1. Body image experts warn that video games with porn-type heroines are harming Australian children.
2. The increasingly graphic sexual poses and depictions of women in mainstream video games fuel harmful stereotypes and body dysmorphia.
3. The depiction of women in video games is negatively affecting both boys and girls, contributing to a culture of self-surveillance and over-sexualization.
The Daily Telegraph has published an article claiming that video games featuring female characters with “impossibly big breasts” and unrealistic bodies are harming Australian children. The report cites concerns from body image experts who argue that the increasingly graphic sexual poses and depictions of women in mainstream video games fuel harmful stereotypes and body dysmorphia. Among the characters singled out for criticism are Rainbow Mika and Laura Matsuda from Street Fighter V, and Honoka from the Dead or Alive franchise. The report also quotes research by the Salvation Army which suggests that only 16% of Australian girls are happy with their body weight. However, critics have argued that the article is one-sided, lacking in evidence to support its claims, and potentially biased against video games.