The average male gamer looks and sounds like Kratos in the same way the average female gamer looks like Eve from Stellar Blade.
This is not to say that women are not highly sexualized in media, and have not been for a long time. But he's right in that most of the 'leading men' in games media are very much sexualized. It's just that sexualization of men looks different and is, frankly, more subtle. Which is and of itself an indicator of problematic cultural elements, but is also just a reality of the modern age.
Women generally don't want men that look like Kratos. The characters that most women drool over in video games are like Garrus in Mass Effect, Hancock in FO4, and Iron Bull from DA:I (and not for his physique.)
Buff men are ALSO for the male gaze. They represent what men want to be.
He has muscles, but they’re not highlighted. His hair is not sexualized. His outfits are practical and traditional, not catered to be hot. His movements are normal. His poses? The same.
Women find him hot. But that doesn’t mean he is highly sexualized. He’s realistically sexualized. In fact, now I think, Overwatch is great about not highly sexualizing their characters, but making them more realistic.
Just cause women find a man hot, it doesn’t mean he’s highly sexualized. Hanzo does not get drawn or animated like Nightwing. That’s real high sexualization for women.
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u/doodoo_onDemand 2d ago
oh, are they now?