first off: women have the right to dress any damn way they like. if a man is so pussy-starved he can't even look at a sexily dressed woman without losing his shit and acting like a damn fool then he needs to be neutered. blaming women and their clothes for how men treat/view them is like blaming women for when men rape them. the fault is with the rapist, not the victim.
with that said, yes, in video games, and in all facets of life, women tend to be objectified and treated like sexual objects. they may advance, but in order to do that, they must accept the objectification and play the part. and they will always be seen as inferior while also being demonized for using their womanly wiles to play the game. this is if they are lucky enough to be deemed sexually attractive. if not, they will be ridiculed mercilessly for not living up to whatever image is imposed on them, and no matter how brilliant, qualified, or capable they are, they will be held back and forced to fight 100 times harder for what should be theirs already. men, of course, are not really subjected to this. no matter how thin, fat, old, young, etc., a man (a white, straight man, that is) can be successful and be taken seriously. so long as they are aggressive, dominant, cocky, and full of "swag" ( i HATE that phrase). these traits, of course, are NOT generally appreciated in women. those that show them are absolutely vilified for it.
now, specifically regarding video games, on the corporate/creative/developmental/financing side, sex-obsessed straight men make up the overwhelming majority. therefore the games they create will both reflect this and be intended for a similar audience. so, while you will see plenty of diversity in how male characters look, most female characters will be beautiful, dressed like whores, and given jiggling boobs (notice there are no jiggle mechanics for say, johnny cage's or jax's ballbags, nor are there any male characters who dress in thongs and grope themselves for a victory pose). it isn't just in america, either; japanese games are probably even more extreme in this regard (ivy, sophitia, chun li, cammy, mai shiranui, etc.)
i'm no prude, nor am i offended by the female form. but as a gay dude, i get nothing out of watching semi-naked female characters cavort onscreen. and it does seem odd that (using MK as a reference) nearly every male character is not only fully clothed, but wearing armor (which makes sense since they are about to engage in bloody battle) while the females, who are also marching off to kombat, are doing so in high-heels, corsets, and thongs. i see it for what it is: horny game developers using sex to sell games to horny gamers. i'm very sex-positive, and i think sexiness in all its forms should be celebrated, but i think ANYONE who buys or plays a video game just to see some digital titties bounce needs to get laid IMMEDIATELY.
