Gender and Sexualization in Video Games and Comics

Cassie McQuater's short film HALO, commissioned by Electric Objects and now part of the Milan Machinima Festival's VRAL streaming series, collages animations from Microsoft's Halo and Ensign Games' erotic game Dream Stripper. McQuater frequently critiques female character hyper-sexualization in games, as seen in HALO and her earlier short PAY2PLAY (shown at the 2020 Milan Machinima Festival) and the browser game Black Room. A 2018 YouTube video swapping Batman and Catwoman models in Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham Knight reveals gendered animation stereotypes: Batman's bulk with Catwoman's feline movements creates uncanny dissonance. Similar swaps in Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake (Leon and Ada) and Konami's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Ocelot replacing Quiet's sensual dance) expose gender-coded movement. These manipulations, often made by heterosexual male audiences for comedic effect, highlight persistent stereotypes. The same issue plagues US superhero comics, e.g., Marvel's pin-up-inspired poses. The Hawkeye Initiative campaigned to re-draw male hero Hawkeye in female-typical poses. In 2021, artist J Scott Campbell harassed a critic who redesigned his controversial 2009 The Amazing Spider-Man #601 cover, forcing them off social media.