Videogames: Introduction - Women in videogames

Part 1: Medium article - Is Female Representation in Video Games Finally Changing?

Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

Videogames have a well known history of representing women in a very sexual manner or as a side character, helping the players male character with the narrative. They have always shown as a sex icon or as a damsel in distress                                                                                                                                                                                                

2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?

The article states that women make up 42% of the gaming demographic 
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?

The latest installations of Tomb Raider and The Last of Us show a changing view of women in video games as strong and capable women. 
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?

I feel like audiences have definitely become far more observant of the media they consume, and actively choose whether or not they want to accept or reject what they're consuming. But It's not gotten to the extent where any misrepresentation would result in complete rejection 

5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?

She gives a financial and cynical reason (one that I agree with) for the change in representation. The writer suggests that game production companies are losing out in profit by misrepresenting almost half of their market. 

Part 2: Tropes vs Women in Video Games – further analysis

Visit Anita Sarkeesian’s ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games Series 2’ YouTube playlist and watch ONE other video in the series (your choice - and feel free to choose a video from season 1 if you prefer). Write a 100 word summary of the video you watch:

Title of video: 

The Lady Sidekick - Tropes vs. Women in Video Games

100 word summary: 

The video was in short a jab at the way women are portrayed in videogames when it comes to their purpose, and while she (Anita Sarkeesian) does make valid points with her initial example with bio shock infinite; she fails to mention the purpose and nature of the character, and while going on a rant would not be appropriate, I will say that the nature of characters are important to keep into mind when discussing this issue. She makes points that oftentimes women are used purely as door openers and forms of reassurance for men, aiding into the power control necessity that men have when playing games, not only was this statement wrong, but it was absurd. In the past yes, women did not play that significant part of a role to the main character, but it's hard to give a supporting character any kind of major control because it takes that control out of the hands of the player, something that would not only be infinitely infuriating but also seems to almost defeat the purpose of video games in the first place, a medium where the user is meant to have all the control. 
Part 3: Anita Sarkeesian Gamespot interview

Finally, read this Gamespot interview with Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency and answer the following questions:

1) What reaction did Anita Sarkeesian receive when she published her videos on women in videogames? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.

Anita received the expected harassment in the form of sexism, hate and threats; but she received a larger amount of it than she expected  

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

Her exact quote is ""Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings."

3) Why do stories matter?

Anita makes the argument that stories are how people learn about the world, it shapes how people understand everything around them, hence if those stories are inaccurate, then the way people view things then becomes inaccurate. 

4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?

Sarkeesian has a particular view of Samus, seeing that the reward for players to finish the game in particular amount of time determines the amount of clothing that samus takes off is an example of women being used as the reward. On the other hand, while she does mention that Lara Croft is now wearing more clothing in her upcoming reboot, there could be a whole host of other issues with how she's portrayed.

5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?

There has been a recent wave of reduced sexuality in the video game industry with a stronger focus on narrative driven strong leads

6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?

Both women are rarely seen by the player, as in both games can only be seen from the point of view of the main character, meaning that animation for specific body parts are not to be seen. Both characters also do not have narratives revolving around men and can quit easily handle themselves. Neither of them use their sexuality to their advantage throughout the narrative.

7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?

The qualities she lists are quite similar to what makes a great male character; A story arc revolving around the overcoming of a personal issue, emotional and in the case of women, a female that is not centred around her sexuality. 

8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?

With the video games industry being so male dominated, those male ideologies tend to seep into game design and narratives.  

9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?

She hopes to try and improve media literacy, present the issues in the gaming industry when it come to female representation and to act as the means for a conversation about the issue, while also not being limited to just the gaming industry  

10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?

primarily female representation combined with a further discussion regarding women in games.

Optional extension task
To find out more about the online backlash and #gamergate, this Guardian feature links the online abuse to the American alt-right movement also credited with electing Donald Trump.

OSP: Final index

1) OSP: Clay Shirky - End of Audience blog tasks
2) OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis
3) OSP: Teen Vogue - audience and representation
4) Baseline Assessment learner response
5) OSP: Teen Vogue - industry and social media
6) OSP: Hall and Gilroy - media theory
7) OSP: The Voice - blog case study
8) OSP: The Voice and Teen Vogue news articles (minimum 4 from each)

Weekly Teen Vogue Stories

BTS Fans Think Suga Might Drop a New Agust D Album Soon

Fans of BTS believe that member Suga will be dropping a new album, titled as August D2 will be coming soon.

