Parental Controls Off in Google Play Store: Sexualisation of Female Characters in Video Game Advertisements

Abstract

Video games are a form of entertainment in today's society, and people across all ages can access the games mainly through Google Play Store. When the family setting is not switched on, all video games may become accessible regardless of content ratings. However, video games may contain sexualised contents that are harmful and misinform people about sex, especially among children, which may lead them to practice unsafe sexual practices as they grow towards adulthood. Further, the advertisements from the video games may also have sexualised contents to attract consumers, though this aspect has not been extensively researched. Drawing on the concern of misinforming children about sex through video game advertisements, this research seeks to observe if sexualisation occurs in video game advertisements based on the games identified in Google Play. An observational descriptive study where 30 video games from Google Play Store are identified and their advertisements are analysed using content analysis. Findings reveal that sexualisation does occur, especially in female characters, and certain scenes may misinform children about the notion that sex sells, and they will potentially become young adults who practice unsafe sexual practices. Parents must manage the type of video games accessible on children's phones, and deliver proper education about sex to their children.