Gaze is the lens media utilizes when portraying gender, eroticism, and controlled bodies, and how individuals consume these “visual representations.” A common example of gaze in media is the notorious “male gaze” and how it is utilized in the gaming community. The slight majority of male players tend to favor games with first-person shooters containing violence or gore and are widely produced for Console and PC players. Moreover, character designs heavily pander to the male gaze. Male characters are depicted as strong, but usually wear armor of some kind. In contrast, female characters are typically designed to wear less armor to highlight accentuated curves and match the beauty standards that appeal to men. In the popular video game series Halo, the two main characters (Master Chief and Cortana as seen below) embody the male gaze. The male character design is covered entirely in armor, while the female character has a skin tight jumpsuit.
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I’ve always found the male gaze within video games ironic because for female characters, such as cortana, it serves as fan service. This is seen in movies and TV as well, where female characters are wearing impractical clothing for their environment. For example, in certain animes, female characters who are expected to fight or save the world are wearing skin tight, or extremely revealing clothing, however it serves no actual practicality, moreover, it serves more of an inconvenience because a) they’re less likely to survive because they’re exposed and b) the clothing gets in the way of movement. I find the male gaze within female action characters ironic due to the impracticality of the clothing female characters are put in due to that gaze.