Week 4: “[V]ideo games glorify violence towards and objectif[y] women and perpetuat[e] a crass view of sexuality.”

I know that it is only the fourth week of playing, but Kingdom Hearts has left me feeling hopeless and defeated after every gaming session. Foolishly, I was optimistic that, perhaps, Kingdom Hearts would prove to be more progressive than all of the other sexist video games on the market because the game incorporated beloved Disney storylines. But, those Disney storylines, as problematic as they are in the films, are just as problematic in the game. At first, I thought that incorporating Disney themes into a game intended for hardcore gamers (i.e. males) was risky and misguided, but, in truth, the developers of Kingdom Hearts knew what they were doing all along. Disney is the perfect vehicle for endorsing and reinforcing the traditional views of sex roles throughout a video game because Disney’s films and narratives ALREADY do just that; the player gets to rescue all of the Disney princesses — all of the damsels in distress. They are prizes to be won. Sexual objects to be had. As mentioned by Dill and Thill in “Video Game Characters and the Socialization of Gender Roles: Young People’s Perceptions Mirror Sexist Media Depictions, “those who played more violent video games…endorsed more traditional views of sex roles, such as the idea that men are more capable as leaders and professionals, while women deserve less freedom than men and are subservient to men,” (853). When the video games that men play are constantly reinforcing these traditional views regarding gender, it is no wonder that male gamers have a toxic view of females and their own masculinities.