Female Representation in Video Games

Since the early days of the video game industry, there have been many controversies related to violence, addiction, explicit graphics, and sexual themes. The misrepresentation of women being one of the many. The Damsel in Distress has become one of the most widely used gender clichés and misrepresentations of women in the history of gaming. As a trope the Damsel in Distress is a plot device in which a female character is placed in a perilous situation from which she cannot escape on her own and must be rescued by a male character, usually providing a core incentive or motivation for the protagonist quest. This essay will examine how women portrayed as damsels in distress are seen as powerless victims and trophies to the male protagonist, this essay will also explore how the detriments of portraying women as damsels affects society.

Portraying female characters as simply the damsel is incredibly detrimental to the way people perceive women. When female characters are damselled their ostensible agency is removed and they’re reduced to a state of victimhood. Games that frame intimacy, love or romance as something that blossoms from, or hinges upon female disempowerment and victimization is extremely troubling because they tend to reinforce the widespread, regressive notion that women in vulnerable, passive or subordinate positions are somehow desirable because of their powerlessness. These types of game plots also help to perpetuate the paternalistic belief that power imbalances within relationships are appealing, expected or normal. The damsel trope also typically makes men the subject of the plot, while relegating women to the role of object, an iconic example of this would be the infamous Princess Peach from the Super Mario franchise.

Throughout the series saving Princess Peach becomes the main goal for the protagonist Mario. This is a form of objectification because as objects Damseld women are being acted upon, most often being reduced to a prize to be