This is interesting as it's an example of Teen Vogue trying to stay relevant by keeping up with a trend amongst young viewers. BTS and KPOP, in general, has made a name in the music industry worldwide and the Teen Vogue news article is a clear sign that it has made a lasting hit. Seeing that Teen Vogue prides itself in its ability to resonate with the youth, writing and publishing an article about a band that's popular with the youth makes sense. Teen Vogue also uses the hype around BTS and its members to drive traffic to the article.

Women In Japan Are Speaking Up About Not Being Allowed to Wear Glasses at Work

There has been a recent uproar in Japan revolving around glasses. These strict restrictions are being openly condemned by employees and media outlets alike.

This article is quite short. What it is about is the open condemnation of Japanese businesses choosing strict rules when it comes to what women can wear is unfair considering that men do not have the same restriction. Teen Vogue wants to be seen as a global company that can cover international stories, this adds not only legitimacy but also plays into their image of being all-inclusive.

Yes, Women of Color Support Bernie Sanders. It’s Time to Stop Erasing Our Voices.

 

An op-ed piece by Linda Sarsour talking about why women of colour should vote for Bernie Sanders 

The political side of Teen Vogue comes out with this article. Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian woman speaking about the reasons why women of color should vote for Bernie Sanders and why his policies are beneficial. This article is a clear example of Teen Vogues left-wing tendencies portraying clear favor towards Bernie Sanders, a predominately left-wing candidate.

Bella Thorne Debuts Green Ombré Hair

The title of the article is quite self-explanatory.

The article goes back to Teen Vogues' roots of celebrity gossip. Keeping in line with their fashion and celebrity news, they cover the "news" that Bella Thorne decided to change her hair colour. Bella Thorne may have a significant amount of young fans who are influenced or like to keep up with Bella, this makes have an article focusing on her is a smart move as it keeps Teen Vogue relevant

The Voice 

Grenfell Tower: Man who claimed he helped people escape fire jailed for fraud

Alvin Thompson claimed he was sleeping rough in the Grenfel building and helped usher people out during the fire, he also claimed that he had PTSD from the whole experience resulting in the government giving Alvin Thompson over £90,000 in compensation in the form of a financial aid and accommodation in both a hotel and private accommodation, this has since been debunked and he now faces 5 years and 4 months in prison. 

The Stormzy effect continues: Voter registration increases 236% per cent

The story is quite self explained. After Stormy tweeted out the importance of voting, young voters increased by 236%, this shows the growing influence of celebrities on younger populations. He also had some words about Borris Johnson “I also believe it is criminally dangerous to give the most powerful role in the country to a man who has said that the sight of a ‘bunch of black kids’ makes him ‘turn a hair’, compared women in burqas to letterboxes and referred to black people as ‘piccaninnies’ with ‘watermelon smiles’,” 

‘It’s ridiculous’: Viola Davis blasts Hollywood for considering Julia Roberts for Tubman role

It was revealed that Julia Robbert was considered for a Harriet Tubman in the 90's, clearly ridiculous, Davis had this to say "It happens all of the time. Here’s the thing, simply put Julia Roberts as Harriet Tubman is ridiculous. That barely warrants a response. That’s ridiculous." 

No UCU, people can’t just identify as black

Blackness is not something that can be switched on or off. It's a biological trait passed down from parent to child. It’s ancestral, deep-rooted and not something you can just assume

The article in essence is a critique of what The Universities and Colleges Union stated regarding race and identification, the statement was “Our rules commit us to ending all forms of discrimination, bigotry and stereotyping. UCU has a long history of enabling members to self-identify whether that is being black, disabled, LGBT+ or women.” and “UCU also supports a social, rather than medical, model of gender recognition that will help challenge repressive gender stereotypes in the workplace and in society.” The statement by the union is absurd and quite confusing and the author of the article highlights this

The Voice: case study blog tasks

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

They have typical topics that you would find on a newspaper, e.g. Sports, entertainment, lifestyle etc.

2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?

The voice seems more traditional, with a lot more content on their website than the voice. It also seems more cluttered

3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?

