Video Oyunlarında Kadının Değişen Temsili: Yenilikçi Damsel in Distress Tasvirleri

There are many studies in the literature addressing the under-representation of women in video games. These studies draw attention to some basic problems such as the fact that female characters are few in number and only play supporting roles in video games as passive characters who are at the forefront with their sexual attractiveness, waiting to be rescued or demanded as a reward for the male protagonist. However, in recent years, there has been an effort to change the inadequate and stereotypical representation of women in the video game industry. As a reflection of this change effort, the most well-known character archetypes such as 'damsel in distress' have begun to be reinterpreted in some video games. In the study, four games selected by purposive sampling method were discussed in order to examine innovative interpretations of the damsel in distress archetype. In purposive sampling, the researcher chooses sample situations that contain rich information to solve the problems in his study. The four selected games are Braid, Grand Theft Auto IV, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and Gris, respectively. The descriptive analysis method explains how the archetype of damsel in distress and the narratives associated with this archetype are reinterpreted in four video games. The data obtained according to the descriptive analysis approach are summarized and interpreted according to the previously determined themes. As a result, it has been determined that innovative damsel in distress narratives in video games give positive messages to overcome the under-representation of women. The games in the sample show that the female characters can fight alone without waiting for help and get rid of the victimization. It has also been seen that video games can draw attention to the problems of traditional narratives by questioning the reasons that put a woman in the damsel in distress situation. Finally, it has been determined that a damsel in distress can play a leading role in video games and that female characters do not need to be commodified over their physical characteristics in order to be interesting.