research:pixel pinups:

The following discussion questions and classroom exercises accompany the chapter "Pixel Pinups: Images of Women in Video Games." In Race/Gender/Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content and Producers. Ed. Rebecca Lind. AB-Longman, 2004. All images retain copyright protections, and are used here under the fair-use provision for copyrighted material. This material is intended for educational purposes only. Images for classroom exercises.

discussion questions

1. How do video games differ from other types of media? Think of a recent action movie and an example of an action video game. In what ways are the two similar and different, ie. plots, characters, scenes and sounds? In your opinion, how does the experience of playing a video game differ from watching a movie?

2. How are the images of women in magazines similar to and different from the images of women in video games? In what ways do you think the effect of the images in video games are similar to or different from magazine ads?

3. Why do you think more men and boys play video games than women and girls? What other types of game play and recreation do boys and men seem to play more than women and girls? How are these games similar to or different from video games? What might explain these differences?

4. How are recent images of women in video games different from older games? Do you think the images are better or worse? Explain. What do you think a "better image" of woman would look like? Women who do not need to be rescued (like Lara Croft) are more independent and, some argue, more violent than earlier female video game characters. Is this an improvement? What are the pros and cons of the newer images of women in video games?

classroom exercises

For the following classroom exercises, gather images from video game magazines that depict female and male characters. Resources for images: PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, PLAY Magazine. See also Maxim, FHM, Spin and Rolling Stone. Or, use the images provide here.

1. Appearance

Compare and contrast characters from video games, focusing on their clothing, armor and body size. What, if any, are the differences in appearance between male and female characters? Are the differences significant? If so, how? What is the apparent purpose of the clothing and armor of the characters? Compare the male and female body sizes to images of real men and women, both in advertising and among your family and friends. What is exaggerated in the male bodies depicted? The female bodies? What message does body size convey about these characters?

2. Description

Read the text for the games. If you found ads for games with female characters, what features are emphasized in the text? How does this compare with the textual description of games with male characters? Why, according to the ads, are the games fun? What is the purpose of the language used in these ads?

3. Audience

Thinking about both the visual and textual composition of the ads, consider to whom the advertisers are trying to appeal. What in the ads indicate the intended audience? Why, or why not, would a woman be interested in playing the game. How about men?