AWARD YEAR
2017
CATEGORY
Play & Learning
GOALS
Gender Equality
KEYWORDS
inequality, gender, Video game
COUNTRY
Germany
DESIGNED BY
Peter Lu and Lea Schönfelder, Perfect Woman
WEBSITE
http://www.perfectwomangame.com/
Perfect Woman
Challenges societal expectations of women
Having it all” has become the benchmark of success for the modern woman. A notion stoked by near-constant media perpetuation, many women are affected by this immense pressure to live up to an impossible ideal and embody that perfect mother, wife or caretaker. Using these tropes, Perfect Woman – a new video game for the Xbox One – moves the gender role debate into unexpected territory. “Inspired by the ubiquitous personality questionnaires featured in women’s magazines and the female roles they define,” Perfect Woman takes the player through all the stages of a woman’s life. Starting at birth, players must mimic various poses that appear on screen. As one Kotaku reviewer put it: “You look awkward. You feel ridiculous, but that’s the toll of contorting yourself to fit in.” The game challenges the notions of feminine perfection. “If you want to be perfect all the time, you’ll get really hard poses, like standing on your head,” explains Schönfelder.