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The portrayal of gender in video games, as in other media, is a subject of research in gender studies and is discussed in the context of sexism in video gaming. Although women make up about half of video game players, they are significantly underrepresented as characters in mainstream games, despite the prominence of iconic heroines such as Samus Aran or Lara Croft.[2][3] Women in games often reflect traditional gender roles, sexual objectification, or stereotypes such as the "damsel in distress".[4][5] Male characters are frequently depicted as big and muscular, and LGBT characters have been slow to appear due to the cis-heteronormativity of the medium.[6][7]
Research suggests that gender portrayal in games can influence players' perceptions of gender roles, and young girls prefer playing as their own gender much more than boys do.[8][9] On average, female-led games sell fewer copies than male-led ones but also have lower marketing budgets.[10]
Gamer demographics
A 2008 Gallup poll indicated that men and women each make up half of all American video game players.[2] In 2014, women comprised 52% of video game players in the UK and 48% in Spain.[11] According to a 2008 study by the Pew Research Center, "fully 99% of boys and 94% of girls" play video games.[12]
Both genders play video games, but studies suggest differences in platform and genre preference.[13] In 2010, the Entertainment Software Rating Board reported that 80% of female console gamers played on Wii, 11% on Xbox 360, and 9% on PlayStation 3, while 38% of male console gamers played Xbox 360, 41% played Wii, and 21% played PlayStation 3.[14]
A 2013 Flurry study compared mobile gaming preferences, finding women made up 60–80% of solitaire, slots, social turn-based, match-three/bubble-shooter, management/simulation, and quiz game markets. Men composed 60-80% of strategy, shooter, card battle, racing, and action role-playing game markets.[15]
A 2014 SuperData Research study found women compose 57.8% of the mobile market, 53.6% of the RPG market, and 50.2% of the PC market (including social games). Men make up 66% of MMORPG players, 66% of first-person shooter players, and 63% of digital console players.[13]
On average, female-led games sell less but also have lower marketing budgets.[10] Testing the conditions under which gender representation predicts game sales is important.[10] Adolescents who played games frequently showed less concern about the effects of negatively stereotyped images compared to those who played infrequently or not at all.[16] Game use frequency correlates with views on gender representation in games played.[10]
Portrayal of women
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