How Sexism in Video Gaming Is Hurting Everyone

Introduction 

The video gaming industry is one of the largest sectors in the world today with new video games that have astonishing visual effects and graphics. Some of them, for example, The Grand Theft Auto V keep gaming fans glued to the screens and pads since the visuals have raised the video consoles’ standards very high. Nevertheless, the video game industry faces a number of challenges regardless of innovations and development. One of the major concerns by governments and human rights organization is violence, which forms the basis of almost every game. Several critics have come out to condemn the violence that is at times exposed to kids at a young age. Similarly, the other weighty problem facing the sector is sexism. Most of the games’ content and characters portray the sexualization, exploitation, and stereotypization in society. For instance, most female characters appear in perfect shape and half-naked, a form that is sexually appealing and extremely unrealistic to the gamers. The perfection of their bodies is often overrated. On the other hand, the male counterparts are portrayed by muscular, aggressive, prone to violence, show-off and over-confident characters. One popular game called Dead or Alive: Last Round is a perfect example where gamers dress the female characters in skimpy and explicit clothing, and the females act and behave in suggestive ways. In other role-playing games like Fallout 2, which is considered to be one of the best games in history, the female characters are allowed to achieve individual goals and objectives through sex. Alternatively, discrimination against women regarding access and investing in the gaming industry is rampant since in the past the games were associated with boys. The roles portrayed by the female virtual characters in video games contribute to sexism which is often manifested in the form of sexual harassment because the video girls ooze sex appeal thus leading to the perverse and permissive nature of the society. 

Sexism in Characters 

Gaming characters largely contribute to the sexism that the industry faces. Popular games such as Soulcalibur and Bloodrayne overemphasize female sexuality and partial nudity by setting perfect images of unrealistically true women and behavior that is morally incorrect (Lynch, Tompkins, Van Driel, & Fritz, 2016). Doing so ensures that they capture the attention of men, whom they presume are primary consumers of gaming products. Evidently, women in most games are treated as clichés or passive personalities with no other role than short dresses and seducing (Lynch et al., 2016). Most games, especially the role-playing ones follow the theme of a woman in distress waiting to be picked up and rescued. In such cases, the female characters are portrayed as plot developers for the main protagonists who are mostly men to go through the various levels of hardships to rescue the women. For this reason, gamers, from a young age have the belief and mentality that a woman is there just waiting for the man to perform several difficult stunts while she is motivating him with seductive poses which often result to sex (Bègue, Sarda, Gentile, Bry, & Roché, 2017). Most of the games that are primarily about fighting, for instance, the Mortal Kombat series, adopt some modifications like sexy characters in an attempt to woo more gamers to keep playing the game (Fox & Tang, 2014). The concept of video games is trying to make people have an understanding of life and all the planning and implementation of the plans by creating a virtual world where the gamers test their skills. Their interactions in the virtual models give them an understanding of the real issues affecting them in the real world. For this reason, projecting sexist materials in the virtual models will equate to an interpretation of how people are supposed to act. Although most developers do not have that intention in mind when creating the game, the gamers interpretation often enhance the sexist beliefs and practices. 

Most of the learning especially on social cues is not usually conscious as the human brain picks up on the various lessons based on daily activities. Therefore, exposure to games may directly influence human interrelationships. There is a suggestion by contemporary media psychologists that frequent exposure to the female body and certain behaviors can affect the way gaming people view and interact with women in real life. This is because teenagers are impressionable and considering a large number of them spends their free time playing video games, their virtual expectations about women from the games may not match their expectations about women in real life. For instance, if a teenage boy spends most of his time playing games that depict women in ways that are sexist and misogynistic, the chances of developing the same attitudes about the women around him are high. The game, thus, helps in anchoring the wrong message and ideas about women to the boy from a very young age. Alternatively, the games display male characters as strong and violent who have to fight in most scenarios. Moreover, the characters also use vulgar and demeaning language especially to women, and this may influence the kids wrongly (Fox & Tang, 2014). Teenager’s behavior at school links video games to violent and truant actions in school. In most scenarios, when they learn about a new fight move or language, the teenagers always want to try it around their friends to appear cool, and this may end up hurting other schoolmates. Additionally, the teenagers may try to maltreat the girls at school the same way they saw a gaming character doing to a female character (Fox & Tang, 2014). This often ends up with the issues of punishment and expulsion depending on the degree of the offense. 

