Computer games as a representation of gender bias in the digital age
Friday, October 16, 2009 by Anonymous
In this weeks lecture, doctor Goode dealt with the various issues that are associated with gender in the digital age. The questions that we must ask ourselves are, ‘are both genders treated and distributed equally in new media?’ or, ‘is there a bias towards a particular gender?’ I personally believe that gender in the digital age is tilted towards the male gender, although there are certain changes in recent times. Took look for these evidences, we can look into the environment and the behaviour that is present within the realm of computer games and chat rooms.
Chat rooms and games in computers show a great deal of sexist activities. Before we look into great details about what occurs ‘within’ chat rooms and games, we can look into the genre of games and its target buyers to look for any patterns of gender bias. It is without a doubt that a lot of the games that are created in recent times are focused for the male gender. Games such as ‘grand theft auto,’ ‘battlefield’ and ‘need for speed’ are great example. A lot of people relate violence and action with the male gender more than the female gender. Females are seen to be more of a ‘calmer’ gender. In this I mean that, from an early age, females associate themselves more with creative and non violent activities than males, for example, cooking and playing with dolls. As a result, in games such as ‘starcraft,’ the male characters play a role as warriors and fighters, whereas the female characters are represented as medics. This shows a classical stereotypic orientation of ‘gender roles’ in digital media. On top of this, ‘playing computer games’ in itself is seen more as a ‘male activity.’ As a result, we can see that a lot of games are focused more on the male gender rather than the male gender.
Although this is true, there are efforts to reduce this gender bias in recent times. Evidence of this is shown by the creation of ‘Wii,’ which is an interactive game console that provides games that do not contain much violence or action that females can also enjoy. Another difference in recent times is the number of increasing female player. This is a good trend as it helps to reduce gender bias and stereotypic behaviour in games being ‘male oriented.’
I have used computer games as a representation of what occurs in the digital age. The notion of ‘gender in the digital age,’ can be seen in various perspectives and is constantly changing. I just hope that my personal opinions have allowed you to create your own personal ideas and opinions regarding this matter.
Chat rooms and games in computers show a great deal of sexist activities. Before we look into great details about what occurs ‘within’ chat rooms and games, we can look into the genre of games and its target buyers to look for any patterns of gender bias. It is without a doubt that a lot of the games that are created in recent times are focused for the male gender. Games such as ‘grand theft auto,’ ‘battlefield’ and ‘need for speed’ are great example. A lot of people relate violence and action with the male gender more than the female gender. Females are seen to be more of a ‘calmer’ gender. In this I mean that, from an early age, females associate themselves more with creative and non violent activities than males, for example, cooking and playing with dolls. As a result, in games such as ‘starcraft,’ the male characters play a role as warriors and fighters, whereas the female characters are represented as medics. This shows a classical stereotypic orientation of ‘gender roles’ in digital media. On top of this, ‘playing computer games’ in itself is seen more as a ‘male activity.’ As a result, we can see that a lot of games are focused more on the male gender rather than the male gender.
Although this is true, there are efforts to reduce this gender bias in recent times. Evidence of this is shown by the creation of ‘Wii,’ which is an interactive game console that provides games that do not contain much violence or action that females can also enjoy. Another difference in recent times is the number of increasing female player. This is a good trend as it helps to reduce gender bias and stereotypic behaviour in games being ‘male oriented.’
I have used computer games as a representation of what occurs in the digital age. The notion of ‘gender in the digital age,’ can be seen in various perspectives and is constantly changing. I just hope that my personal opinions have allowed you to create your own personal ideas and opinions regarding this matter.