cormack12
Gold Member
Source: https://www.psypost.org/new-research-on-female-video-game-characters-uncovers-a-surprising-twist/
(.....much more at link)
.... in a surprising twist, female participants—despite generally disliking highly sexualized characters—were more likely to choose these characters when given the option to play as one.
The study sheds light on why, even in today’s gaming landscape, character design matters—and how different types of interactions, from watching to playing, shape player perceptions. A character’s sex appeal and strength both play a role in how players perceive them, but these perceptions shift depending on whether players are simply watching or actively engaging with the character.
At the end of the viewing session, participants also completed a selection survey, choosing which of the characters they would prefer to play.
Interesting gender-based differences emerged in character preferences. Female participants generally disliked highly sexualized characters but were more likely to choose characters with high femininity traits (typically associated with higher sexualization cues) when given a choice. Male participants, on the other hand, gravitated toward characters that were strong yet less sexualized, indicating different gender-based preferences in the interpretation of character traits.
“That said, I was surprised to see that in our first study women still selected the most sexualized character when asked which character they would choose to play. It’s important to remember that this character was also rated as the most feminine, so it’s possible that women were just selecting the character they most identified with.”
Gender differences were again observed in this experiment, specifically around the competence ratings. Female participants viewed high-strength characters as more competent compared to low-strength characters, while this difference was not significant among male participants. This difference suggests that female participants may have a stronger positive response to strength in female characters, perceiving them as more effective or capable.
(.....much more at link)
.... in a surprising twist, female participants—despite generally disliking highly sexualized characters—were more likely to choose these characters when given the option to play as one.
The study sheds light on why, even in today’s gaming landscape, character design matters—and how different types of interactions, from watching to playing, shape player perceptions. A character’s sex appeal and strength both play a role in how players perceive them, but these perceptions shift depending on whether players are simply watching or actively engaging with the character.
Experiment 1: The Impact of Viewing Female Characters
The first experiment included 239 undergraduate students from a communication program, with the majority of participants identifying as female. Ages varied from 18 to 51, though the group was generally younger. The researchers created four distinct types of female characters using SOULCALIBUR VI: each character was customized to represent one of four combinations of sexualization and strength—high sexualization with high strength, high sexualization with low strength, low sexualization with high strength, and low sexualization with low strength.At the end of the viewing session, participants also completed a selection survey, choosing which of the characters they would prefer to play.
Interesting gender-based differences emerged in character preferences. Female participants generally disliked highly sexualized characters but were more likely to choose characters with high femininity traits (typically associated with higher sexualization cues) when given a choice. Male participants, on the other hand, gravitated toward characters that were strong yet less sexualized, indicating different gender-based preferences in the interpretation of character traits.
“That said, I was surprised to see that in our first study women still selected the most sexualized character when asked which character they would choose to play. It’s important to remember that this character was also rated as the most feminine, so it’s possible that women were just selecting the character they most identified with.”
Experiment 2: The Impact of Active Control on Impressions of Female Characters
Building on these findings, the researchers conducted a second experiment to assess whether controlling a character (rather than passively viewing) would affect participants’ perceptions. This experiment involved 438 undergraduate students, following a similar design with the same four character types as in the first experiment. However, instead of watching pre-recorded clips, participants played as one of the four character types in a live, simulated combat session.Gender differences were again observed in this experiment, specifically around the competence ratings. Female participants viewed high-strength characters as more competent compared to low-strength characters, while this difference was not significant among male participants. This difference suggests that female participants may have a stronger positive response to strength in female characters, perceiving them as more effective or capable.
