The Objectification of Women in Video Games.

By Soffie Paul

The History of Women in Video Games.

A long time ago, a group of people decided that video games were for men and made by men. With most initial video game producers also being men, this decision marked the start of an effect that would be observed for years to come within the gaming community. Since the release of the first video games with male protagonists in the 1980s, little did we know that the first strong female protagonist would appear almost fifteen years later - Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series. However, something wasn't the same - this female lead was advertised as a sex symbol for male appeal and was solidified in history as the pioneer of female protagonists. Decades later, only the magnitude has changed - we see an increase in oversexualized female characters with no heed to their effects on the audience and the game industry. Putting aside the excuses created for these women to be presented as they are, here is why the objectification of women in video games should matter to gamers and non-gamers alike.

Women have played video games as much as men since the dawn of the industry, but very few were open about the hobby. In the 1990s, societies built atop gender roles and stereotypes, and video games got caught in the crossfire of this uprising. With men being the largest consumers of initial video games, game designers asked, "What can we do to make the male audience want our game?" One of these factors was sex appeal. There have been various arguments suggesting that female characters, including Croft, had an extreme impact on teaching gamers to see women as sex objects more than characters in a story with personalities and goals. Even Croft herself was to be a man in Tomb Raider until the developers worried that he would be too similar to Indiana Jones, a popular adventurous movie character at the time. In other games, women were commonly 'damsels in distress' needing to be rescued from the strong male character. Their bodies and clothing were showcased more than the concept that they were a part of. Hence, through targeted advertising, design, and stereotypical expectations, women are barricaded out of the industry, affecting both male and female perceptions of women in the field.

Box art for the first Tomb Raider game, featuring Lara Croft as the protagonist.

How To Not Write A Woman - The Effects and Consequences.

The little women do have in the gaming sphere is manipulated to an unrealistic standard. Tiny waists, large breasts, full thighs, and European facial features somehow become "crucial" to the character's personality and overall appeal, while strength, backstory, and toughness are associated with male characters. Although 47% of gamers are women, most of this population do not play games with sexualized versions of their identity, and rightfully so. The women who do participate in these video games have left the experience with body image issues and low self-esteem. The male population has been affected all the more, as sexually explicit media viewed in early adolescence is proven to lead to risky sexual behavior in emerging adulthood. What happens to the male adolescents who adopt the hobby and see how the gaming world portrays a woman?

One might add that men and young boys could grow insecure due to the impossible standards that some male characters possess. While valid, this narrative writing issue is not nearly as prominent as the objectification of women in video games. Yes, objectification - bringing someone's human characteristics down to a mere object, or in this case, body parts. Alongside distorted bodies, female characters tend to be passive characters whose voice lines, movements, and clothing are suggestive and have the sole role of supporting the male lead. Male characters usually take the dominant, strong, and aggressive role, and games without this archetype are subject to scrutiny online by men who still believe female protagonists are not welcome in video games. When women are present in games, about 41% appear in revealing clothing, with 43% partially or fully naked. 25% of female characters are likely to be designed with unrealistic body proportions, an intense number compared to the unrealistic male proportions, which is 2%.

Comparison between male and female armor in World of Warcraft. Notice a difference?

Objectifying Women in Video Games Hurts More Than You Think.

Take a moment to picture a young girl wanting to play video games and being surrounded by these depictions. Watching certain characters and similar bodies recognized on social media has proven to lead to mental illnesses, disordered eating, and a highly self-conscious generation of women and men. As a woman, I can see how social media and the "personality" of many female video game characters can affect how I see myself. I cannot bear to imagine a child looking at herself and wondering why her dolls, game characters, and the celebrated bodies don't seem to look like her, act like her, or worse - think of her worth attached to a male character to have a sense of belonging in a story.

Hence, I ask the question; From a woman to the gaming industry, what makes a woman "worthy" of being a character? Why does she need to be the best in her field or the most attractive in the room to bring something meaningful to a story?

And, from a woman to non-gamers, do you notice how these characters - whether advertised or scrolled past - can affect your perception of video games and women within and outside them?

From body image issues to being looked down upon within the field, the representation of women in games can change how a generation understands diverse characters, especially when most of the generation has experienced gaming. Many men and women are beginning to question the intentions of objectification and over-sexualization of women within video games and media, which is splitting the population between consumers and protestors against the majority of the consumed games. One can predict a slow decline within female gamer populations and women in the game industry. A small proportion of male gamers are also beginning to question if they are worth more than fish taking the pixelated bait on their screens, hence pulling them away from such predictable game concepts. You can only continue problematic behavior for so long before the adverse effects are observed. While adults can easily distinguish the difference between a woman's sex appeal as a part of her personality versus as a marketing tactic, adolescents who are beginning to be introduced to video games will not be able to, affecting their perceptions of women in the roles they play within their respective games and even real women.

Healing the Wound in the Gaming Community.

While the state of video games and objectification is still troublesome, a new silver lining questions the portrayal of women in the industry. As we progress as a field, we can now see that 30% of the world's game developers are women, an increase from 22% in 2014. With this, we are also starting to see a change in female protagonists - their motives, dreams, and emotions forming a true human character instead of an object. For example, Split Fiction is an adventure co-op game featuring two genuine female protagonists who are not objectified. Its release on March 6, 2025, has brought about some criticism, but most of the audience choose to silence those complaints. Inspired by the director's own two daughters, Josef Fares takes a strong stand against hateful comments and continues to support the increase of good female representatives. Furthermore, the writer of the 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' featuring Lara Croft, Rhianna Pratchett, states that the sexualization of Lara Croft is "a thing of the past". Many women view the current depiction of Croft as a brave woman with a passion for history in an enjoyable game, something that they deem worthy of playing as and looking up to.

With changes such as these and questioning the culture that video games surround, we will not only see better representation of women within video games but also have better stories, characters, and experiences for all to witness. As video games evolve with the ever-growing world, it is time we consider what we perceive and better it for other gamers and the art form in and of itself, producing meaningful characters, their impactful stories, and a little girl's future identity.

Xbox One box art for Rise of the Tomb Raider. Released in 2015, it now is an example of how to write an amazing female protagonist. And yes, the lead writer was a woman.