The Parliament of the European Union has adopted a text that calls for the need to eliminate sexism from games, which it believes currently contain messages that “are contrary to human dignity and which convey gender stereotypes.”

The text, entitled How marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men, was adopted on September 3rd. While the document was primarily concerned with the portrayal of women in advertising and marketing materials, it cited a“particular need” to eliminate sexist messages from video games due to the impact they could have on children. “Children learn by imitation and mimick what they have just experienced,” according to the text, and sexist messages present in children’s media “influences individual development and accentuates the perception that a person"s gender dictates what is possible and what is not.”

In an earlier report related to the adopted text, attention was drawn to an 2004 Amnesty International study that found “video games constitute one more element in the reproduction of discriminatory stereotypes against women that perpetuate and trivialise abuses against their human rights.”

Swedish MEP Eva-Britt Svensson presented the text, which is not legally binding. Other media mentioned in the document include television programming for children, educational materials, and advertisements for sexual services in easily accessible mediums.

Pictured—Playboy: The Mansion