Gender Inequality in the Video Games Industry

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Methodology
Findings
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

The portrayal of males and females in video games is a subject of study in gender studies and is discussed in the context of sexism in the industry. Even though women comprise almost half of video game players, they are greatly underrepresented as characters in mainstream games. The portrayal of females in games usually reflects traditional gender roles, stereotypes, or objectification. In most instances, male characters are made to appear big as well as muscular. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a problem of gender inequality in the video games industry and its impact on society.

Methodology

Design of the Survey

The main design chosen for this research is a cross-sectional study. This refers to an approach where the investigator collects data from multiple people at one point in time. It is dissimilar to longitudinal studies, which target a group of individuals over an extended duration. The cross-sectional approach is used to describe events occurring at the present time (Alharbi, Jackson, and Usher, 2020, p. 20). One observes variables without the need to influence them. However, it was important to control a variable such as a gender as it is proper to have an equal number of male and female participants. The reason for this is to ensure an unbiased process that leads to accurate information that can be used to bring change (Alharbi, Jackson, and Usher, 2020, p. 21). This type of design was selected over other observational studies as it is often inexpensive as well as easy to perform. It helps to establish preliminary proof in planning a future advanced or more developed study.

Selection of the Sample

One hundred individuals were identified, and through simple random sampling, seventy were recognized as participants in the survey. The technique of sampling was chosen to ensure that everyone had the same probability. It is unbiased and a fundamental type of sampling, which can be part of other more multifaceted methods (Alharbi, Jackson, and Usher, 2020, p. 22). After the determination of respondents, the investigator chose to design the questionnaires. The questionnaires consisted of a list of open and closed-ended questions that aimed to establish a general perception of the topic of research. The aim of the latter was to prompt the participants to answer by selecting a single-word answer, such as yes or no, from multiple-choice questions (Alharbi, Jackson, and Usher, 2020, p. 23). Since the procedure was in-person, the questionnaires were distributed to the participants and allowed adequate time to respond. After that, the responses were collected, and an analysis was conducted.

Justification of the Sample Size

In a cross-sectional study, the aim is always to estimate the prevalence of unknown phenomena using a random sample from a target population. Therefore, a sufficient sample size is required to ensure precision (Alharbi, Jackson, and Usher, 2020, p. 24). A size of sixty participants or more is recommended, which is why the investigator chose seventy individuals (Erba et al., 2018, p. 44). In case the size was too small, the researcher may not have been able to answer the question or topic under stud (Wang and Cheng, 2020, p. 67). It is advised that researchers need to compute the optimum size before gathering data to prevent mistakes that occur as a result of small size. Additionally, this helps them avoid wastage of resources such as time and money when the sample size is too large. Seventy is a good number as it qualifies for the design of the study applied and cannot be termed as too big.

Findings

Summary of the Main Findings

From the survey, it is obvious that there exists gender inequality in the video game industry. The portrayal of males as well as females in video games has been a topic under study. Despite women consisting of half of the players, as mentioned earlier, the underrepresentation in mainstream games is significant (de Castell and Skardzius, 2019, p. 836). Results from the survey show that participants believe that women’s depiction in the games often shows traditional gender roles, stereotypes, or objectification. Additionally, most indicated that women are sexualized more than men in the video game industry (Gestos, Smith-Merry, and Campbell, 2018, p. 538). The latter is linked to the male gaze, referring to the act of representing using visual arts and literature (Lopez-Fernandez et al., 2019, p. 454). It was established that there is a heterosexual perspective of how the games’ characters appear that shows females as sexual objects for the male viewer’s pleasure.

It was noted that whereas the sexualization of female characters happens as a service to users and fans, that of male characters is done due to power fantasy. From the responses provided in the section of the open-ended questions, the majority claimed that males are shown as something straight men playing the games would aspire to become (Vasileiou et al., 2018, p. 5). Apart from that, the survey revealed that these actions or preferences have an effect on attitudes towards gender and children as well. Male gamers are reported to play more violent games than women (Vasileiou et al., 2018, p. 5). The exposure is negatively connected with men’s certainty in their judgment when facing a scenario of probable sexual harassment chosen for its indistinctness (McLaughlin et al., 2018, p. 590). It can be linked to attitudes supportive of an activity such as rape.

