Playing video games has become an increasingly common activity for young people around the world; On the other hand, this also results in a rise in concerns on the part of the media and researchers regarding the engagement of young people in video games. This critical essay addresses some of the main concerns of video gaming, focusing primarily on youth engagement, in the 13-18 age range, in relation to the stereotypical gender biases that exist in video games. Many video games promote the passive role of women in our society in relation to the dominant sex – men, thereby assigning unfair roles and gendered societal expectations to women in our society. This is done by placing female characters in subordinate roles, sexualizing the female body in the production and marketing of video games in an attempt to promote sales, and displaying excessive brutality and violence directed against women, mainly by men. Video games have both a positive and negative impact on the attitudes, behaviors and perceptions of young people, as is the case with other forms of media. It is therefore important to understand the complications that arise alongside the growing number of young people playing video games. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, sex discrimination is defined as the unequal treatment of a particular sex compared to the opposite sex, based on gender differences, primarily a situation in which a woman is discriminated against by a man. When it comes to video games, female characters are grossly underrepresented and mostly only take on passive roles compared to men. In a research experiment conducted in September 2000, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) verdict concluded that there were more gender-neutral or unidentified variations, such as animals or aliens,...... middle of paper... ...searching for gender cues: cognitive perspectives on gender development. Current Directions in PsychologicalScience, 13(2), 67-70.Dill, KE, Brown, BP and Collins, MA (2008) Effects of media stereotypes on judgments of sexual harassment and pro-rape attitudes: Game characters popular video, gender, violence and power. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,44, 1402-1408.Dietz, TL (1998). An examination of violence and gender role representations in video games: implications for gender socialization and aggressive behavior. Sex Roles, 38, 425-442. Gentile, D.A. (2009). Pathological use of video games among young people aged 8 to 18: a national study. Psychological Science, 20(5), 594-602.Miller, M.K., & Summers, A. (2007). Gender differences in video game characters' roles, appearances, and clothing, as depicted in video games and magazines. Sex roles, 57, 733–742.