Literary research: An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior

An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior. By Tracy L. Dietz, 1998


"This project illustrate s that the portrayal of female characters in popular video game s is overwhelmingly stereotypical when they are presented at all. Furthermore, the females portrayed in these games, even when they occupy the role of a hero, are often depicted as subordinate to male characters or are presented in terms of their sexuality. It may be argue d that even though these female characters are depicted as primary characters, they represent negative role mode ls of women at the same time, teaching that the contributions of women are somehow subordinate to, or less important than, those of men." It gives "the idea that women are to be viewed as weak, as victims, and as sex objects."

This piece by Dietz also touches upon the portrayal of women as victims or damsels in distress, which reminded me of a video I found on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/X6p5AZp7r_Q