Harassment 

Harassment encompasses a wide range of issues such as sexist insults, rape or death threats as well as sexual demands with the promise of virtual or real money. Moreover, harassment, which mostly targets women can also include criticism of playing tactics and stalking that is both offline and online. On the flipside, harassment towards men, though not as frequent as women follow the lines of insults based on the lack of manliness mostly associated with playing ‘girly’ games. Most of the games contain violence and men who do not play violent games are insulted. Women harassment may also include offensive language or behavior at conventions and competitions as well as stores when they are buying video games. The behavior also affects female developers especially during conferences and talks whenever they are invited to present or market a game (Kaye & Pennington, 2016). In a different perspective, discrimination is also a form of harassment as men mostly dominate gaming advertisements. In the 1980s and the 1990s when the sexual culture of games first appeared, women were harassed as most of the female developer's content where half-naked women did not grace the cover was rejected. During that period, sexual harassment cases were reported to rise because the whole perspective about women and the moral and principles they stand for were eroded. A research done in 2014 further explored on the preference of males to females in the video game development as well as insubordination by the male counterparts in the gaming industry (Edwards et al. 2014). Similarly, an interview report by the same research revealed that many video games credentials done by female developers were denied and invitations for meetings were sent, meetings that turned out to be dates of discussing those credentials. 

Many online settings related to video games such as arcades and gaming centers are hubs for sexual harassment. This is because, in most of the games, the predators hide behind masks and gaming accounts mostly comprising of fake details. Due to the anonymous nature of the gamers, therefore, it is easier for them to unleash derogatory and insulting comments to women. The extremely misogynistic remarks are often associated with what the gamers learn from the video games. The video developers are to blame for the creation of a demeaning mental picture of women in the game. When a gamer is accustomed to the same thematic representation of women, over time, their perspective about women changes. For instance, in the game, the protagonist or the star approaches several women for sex, and when they decline, the fictional character hurls insults to the virtual woman and end up hitting or killing her. Moreover, accompanying theme music with vulgar lyrics accompanies the game to make the acts more believable. In the same way, in real life, women are prone to the danger of sexual harassment as the gamer will approach her and when she declines or turns him down, she ends up beaten or raped (Driesmans, Vandenbosch, & Eggermont, 2015). This poses a threat to the women, not necessarily those who take part in video games but women in general. 

Frequency 

Several studies have been conducted to establish the connection between harassment and women in gaming facilities, but the study also revealed that harassment cuts across race and sexual orientation as well. A 2012 study by the Ohio University consisted of the creation of two similar profiles, a male and a female one (Fletcher, 2012). The game chosen was Halo . The profiles, which consisted of voice messages for gender differentiation had the same scores for the two accounts. However, the female profile received thrice as many negative comments as the male account. A similar study based on the same game in 2015 showed that less skilled players are likely to insult other female gamers especially when they are beaten (Dewey, 2015). The study also suggested that due to the shame of losing to a female contestant, the male often tries to degrade the female in an attempt to retain his social rank. The same case applies to female gamers who take part in online gaming forums such as Call of duty . Most of them receive demeaning comments where they are told to return to the kitchen by men who fail to beat their high scores. It is this treatment that bars women from participating in online gaming although a recent study on the demographics revealed an increase in the number of females who take part in online games. However, women prefer to take part in anonymously, often hiding their identities and allowing other participants to assume their genders. The women have to stay anonymous because the men who participate in harassment have a superiority and invisible tendencies where they belittle women by viewing them as objects and consequently, the anonymous nature of women has to be maintained to prevent the harassment. 

