Cooking Mama entries (for reasons
which will be discussed below), the first 'game for girls' to feature on the list is Imagine:
Babyz (Ubisoft, 2007), a game targeted at primary school children, in 38th place. New Super
Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 2006) topped the list, being known for its appeal with males and
females alike. It raises the question as to whether it would be better to make such 'gender
neutral' games instead of 'games for girls'. As Weil puts it, “what needs to happen is for girls
games to get out of the realm of gender and into the realm of design” (Weil, 1997).
With the release of Cooking Mama (Office Create, 2006), many were worried that the game
would simulate or even promote existing female stereotypes; namely those based on
cooking. However, while there were indeed a few complaints over sexist depictions of
women, the game was very well received. As mentioned previously, Cooking Mama features
in the all-time best-selling list of Nintendo DS games, in 15th place. It can be argued that
this is a 'game for girls', though in reality it has become popular with males and females
alike. The female protagonist can even be likened to the aforementioned Lara Croft, in the
sense that regardless of the player controlling a woman, they most definitely are not 'girl
games'. The sexist remarks about the game were brought up again upon the release of
Science Papa (Mad Monkey Studio, 2009), with many complaints being raised as to why
'mama' from the previous games was not the lead character, and if it was indeed a social
reflection of males and females. The game was in fact produced by a separate developer and
publisher, who were simply using a name similar to that of Cooking Mama, and there was
no association between the two games. While Cooking Mama is not a sexist game, the fiasco
involving the separate Science Papa franchise confused enough people into believing that it
actually was.
'Gender-neutral' games are becoming increasingly popular, and it's another field that
developers may find is worth exploring. Popular titles known as 'casual games' are
becoming exceedingly more prevalent with the advent of mobile gaming and social media,
and demonstrate the effectiveness of 'gender-neutral' gaming. Games such as FarmVille
(Zynga, 2009) and Angry Birds (Rovio Mobile, 2009) have found huge success on these
platforms, and both of them lack the necessary features that would tie them down to a
specific gender or age.
5 Conclusions It can be seen that there are indeed extreme examples of sexist portrayals of women, but
games with such examples are in the minority and do not dominate the market. Bayonetta
(Platinum Games, 2009) is the most recent example, and the upcoming game Lollipop
Chainsaw (Grasshopper Manufacture, 2012) is proof that similar titles will continue to
appear. However, such games are in their own niche category, and are likely to still garner
criticism.
Unfortunately, there will continue to be games that attract unwarranted criticism in regards
to sexist accusations. Games such as Cooking Mama (Office Create, 2006) are suffering for
unjust reasons, just by being given the same labelling as games like Bayonetta. Cooking
Mama is a sterling example of how 'games for girls' should be created; by increasing appeal
to females, yet keeping them gender-neutral.
There is still a lot of criticism as to whether Lara Croft is good for female gamers, or
whether she is in fact a marketing tool for males. As Mikula (2003) puts it: "by and large,
women enjoy 'being' Lara". She states that her good points far outweigh her bad points, that
she is "everything a bloke wants and everything a girl wants to be; for others, she is a role
model, symbolizing adventure, independence, possibility and strength" (Mikula, 2003).
Those that saw Tomb Raider (Core Design, 1996) as insulting are in the minority, so it isn't
without reason to suggest that the game could very well be an early example of 'gender-
neutral' games.
With the recent success of these 'gender-neutral' video games, it could very well be that the
'games for girls' marketing, as well as the misconceptions surrounding it, will shift its focus
to younger female gamers, leaving the older female gamers to pick and choose games
without people making incorrect assumptions. As Flanagan (2005) mentions, "'girls' are as
diverse in their interests, abilities and tastes as any other category of people".
6 Further Work While this essay focuses specifically on the representation of females in relation to video
games, there is also the male view to take into consideration. Male gamers have, for a long
time, been seen as 'geeks' or 'nerds', a label that female gamers themselves do not receive.
With the over-sexualisation of female protagonists, is it also true that male protagonists are
too stereotyped, or even sexist?
An analysis into the marketing behind video games targeted a females would provide an
interesting look at current trends and potential alternative ways of advertisement. Point of
sales and printed advertisements specifically appealing to female gamers could in fact be
unnecessary, especially when females largely play the same games as males. A thorough
breakdown of techniques could yield an ideal method to appeal to both genders, while
remaining gender neutral in wording and visual style.
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