Examining the intersection of race and gender in video game advertising

Abstract

Women and racial/ethnic minorities account for a growing percentage of video game players in the USA. The economic future of the video game industry may, in part, depend on the industry's ability to adapt marketing efforts to appeal to the growing female and racial/ethnic markets. Contrary to these efforts, however, is advertisers' reliance on stereotypes in advertisements to quickly establish a common understanding and wide appeal to a mass audience. This study investigates how race and gender intersect in the stereotypical character depictions used to market video games to consumers. A systematic content analysis was carried out of 383 US magazine advertisements of console, mobile, and PC video games. Stereotyping and intersectionality literatures were used as theoretical guides for this research. Findings reveal that the marketing of video games in the USA upholds some longstanding media stereotypes of minorities and women, including that of the White male hero, submissive sexualized female, Asian ninja, and deviant Black male. The potential social and economic implications of the video game industry's reliance on character stereotypes for the marketing of video games are discussed.

Keywords::

• videogames
• advertising
• race
• gender
• intersectionality
• stereotyping

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz

Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz (PhD, Arizona) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. Her work takes a media psychology approach to understanding the impacts of entertainment media on individuals and society. She examines gender, race, stereotyping, sexuality, and health in traditional and interactive media contexts. Dr. Behm-Morawitz has published original articles in quality outlets such as Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Computers in Human Behavior.