Grand Theft Auto V - Female Representation in the Media

Grand Theft Auto V is a game surrounding fast cars, money and women; which is stereotypically all that men want in life. It obviously has a huge male audience and it caters for this very well. The three main characters you can play as are all male, as shown in the image above. Their roles in the game are to steal and kill. On the other hand, the only women in the game are based on extremely simple stereotypical ideas of women. There are female strippers and prostitutes, and then the only other women are either poverty-stricken NPCS or rich women who only care about fashion and beauty. There's a huge contrast between men and women - men are more violent and in charge whereas women are more passive and there to cater for men's needs. 

 

The image above is the very first loading screen that you see when you load up the game. This emphasises the 'stereotypical' woman and the fact that she's wearing a bikini can emphasise the male gaze and the whole idea that women are sexual objects. Even in images where the woman is fully clothed, she is still positioned in a sexual way, as seen below. 

In relation to the fact that the audience is mostly male, it's evident the video game company Rockstar (North) is catering towards keeping it that way. If men are seen as more powerful and in control, the male audience would be more happy to buy and play the game. If they started adding powerful women into the game, or even a female character, there would be a portion of the male audience that would be upset and complain about it.