Sexualized avatars affect the real world, Stanford researchers find

A Stanford study shows that after women wear sexualized avatars in a virtual reality world, they feel objectified and are more likely to accept rape myths in the real world. The research could have implications for the role of female characters in video games. Courtesy of Jeremy Bailenson - Participants in an experiment in Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab used female avatars in sexualized or non-sexualized dress. Researchers at Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab are delving into questions posed by sexualized depictions of women in video games. Specifically, do female players who use provocatively dressed avatars begin to see themselves more as objects and less as human beings? Jeremy Bailenson, the director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford, has found a way to use virtual reality to answer that question. This and other issues take on real-world significance as the numbers of female video game players rise despite the industry's general lack of relatable female characters and as notoriously violent video games (such as the popular Rockstar Games series, Grand Theft Auto V) continue their rise in popularity. "We often talk about video game violence and how it affects people who play violent video games," Bailenson said.