A new study has found that people love attractive characters in games.
According to a new study published in the scientific journal Communication Research, the majority of female players prefer to play as generic characters, although they do not particularly like them.
Scientists conducted an experiment to investigate how different design elements affect the perception of female characters in games. Each experiment used a unique character design created in Soulcalibur VI, presenting participants with a range of female characters that varied systematically in levels of sexuality and power characteristics.
Participants in one experiment watched four videos, each of which showed a fight scene involving specific characters. After watching all the videos, participants rated the characters along several dimensions, such as perceived sexuality (if the character’s clothing was revealing), strength, femininity (conformity to traditional female characteristics), and how attractive the character was.
The results reveal clear patterns of how sexuality and power symbols shape viewers’ perceptions of these characters. Characters with high levels of sex appeal were consistently rated as more sexual compared to characters with low sex appeal.
However, when a character with high sexuality was paired with high power, participants perceived it as even sexier than characters with only high sexuality. This shows that symbols of power do not counteract the effects of sexism, but only strengthen its perception.
The researchers also found that high sexuality was a key factor in the perception of femininity and character attractiveness. Characters with a very feminine sexuality were seen, but the women did not like them in the test. Indicators of strength, on the other hand, do not independently affect attractiveness.
Interesting gender differences emerged in the characters’ preferences. Women did not tend to like sexist characters, but were more likely to choose more female characters (often associated with higher sexuality). In contrast, men preferred characters that were strong but less sexual, showing different gender preferences in interpreting character traits.
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