Video games are a means to escape the everyday humdrum and explore alternative realities. In order to access these sometimes fantastically anti-social worlds, we commandeer digital avatars. Most of the time, we're able to maintain a healthy mental barrier between the fantasy of the virtual and the snooze of the actual. There's a growing body of research that The Matrix may exert more influence thoughts and behaviors in the real world more than previously thought, however.
A recent Stanford University Study (PDF) found that female players who inhabited sexualized video game avatars had a tendency to internalize the avatar's appearance and showcased more self-objectification than those who "wore" non-sexualized avatars.
Stanford UniversityExamples of the sexualized and non-sexualized avatars used in the study.
Furthermore, participants in who used a sexualized avatar that resembled themxelves tended to showcase a higher Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA). This may be a very important indicator of harmful real world behaviors for both men and women. The study describes rape myths and their affects as such:
Examples of rape myths include that women do something to ''deserve'' getting raped (such as drinking, being out late at night, or dressing suggestively), that rape victims are promiscuous, or that a ''legitimate'' rape victim can prevent her own pregnancy. Not only is RMA associated with callousness towards rape victims, but also towards victims of interpersonal violence and women in general. Women who endorse rape myths are less likely to take precautionary measures against rape. Men who endorse rape myths also demonstrate a greater likelihood to rape.
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