Video+Games+from+1999-2005

As graphics engines improve and new consoles are brought into the world of gaming, visuals become more important. A greater emphasis is placed on how everything, from the way water moves to the way the protagonist executes a deadly attack, looks more realistic. Models are refined, colors are brought out, new physics engines are born which allow female character models to appear much more appealing to the male eye. As the new generation is ushered in an older generation, more focused on its' story elements to depict the inequality of the sexes, is ushered out.

The main consoles up to this point are:The Sega Dreamcast (1999), the Playstation 2 (2000), the Gamecube (2000), the Xbox (2001), and the Xbox 360 (2005).



Dietz* further goes on to explain the idea of the damsel in distress and how it is especially prevalent in most video games. His findings may be based off of older games, but that just goes on to show that newer games like Ninja Gaiden have stuck to the successful formula that is gender-biased depiction.

"In one example, The Adventures of Bayou Billy (1989) , the beginning of the video game shows a woman in a low-cut, red dress. This woman has large, well-rounded breasts. A man is holding her and has a knife placed at her throat. Apparently, this man has kidnapped Annabelle and Billy’s mission is to save her. In another similar example, Double Dragon (1985) ,a woman, also depicted with large breasts and wearing a mini-skirt, is walking down the street when a man hits her, knocking her down on the sidewalk. He subsequently throws her over his shoulder and carries her away. Once again, the goal of the game is to fight your way through the stages of the game to rescue her. Other examples of this victim or damsel in distress depiction include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) in which the Ninjas’ friend April is standing in a room screaming and crying when the Ninja Turtle finally saves her."

Even in Ninja Turtles, a game where the main characters are turtles (though they are male turtles) the woman is still helpless and the man is the knight in shining armor. Also, just like way back when, there is still an intense focus on a stereotypically ideal female form; this form is composed of large breasts, a small waist and wide hips. The majority of video games, even up until 2005, are directed at a very male audience.

Ninja Gaiden (2004)

Ninja Gaiden is a game focused around one central character, Ryu Hayabusa, and he is part of a clan whose task is to protect the world from the evil Dark Dragon Blade. One fateful evening his clan is attacked and summarily decimated by an enemy serving the Vigoor Emperor, a Greater Fiend named Doku (who actually becomes Ryu's main antagonist). Thus Ryu travels to the capital city of the Vigoor Empire, a city called Tairon, to seek out the blade and to avenge his fallen clan. He is a master ninja capable of ridiculous feats like running on walls and wielding deadly magic, and he does has a couple of allies along the way. Rachel (depicted in the second picture below) is in the city slaying monsters looking for her sister, the Greater Fiend Alma, and lends a helping hand from time to time; though she does become our damsel in distress eventually. Ayane is a female ninja and she provides objectives and insights for Ryu along his journey. Ryu battles long and hard, defeating enemies of enormous magnitudes and powers (including Alma) until finally he comes face to face with Doku, whom he ultimately defeats. However the battle is not yet won as the Dark Dragon Blade resides with the Vigoor Emperor, and the only way Ryu may reach that enemy is by defeating the last Greater Fiend, Marbus ruler of the fiend underworld. Once Marbus is bested our hero moves on to face the Vigoor Emperor, an enemy whose size alone makes victory appear impossible (the battle is shown in the video below). The protagonist triumphs and moves on to face one last enemy, a thought-to-be ally named Murai who has been waiting in the shadows throughout the game for his chance to steal the blade for himself. After an epic showdown with him Ryu finally destroys the dark weapon himself and disappears into the world, leaving Rachel heartbroken with his departure.



Here the protagonist takes on 2 giant monsters. His suit is skin-tight and he wears a mask, he is very muscular, and very powerful. This is a feat not possible of course, but time and again this is what we are exposed to in a video game: a man surpassing insurmountable odds.



