Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Metroid Prime 2: Echoes case study' and complete the following in-depth tasks.

Language

Analyse the game cover for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

Mecha costume connotes Japanese sci-fi 

Ghost of alien in the background 

blue/orange colour scheme 

2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures?

binary opposition, multiplayer

3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not?

I don't think the cover sexualieses her at all. Her armour has huge shoulder pieces, traditionally a masculine feature, and she's in an action pose. 


Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for the game:




1) What do you notice about genre?

Metroid was originally based on Alien so the sci-fi elements are very prominent. 

2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran obviously female?

I think the way the chest plate protrudes gives her a different silhouette to everyone, very obviously hinting to her being a woman. 

3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?

Genres go through a cycle, so Metroid Prime is introducing multiplayer to the Metroid franchise, distinguishing itself from the previous iterations 

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:





1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?

Lot's of reading, killing, exploring, rolling

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.

genre: alien eggs, dark aura, 

narrative: Finding Dark Samus and ending the fissure 

Mise en Scene: 

camera shots: Most of it is POV, putting the player in Samus Aran's place.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.

Distraction, personal relationships, personal identity 

Audience

Research the audience for Nintendo and specifically the Metroid franchise, including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. You may wish to start with the following pages:

Reddit discussion of why people play Metroid
Giant Bomb forum: Who exactly is Nintendo’s demographics?
Reset Era: Nintendo’s audience getting older

1) Who might the target audience be for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, based on your research? Discuss demographics and psychographics.

Because it's darker than average Nintendo games aimed at a younger or family demographic, Metroid prime 2: Echoes is aimed at the target audience most associated with other gaming consoles such as the Play Station and XBox. 15-30 males. 

2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?

They now try to reach a very wide demographic

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise?

exploration, acquiring new items, backtracking,

very similar to another Nintendo franchise Zelda

4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory). 

Over time, consuming Metroid Prime will normalize women being in roles of power such as samus aran is. (cultivation theory)

By Bandura's social learning theory, Metroid fans should go around shooting people with arm guns. 

Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:

1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?

adolescent boys

2) What has changed this?

The introduction of mobile gaming

3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.

42 percent of women said they had either an Xbox or PlayStation in comparison to 37 percent of men.

4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?

The average age of the gamer of today is around the age of 35

They grew up with video gaming so there is a strong sense of nostalgia and personal relationship with the Series.

5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?

Younger gamers prefer competition while older gamers’ interest in it tapers off at around 40.

Industries

Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:

1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand?

It's for 15-35 year olds. A demographic they struggle with. 

2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years?

Halo, Mass Effect, and now No Man's Sky

3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand?

They're beating a dead horse to cash in on nostalgia.

4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry?

AAA (pronounced and sometimes written Triple-A) is an informal classification used for video games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher, typically having higher development and marketing budgets.

5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?

I think there should be more Samus Aran, perhaps getting a similar makeover like Lara Croft where it's move obviously aimed women as well.

Representation

Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:

1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?

They didn't reveal that Samus Aran was a woman until the end

2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?

Mario and Zelda, as well as the film Alien

3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial?

The quicker you completed the level, the more undressed  Samus Aran would appear for the player.

4) What reaction do you think the reveal of Samus Aran in a bikini would have got when the game was first released in 1986? Have attitudes towards women changed?

It would have been ok to have a woman in a state of undress as a reward. 

Now, we can all pretty much agree that it's a little dodgy. 

5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?

Like the time she wore a skin tight bodysuit and heels in Super Smash Bros

6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?

7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?

Samus is transgender

8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?

I view Samus Aran as a feminist character because on the most part she's given a bulky functional appearance for most of her game play. She also isn't given a male counterpart or love interest, not pivoting her self worth on the men in her life. 


Read this Houston Press feature on Samus Aran and entitled male gamers. Answer the following questions:

1) What does Anita Sarkeesian suggest regarding Samus Aran?

Samus’s increasingly naked body is used as a reward for male skill. It doesn’t diminish Samus as a character, but it does sort of diminish the games themselves for using this sexist convention.

2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender?

 Hirofumi Matsuoka, who worked on her original design, said Samus was a “newhalf”, a somewhat vulgar term that is close to the English term “shemale.”

Samus was originally portrayed to be 6’3” and more muscled in her appearance.

3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist?