Examples 

There are various examples and statistics which prove that sexism and sexual harassment against women are rampant. One example of such mistreatment is the 2012 case of Miranda and Aris of Cross Assault . The game developer Capcom, who developed and published Street Fighter X Tekken began a reality show to support the game (Fletcher, 2012). The show, however, did not succeed because, in the first episode, Miranda, who was a female competitor got lewd comments from fellow competitor and her coach, Aris Bakhtanians, a renowned gaming champion. The comments, which revolved around her bra size were criticized, and she eventually left the show (Fletcher, 2012). Later in an interview, Aris stirred more controversy by saying that online games cannot exist without sexual violence. The incident received mixed reviews with a significant portion of the population condemning the utterances. Another case of cyberbullying happened in 2012 where Kickstarter, an American Crowdfunding company whose headquarters are based in Brooklyn funded videos on female representation (O'leary, 2012). The move received a lot of media coverage due to the cyber threats that the founder and video-blogger Anita Sarkeesian received. All her social media accounts were flooded with sexist and hateful comments, most of which included death and rape threats (O'leary, 2012). The stalkers went a step further and photoshopped videos of her getting tortured and raped. What is more, a game was created where the participants were invited to beat her up virtually. The threats continued up to 2015 where she canceled a speech delivery in Utah after receiving an anonymous email about a shooting that would happen if she carried on with the plans of holding the event. The different scenarios all narrow down to one conclusion that sexism in the gaming industry is a widespread problem and if not handled may bring adverse repercussions to the society. 

Effects 

The addictive nature of the game involves the players immersing themselves in the game and watch the behavior of their virtual character. For most of them, they are pleased with the villain they become in the game as it allows them to explore inner emotions while still in the game. The players lose sight of their real form and are carried away by the virtual form in the game. Consequently, the carelessness and power manifested in the game will transform into the character of the individual in real life. Likewise, talking to an attractive woman in the game will be simulated into reality, and thus the person will be social. It is, therefore, dangerous to expose people to violent and sexually provocative content in games because the deeds performed by the individual in the game will be transformed into reality. This is why some myths about sexual permissiveness and rape are on the rise. In the game, it is always the woman's fault when she is assaulted by the villain and hence the emergence of the stereotypic idea to blame the victim for the man's sexual harassment. The other effect of sexism is that the society starts to push women to behave in specific ways, where they are viewed as objects of pleasure (Breuer, Kowert, Festl, & Quandt, 2015). The attitude is primarily applied in the game where the main hero struggles to fight as many people as possible while the women are seductively encouraging him. Similarly, this erodes the principles of women as some start seeing the importance of their attractive appearances which they use to their advantage in collecting favors. In addition to that, people who chose to play sexually explicit games tend to be more open-minded and accommodating when it comes to issues of sexual harassment. 

Proteus effect, which is an aspect of psychology, describes how the behavior of an individual is affected by the characteristics of their avatar. The effect also suggests that adolescent boys who spend most of their time playing online video games are ignorant of the adverse effects associated with offensive content. The results of this are that individuals cannot tell whether they are adversely affected or not. Other theories like the social cognitive theory as well as the cultivation theory amplify the belief that the over-exposure could trigger some behaviors like gender stereotype. The cultivation theory, in particular, portrays the idea that when a person is exposed to media, specifically video games, their comprehension of various things become assimilated to the understanding of the media. The theories also emphasize on the gendering of video game characters and how the user of the game views the separation. Besides, the overobjectification of women may affect the interaction of the gamers since they see women the same as the view the video vixens. This results in a crop of misogynistic and sexist individuals who are violent and vengeful towards women. Moreover, the safety of the women is compromised since the world of gamers is filled with predators and this may influence them to target the women. 

Countermeasures 

Regardless of the situation at hand regarding sexism in gamers, there are several measures put in place to help change the gaming culture. The policies try to reverse the effects of exposure to the wrong content. For instance, several female activists advocate for and promote changes in the way women are treated in games as well as the industry as a whole. Some of them who have been victims like Anita Sarkeesian use their media influence an organization to help change the gaming culture. Through her Feminist Frequency organization, Anita Sarkeesian gives training and lectures on the possible adjustments that can be done to improve the industry. Statistics also reveal that unlike before, females are taking part in online gaming and competition which changes the notion that video games are only associated with men (Stermer & Burkley, 2015). Additionally, the industry is getting more women graphics designers and game developers, a move aimed at diversifying the male-dominated sector. In addition, initiatives and regulations put in place are emphasized to ensure that gaming companies adopt training which provides safe working environments as well as codes of conduct that does not objectify women in an attempt to show gamers, especially men, that women are more than just video vixens. Other initiatives include offering rewards to game creators who develop games that portray a more positive image of women. The initiative, which was adopted by governments and legislators around the world was aimed at erasing the belief that women have to dress in specific ways or offer sexual favors to progress but rather, the games should show that women are capable of becoming part of the games as fighters (Stermer & Burkley, 2015). A rating and review system has been established so that gamers can write their opinions about the games and this will allow developers to rectify some of the issues. The rating system is designed to give a higher rating to games that do not involve violence or sexual material as a way of gearing the developers towards healthier and peaceful games that are mind-engaging. 

