Tropes vs Women in Video Games — A Damsel in Distress: Part 2

The second video in the Tropes vs Women in Video Games series by Anita Sarkeesian further explores the overused trope of the Damsel in Distress. This is the second in a series of three educational videos on the topic, and you can watch the first eye-opening video here.

In this installment we look at “dark and edgy” side of the trope in more modern games and how the plot device is often used in conjunction with graphic depictions of violence against women. Over the past decade we’ve seen developers try to spice up the old Damsel in Distress cliche by combining it with other tropes involving victimized women including the disposable woman, the mercy killing and the woman in the refrigerator.