Anita Sarkeesian and her controversial video series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games is back. She returns with the first part of her discussion on women as background decoration.
"In this episode we explore the Women as Background Decoration trope which is the subset of largely insignificant non-playable female characters whose sexuality or victimhood is exploited as a way to infuse edgy, gritty or racy flavoring into game worlds. These sexually objectified female bodies are designed to function as environmental texture while titillating presumed straight male players. Sometimes they’re created to be glorified furniture but they are frequently programmed as minimally interactive sex objects to be used and abused," the video is described on its page.
Sarkeesian is no stranger to backlash, but that doesn't mean that her arguments are without merit. Many big time developers have supported her notions and have promoted her videos in the past.
PBS has also responded to her videos and it's quite an interesting watch.