This document discusses the male gaze theory and how it affects video games and film. The male gaze theory proposes that some media is directed towards men through the sexualization of women, such as showing them in provocative ways or only as objects to be used by men. This can negatively impact women by influencing how they see themselves and feel pressure to look attractive to men. Examples discussed include sexualized female characters in video games like Tomb Raider and Overwatch and the objectification of women in James Bond films. The document concludes that many video game companies are dominated by men who influence society's views in a way that can warp perceptions of women.

1. What isthe Male gaze Theoryandhow doesitaffectVideoGamesandFilm?
Videogame are a massive partof media currently andiswortharound$78.61 millionin2017 and is
expectedtoincrease by2.29% by2024, (TechJury) thisincrease indicates audience growth,alotof
that audience beingmales,59%in2020 while womenwere41% (Statista) thisgrowthinmale
audience comeswithanunnecessarysexualisationof womenincertainvideogames,these are
mostlyshootergames,roleplaygamesandmultiplayergames.These typesof gamesappeal more
menas there more divertedtowardsviolence andasI’ve saidinclude womenthatare over
sexualised. The violence of mencanbe provedbythe statisticthatinMarch 2020 92% of defendants
indomesticabuse relatedprosecutionswere male,thisisprovidedbyONS.InthisessayIam going
coverin more depththe male gaze invideogames andfilmanditsimpactsonwomenandthe
industry,we will discusscertaingames andfilms thatoverstepthe linewhenitcomes the portrayal
of women.
The male gaze isa theorynamedby a womencalledLauraMulver in1975 in an essayshe wrote
calledvisual pleasure andnarrative cinema.The theoryis basedaroundthe conceptthatcertain
parts of mediaare directedtowardsmenthroughthe use of oversexualisingwomen,thismeans
womenbeinginbikinisfornoreason,actressesbeingcastinmoviesonlytobe usedbya man or
usedas an objectratherthan a fully-fledgedcharacter,womenbeingshowninprovocativewaysto
woomenintobuy things,like videogames.The theorynotonlyfocusesonthe sexualisationof
womenbutalsothe impact that ithas on womenasa whole,fromthe waywe dressto way we walk,
everythingwe docomesbackto wantedtolookgoodfor men,insome cases thisis nottrue butat
some point,ineverywoman’slifetheyhave beenpressuredintolookingacertainwayforthe
pleasure of men.Thisalsomakeswomen feel aneedtobe horrible tootherwomenwho donot
keepupthe same standard,we judge eachother off standardssetby men.Ina surveydone byBBC
1,000 womenwere askedtheirlooksandhow theywere feltpressuredtolookgood, 80% felt their
looks were the most important thing about them, 66% felt they were not pretty enough,
93% agreed women were judged more on appearance than ability, 47% believed their looks
held them back most of the time, 61% felt the need to be perfect, these statistics were
taken from the BBC’s website in 2016. These stats alone prove that women feel pressure to
appeal to men even if they are not directly thinking from that point, the standards have
been set by men, an example of this is the 1890’s, in the UK it was illegal to show any skin,
they were told to cover everything, necklines had to be raised and skirt hemlines dropped to
below the ankle. Although a lot of people are for this theory and it see its reality, some
people have different opinions, for example some say it is hypocritical as there is not really
mention of a female gaze and when it is mentioned its dismissed as not real when in
actuality it is just not as prevalent as the male gaze, a writer on Quora called Jay Smithson
talks about this topic in more detail, he says “The “female gaze” is not about asserting
female dominance on-screen. And it does not mean that therefore we get to “man-jectify”
men in reverse. (Magic Mike XXL, while a cinematic masterpiece to some, is not a good
example of the female gaze in practice).
Blizzardisgamescompanybasedin the USA andhas made gamessuch as overwatch,worldof
warcraft,diabloandhearthstone.Theyhave atrendof makingtheircharactersoversexualised,
overwatchisa prime example fromsnipersintightfittingjumpsuitstohealerswithfittedchest
plates.Theytendtoaccentuate thingsthatdo not needtobe accentuatedlike forexample the
character tracer wearsbrightorange trousersthat fitunnecessarilyaroundherbehind.The game
was publishedin2016 andtakeselementsfromothershooterssuchasTeamFortress2, it wasmade
followingthe cancelationof aMMO calledTitanandfeaturessome of the elementsfromthisgame.

