My final presentation for AP level junior English

1. Damsels in Distress:
A look at how gender stereotypes
are portrayed in video games.
By Mitchell
Traylor
0

2. The next four slides contain actual
characters from an actual game.
What words come to your mind to
describe these characters?

7. How are gender stereotypes
presented in video games?

8. “They try to portray males as
heroic, macho, and valiant, which is
unrealistic.” –Felipe, age 22

9. “If I went back in time and became
a knight, I would definitely not wear
the armor I see in video games.”
–Michelle, age 24

10. Heroic

11. Macho

12. Valiant

13. Cute

14. Sexy

15. Innocent

16. 1. Have I been doing a good job
of engaging you?
2. Have you been doing a better
job of listening because I’m
doing a good job of engaging
you?
3. Do you feel you gained more
from this presentation because
of this personal interaction?

17. Guess what?

18. That is the exact
same logic video
games use!

19. Facts:
• Youth consider fictional characters to be
role models
• Varying forms of media can shape a
person’s views of gender stereotypes
• Video games can be more influential than
other incarnations of media because of
their engaging, interactive nature

20. Males
• Outnumber females
• More often a playable
character
• “Treated as subjects”
–Felipe
• “As a default look like
fighters” -Michelle

21. Females
• Frequently portrayed
in a sexy role
• Less powerful
• “Tend to show a lot
more skin, look more
suggestive” –Felipe
• “Made… to how a
man would like them
to look” -Michelle

22. There are exceptions…

23. …But we still see this.

24. In Conclusion
• Game developers target a dominantly
male audience
• As a result, females are under-
represented and misrepresented
• If young gamers male and female absorb
these stereotypes, their view of gender
may be changed

25. Picture Sources
• Slide 1 - http://www.dealspwn.com/top-ten-video-game-catchphrases-42198
• Slide 1 - http://www.mariowiki.com/Princess_Peach
• Slide 3 - http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-info/champions/darius/
• Slide 4 - http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-info/champions/garen/
• Slide 5 - http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-info/champions/nidalee/
• Slide 6 - http://gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/game-info/champions/cassiopeia/
• Slide 10 - http://www.mariowiki.com/Mario
• Slide 11 – http://streetfighter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Udon_MvC2_Ryu.jpg
• Slide 12 - http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Cloud_Strife
• Slide 13 - http://www.mariowiki.com/Princess_Peach
• Slide 14 - http://streetfighter.wikia.com/wiki/Chun-Li
• Slide 15 - http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Aerith_Gainsborough
• Slide 18 - http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-more-you-know.png
• Slide 20 - http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Link
• Slide 21 - http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Princess_Zelda
• Slide 22 - http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Lightning_(Final_Fantasy_XIII)
• Slide 22 - http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Samus_Aran
• Slide 23 - http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:LRFFXIII_Coral_Mermaid.png
• Slide 23 - http://supersmashbros.wikia.com/wiki/Zero_Suit_Samus_(SSBB)