By: Jessica Wdowikowski
“New Super Mario Bros, Nintendo DS.”
When I was 7 years old, I played my first video game. The game was New Super Mario Bros. and I played it on my pink Nintendo DS that I got for Christmas. The game gave me a chance to indulge in a world where I can play as a heroic character who saves a princess and defeats enemies using powers and wit. It was not until recently that I noticed that the game was inherently sexist due to the lack of fearsome women characters and the constant reminder that being a man meant defeating evil and saving “fragile” women in distress. There are many sexist video games today that portray women as secondary characters who bring in the male audience with their extremely revealing outfits that only cover a women’s breasts and genitals. A couple notable games include Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Mortal Kombat, Smite, and League of Legends. I have been playing these games before I was even a teenager and it has affected my perception of women, from the clothes I should wear to the skinny waist and big breasts I must have in order to attract a man’s attention. Therefore, I begged my parents to get me anything that can catch the eye of a man, such as a one-size bigger bra to stuff with toilet paper before school and a small bikini instead of a one-piece to show off my thin waist and perky breasts. It got to the point where I would do anything for a man’s affection and attention in order to feel validated as a woman. Ladies, I will say this once, and please read carefully: WE ARE PERFECT INSIDE AND OUT DESPITE WHAT MEN AND SOCIETY SAY!
Nicholas L. Matthews et al., describe that video game developers “sometimes feature body types that stretch the limits of possibility,” (155). Look at the image above. What do you see? Well, I see a vast difference between man and woman represented in the Halo series. The man named Master Chief is sporting a gun with a full suit of armour whereas his love interest, Cortana, has a small waist, “perfect” breasts, and obviously no clothing. Even after 11 years, she is still wearing revealing clothing. It actually looks like her clothing has become more revealing as the years went on. What is her role in the Halo series? She is a secondary character who is a projection. On the other hand, Master Chief is saving the universe with his big guns and notable bravery and is unforgettably the main character in the whole series. Marika Skowronski et al., write: “Sexualized media images convey standards of physical attractiveness in the form of thin and well-shaped models that most women are unlikely to meet,” (2). Marika confirms there is a connection between the sexualization of women in video games and the unrealistic standards men uphold for women.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some games that include women as primary characters, but not in the way you might think. One notable game series is Tomb Raider. This game features a woman named Lara Croft who explores an island to uncover secrets and conduct research while fighting for her life in, you guessed it, a tank top and tight shorts. She uses her tiny pistols and bow and arrow skills to kill large monsters. In reality, a bow and arrow shot would just feel like a pinch to a dinosaur. With her tiny figure comes a set of unrealistic acrobatic skills which fascinate those who play her. Dan Crawley writes that Lara Croft had “unrealistically proportioned origins back in 1996,” (“The Sexualization of Lara Croft Is a Thing of the Past, Says Rise of the Tomb Raider Writer.”). Crawley is referring to the unrealistic large bust and tiny waist Lara Croft was given in 1996. This became “an office joke among her game developers,” (Strum, “Study Tracks 31-Year History of Female Sexualization in Video Games.”). Apparently, a woman who is sexualized is entertaining and humourous to men. Since then, she has become less sexualized by wearing a tank top and pants. However, her physical representation is still the main focus of her character and still is one prominent reason why people, especially men, continue to lust and play her character.
On one boring evening in 2014, I was on my Xbox 360 desperately searching for a game to stimulate my numbness. I was about 12 years old and had no money for a game. A free game flashed on my screen which caught my eye. The game was Dishonoured which features a strong white man named Corvo Attano with an assassin outfit accompanied by a knife and scary skull mask. As I began playing, it followed the same sexist script as New Super Mario Bros. The game begins with Corvo Attano as the bodyguard and romantic interest of the Empress who gets slaughtered the first five minutes of the game. Don’t worry, the Empress has a daughter named Emily Kaldwin. However, she’s captured by the assassins who killed her mother and ultimately needs saving. That’s where Corvo comes in. He uses strength and assassin skills to save Emily and take back the city. Shockingly, a man saves a woman once again by using revenge and inner rage.
Two years later, I find myself on social media and come across advertisements for a new game named Dishonoured 2. However, the game was different this time. The main characters are a woman and a man. You can play as Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano. From a helpless young girl to a fearless assassin, Emily Kaldwin mesmerized my numb mind, and I was drawn to the idea of playing a woman who is appropriately covered and is portrayed as equally as capable as Corvo Attano to be an assassin. This is what I have been waiting for. A new era of women represented in video games. It is a start to women finally not being over-sexualized. This is just the beginning of a hopeful and bright future where women are not overly sexualized, objectified, and represented as secondary characters. Together, we must continue to pursue the equality of women in the video game industry and raise awareness of ongoing sexualization issues occurring in today’s society.
Work Cited
Crawley, Dan. “The Sexualization of Lara Croft Is a Thing of the Past, Says Rise of the Tomb Raider Writer.” VentureBeat, 9 Nov. 2015, https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/09/the-sexualization-of-lara-croft-is-a-thing-of-the-past-says-rise-of-the-tomb-raider-writer/.
“Dishonoured 2 (2016).” imdb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5724316/mediaviewer/rm2863548416.
“Evolution of Master Chief and Cortana across Halo 1 through 4.” reddit, 12 Jan. 2015, http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/2s789w/evolution_of_master_chief_and_cortana_across_halo.
Matthews, Nicholas L., et al. “Real Ideal: Investigating How Ideal and Hyper-Ideal Video Game Bodies Affect Men and Women.” Computers in Human Behavior, 10 Feb. 2016, p. 155, http://journals2.scholarsportal.info.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/.
MCFERRAN, DAMIEN. “New Super Mario Bros, Nintendo DS.” Digital Spy, 15 May 2016, http://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/a793992/new-super-mario-bros-10-reasons-to-play-it.
Skowronski, Marika, et al. “The Effects of Sexualized Video Game Characters and Character Personalization on Women’s Self-Objectification and Body Satisfaction.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 24 Nov. 2020, p. 2, https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0022103120303917?token=04E2BDAF682E7EA66E08E3FF9F8754AE0C427E6329538A1545EE237340FEC4CA7A8C2A9094C76627769FF13B60AC8F91&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20220323002122.
Strum, Lora. “Study Tracks 31-Year History of Female Sexualization in Video Games.” PBS News Hour, 8 July 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/study-tracks-31-year-history-of-female-sexualization-in-video-games.
“Tomb Raider (1996).” imdb, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190838/mediaviewer/rm2869434624.
Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies Blog 
Love this perspective as someone who loves games! I’ve been waiting for a stronger female rep in series such as super mario for years!
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