Video games have come a long way since the days of Asteroids and Pong. The characters in some of today’s games almost look like real-life humans. But apparently this may be doing more harm than good, at least when it comes to the, how shall we say, level of detail employed in the creation of some female characters.
According to psychologists, some of the female characters and their anatomical parts could, believe it or not, be leading to mental health issues in kids. Sarah McMahon, a psychologist and the director of Body Matters, says most female video game characters “do impossible things and are impossibly beautiful.”
“At least with the Barbie dolls, there was a level of imaginary,” McMahon said. “She had children and Ken dolls as husband.”
For Sarah Spence, a spokesperson for Butterfly Foundation, these unrealistic beauty standards can be harmful for kids.
“’They in some children can create the false thinking that this is what super hero characters are supposed to look like,” she said.
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While this may be true to an extent, video game characters can literally look like anyone and anything. If something is deemed to be desirable, odds are it will be emulated. It sounds like the more important topic at hand is making sure kids no the difference between fantasy and reality.
(h/t Break)