Sexualised video games, sexist attitudes and empathy towards victims of rape: Correlational evidence for a relationship is minimal in an online study

Abstract

Background There is continued debate about whether sexualisation in games can influence sexist attitudes and reduced empathy towards women in real life. There is research evidence both supporting and refuting the possibility. Aims Our aim was to examine the relationship between sexualised content in video games and players' sexist attitudes and empathy. Our research question was, do any such relationships exist once other factors including gender and trait aggression are controlled? Methods An online sample of 125 participants were recruited and asked to rate their video game playing experience, complete a trait aggression scale and record responses to a vignette about rape. Scores were first correlated, and then hierarchical multiple regression was employed followed by PROCESS examination of interactions between sexualised game content and trait aggression. Results Exposure to sexualised content in video games was neither correlated with higher sexist attitude ratings nor with lower empathy scores. Sexualised content in games was associated with slightly lower sexist belief scores for those with higher scores on trait aggression (the 12.8% of our current sample at one standard deviation above the mean). No effects were observed for those low in trait aggression. Conclusions and Implications While it is natural to be concerned about the impact of potentially arousing video games, actual effects may be counterintuitive, so if seeking to regulate, it is important to act from actual information. Further research with groups of particular concern will be important.

Gendered violence and sexualized representations in video games: (Lack of) effect on gender-related attitudes

“…This may suggest that (counter-stereotypical) content in games should be far less subtle than our study manipulations to elicit any differential effects. In line with Ferguson and Colwell's (2020) observations, perhaps interacting with video game characters who do not fit the stereotypically male profile, who possess heightened sexualised features, and may actually be more evocative and make players more aware of gender-related biases and issues. It is also conceivable that when players engage violently with female characters in-game, they may experience less motivation to engage in such behaviours in a real-life setting.…”

“…This is primarily because experimental studies are restricted by short-term exposure to female character representation to test any attitudinal effects, whereas other studies have explored sexism-related experiences regarding real-world gaming contexts (e.g. Ferguson and Colwell, 2020). While the latter approach makes it more difficult to assert control over exposure time and content, it highlights that alternative methods may provide deeper insight into the issues with gender representation in video games.…”

“…Indeed, other work has failed to replicate such findings. Ferguson and Colwell (2020) showed that while trait aggression predicted sexist attitudes and a lack of empathy towards a rape victim, exposure to sexualised video game content did not. Interestingly, results showed that those who consumed more sexualised video game content were, in fact, less sexist and had greater empathy for rape victims.…”

Sexual Violence in Virtual Reality

“…Endorsement of masculine norms and social dominance, greater length of time engaged in specific games (e. g., exposure to hostility), and offline sexist beliefs were found predictive of likelihood to engage in sexual harms online in gaming; length of time and frequency of gaming were also associated with increased potential for victimization. Amid general consistency in findings and trends, one study (Ferguson & Colwell, 2020) documented no correlation between the participant's exposure to sexualized content in video games and their sexist attitudes or empathy toward a victim of rape. The authors provided no explanation for this unexpected finding; however, in moderation analysis, they did observe that, among those with higher scores on the trait aggression measure, there was an association between sexualized content and lower sexist belief scores, implying that some inherent or static personal characteristics affect some responses to some exposures.…”

Parental Controls Off in Google Play Store: Sexualisation of Female Characters in Video Game Advertisements

“…With the advancement of technology, today's mainstream media is now regarded as modern and it has been prevalent not only on television but also on social networking websites (Aksar & Firdaus, 2021;Cabeza-Ramírez et al, 2021;Du, 2022;Karsay et al, 2018;Zakaria & Adnan, 2022). The continuous modernisation of digital technology has made media even more popular than in the 1970s, especially where there is a growth of video games with features that would seem to be impossible before (Beck & Rose, 2018;Ferguson & Colwell, 2020;Karsay et al, 2018;Liu, 2018;Slater et al, 2017). Liu (2018) has highlighted the notable features in the development of present-day video games: (1) Sceneries and cut scenes that are increasingly film-liked and (2) in-game characters and avatars becoming realistic.…”