Author ORCID Identifier
Shay Yao: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2664-7462
Joomi Lee: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6651-4432
Reed Reynolds: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1983-5035
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-14-2024
Abstract
With the increasing popularity and availability of virtual reality (VR) video games, the representation of women within these immersive environments becomes crucial to explore. Although the sexualization of female characters in traditional video games has been widely studied, the sensory-rich nature of VR may introduce changes in character representations and emergent adverse outcomes. In the present study we content analyzed female characters in popular VR video games to investigate the potential underrepresentation and misrepresentation of female characters. Results demonstrated that male characters were represented four times more frequently than female characters. The underrepresentation of female characters was more severe in competitive VR games than casual VR games, however there was no significant difference in the underrepresentation of women between game genres or ESRB ratings. In addition, female characters were presented in a sexualized manner in 30% of cases. The sexualization of female characters was associated with their portrayal as physically capable, violent, or a victim. We also found that sexualization of female characters did not differ based on the type of game (casual vs. competitive), game genres, or ESRB ratings. We discussed these findings in immersive VR video games in comparison with those in traditional 2-D screen media video games.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01488-9
Recommended Citation
Yao, S.X., Lee, J. & Reynolds, R.M. Underrepresented Rather than Misrepresented? A Content Analysis of Female Characters’ (non)Sexualization in Virtual Reality (VR) Games. Sex Roles (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01488-9
Comments
This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01488-9.