Video Game Controversies - Demographics - Gender

Gender

As of 2011, over 40% of players are female, according to the video game industry. However, a 1998 study conducted at the University of Central Florida found that of the 33 games sampled, 41% do not feature female characters, 28% portrayed women as sex objects, 21% depicted violence against women, and 30% did not represent the female population at all. Furthermore, characterizations of women tended to be stereotypical: highly sexualized ("visions of beauty with large breasts and hips"), dependent ("victim or as the proverbial 'Damsel in Distress'"), opposed ("evil or as obstacles to the goal of the game"), and trivial ("females depicted in fairly non-significant roles").

However, this report has been criticized for not representing a wide range of video games, and that the games analysed, being up to 20 years old, do not represent the current status of the video game industry, and that strong female characters are now increasingly more prevalent.

Read more about this topic:  Video Game Controversies, Demographics

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