According to culture critic and producer of the show, Anita Sarkeesian, “Tropes vs Women in Video Games” changes its format starting this new season. The highly discussed show will feature shorter videos, but they will upload more frequently. The format of the show will not change significantly.

Anita Sarkeesian has gone through a lot of trouble to keep the show running because the major focus of it is the gratuitous nudity of female characters in video games. In the last season, which ran over the course of two years, she tried to stress out the fact that female characters in video games are far more equal to appealing objects than the strong, savior of a certain land, or the silent deadly assassin that is embodied by male characters.

Apart from the fact that she had to deal with a serious depression, Anita Sarkeesian was also forced to fight with all the male prejudice that was directed towards her by angry male gamers that did not want things to change in the video game industry. She even received death threats.

In the episode “Strategic Butt Coverings” Anita analyzes famous games as Tomb Raider, Batman Arkham City, Golden Axe Beast Rider, Remember Me, X-Blade and Lollypop Chainsaw and draws attention to the fact that the posterior of the female characters is in focus at any point during the game. Apart from that detail, the more obvious tactic is the way in which the female character is designed. The curves of the posterior region are very well defined, the clothing, if any, is designed to make the female more attractive.

On the other side, the male characters are made in such a way that, in a big majority of cases, the player can’t even get a glimpse of the characters behind. Sarkeesian shows the viewers how no matter how you tried to move the character or the perspective, their posterior remained hidden by either some pieces of stray clothing, or a cape, or the perspective couldn’t be lowered more from the torso. Among the games she gives as an example are Batman, Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid Gears of War, Star Wars The Force Unleashed and Watchdogs.

The culture critic isn’t trying to convince the video game industry to give up on female characters, or dress them exactly like a male one, nor strip the male characters, but rather stop objectifying them so much, covering them up at least a bit and stop exaggerating their features and moves so that they look like an adolescent’s fantasy. And even though “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” changes its format, it will not change its content.

The “Strategic Butt Coverings” episode can be seen below.

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