2. The narrative of the game followsadisbandedgroupof heroesregatheringtofightarobotuprising,
the Omnicwar. The contentof the game oftenchangeswithnew charactersbeingintroduced,new
maps andmap reworksanddevelopmentof the narrative.Theyalsohave apro league calledthe
OverwatchLeague inwhichplayersplaythe game competitively fortitles,trophies,andcashprizes.
Blizzardoverthe yearshas had highsandlows,forexample duringthe HongKongriotsin2019,
Blizzardbannedapro playerBlitzchungaftertheypubliclysaidtheysupportedthe riots,thisledto
fanscreatingart of the character Mei demandinghe be broughtbackand fansdemandingthe game
be bannedinChina,thisdidnot resultinanythingmajorbutleavesamark on Blizzard’sreputation.
Anotherexampleof Blizzard'smisconducttookplace inNovemberof lastyear,CEO of Activison
BlizzardBobbyKotick,hashad continuoussexualharassmentallegationsanddiscriminationpinned
towardshim.The employeesof Blizzardstagedawalkoutand gathered700 signaturesaskingfor
Kotick'sresignation.Boththese incidents onlyscratchthe surface of the misconductof Blizzard,but
theyillustrate the kindof companyitis.Anarticle onPC Gamer called"How Blizzard'sreputation
collapsedinjust3 years"by StevenMessneroutlines Blizzard's downfall of blizzardandall the
eventsthathappenedduringthistime tocause itsdownfall.He beginswiththe lawsuitImentioned
earlierandgoesontotalkabout howfanswere mad abouta new World of Warcraft game thatcame
out inAugustof 2018, it wassaidcertainaspectsof it were buggyandconfusingandinreturn
Blizzarddidnothing.Thisasyoucan imagine reallysetfansoff,it wasnotuntil September2018 that
the gamesdirectorgot back to the playersa monthlaterapologisingandsaying theywill dobetter.
Theythengo ontotalk aboutDiabloMobile,atBlizzcon2018 fans hadanticipatedDiablo4as the
finale tothe conventionbutwere insteadpresentedwithamobile versionof the game.Manyfans
were upsetbythisand booedatthe people announcingit.Blizzard hasbeenaccusedof following
trendsratherthan givingthe fanswhattheywanted.The article goesonfor another13 paragraph
detailingBlizzard'smistakes,that isenoughtoprove thatpeople are notthe biggestfansof blizzard
and will notbe fora while.
Whenlookingatvideogamesthatcontribute tothe male gaze theory there are quite afew but non-
stickout like the TombRaiderseries.Throughoutthe games youplayacharacter calledLara Croft,
an archaeologistfromthe UK goingfromplace to place tryingto recoverdifferentartifactsand
discovernewplaces. The problemwiththe game doesnotcome fromthe storythough,itcomes
fromthe character designof Lara Croft.In the earliergamesfrom1996 to 2007 her designisatits
mosthypersexualized,she isseenwithatight-fittingbluetanktopthat accentuatesherchest,tiny
brownlowwaisted shorts,platformlace upbootsanda ponytail,all incrediblyimpractical forwhat
she doesfor a living.The clothingisonlyhalf the issuethoughasthe wayshe looksphysically iswhat
really provesshe wasmade withthe male audience inmind,she has alarge and unrealisticchest,
the problemwiththisspecificpartof her designisthat it isnot realityandcan onlybe achievedby
extensive plasticsurgery,itgivesmenafalse perceptionof whatwomenshouldlooklike, thisthen
makeswomenfeel like theyneedtolookthatway and if they do not, they will notbe likedbymen.
Her designalsofeaturesthingslike atiny waist,large hips, andthighs,faciallyshe haslarge lips,a
small nose,large darkeyesandan archedbrow,everythingaboutherisunrealisticandonlycreated
to please male audiences. Laterinthe game seriesherdesign beginstodial downfrom2013 – 2018,
she losesthe shortsand forone game herchestis coveredforthe mostpart. Her facial featuresget
a reworkas well andshe beginstolooksemi normal,she alsohasherchest removedandher body
balancedout,she still looksunrealisticbutnotas dramaticas the firstdesigns.Althoughthiscanbe
put downto the graphicschange and the demand forrealismin videogamesitstill hasanimpacton
the male perceptionof womenasshe looksmore realistic,althoughsayingthatitmighthave made
it worse asthe more realistic, she looks,the more menthinkitsachievable forwomentolooklike
her.Lookingat howshe was designedexplainswhyshe looks the wayshe does,she wasdesignedby

3. a man called TobyGuard a character creationartist at Core Designs.He originallycreatedheras
heroine andshe wassupposedtobe setapart from otherwomen,afeministhero.Despite his
remarkable success withthe character,he leftaftertwoyearsdue to nothavingthe creative control
he had had previouslyand the factthat Lara was beingmarketedasasex symbol,he laterreturned
to the game seriesin2006 and dida visual revamptohercharacter. She still hadsome of her
previousattributesbutlatertheygetchanged.
