I feel like some people here don't get the difference between a character having sex appeal and being objectified (sexually or not). A character can be hot and still be a rounded character. The problem is when a character is solely reduced to that. A sexy male protagonist who is given full agency via a via being the main character/player character isn't the same as a scantly clad female character who always needs to be rescued by a male and has little to no development. The problem isn't people being sexy. Heck, being sexy or sexual doesn't mean they are being objectified, at least not completely. It is how the character is treated in the narrative and the amount of agency and independence they are given.

Also, the OP question is broad enough that it includes not only how women are represented in the medium but also treated in the community. There's studies that demonstrate how even when playing at the same ability and reading from scripted responses female voices will face more hate than males. Or let's not forget how many threats women more than men too. Or the fact that many female gamers have to often prove themselves as it were.

The community itself is highly divisive. I mean look at the whole elite vs casual tension (just look at some previous posts). There are those who seek to one up every or be somehow better. Whether you like it or not casual Facebook games are video games. I mean you can not like them but doesn't change that. I mean Tetris is a video game and let's face it Candy Crush is not that different from it.

If you want to get all subjective about this I think CoD and its clones as well as Sports genre are about on par with so called "casual games" because really they are just cash cows for the companies. Just one happens to be a lot prettier / better graphics. They're still video games but I don't really get them (co-op COD is fun with friends but only reason I ever tried any of them). But what I look for in a game is different than those who obviously enjoy those games.