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.
1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?
Heteronormativity - the idea that people often fall into set gender roles and that heterosexuality is the norm.
Women are traditionally objectified in video games and shown as sexualised objects, or they are portrayed as the 'damsels in distress' who need to be rescued by a brave male character.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
42% female - this proves that the gaming industry cannot continue to solely target male audiences as the female demographic is increasing.
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
The Last of Us
The Walking Dead Series
The females in these recent games provide more positive examples of the women that should be seen as role models in the gaming world. They all exemplify strength; independence; compassion, and intelligence.
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I think that now, audiences are more likely to reject media products if they feel that they are misrepresented in them. I think that the majority of gamers would continue to play the game, but if they do have an issue with the representations in a game, they are likely to speak up about it rather than boycotting the game entirely. In particular, I think that female gamers are more likely to reject a game due to being misrepresented, compared to male gamers. This is because I think there are more notable differences in the way that females are represented and treated in games compared to the manner males are shown in.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
The article suggests that Lara Croft was "saved" by Crystal Dynamics because they made some big changes in the way that she was represented in the reboot of Tomb Raider. Rhianna Pratchett decided to focus on ensuring that Lara Croft was a character that players could identify with. Brianna Wu expressed that Lara Croft "became the struggle that she felt within herself."
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: Damsel in Distress - Part 1
100 word summary: In this video, Sarkeesian discusses one of the main representations found in video games - the damsel in distress character. She comments on how many characters - such as Crystal in StarFox - were initially intended to be protagonists of the game, but were later redesigned to be the damsels in other games. Sarkeesian also acknowledges how some of the most loved family games ultimately reinforce this idea of having subordinate females who are termed the damsels in distress. Princess Peach appears in 14 of the Super Mario Bros. Games, and is actually kidnapped in 13/14 of them. Mario is then required to save her from Bowser and other enemies, thus reinforcing the concept of damsels in distress from an early age.
Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview
Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesian 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.
Anita Sarkeesian received a lot of negative feedback and backlash towards her Feminist Frequency project. She expressed that there was a lot of "misogynistic outrage" but that ultimately, it made her more determined to complete this video series.
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings."
She argues that feminism in an essence is about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically.
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)?
She views their 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 seualised in the gaming indsustry. Fir 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 etc. 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?
She hopes 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. Sarkeesian 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 contribute to the ongoing conversation and debates regarding the harmful, 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.
1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?
Heteronormativity - the idea that people often fall into set gender roles and that heterosexuality is the norm.
Women are traditionally objectified in video games and shown as sexualised objects, or they are portrayed as the 'damsels in distress' who need to be rescued by a brave male character.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
42% female - this proves that the gaming industry cannot continue to solely target male audiences as the female demographic is increasing.
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
The Last of Us
The Walking Dead Series
The females in these recent games provide more positive examples of the women that should be seen as role models in the gaming world. They all exemplify strength; independence; compassion, and intelligence.
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I think that now, audiences are more likely to reject media products if they feel that they are misrepresented in them. I think that the majority of gamers would continue to play the game, but if they do have an issue with the representations in a game, they are likely to speak up about it rather than boycotting the game entirely. In particular, I think that female gamers are more likely to reject a game due to being misrepresented, compared to male gamers. This is because I think there are more notable differences in the way that females are represented and treated in games compared to the manner males are shown in.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
The article suggests that Lara Croft was "saved" by Crystal Dynamics because they made some big changes in the way that she was represented in the reboot of Tomb Raider. Rhianna Pratchett decided to focus on ensuring that Lara Croft was a character that players could identify with. Brianna Wu expressed that Lara Croft "became the struggle that she felt within herself."
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: Damsel in Distress - Part 1
100 word summary: In this video, Sarkeesian discusses one of the main representations found in video games - the damsel in distress character. She comments on how many characters - such as Crystal in StarFox - were initially intended to be protagonists of the game, but were later redesigned to be the damsels in other games. Sarkeesian also acknowledges how some of the most loved family games ultimately reinforce this idea of having subordinate females who are termed the damsels in distress. Princess Peach appears in 14 of the Super Mario Bros. Games, and is actually kidnapped in 13/14 of them. Mario is then required to save her from Bowser and other enemies, thus reinforcing the concept of damsels in distress from an early age.
Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview
Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesian 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.
Anita Sarkeesian received a lot of negative feedback and backlash towards her Feminist Frequency project. She expressed that there was a lot of "misogynistic outrage" but that ultimately, it made her more determined to complete this video series.
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
"Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings."
She argues that feminism in an essence is about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically.
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)?
She views their 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 seualised in the gaming indsustry. Fir 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 etc. 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?
She hopes 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. Sarkeesian 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 contribute to the ongoing conversation and debates regarding the harmful, 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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