The Real Lives of Women in Video Games

02.06.2023
The Real Lives of Women in Video Games

Dove and LOLA MullenLowe are drawing attention to the problem of women's representation in video games through a campaign. According to Dove's data, 74% of women who play video games believe that female characters in games need to be designed with a more inclusive understanding. Many of these women experience difficulty relating to the characters they control due to physical features that don't align with what they see on the screen, leading to a lack of self-confidence.

The new campaign, brought to life by Dove in collaboration with LOLA MullenLowe, creates awareness through a film that focuses on the real-life life of a game hero after the game is over, inviting viewers to empathize.

In the film, the character Cinthia, who achieves victory against aliens on the battlefield, retreats to the dressing room and stands in front of a mirror, realizing a sense of alienation from her own appearance. Cinthia removes her makeup and the costume that makes her appear much thinner, discovering that she is happier with her true self. She decides to enter the next battlefield as herself. Inspired by a new study conducted by Dove and Women in Games, the film reveals that 60% of young girls and 62% of women believe they are misrepresented in games, and more than a third of young girls have their self-confidence negatively affected due to the lack of diversity in avatars. The film concludes with the slogan, "Let's make virtual beauty real."