There are many problems in using gender role stereotypes in game design to attract players of a specific gender and increase participation, and it is not in line with the values of advocating equality and diversity, so it is not recommended. However, based on the perspective of discussion, it can be analyzed from the following aspects: ### Traditional stereotype approach 1. **Male stereotype-related design** - **Power and combat dominance** - Design a male protagonist with strong combat capabilities and well-developed muscles. For example, in action games, the protagonist has exaggerated power performance and can easily lift huge weapons to perform shocking battle scenes. This design caters to the pursuit of power and control by some male players. - For example, Kratos in the "God of War" series, he is tall and mighty, with powerful combat skills, and has attracted a large number of male players through wonderful combat actions and fierce combat scenes. The rich weapon system and combat combos in the game satisfy the male players' desire to explore combat strategies and operating skills. - **Technology and adventure elements** - Create a game world full of technology and adventure elements, with men as the protagonists to embark on interstellar adventures and explore mysterious unknown areas. For example, in science fiction games, players control male characters to drive advanced spaceships, travel through wormholes, fight alien creatures, and solve the mysteries of the universe. - In the StarCraft series, players play the role of male commanders, commanding large interstellar fleets to fight and make strategic arrangements. The technological elements, strategies of mutual restraint between arms, and grand interstellar war scenes in the game are very attractive to male players, satisfying their needs to explore the unknown and show strategic wisdom. 2. **Female Stereotype-Related Design** - **Beauty and Social Elements** - Create beautiful and elegant female characters, emphasizing their social attributes. In some dating simulation games, female protagonists will have romantic emotional interactions with multiple male characters. The game focuses on the appearance design of the characters, and attracts female players through exquisite standing pictures and clothing matching. - For example, in Love and Producer, the male characters in the game are charming, and female players can interact with them, date them, and experience sweet love stories. The game meets the needs of female players for emotional communication and romantic experience through rich plot branches and interactive options. - **Assistance and Healing Roles** - In team cooperation games, female characters are designed as auxiliary or healing professions. For example, in some role-playing games, female characters are good at using magic to provide healing and buff effects to teammates, and their images are usually gentle and kind. - Soraka in "League of Legends", as a support hero, is loved by many female players for her powerful healing ability and gentle image. She bears the important responsibility of ensuring the survival of teammates in the team. This role positioning meets the psychological needs of some female players for protection and support. ### Possible negative impacts 1. **Limiting role diversity** - Over-reliance on gender role stereotypes will lead to a single type of game characters. Male characters are often limited to combat and adventure-oriented, lacking other dimensions such as emotional delicateness and social skills; female characters are mostly framed in stereotypes such as beauty and assistance, and it is difficult to show more diverse personality traits and abilities. This makes the game world lack richness and layering, and limits players' choices for different role experiences. 2. **Reinforce gender bias** - This design method will further strengthen the existing gender stereotypes in society. Letting players constantly come into contact with and identify with these stereotypes in the game is not conducive to breaking gender boundaries and promoting gender equality. For example, long-term playing of male-dominated games may make players feel that only men are suitable for activities such as adventure and fighting; and games focusing on female love and auxiliary roles may deepen the impression that women are in a passive and dependent position in society. 3. **Losing some player groups** - For players who do not conform to stereotypes, such games lack appeal. For example, some female players may be interested in fighting and adventure themes, but the male-dominated design in traditional games makes them feel ignored; while some male players may have a demand for emotionally delicate and deep character interactions, but they lose interest because most female characters in the game are stereotyped beautiful vases. This will cause the game to lose a large number of potential players and limit the audience range of the game. In modern game design concepts, it is more advocated to break gender role stereotypes and create diverse and inclusive game characters and experiences to attract a wider group of players, promote the healthy development of the game industry and the spread of gender equality concepts in society.