Big Breasts and Bad Guys: Depictions of Gender and Race in Video Games

Video games have become a powerful force in the culture. Depictions of women in video games are scarce and highly stereotypical. Women are usually minor characters, are seen as victims rather than heroines, and are depicted in highly sexualized ways. Whereas early games had only a few representations of people of color, people of color were often depicted in derogatory and unflattering ways. Current games continue to employ racial stereotypes by limiting the roles and representations of non-White characters. Gender and racial stereotyping in video games is discussed, and ways to raise awareness of the issues are suggested.