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Biography

Laura Aguilera-Ávila, is a professor in Social Work at the Universidad de La Laguna, Spain. Her current research focuses on gender inequalities and gender based violence. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3512-2692

Lara Escobar Hernánez has a Degree in Journalism and a Master's Degree in Gender Studies and Equality Policies.

Abstract

Prostitution has traditionally been framed in society as a space significantly determined by patriarchal hierarchies, in addition to being affected on many occasions by stigmatisation and violence. The representation of prostitution and of those who practice it in the media is a topic of special interest, since the discourses and messages disseminated by the media play a fundamental role in socialisation. Video games are not exempt from this debate: with millions of players worldwide and a special reach among young people, they are among the most influential media outlets today. This qualitative research analyses a series of titles, both AAA (video games developed by major publishers, characterized by high-quality graphics, sound, and gameplay) and Indies (alternative video games). It shows how they incorporate prostitution, as well as the way in which they construct the identities of those characters who practice it. This reality is mainly portrayed through a simple or superficial discourse in which male pleasure is prioritised and in which the general tendency is representation through stigma and violence.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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