Gender in Video Games

Gender in Video Games refers to the representation of different genders as they are portrayed in characters created for the video gaming medium. While gaming as both a medium and culture has changed drastically over the years, the content that it contains has evolved to accommodate not only new technologies but the social environment of the times in order to better cater its content to its intended audiences. In many cases, given the escapist nature of many video games throughout history, and their ability to allow players to live fantastical lives outside of their own, this can mean that the characters that players use as avatars to act out these fantasies can be caricatures of people or stereotypes that exist at the time these games were published. While the intended impact of many of these caricatures are benign at worst, the prevalence of the medium dictates that regardless of intention they have unintended consequences, which includes how people see themselves who are from the societal, economical, racial, and gendered demographics. While all depictions that negatively affect the image of those disparaged should not be overlooked, the most hotly contested representations in our culture today derive from those of gender.

Overview

While video gaming as a medium is quite young in comparison to other popular forms of entertainment such as books and magazines, and even in comparison to other forms of pop culture such as music, comics, and film, it is hard to understate its impact on culture today. in 2018 nearly 2.7 billion people worldwide play video games, and gamers accounted for 66% of the US population alone. While the medium has traditionally been seen with a player base that largely identifies as male, today in the U.S. the difference is much closer to a 50/50 split, as in 2019 it was reported that 46% of the population that claims to be of the gaming community identify as female.

History

Video gaming didn't really take off as a