Gender representation in video games

Abstract

Over the past ten years, video games have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment across young generations. According to research reports, more than 80% of American households have computers or other game consoles and consumers spent $30.4 billion on the video game industry in 2016 (Entertainment Software Association 2017 P4). Half of the American parents play games with their children. Video games are thus a significant part of people's lives and their characters play vital roles that gamers can control. This control can have certain implications when gender roles and stereotypes in video games are considered. Game designers and players seem to accept a stereotype about female characters and female players, as the games are played mostly by males. According to a study by DeWall (2005), a professor of psychology and the Director of the Social Psychology Lab at the University of Kentucky, female stereotypes have three sub-groups: homemaker, professional, and sex object (Deaux, et al 1985; Eckes 1994a, 1994b; Six and Eckes 1991). This thesis explores how female stereotypes conveyed through popular video games have changed over the past ten years. The author uses visualizations to demonstrate the changes in female character clothing, outward appearances, and features, including the percentage of skin exposure. The author determines the top twenty games of the past ten years according to the IMDb and compares the number of playable female and male characters in these games. The results examine whether female stereotypes have changed. he author selects ten female characters aged 16-50 from each years' top games. The body shapes and skin exposure percentages of these characters are analyzed using Adobe Photoshop. Data on the width of hips, shoulders, and waist, as well as leg length, reveals if there is any change in appearance over time.