The JamesBond seriesisnotoriousforitslackof respecttowardsfemalesandthe oversexualisation
of the female characters.Theyare mostlyimplementedforJamestosleepwithandthenleave,or
she has beenhiredbythe villainof the movie toseduce himandthenkill him.Theseare recurring
themesinthe movies.There have been79 bondgirlsthroughoutthe 25 moviesandwouldall
harnessthe same tropes,skimpydresses,beautifulfeatures,slimbodies,andlarge chests.When
doingmyresearchI came across the JamesBondFandomWiki and init,it listsall the womenin the
bondfilms,the actresses,the characters,the maingirl inthe filmandthe sexual encounters,every
womenlistedwasalsointhe sexual encounterscolumn,thisprovesthatthe womenare onlythere
for Jamesandthe menwatching,it'sverysaddening tosee thisandprior to readingthisIwasn't
aware that all the womenhad sleptwithhim.Notonlyisthisbadingeneral it'salsobad for both
menand women,itenablesmentothinkthatsleepingwithmanywomenisrightandachievable
and can alsoleadontothemfeelingthe needtoharasswomen,theysee thatBondcando and that
there'snoissues,itcouldmake menfeel like theycandothe same thing.The otherside of the
problemisthe effectithason women.itmakeswomenfeelasif theylooklike thesewomenwhen
inreality it'sjustnot achievable,these womengooncrazy dietstolookthe way theydo.Naomie
Harris whostarredon inSkyfall,spoke tonewswebsite Shape andhadthistosay abouther training
for the film;“The 36-year-oldsexystarworkedoutwithapersonal trainertwohoursa day, five days
a weekfortwo monthspriorto the film.She alsospentthree monthsof extensive trainingin
shooting,combatfighting,andstuntdriving.” Theyalsosaid;“GaryPowell (checkouthis impressive
credits),where he dishedonHarris'gruellingtraining.”fromthese snippetsof textfromthe article
youcan see howdifficultitwasforher to getintoshape and be as preparedas she wasthe film, a
lotof womendonot have accessto these typesof workoutsandtrainerstobe able toget themto
that stage. It's notjust the workoutside that’sthe issue it’sthe waythe lookfaciallyaswell.Many
womendon’tconsiderthemselvesbeautifulinfactthere wasa surveyheldbyThe Choose Beautiful
campaign;“6,400 womenages18 to 64 fromfive citiesaroundthe world(SanFrancisco,Shanghai,
Delhi,London,andSãoPaolo,tobe exact) onhow theyfeel aboutbeauty.While 80percentof the
womensurveyedsaidthatall womenhave somethingbeautifulaboutthem, awhopping96 percent
saidtheywouldn’tuse the word“beautiful”todescribe themselves.Notonlythat,78 percentof
womensaidtheydon’tfeel completelyconfidentintheirownbeauty.More interestingdatafrom
the survey:32 percentof womensaytheirbiggestbeautypressureisthe one theyputon
themselves,andsevenoutof 10 womenagree thatbeautyismore than physical appearance.Only
88 percentof U.S. womensaytheybelievethateverywomanhassomethingaboutherthatis
beautiful,comparedto94 percentof womeninIndiaand91 percentof womeninBrazil.”This
informationalone provesthatato womendonot see themselvesasworthyandbeautiful.Filmslike
the bondseriesjustmake itworse,plasteringarealitythatisn'tachievable all overthe world, it
createsopinionsaboutpeoplefornotlookingacertain wayand leaves womenfeelingasif theyare
out of someone'sleague because theydon’tfeel prettyenoughorfeelingpressure toworkoutor
getplasticsurgeryonlyto please asocietythatcreatedthese expectations.
