Karolina Stępień, Maria Szymkiewicz Sexual objectification of women in video games – psychological aspects

Abstrakt

The distortion and eroticization of body parts, the attribution of exclusively sexual intent to behavior, and the treatment of women in an aggressive and domineering manner are becoming the domain of contemporary media. This message, drawing on pornographic content, is strongly promoted in the virtual world. Due to the immersive nature of gaming and its significant role in shaping real-world views, beliefs, and attitudes, we decided to analyze the impact of sexualized and pornographic images appearing in games on players. The purpose of this article is to provide a narrative review of the literature analyzing the systems of imparting a sexually objectified female character and identifying the possible negative effects of playing a game with such characters among male and female players in the family. Previous analyses indicate that playing games with characters portrayed as typical sexual objects can influence self-perception, the world, and social behavior. The results of this study demonstrate not only the need for further exploration of this phenomenon, but also the importance of psychoeducational interventions and the implementation of legal regulations to support mental health and ensure safety.