Stereotypes in Video Games

This was a topic in class we discussed plenty of times and even saw a couple of videos about the topic. I don't know about the rest of the class but I for one never thought of this being a problem. Don't get me wrong the way women are portrayed is not a good thing but I just never really thougt about it. It has been the norm for as long as I can remember so seeing women depicted the way they are, not only in video games but everywhere, is something I haven't questioned.
This Mass Communications class is the first time I have thought about it and really examined the problem. The facts are more astounding than I could have imagined. "Male characters were almost four times more frequently portrayed than female characters and were given significantly more game relevant action. However, in spite of their less frequent appearance, female characters were more likely to be portrayed with exaggerated, and often objectified, sexiness. Further, violence and sexiness was paired more frequently for female characters than violence and muscular physiques for the male characters." (Sex Roles)
Its not only about the sex of the character either because race is an issue as well. In the video we saw in class it stated the fact that first hand shooters, the games where you can only see the hand of the character and the gun, quite frequently have a white hand. When I heard this I it started to make sense. It was like I was finally starting to put the puzzle pieces together. What your thoughts about all this? Do you think this is simply an over reaction about an issue that doesn't need to be discussed?
What made it all clear to me was when the video showed the picture of the video game makers. They were pretty much all white males and I believe we see their stereotypes and their personal beliefs in the games they make. The scary thing is buyers of these games may start to think the way the creaters of the games think because they are so submerged in the game. Gamers are subconsciously taking in these stereotypes of the gamers and seeing it as normal. Please give me feed back on this topic I would like to know I am not the only one worried about this fact of life. Make sure you read this journal for yourself so you know I am not just making this stuff up. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=105&sid=bf4faebb-c52c-4a7f-9d55-79b27ddcea53%40sessionmgr107