The most interesting section would be faith. Something that differentiates the voice from other larger magazines is the obvious importance they place over faith, especially the christian faith. Something that I feel can only be done by a smaller magazine as their demographic would be more niche and specific, Teen Vogue cannot do the same due to their size.

4) Look at the news stories on The Voice homepage. Choose three stories and discuss how they have presented the news from an angle or perspective that reflects The Voice's role as a voice for black Britons.

It’s time to stop glorifying Gandhi once and for all:

Gandhi was notoriously known for being discriminative towards black people in South Africa, this article highlights that, showing it may be time to recognise his faults.

‘Boris has tried his utmost to wipe Black History Month off the face of the map this year’:

A political article that critiques Boris Johnson's premiership, again also in line with the voices views on conservative political figures. 

Why I want the Black community to back the brexit party

A very unorthodox opinion that would be associated with the black community. Could this be a very disconnected opinion or a subliminal idea that is more common than thought before.

  

5) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage.

Using propps theory of character types, it would feel that black and possibly POC readers to feel that they are victims from inequality, while also being heroes in the battle against it. Action codes can be seen from the words of action against oppression “Why I want the Black community to back the brexit party” can be seen as words of action

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

The sub menu item bar for Lifestyle doesn't present anything noteworthy or different, this would show that the main core audience for The Voice (or targeted audience) is the normal british person

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

Ozwald Boateng honoured with icon award

This story is about fashion, bringing light to a black fashion designer 

Black male grooming brand secures investment to support its growth:

This story is about investment, and as highlighted by the title, is black focused

3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?

There is a clear focus on youth with Teen Vogue while with The Voice, a focus on an older more educated audience is apparent

4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

I believe that the sections in The Voice lifestyle tries to challenge black stereotypes in british media by showing a more professional look at the black community 

5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?

Honourees aplenty at 2019 Black Magic Awards:

Again shows The Voice trying to show the black community in a more professional light.

“I think it’s important that every woman is represented,” says rapper Saweetie

This article highlights the need for female representation. The article later discusses female representation in the fashion industry rather than a more business centred industry. But the need for both is mentioned.

The rum market in the UK could grow by 8.8% in coming years

An article purely regarding alcohol could be seen as an attempt to focus a middle/ lower middle class target audience

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

The voice was created through inequality, and over the year it has used this victimisation towards the black community has been used by The Voice to retain some sort of relevance. Doreen Lawrence's words about the reaction to grenfell would have been different if the victims had be predominately white. Although these comments were controversial, it does in some way represents The Voices core ideologies.

2) Read/watch this Lifestyle feature about the Black Magic Awards. How do the article and video content reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice? What do you notice about the production values of the video interviews?

The production is un-apologetically bad, and this can be seen by the terrible lighting and scruffy looking whiteboard in the background
The message from the Black Magic Awards can be seen as an attempt to congratulate and recognise
black skill and talent

3) Read this feature about the Young, Gifted and Black Awards. What does this story suggest regarding how The Voice is trying to change the representation of black people in British media? 

This event is an attempt to represent the black community in a more academic light to help portray the
black population as educated.

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

The Voices target demographic is bound to be older due to the content that The voice offers, but that's
not to say there hasn't been an attempt to try and attract younger viewers. I would guess their main target
demographic being anywhere between 25-30 and being within the middle/lower middle socio-economic
class.

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

I would assume that surveillance is the core pleasure offered by The Voice due to the news like nature of

The Voice. But also considering the target demographic of black individuals and the means of how
The Voice even started, I'd say personal identity is definitely a pleasure that The Voice attempts to push to
their audience.

3) Give examples of content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

Don't miss: The Ghana Property & Lifestyle Expo

This article seems very niche. Seeing that the vent is specifically targeted towards Ghanaian 
individuals, and or those of which would be interested in Ghana. Seeing that Ghana is an African country, it would be understandable for The Voice to have an interest in that. 

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

The Voice's British target audience is entirely black, seeing that racial tensions in the UK have never been exactly smooth; The Voice's opinions and ideology may significantly represent the opinion of their targeted audience. 

5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?

