Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency has release her latest episode of the Women vs Tropes in Video Games series, entitled "Women as Background Decoration: Part 1."
In what we can assume be a two part discussion, Sarkeesian tackles the view of female characters in video games, specifically how they're used as sexual objectives. She often calls on examples from various sandbox games, such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.
Here's the video's description from the YouTube channel:
In this episode we explore the Women as Background Decoration trope which is the subset of largely insiginifcant non-playable female characters who sexuality or victimhood is exploited as a way to infuse edge, gritty or racy flavoring into game worlds. These sexually objectified female bodies are designed to function as environmental texture while titillating presumed straight male players. Sometimes they're created to be glorified furniture but they are frequently programmed as minimally interactive sex objects to be used and abused.
A full transcript of the video is available on her website.
[YouTube]
