Script of my recent presentation relating to the representation of gender in video games.

1. The portrayal of gender in video games is the subject of extensive research when it comes to
gender studies, particularly when it comes to women. This is due to the underrepresentation of
women and their frequent portrayal in negative stereotypes, SLIDE such as the “Damsel in
distress”. Men are also represented in unrealistic stereotypes and have characteristics of being
aggressive and dominant as well as being hyper masculine. Throughout the history of games
we can see these types of portrayals in many different games, the most iconic one that comes
to mind is Super Mario Bros and the portrayal of princess peach. SLIDE
In Super Mario Bros the players play as Mario, your average plumber turned superhero while he
stomps and jumps his way to the save Princess Peach. Peach who is the main female character
in the series is your stereotypical damsel in distress as she has no role in the game and is
literally helpless, out of the 14 super mario games Peach appears in, she is kidnapped in 13 of
them. With her only being a playable character in Super Mario Bros 2.
Kaitlin Tremblay from Gamasutra touched on this topic saying that “In video games, the major
stereotyped myths of women are typically the damsel in distress, hyper-sexualized villain and
the sexy/strong best friend. In all of these instances, the female character is, more likely than
not, in love with the male protagonist or trying desperately to bang him”.
SLIDE
I’ve got a quick video here about peach and her representation in the games she appears in. 0-
1min
SLIDE
When it comes to male portrayals in games the overall stereotype is that of a hyper masculine
figure with a tendency towards aggressive behaviour, this is a negative stereotype however it is
not as prominent as female representation in games.
But why do games do this, according to an article in the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health
the answer is sales SLIDE, saying that portrayals of gender in video games are “sometimes
more associated with the marketing of the game than with the game itself.” (Dickerman)
These types of stereotypes are not only detrimental to the people who play them but to society
and gender roles as a whole, SLIDE researchers Karen E.Dill and Kathryn P.Thill investigated
190 college students and concluded that for female players of such games it “downgrades their
own desirability as a mate”(Dill) when seeing highly attractive women in media. And for male
players that depictions of hyper masculine males “damaged their view of their own desirability
as a mate.”(Dill)
SLIDE
It is therefore up to the game's designer to be aware when assigning these types of stereotypes
to characters in games. That’s not to say there has been no games that have taken on this
responsibility, there has been a number of games past and present that have portrayed a
positive gender representation.

2. SLIDE
Samus Aran being the most prominent, in the game you thought you had been playing as a man
the whole time however upon 100 percent completion it is revealed that you are playing as a
women and one that would go down as one of the most heroic women in video games. She is a
shining example of positive gender roles in gaming.
SLIDE
Another more recent example Is Ellie in “The Last of Us”. Ellie is a 14 year old girl that the
protagonist Joel is attempting to smuggle to his boss. While Ellie may seem like your typical
weak female stereotype at first, she gradually matures, growing stronger and more confident
through the game, until she becomes a responsible, strong teenager who can take care of
herself and Joel when he is wounded later in the game. This along with Joel being a believable
male character makes “the last of us” a excellent example of positive gender stereotypes.
SLIDE
The designers of these games took it upon themselves to ensure that they were not adhering to
the pull of sales dominance when constructing the characters for their games. The result is 2
highly successful games with positive gender stereotypes, the designers made this choice and it
paid off. They were aware of the possible implications and they did not simply rely on negative
stereotypes to push their sales…
SLIDE
Not to point any fingers or anything…
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