I'd say that a majority of The Voices articles may be a sign of amateurisation. Not to say that their level of writing is of a bad quality, but due to the size of The Voice, it is unlikely they have hired big names within the journalism community to write their articles, with the authors most likely being hobbyist's 

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

The audience is positioned to be sympathetic to the black community and towards The Voice.

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying? Why?

The theory of double consciousness stems off of negative representations of individuals, in this case, Black British people. Seeing that the representations within The Voice are mainly positive, it would be safe to assume that The Voice does not fall into that theory. 

3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?

The Voice tries to promote normalcy while trying to not forget the prejudicial history of black people within the UK. And when looking at liquidity of culture, The Voice looks at Black British history events within and outside the UK e.g. Ghana

4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

The preferred reading would be that The Voice represents a positive and revolutionary view of Black Britons. The Oppositional view would be that The Voice  does not really represent the black public, and instead represents an click bait culture. 

5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)

The interesting section within The Voice that caught my eye was faith. The faith section signifies one of two things. Either, that The Voice is a christian oriented newspaper (since majority of the articles present are Christianity oriented. Or the christian population of the black community is large enough to warrant a faith section

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

It shows that the original "The Voice" had a significant focus on the representation of Black Britons. It can be said that The Voice has lost sight of this original goal/idea

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

The voice never did well with sales, but often times had money given in the form of donations, but over time the owner McCalla was known for wasting that money in failed business ventures, leading The Voice to the position they're in now. 

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia.

GV media group also own "The weekly gleemer" and "The weekend star" both Caribbean centred magazines. 

4) How does the Voice website make money? What is your opinion of the 'asking for donations' approach that The Voice is now using?

The voice uses sponsored articles and advertising on the side of their website as their main means of generating an income. The donation aspect of most modern news providers, I feel is understandable, and as long as stays as a request and not a demand it's fine. 

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

I feel that it is not based on the users cookies due to the fact that seemed quite disconnected to anything I had searched in the past, this would imply that the adverts used by The Voice are predetermined, highlighting a serious lack in tech

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

I feel its started as public service, but slowly fell to the need to make profit due to their receding viewers and lack of finance 

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

A lot of the articles have a video element to it, showing that there has been an element of convergence.

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

It's given like minded people a voice and a medium to share similar ideas on certain ideas and topics such as The Voice, giving The Voice a chance to grow. 

9) Analyse the Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as MailOnline or Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

Far more click baity content, a defining feature of a desperate attempt to gain traction 

10) Study a selection of videos from the Voice’s YouTube channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content?

The level of professionalism is clearly not there. While Teen Vogue has a clear focus on the developing of a defining aesthetic, that attempt is non existent. Instead The Voice has opted for a sub par production quality for content that had potential. 

Paul Gilroy - blog task

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

Gilroy suggests that racial identities are constructed through historical means such as slavery and colonisation 
2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

He believes that race does bot cause racism, instead, racism creates race. Racism isn't natural, it is instead the defining of difference through oppression by historic events 
3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

Ethnic absolutism is essentially the process of differentiating humans by race, and opposes it due to it countering his argument of racism causing race

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

Gilory does not see diaspora in a traditional sense of it being purely national, instead he sees it as translatic diaspora, where groups across the Atlantic share the same cultural practises.
5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

To quote Gilroy "external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation." what this means is that in order to accept the cultural identity of black britons, we must first reject the negative stereotypes of black people at the time.
6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

some negative examples would be exclusion, exposure to negative and regressive ideologies and marginalisation. 
7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

The trailer for hidden figures puts the black identity into one of Americas most defining moments, this is an example of trying to negate the feeling of black diaspora by enforcing the idea that american history and black history is not mutually exclusive
8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

Gilroy suggests that slavery was important due to its significance on the american capitalist system and the normalisation of that view/identity is what formed the modern day diasporic identity of black america.

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

The idea of double consciousness is that of split identity into different facets; not split into the say a different personality like D.I.D, but split in the sense of not really belonging to any one specific area, type and or society. This idea may be continued to be presented to black individuals within the UK and US through the media presenting different views of Africa, African culture or even different facets of black US and UK citizens. These different identities being represented can conflict with the identity that the people who watch the shows/media already have.  
10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

Hidden figures tries to cement the idea of black America, an attempt to establish that for black Americans, America is home, that is where their identity is. And this is double so for female black Americans.