For my FMP I have a fewideasso it's difficultto focusoncertainways ill incorporate myresearchon
the male gaze,howeverIdohave a baseline of whatIwantto include. The firstone beingthat it's
goingto base arounda female character,althoughthere isa significantamountof female main

4. characters in games, I've foundthatthrough myresearchtheyall tendto be sexualisedsoI'm going
to designherina way that makesherseemlesslikeable. I'mnotentirelysure how I'll dothisbut
some ideasIhas were to make hera shadow figure,notgive herfacial features, ormakingher
cartoony.I'm sure whateverIdo there will alwaysbe people whowill sexualiseherbutif Ican at
leastminimisehowmuch that’ll happen I'll be happy. Itookthisideafromwhatidresearchedabout
Lara Croftas her creatorwasn’thappywithhow she was perceived.Idon’twanttomake the same
mistakeshe made,Iwantto create characters that reinforce the ideaof womenpowerand
feminismbecause toomanyfemale charactersare made bymenand formen.The nextideaIhad
was to make the male charactersthe side characters andhave the female charactersfrontand
centre.Thishas beendone before anditwassuccessful, forexample HorizonZeroDawn andThe
Last of Us 2. I wantinclude thisinmyownto again reinforce the ideathatwomenare justasgood
menand shouldnotbe overshadowedbymale characters.Igotthisideafromresearchingthe
Batman games,HarleyQuinninthatgame is merely there toseekrevengeforbatmankillingjoker
and forthe amusementof menasdisplayedinheroutfit. HarleyQuinnisastrongfemale character
that overthe yearshas been diminished inskimpyoutfitsand chasingaman whodoesnot love her.
The last ideaI have isto not give mycharacter anystand out physical features asfrommyresearch
itsveryevident thatwomendonotseemthemselvesasbeautiful andhave female characterwomen
feel theycanrelate tois reallyimportant,Iwanttoremove the needforwomentofeel like they
needtolive upto these standardscreatedbymen, it'snot fairand should notbe somethingthat
continues. Mycharacter will have anaverage buildandnotto be thinin the waistand have large
extremities because it'sjustnotrealisticandshouldnotbe made seemreal like some gamesmake it
out to be.
In conclusion,afterresearchingthistopicI've come acrossa lotof informationIwasshockedbyand
quite franklyrepulsedby,the videogamesindustry issomuchworse than whatI thoughtit was
whenitcomesto its attitude towardswomen,gamescompaniesare riddledwithpredators,alotof
female charactersare made for the amusementof men andso manyfemale charactersare
sexualisedfornoreason,the listcouldgoon forever. The source of the issue isthatmencontrol
society, andtheiropinionsare the route of a lotof today'sviews, forexample, fashion,make up,
film, art, and videogames.Theiropinionseffecteverythingnotjustvideogames,theywarpour
perception of otherwomenwithoutusevenrealising,forexample whenitcomestohow we look
physically,womenare made tothinkthatbeing beautiful isgoodandthat’swhat makesus
attractive,thenwhenwe see womenthataren'tmaybe asbeautiful, we create negative opinions
that wouldn'texistwithoutthe standardssocietyandbigbrandssetsforus.We forgetto think
aboutwhat theymightbe like asa personand jumpto conclusionsfromwhattheylooklike.
Answeringthe questionwhatthe male gaze isandhow effectsvideogamesandfilmisquitesimple,
a significantnumberof mediaiscontrolledbymenandisinfluencedbytheiropinions,thisleadsto
filmslike The Bondseries,Catwoman andThe Wolf of Wallstreet,videogameslikeOverwatch,Tomb
Raiderand GTA.From an outsiderlookinginyoucanclearlysee the problemswiththese products,
theysexualise women.These productsare all partof the theorythat certainmediaiscreatedto
appeal tomen,thisis calledthe male gaze theory createdbyLaura Mulvey.Itisa massive issue in
not onlythe pastbut more so nowwhenappearance is all that matters,everythingisonline, and
people canjudge you withoutevenspeakingtoyou.The products of the male gaze add to reality
that menwantthat isn't feasible,itcreatesunrealisticstandardsforwomen andeffectsthemboth
physicallyandmentally.Itgivesmenafalse reality andsetstheirstandardstoohigh,theyexpect
whattheysee in videogames, anditcouldnotbe furtherfromreal life.