Finally finished reading the thread.
Neither of these are sexist they are concequences of the demographics and not because of any preconceptions of gender.
Are these demographics not the result of sexism in a lot of cases?
Indeed, you are right these often ARE the results of sexism. This is why these are often reflections of our own society rather then impositions from the media.
It doesn't make the medium itself sexist, but rather that the pool of images from a society is biased towards the familiar and popular.
So we have to go further and see what things that are not part of this "natural bias" exist.
As well as how much of this Natural Bias is real and if we want to hold onto it.
"Sexism" is the same of saying "It is wrong" but it doesn't explain much.
Neonivek, I think you may have too thin a definition of sexism; the definition as I use it is the entire set of social inequalities between men and women. Active sexism is misogyny; passive sexism is... society and the rest.
Misogyny is the belief of male supperiority to my knowledge (Which can even be unsexist... but never is). Sexism is about preconceptions blanketed onto a gender as a whole.
Saying that 2 out of 5 gamers are female isn't sexist (unless that statistic turns out wrong or something). Deciding to advertise all my games to 3/5ths of the audiance isn't sexist.
You are broadening the definition of sexism because it is a powerful term but in my oppinion you are applying it incorrectly. It is why people do not call our society a "Sexist society" we call it a patriarchical society. It more accurately explains the situation.
The sexism in videogames to me often has very little to do with the roles women are given but what the expectations projected upon them are. It is one thing to have a Damsel, it is another to enforce an idea of how a damsel should act. I am reminded of a Family guy sketch of the first Mario where Princess Peach refused to kiss him and Mario got mad that she wouldn't reward him so he feeds her to King Koopa.
Now I didn't like the sketch (mostly because as I said... Mario saved Princess Peach because she was in danger, not for a kiss and would have been perfectly content without one and in fact didn't ask for a reward) but it does highlight the ways in which the Damsel role can be sexist.
It is why I consider Other M sexist and think that Peach is in fact a great female character.