Feminist Frequency creator Anita Sarkeesian has released the lastet installment of her Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series on YouTube, taking a look at how female characters are treated as "background decorations" in popular gaming titles.
Sarkessian's "Women as Background Decoration: Part 1" pulls examples from titles such as "Watch Dogs," "Mass Effect 2", "Grand Theft Auto" and "Deus Ex: Human Revolution." The Feminist Frequency creator argues women are used in titles to create a "racy" aspect in the game. Sarkessian claims everything from their dialogue to the way the female character moves is used to "dehumanize" women.
"These games systematize sexuality in ways that dehumanize women, essentially turning them into vending machines dispensing sex, along with other goods and services," Sarkessian stated in the video. "Their worth as characters is measured entirely in terms of what they can give to the player .... When men are depicted using female NPCs as tools or commodities, their actions are portrayed as part of what makes them powerful, which is by extension part of what makes the player then feel powerful."
Sarkeesian added the dehumanization of males also occurs in video games, but not as often as females. Sarkeesian argues women are more likely to be reduced to their sexuality and defined solely by parts of their bodies.
"But even if sexualized male NPCs were more prevalent, equal opportunity sexual objectification is still not the solution to this problem, especially considering the existing power differential between men and women in our society," she said in the video. "Women are constantly represented as primarily for sex. Men may be sexual too, but they can also be anything else, they are not defined by or reduced to their sexuality and their sexuality is not thought of as something existing chiefly for the pleasure of others."
You can watch "Women as Background Decoration: Part 1" in the embedded video below.
