Sexual Objectification in Video Games as a Tool of Audience’s Attraction to a Product

The video game market has been growing steadily over the past decade, making it one of the pillars of the entertainment industry. The ability to retain players by providing up-to-date content is one of the key aspects to ensure the success of the product. This research is aimed at studying the introduction of sexual objectification in a video game as a factor that increases the popularity of the product among the audience. The research methodology includes content analysis of images of video game characters and an online survey. The first chapter is devoted to the definition and typology of video games, as well as the analysis of tools for attracting attention in video games. The second chapter addresses the issue of sexual objectification as a tool of attraction of attention to video games. Theoretical aspects of sexual objectification, mechanisms of constructing stereotypical female and male images in video games, as well as the influence of sexualized images on the behavior and relationships of players in single-player and multiplayer video games are considered. The third chapter describes the content analysis carried out in the course of the work, as well as the procedure for conducting an audience survey and analyzing the results obtained. Overall outcome, obtained during the implementation of the study, as well as recommendations for further application of the data in practice are presented in conclusion. Keywords: game research, sexual objectification, player attitude, video game audience, sexism, sexualized characters