How is the female character appearing in the game drawn as an object of gender?

Anita Sarkeesian, who makes various recommendations for women's treatment in the game world, was held in 2014Game Developers ConferenceIn the presentation "How women are treated in video games" is a person who won the award. That Sarkeesian says "How are female characters appearing in the game drawn as sexual targets?"We released a movie titled" Female Characters in Game ".

Women as Background Decoration: Part 1 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games - YouTube


This is Sarkeesian.


In November 1971, "Computer spaceThe world's first arcade game called 'The Arcade Game' will be released in the United States.


For promotion of computer space, an image standing beside the actual machine was used for a woman whose clothes could be seen through and the inside skin could be seen.


The promotion strategy of "making women ornaments" has penetrated mainly in the game market targeting men and has been used for a long time.


"This kind of promotion is not only selling games but also selling games of the idea that women are decorative beings to satisfy the desires of men," Sarkeesian says.


"Of course, there was no shock when a promotion to deal with women like decorations began to be introduced, as women have long been treated as incidental men.


"The depiction that treats women as adornments is most noticeably a race game."


It was released in 1995Rave RacerAnd ...


"Need for speed pro streetGazing at the movement of the camera, you can see that part of the body of the woman is being projected as if it is the most important element in the game.


Sarkeesian says to portray a woman like a decorative item "Women as Background Decoration(A woman as a background decorative item) ". Women as Background The definition of decoration is "to sexually use an inoperable female character to give a naughty portrayal to the game.The female character expressed as a sexual target is used to arouse the interest of male players It is becoming creative ".


Among the characters that appear in the game, characters such as passers-by, enemy characters, merchants, etc. that can not be operated by players are called NPC (Non-Playable Character), and their behavior is usually specified in the program. "The existence of a female character who is given a role as a prostitute among such NPCs is a problem," Sarkeesian asserts.


"Grand · Theft Auto SeriesAnd ...


"Witcher 2A woman NPC who works as a prostitute appears in the game such as.


Also,"Deus エ ク スAnd ...


"Ryu ga Gotoku 4 Inherit the Legend"Many games such as stripper women NPC appeared. Despite the fact that many NPCs appear in the game with "some meaning", women NPCs such as prostitutes and strippers, in most cases, often have no relation to the story.


In English, "treating humans as sexual targets" means "Sexual ObjectificationThere is the word 'something.


"Mack Spain 3"Or"Far Cry 3"In a game such as a woman who treats a woman as a sex target, a depiction including poverty discriminatory content such as" investigating poorly-living areas where white men live a lot of prostitutes live "will appear," said Sarkeesian .


Moreover, "Deus エ ク ス" and "Binary domain"NPC of a prostitute woman who speaks English in one sentence appeared.


According to Sarkeesian, a scene where a woman NPC who works in a poor neighborhood or speaks a one-shot appears appears to travel to other countries for women.Prostitution tourIt is said to be a typical racial discrimination expression that a white or Western person has consumed a woman of another race as an object of sex.


This is"Shellshock: Nam '67In one scene at the place where the local people are inviting soldiers to prostitution.


Mr. Sarkeesian says, "These game scenarios are selling the concept that men are the subject of sex and women are sexual subjects."


The idea that "male is the subject of sex and women are sexual subjects" exists in games where women can be chosen for the main character. For example, "Mass Effect 2You can choose men and women as the main character.


Even if you choose a woman as the main character, you can not see any change in the strip scene. However, Sarkeesian says, "Even if it is possible to choose a woman as a hero, the fact that a woman NPC depicted as a sex target appears in the game to stimulate a man's ego is undeniable."


"Describing a woman as an object of sex appears not only in the game but in other media, but the problem with the game is that the player manipulates the hero," Sarkeesian insists.


While other media refers to the user as a "visitor", the game that operates the hero to enjoy the world has changed the user from the "visitor" to the "participant".


Sarkeesian is an American philosopherMartha NussbaumApplied to the "female NPC portrayed as a subject of sex" of "five elements defining the target person: means · commercialization · compatibility · viability possibility · disposability" written in the book written by Then, develop an opinion.


"Assassin's Creed IV Black FlagIt is possible to seduce the enemy by hiring a dancer.


"Saints Row"There is a mission that clears if you recruit a prostitute of an enemy gang and return with the number of people specified. It is said that these elements are not different from women being used for "purpose".


"Fallout: New VegasAnd ...


In many games such as "Witcher 2", a female NPC as a prostitute has appeared, and if the hero pays money he can do a corresponding job. It is said that it corresponds to the "commercialization" of female characters.


Also,"Sleeping Dogs Hong Kong Secret Police"And" Grand Theft Auto Series "have the function that the ability of the main character is up when the player buys a prostitute and this is a textbook type of" compatibility "which is one of the object definitions Examples. Such a depiction seems to give the player a strong message that "the role of women is to satisfy the desires of men".


Lifting women in the game and swinging ... ....


The act of stabbing a fearful woman with a knife is said to be a violation possibility.


Of the five elements that define the object, the last "disposability" is "Red Dead Redemption"is. At Red Dead Redemption, a female NPC tied with a rope ... ...


There are trophies that can be unlocked by leaving them on the railroad and handing them to the train.


Also,"THE GODFATHER 2"The effect that the female NPC which was killed disappears is used, and it is said that it corresponds to the" disposability possibility "of female NPC.


On the other hand, there are games that describe males as sexual targets.


"Dragon Age: OriginsAnd ...


Prostitution appears in "Fallout: New Vegas".


However, Sarkeesian says, "Even if male prostitutes appeared in the game and the depictions of women and men as sexual targets in the game became equal, considering the difference in treatment between women and men in society, female characters It is not a fundamental solution to drawing as an object of sex.Men's prostitution appears as male sexual ability is not considered as a pleasure to others and it is a culture that men monopolize social positions I will not change the superiority of men when I do it. "


Mr. Sarkeesian says, "If special participating media such as games treat female characters like toys, there is not a little influence on the position of women in real society" It is not criticizing entertainment possessed by the company. "