The “male gaze” is defined as “the fact that movies and advertisements often show women as if a heterosexual man were looking at them” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2024). Honor of Kings is one of the most popular mobile games in China, with a wide base of players, including a large number of women.
The design of female characters in the game shows obvious features of male gaze, which affects the players’ aesthetic and gender cognition, and imperceptiently outputs the consciousness of male supremacy and the concept of objectifying women.
The performance of male gaze in Honor of Kings
The male gaze in the game specifically around three aspects of performance, the first is the sexual design of female characters
From the aspect of clothing design, such as (Diao Chan, Da Ji, Wang Zhaojun，Shao Siyuan) excessive exposure and sexualized clothing. On the other hand, most female characters have exaggerated breasts, slim waists, and seductive body proportions. Or it is the over-infantilization of women, giving women decidedly off-balance proportions and youthful trimmings (Little Joe. In contrast, male characters emphasize strength, combat effectiveness, and authority (such as Lu Bu and Zhao Yun), rather than sexualized performance. Women tend to be passive and submissive, As Oliver, K. (2017) ‘In her canonical essay’ Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema ‘, Laura Mulvey follows Freud in identifying activity with masculinity and passivity with femininity’.
The second aspect is reflected in the lens language and action design of female characters
Certain skin promos focus on the body parts of female characters as the main attraction, appealing to a wide audience. There are also suggestibility and seduction in some female character lines, which form a strong contrast with the male characters. The design of female characters is not in line with the preferences of female players, but more to cater to the aesthetic of male players.
The influence of male gaze on society
The single portrayal of female image leads to the lack of diversity of female roles, which are limited to the stereotype of sexy, beautiful and weak male vassals. Limiting the possibilities for women. And games, as vehicles of popular culture, can inadvertently reinforce perceptions of gender inequality.With the increase of gender awareness, it is expected that game developers can design more diverse and inclusive, provide a more equal virtual environment for players, and provide correct ideas to spread.
Reference lists
- Cambridge Dictionary, 2024. Male gaze. [online] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/male-gaze [Accessed 29 November 2024].
- Mulvey, L. (1975) ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, Screen, 16(3), pp. 6-18.
- Oliver, K. (2017) ‘In her canonical essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, Laura Mulvey follows Freud in identifying activity with masculinity and passivity with femininity’, New Review of Film and Television Studies, 15(4), pp. 451-455.
Hello Zishan, this is a very interesting phenomenon I have also noticed. From the top of my head, I cannot think of any video game (with a cartoon/anime art style) that does not sexualise or diversify female characters. It gets tiring as a female player: As you mentioned, either seeing a copy-past woman with an hourglass figure, inhumane proportions, and a ‘mature’ vibe or a questionably young-looking and acting ‘woman’ (which raises a whole other debate about the sexualisation of very young characters and paedophilia present in too many forms of media) is frustrating.
The female characters only serve to cater to men, which is as sad (games getting male players through attractive characters) as it is disgusting (male players only playing the game for attractive characters). Of course, I am generalising here, but you cannot sell what nobody wants. These objectified female characters obviously work to get more players and revenue, even making Honour of Kings one of the most popular Chinese mobile games. It reflects the value of today’s society, in that people value appearance and conventional attractiveness more.
I like your suggestion that game developers can design more diverse and fleshed-out characters. This would be a very helpful step in reducing the male gaze. You said the presentation of women in games can reinforce perceptions of gender in real life, and I agree; more diverse characters could combat this. People take media representations to heart, even subconsciously – if a woman’s only purpose is to be attractive to male players in a game, they’ll believe real women’s only purpose is to exist for their pleasure, too. By challenging the representation in games, real-life societal issues will also be challenged. I am excited about future improvement in this area!
Hi Zishan! Your observation is very insightful. Indeed, many modern games, including Honor of Kings, which I have also played, design female characters to be seductive or revealing to attract a broader male player base. This design not only uses the appearance of the characters to showcase gendered representations but also caters to male audiences’ aesthetic and psychological needs through the characters’ dialogue, actions, and interactions.
In particular, the character dialogues are explicitly designed to attract male players through sexual innuendos or suggestive language, further reinforcing the gendered and objectified portrayal of female characters. This design not only affects female players’ identification with the characters but also exacerbates gender stereotypes, limiting the diversity and independence of female roles. By doing this, the game creators are catering to a narrow, gendered audience, while neglecting the respect and understanding of a diverse player base.
You’ve done an excellent job using Honor of Kings as an example to explain the male gaze. The content is specific and convincing, clearly showing how the male gaze subtly conveys patriarchal ideology and objectifies women in the game, from the sexualized design of female characters to the analysis of camera language. Your critical interpretation using Laura Mulvey’s theory helps readers understand the gender inequality issues in game design. I particularly appreciate your analysis of female character dialogue, actions, and promotional materials, as it provides multiple perspectives on the male gaze. I really enjoyed your blog!