This is an important co-star in the storyline, a character that appears again and again. Ryu's outfit compared to hers is like comparing a wool coat to a thong. Notice also that her breasts are extremely large and shaped to perfect circles, her thighs are uncovered, and her stomach is also uncovered; also be aware that all of this draws attention to her lady goods. She is wearing jewelry as well. Although she is a relatively physically strong character in the game, she does wind up being the damsel in distress and it is up to the male protagonist to save her.

Men are capable of feats against impossible odds too right? I mean this is what we drum into the minds of the youth and then give them a game such as this, where Ryu can do things beyond the scope of a normal human being; and yet, doesn't he look just as an ideal man should? He has no deformities and nothing grotesque on his person to indicate that he is anything more than what he appears to be. The video that follows is a bit length but it starts to get really interesting at 3:52. If you fast-forward to this point in the video you will begin to see something that is the definition of unseemly.

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And yet he conquers all! The great hero takes his sword in hand and faces down an enemy of that size, one with considerable strength mind you, and prevails. Not only is he a hero, but he moves onto the platform of godlike, for what else could come away from an encounter like that and not show a scar to prove it?

Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004)

Eleven years after the first release, Mortal Kombat released Deception. There are sixteens guys and seven girls. Thirteen of the men look physically strong where none of the women look physically strong. None of the men are wearing revealing clothing, but six of the girls are. All seven of the girls look physically weak. The women are much more sexulized and the men are shown being strong and buff. The women are shown wearing extremely revealing clothing. All of the women are shown having extremely big breasts. Jade, one of the female character, is a great example of how women are shown with big breasts. Most of the women are wearing lingerie type of clothing. That is simply not realist in the world. People do not fight in lingerie, but that is the limit of womens clothing in video games. They are shown as sex objects and nothing more. Researchers have said that these ideologies have become the dominant way of thinking in the world.

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The men have also changed. They are shown as being buff and strong. Their muscles are accentuated and sculpted much more than the first installment. In the picture below, Baraka's veins are popping out of his skin. He also has two big swords coming out of his forearms. This image of manliness becomes the norm in society. People believe that men should look like Baraka, with veins popping out of their arms and finely sculpted arms. Anything less than this, is not considered a real man.



Dead or Alive 4 (2005)

Dead or Alive is a fighting game noted for its' use of 'jiggle physics', which means that the breasts of the women (which are quite sizable) move around in a very life-like and enticing manner. The male characters show no such special attention though their attacks do look like they do much more damage. There are 22 playable characters in the game: 12 male characters and 10 female characters; this is one of the most evenly split rosters in a fighter, though judging by the what the game's primarily known for this isn't necessarily a big surprise. It is what it is at face value, nothing more nothing less. The men are depicted as powerful fighters and the women are depicted more as exotic dancers than as fighters; every female character wears some form of revealing skin-tight clothing or underwear.



The images above are character models from Dead or Alive 4, an extremely popular fighting series. You can see that she they are //very// sensually-clad, very meek-looking, and one of them has her face hidden; keep in mind, it's okay that the rest of her body is showing, but her face really isn't that important. They do not look like fighters, they look like strippers. If it is not lingerie they fight in it is instead spandex, or at least clothing that fits them like such.

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This video is an intro to Dead or Alive 4. What you will notice immediately by watching the video is that the majority of the fights shown are between very skimpily-dressed women. You will also notice the subtle differences between the way the women fight, and the way the men fight. Although both sexes do their damage on the health bar the hits of the women are visibly much less impressive-looking, as well as less powerful-looking, than those of their male counterparts. This game is among the first to corner the market on "jiggle physics" as the breasts of the women, as well as their bottoms, are very lifelike and sometimes exaggerated. The men on the other hand show no such physics: you do not see their muscles strain and often if the character is a little more on the fatty side their fat movement isn't nearly as complex and explored.

Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior" Sex Roles. Volume 38. April 7, 2011 ([]).
 * Dietz, Tracy L. 1998. "An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for