The Effects of the Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept

Abstract

The present study utilized an experimental design to investigate the short term effects of exposure to sexualized female video game characters on gender stereotyping and female self-concept in emerging adults. Bussey and Bandura's (1999) social cognitive theory of gender development and differentiation was used to explicate this relationship. Undergraduate students (N=328) at a large U.S. Southwestern university participated in the study. Students were randomly assigned to play a "sexualized" heroine, a "non-sexualized" heroine, or no video game; then completed an online questionnaire. Female self-efficacy was negatively affected by game play with the sexualized female character. Results cautiously suggest that playing a sexualized video game heroine unfavorably influenced people's beliefs about women in the real world.

What is a True Gamer? The Male Gamer Stereotype and the Marginalization of Women in Video Game Culture

“…Indeed, the lack of aspirational female characters compared to male characters in current video games may indicate that the target audience is assumed to consist mostly of young men (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2009;Burgess et al, 2007;Dill & Thill, 2007;Downs & Smith, 2010;Martins et al, 2009;Ogletree & Drake, 2007;Soukup, 2007;Williams, Martins, et al, 2009). Although it can be argued that this lack of female representation in video games does not deter women from playing (Daviault & Schott, 2013;Reinhard, 2009), it might still limit identification with the gamer label and thus negatively influence women's willingness to perform their gamer identity visibly (Burch & Wiseman, 2015).…”

“…The video game industry continues to create content that panders towards the presumed preferences of a young, male, heterosexual audience. These preferences are reflected in both a lack of female video game characters and hyper-sexualization of the female characters that do exist (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2009;Burgess, Stermer, & Burgess, 2007;Dill & Thill, 2007;Downs & Smith, 2010;Martins, Williams, Harrison, & Ratan, 2009;Ogletree & Drake, 2007;Soukup, 2007;Williams, Martins, Consalvo, & Ivory, 2009). The marginalization of women in gaming also receives widespread attention outside the scientific discourse; for example, Anita Sarkeesian's (Sarkeesian, 2013) video series titled "Tropes versus Women in Video Games" criticizes the stereotypical and negative roles of female characters in video games.…”

Female Under-Representation in Computing Education and Industry - A Survey of Issues and Interventions

“…This consequently impacts female confidence and motivation to study the subject and career access. Behm-Morawitz and Mastro [6] further indicate that these stereotypic beliefs tend to be presented in popular media, thereby subconsciously affecting social perception of gender differences thus leading to implicit bias in computing education and workforce.…”

Psychological Fitness in Young Adult Video Game Players

“…Interestingly, sexually-oriented content of video games may give rise to sexual stereotypes. In a study by Behm-Morawitz & Mastro (2009) undergraduate students were assigned to play a game containing a sexualized female character or no such character. The sexualized fable gave rise to unfavorable beliefs about women and the female player's self-esteem was unfavorable affected.…”