Okay so first things first, what exactly is misogyny? Misogyny is bigotry/sexism towards women and it is a result of the patriarchy. The patriarchy is our society that is built around the favorability of cis men. Video Games are games that are played on an electronic device. They often feature women as damsels that need saving or sexualised caricatures of men’s desire for women.
This image features both a man and woman in armour. Can you spot the difference? The armour on the man looks cool and is practical while the armour on the woman shows a more exposed, non-practical version of the armour. These video games are often targeted towards men and boys. as a result, many boys grow up believing that women’s bodies are objects for their visual aid. People always make the argument that men are always stereotyped in video games, which is true but that is a result of the patriarchy! Men are viewed as stronger and more muscular. Other men uphold this idea. Men are expected to be strong and tough BECAUSE women are expected to be meek and substandard.
There are games that don’t objectify women but they’re rarely popular or centred around domestic tasks like cooking/cleaning. Many gamers that are women have expressed a desire for substantial female characters but developers and designers will continue to make what is trendy and gets them money. Morality is often cast aside due to the commodification of art and media as is evident here.
Gaming chats/calls are also unsafe for many women because moderators don’t reinforce rules harshly enough. Men get away with using misogynistic slurs and insulting women more often than you would think
This knowledge isn’t new to me but it is something I am interested in as a womanist and intersectional feminist. I hope this was informative, stay tuned for the next one
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