Literature on hyper sexuality in games and advertising
The main work that has given rise to my mini project is “Sex, Lies, and Videos Games: The Portrayal of Male and Female Characters on Video Game Covers.” By Melinda C. R. Burgess, Steven Paul Stermer & Stephen R. Burgess. It is significant as it focuses on the influence of images on attitudes and behaviours. This is key when dealing with the imagery used on the covers of video games to draw in consumers regardless of age. However, from this research I have gathered that more males are used on covers than females and if/ when females are shown on the covers, they are usually presents as weak or sexually provocative. In the work, “Sex, Lies, and Videos Games: The Portrayal of Male and Female Characters on Video Game Covers.”, Burgess, Stermer & .Burgess assess the work of Tracy L. Dietz - An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behaviour. Both pieces of research focus on the use of imagery used on the covers of video games. Both however take an academic approach which leaves the gap of the views of the consumers who are subjected to this imagery. This piece of literature is integral to my research project as it gave means of which I can assess the games characters that I will draw based on their appearance such as their clothing, the exaggeration of body features and the stance of the character. In the research of the ‘Mass Medias influences on sexuality’ by Jane D. Brown, “younger adolescents (13-15 years old) rank mass media fourth behind parents, friends and school,” on how they learnt about sex/sexuality. Brown questions whether or not “audiences learn about sex from” an “array of sexual information and portrayals” from the internet and TV. She states that sex is a perceived as a sensitive topic and when it is addressed it is commonly applied only to TV which limits the knowledge on the topic.
Deana A. Rohlinger states through the research of ‘Eroticizing Men: Cultural Influences on Advertising and Male Objectification’ that through contemporary advertising it is the female’s role to “please themselves” which in turn will please others. Whereas the role of males is “not defined through beauty and fashion” but instead “through the power of choice” both physically and financially.
Within the research carried out at Texas A & M University explores whether or not sex should sell and the “Ethics in Advertising”. Thy examine the “use of men and woman in ads of a sexual natures” and if sex sells, “when and where is it being used in advertising.” Although not directly linked to the design of female characters within games, this is an important issue as female characters tend to be design for the male gaze in the hope of enticing a higher rate of male gamers.
E. Parker and A. Furnham’s research on “The Effects of Sexual Programme Content on the Recall of Sexual and Non-Sexual Advertising” focuses on how likely consumers are to remember advertising which is shown between breaks in shows which contains no sexual content and sexual content and to what level of recall they have.
There is a lack of literature the argues that there is no hyper sexualisation within the media industry as a whole however even amongst the literature highlighting this issue, there is a lack of a solution. I have struggled to find informative media content such a videos and graphic pieces that address the issue and then suggest solutions to confront and alter the appearance of female characters. I particular there is a lack of art the challenges the concept of hyper sexualised females.
Youtube Channel, FeministFrequency addresses the issue of hyper sexualised female characters within video games by pointing out the flaws which the design team have made and equally mock these by applying them to situations involving male characters and their appearances.