Study tracks 31-year history of female sexualization in video games

Lara Croft, famed video game icon, fights her way through jungles and ruins -- all while sporting skimpy clothes or a bikini. The hypersexualization of her character isn't out of the ordinary, according to a new study that examined the history of female objectification in video games over 31 years. The trend is most prominent in male-oriented fighting games like Mortal Kombat and games rated Teen and above. "The gaming industry has faced a lot of scrutiny," Teresa Lynch, media communications researcher at Indiana University, said. "It's realizing it's marginalizing half its audience [by] making women characters pander to the male gaze."