Conclusion 

In retrospect, the gaming industry is full of potential with new, advanced and sophisticated games being released every day. The graphics designers and creators incorporate technological advancement to give the consumer the real feel of their games. The industry, however, is filled with numerous cases of sexism that at times cause uproar and public dissatisfaction. Sexism begins with the characters where female characters are ooze sex appeal with unrealistically flawless bodies as well as for trim figures. Additionally, virtual women are made to dress in tiny clothing that leaves very little to the imagination. The male villains and heroes, on the other hand, are made to appear ruthless, aggressive and prone to violence. It is this sexism that contributes to some vices in the society such as rape. Sexism can also be portrayed in the form of sexual harassment where female gamers receive criticism and threats especially when they play better than their male counterparts. Two scenarios of sexism are Miranda and Aris of Cross Assault and Anita Sarkeesian, both of which happened in 2012. The formerly involved harassment from a colleague-cum-boss since the supervisor is the one who made sexual remarks about Miranda and the latter consists of a blogger who received death and rape threats because of funding female videos. Both situations received mass media coverage and criticism as many people were unhappy with how each of the situations ended. The two examples cement the problem of sexism which is a clear indication that women are at risk. Several theories such as the Proteus effect, cultivation, and the cognitive theory explain the relationship between their behavior in real life and the behavior of their avatar. In most cases, how the avatar of an individual behaves in the game is translated to how he behaves around others, and since most of the games are based on sexist principles, the same sexist theories will transfer into the way that individual interacts with others in the society. The countermeasures put in place include feminists advocating and taking part in training, companies adopting the code of conduct, and bloggers using their platforms to educate the masses on the importance of the abolition of some of the primitive beliefs about women. 

References 

Bègue, L., Sarda, E., Gentile, D. A., Bry, C., & Roché, S. (2017). Video Games Exposure and Sexism in A Representative Sample of Adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology , 8 , 466. 

Breuer, J., Kowert, R., Festl, R., & Quandt, T. (2015). Sexist Games= Sexist Gamers? A Longitudinal Study on the Relationship Between Video Game Use and Sexist Attitudes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking , 18 (4), 197-202. 

Dewey, C. (2015). Men Who Harass Women Online Are Quite Literally Losers, New Study Finds. Washington Post , 20 . 

Driesmans, K., Vandenbosch, L., & Eggermont, S. (2015). Playing A Videogame with A Sexualized Female Character Increases Adolescents' Rape Myth Acceptance and Tolerance Toward Sexual Harassment. Games for Health Journal , 4 (2), 91-94. 

Edwards, K., Weststar, J., Meloni, W., Pearce, C., & Legault, M. J. (2014). Developer Satisfaction Survey 2014. Summary Report. International Game Developers Assosiation. 

Fletcher, J. (2012). Sexual Harassment in The World of Video Gaming. BBC News Magazine . 

Fox, J., & Tang, W. Y. (2014). Sexism in Online Video Games: The Role of Conformity to Masculine Norms and Social Dominance Orientation. Computers in Human Behavior , 33 , 314-320. 

Kaye, L. K., & Pennington, C. R. (2016). Implicit Attitudes Towards Female Online Gamers Measure. Psyctests Dataset . 

Lynch, T., Tompkins, J. E., Van Driel, I. I., & Fritz, N. (2016). Sexy, Strong, And Secondary: A Content Analysis of Female Characters in Video Games Across 31 Years. Journal of Communication , 66 (4), 564-584. 

O’leary, A. (2012). In Virtual Play, Sex Harassment Is All Too Real. The New York Times , 2 . 

Stermer, S. P., & Burkley, M. (2015). Sex-Box: Exposure to Sexist Video Games Predicts Benevolent Sexism. Psychology of Popular Media Culture , 4 (1), 47.