A topic that had actually crossed my mind several times before today is the sexaulity of video game characters. Men and women seem to be ultra sexed up.
Looking at the females in video games it is very interesting to analyze the conflicting roles they play. Women are visually very sexy, with revealing clothing and bodies that are completely unrealistic (like Kevin said; 36, 12, 15 as their body measurements). At the same time women play very violent roles in many instances and are frequently just as harmful and violent as the male characters. This creates a strong contrast between femininity and masculinity combining into one. The way people feel about this will vary of course. Some women may say that its great females are so tough and still sexy, others may say it is completely unrealistic and filling our societies head with false perceptions.
Personally, I had to really think hard to decide where I stand. I like that women have the ability to be just as tough as men because that is breaking down the weak helpless female barrier. At the same time I do not like the sexy outfits the women are wearing because that is just lending to the sex symbol stereotype of women. So I came to the conclusion that if women were to be slightly more clothed, I would not really have any second thoughts about how they are portrayed in the gaming world.
Here is another blog I found tha had some interesting insight about women in video games from someone who works at a vido game store... http://www.helium.com/items/233252-role-models-or-eye-candy-the-portrayal-of-female-video-game-characters.
On the opposite side of the spectrum are males in video games. The males are portrayed as super macho with sculpted bodies. The macho part doesn’t bother me, guys always try to be super macho men so that’s just that in my eyes. Personally I am not perturbed by their bodies on the games, not because I look at them and think dang they are fine, I just know that very few (if any) men look like that and as a personal preference, I’d rather not date someone who looked like that.
Intersting tidbit... I googled male portrayal in video games and it said "did you mean female portrayal in video games?"... I found that interesting and wonder why that is?
I don’t feel that by showing men super buff it creates a sexual stigma in the mind, but for some reason when I see women dressed skimpy it evokes sexual connotations that slightly bother me. I am not sure if this is a cultural thing or a personal thing, but I do feel that it couldn’t hurt for women to have a bit more clothing on in video games and it wouldn’t do any harm covering the men up as well.
I have honestly never really put too much thought into how women are portrayed in video games up until now so it obviously didn't bother me too much. I guess this just goes to show that we aren't even affected by women wearing little clothing because we see it everywhere and everyday. The shock factor is almost non-existent. Also, I never take video games as literal and never really have so when I see a woman portrayed as half naked and ripped or whatever, I never think of that as being a true replica of women in our society. People forget that video games are fantasy worlds. They aren't real. So to say that they cause kids to view actual humans differently, in my opinion, is a little extreme. I don't pay attention to the fact that Peach on Mario is a princess, I usually just pick her if I want the girl character.
ReplyDeletePart of what I didn't go into in the discussion was what I found out about why the genders are portrayed the way they are.
ReplyDeleteFor men, the visual perception of the overly muscular and powerful male physique conveys an image of control and masculinity. This hyper-masculine character uses violence as a way to show his control over those around him, both male and female.
The "damsel in distress" women have a distinct lack of power. As evidenced by their situation, they rely on men to save them. Men are able to control them through that reliance. It is a clear power structure classification, basically that men are better than women because the women cannot save themselves.
The "sexy and aggressive" seem to break this mold. But the writing about the sexual images of women in these roles seem to keep women in that same male dominated control arena. "But," you say, "these women are aggressive and in control!"
But these women are also wearing next to nothing and are caricatures of the fantasy woman. The power here is given to the men in the sexual sense: the man is not directly in the power structure in the game as far as saving the woman, but by objectifying the female body men keep a sexual dominance over the woman portrayed on the screen. She is "allowed" to be aggressive in the game because of that sexual power structure that is created through that objectification.
It is interesting to think about just how the power structures of a male dominated heteronormative society play into even video games, but when you take a step back and view the characters as basic symbols it is scary how video game characters fit into these roles.
This could also be said for why in other media gay men are portrayed as effeminate (no dominant masculine threat to the alpha male) and why lesbians are shown as voluptious turn ons for men (the sexual dominance as in the "sexual aggressive" women in video games).