Between trophies and contempt: gender violence facilitated by technology against women in digital games

Abstract

Violence against women perpetuates across various aspects of human life, manifesting both in physical spaces of socialization and in cyberspace. Given the interconnection between these different realities, it is essential to combat gender stereotypes through investigations that analyze new media concerning the propagation of cultural norms and behavioral trends within contemporary society. This study focuses on identifying archetypes of misogyny and patriarchal presence within the digital gaming industry by reviewing relevant literature on the subject. Utilizing Pierre Lévy's work "What is Virtual?" as a primary theoretical framework, and building on research about cyberfeminism from "The Virtual and the Feminine: Using Electronic Games to Develop Educational Practices on Gender Issues in Light of Curriculum Transversality" by the Araújo and Ferreira, two globally significant games in the gaming community were analyzed: Sony's The Last of Us - Part II and Nintendo's Metroid. The results reveal elements of various forms of discrimination against women, ranging from intimidation and threats to harassment and cyberbullying on social media. Notably, the sexualization and weakening facilitated by the design of games that keep the "trophy woman" in their narratives as a dynamic to perpetuate patriarchy, or the opposite, the "contempt for women", since the protagonism of women must continue to be veiled by the machism of contemporary culture.