On a question regarding whether video games possess the potential to impact how children view themselves and others, many expressed that they do. Additionally, through the questionnaire, the researcher desired to understand the reason behind less awareness of the influence on kids. It was determined that less research had been conducted before in the area, and few of the current studies are inadequate (McLaughlin et al., 2018, p. 591). The lack of scrutiny shows that there is less known concerning the matter (Styhre et al., 2018, p. 245). Through social comparison procedures, a player learns societal expectations of appearances, roles, and behaviors. On the one hand, girls expect that they become dependent victims and that their responsibilities comprising of sexual appeal and maintaining beauty. On the other hand, boys establish that their position in society is to defend and protect females (Ruberg, 2019, p. 314). Therefore, the roles as internalized by a child become for the child and later for adults.

Calculations to Draw Conclusions

Out of seventy participants, sixty-seven answered yes to a question seeking to check if people assume different roles in society due to the influence of video games. Other calculations from which one can draw the conclusions include: all seventy participants agreed that the sexualization of females was more than that of males. Additionally, only five of the respondents believe that portrayal in video games should not be viewed as inequality. In the section demanding a reason, they expressed that they trust that sexualization is done to ensure customer satisfaction. The five individuals were males, which showed that they were biased. Lastly, forty-three out of the seventy individuals believed that the male characters in video games need to be big and muscular as they are used in battles. They understand that the design is ideal but it should as well be the same for the female characters in games involving fights.

Conclusion

The researcher has investigated and found that there exists a problem of gender inequality in the video games industry, and it has an impact on society. The findings from the survey show that the way the video game characters are designed and portrayed is different for different gender. For instance, males are seen as big and muscular to show power, while females are projected more as a symbol of sex and beauty. Such ideas become a reality when the population has an expectation of how individuals in society should appear. A survey through the use of a questionnaire was appropriate for this type of research. The design and sampling method ensured that accurate and adequate information was gathered. Additionally, regarding funds and other resources such as money, the methodology can be seen as inexpensive and time-conscious.

However, something went wrong during the procedure, as some participants claimed that the research was designed with the aim of victimizing the female gender. They believed that even though it is true that the sexualization of females is more, it is untrue that women who play video games dislike that portrayal. The researcher had to state to them the topic under study and its importance. If in the future I choose to conduct the same task, I would improve on communication with the participants to guarantee time is not wasted and that they do not perceive it as malice. It is important for the video game industry to understand that media plays an important in people’s perceptions of various topics in society. It is their duty to ensure that their products do not contribute to negatives in the community.

Reference List

Alharbi, J., Jackson, D. and Usher, K. (2020) Personal characteristics, coping strategies, and resilience impact on compassion fatigue in critical care nurses: A cross‐sectional study. Nursing & health sciences, 22(1), p. 20-27.

de Castell, S. and Skardzius, K. (2019) Speaking in public: What women say about working in the video game industry. Television & New Media, 20(8), p. 836-847.

Erba, J., Ternes, B., Bobkowski, P., Logan, T. and Liu, Y. (2018) Sampling methods and sample populations in quantitative mass communication research studies: A 15-year census of six journals. Communication Research Reports, 35(1), p. 42-47.

Gestos, M., Smith-Merry, J. and Campbell, A. (2018) Representation of women in video games: A systematic review of literature in consideration of adult female wellbeing. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(9), p. 535-541.

Lopez-Fernandez, O., Williams, A.J., Griffiths, M.D. and Kuss, D.J. (2019) Female gaming, gaming addiction, and the role of women within gaming culture: A narrative literature review.Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, p. 454. Web.

McLaughlin, B., Rodriguez, N.S., Dunn, J.A. and Martinez, J. (2018) Stereotyped identification: How identifying with fictional Latina characters increases acceptance and stereotyping.Mass Communication and Society, 21(5), p. 585-605. Web.

Ruberg, B. (2019) Representing sex workers in video games: Feminisms, fantasies of exceptionalism, and the value of erotic labor.Feminist Media Studies, 19(3), p. 313-330. Web.

Styhre, A., Remneland-Wikhamn, B., Szczepanska, A.M. and Ljungberg, J. (2018) Masculine domination and gender subtexts: The role of female professionals in the renewal of the Swedish video game industry. Culture and Organization, 24(3), p. 244-261.

Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S. and Young, T. (2018) Characterizing and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1), p. 1-18.

Wang, X. and Cheng, Z. (2020) Cross-sectional studies: Strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations.Chest, 158(1), p. 65-71. Web.

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