 If you question the number of female protagonists you’ll get a list that will virtually always start with Samus as a counter-argument

4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames?

 Lara Croft will always be haunted by her cartoonish, sexual appearance and Zelda and Peach are damsels too often, and the anti-feminist crowd is hesitant to use Chell since Portal 2 is a feminist masterpiece. 

5) What does the ‘SJW’ in ‘SJW-gender politics’ refer to?

Social Justice Warriors, people who argue over the internet about left wing politics 

6) How can we apply Gerbner’s Cultivation theory to representations of women in videogames as discussed in the article? How might this lead to ‘entitled male gamers’? 

Because over the years the representation of women has been so poor, men have become accustomed to the hyper-sexualisation. As they lack the female experience, they can't possibly fathom why these representations hurt women so they view it as ugly feminists trying to take their frustration out on men. 

7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.

The video game industry is making improvements to representation of women but even when companies attempt to make female characters they can miss the mark on making them human. Characters such as Bayonetta more in unrealistic ways in skimpy outfits that centre her characterisation around her body. 

 Tomb Raider Anniversary: blog tasks

Language and Audience

Analyse the game cover for Tomb Raider Anniversary (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

The light coming from behind her indicates a small light source like that of a temple 

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?

both assets are visable

3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?

It's an active woman character not characterised as weak. 

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:

1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?

Lots of physical activity for Lara Croft as well as puzzles

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.

The genre is action and adventure and employs iconography from Indiana Jones for nostalgia's sake. 

The narrative follows an independent woman character raiding a tomb and killing vicious animals. 

The camera angles often give excessively sexualised views of Lara "for the presumed straight male player"  

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.

Male Gaze- Mulvey

Distraction, personal relationship- Blumler and Katz

Representations

Read this NME feature on the evolution of the character of Lara Croft. Answer the following questions:

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

gracing more than 1,100 magazine covers, and selling over 58 million videogame units worldwide

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?

There are women as the leads in big blockbusters and #metoo has solved all sexual assault 

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?

Women saw her as their first role model in gaming 

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?

They re-did her appearance and motion captured an actual woman so that the movements were more true to life. 

They also gave her emotions and a backstory. 

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?

she will find the courage to survive her journey.


Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale? 

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?

"She was a sex icon and a feminist icon, and there is no issue being both of those at once."

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?

Because women were harder to distinguish from men, they'd have to greatly exaggerate their form.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?

for advertising purposes

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

Lara Croft was simply a stereotype for the category of games typically associated with male players. Even the camera angle in the game focuses on her rear end, she said, putting it at the centre of attention.

5) Why has Lara Croft’s appearance and characterisation changed over time?

To appeal to her changing audience, nearly half of which were women. 

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?

She is widely regarded as a sex symbol and has appeared on magazine covers for the male and female gaze. This links to hyper-reality as she's blurring the lines between what was fiction and what is real. 

selling over 58 million videogame units worldwide

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?

There are many spin off titles for hand held consoles and mobile devices 

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?

She relates to Baudrillard's theory of Hyper-reality. Because she's completely constructed, we are blurring the lines between reality and fiction by having real models appear as her as objects to be looked at. 

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?

Core design --> Eidos Interactive --> Square Enix 

This exemplifies vertical integration by conglomerates. 

Teen Vogue: background reading and textual analysis blog tasks

Work through the following tasks to complete your first case study on Teen Vogue.

Teen Vogue: background reading

Read this Guardian feature from 2017 on Teen Vogue and answer the following questions.

1) What was the article that announced Teen Vogue as a more serious, political website – with 1.3m hits and counting?

"Donald Trump is gas-lighting America."

2) When was the original Teen Vogue magazine launched and what was its original content?

2003, fashion and celebrity gossip

3) How did editor Elaine Welteroth change Teen Vogue’s approach in 2015?

She used black models on the covers of 3 physical copies. 

4) How many stories are published on Teen Vogue a day? What topics do they cover?

the team publishes between 50 and 70 a day

5) What influence did digital director Phillip Picardi have over the editorial direction?

He changed it to digital instead of print. 

6) What is Teen Vogue’s audience demographic and what does ‘woke’ refer to?

a byword for social awareness.

7) What issues are most important to Teen Vogue readers?

Feminism and social injustice.

8) What does Tavi Gevinson suggest regarding the internet and ‘accountability culture’ with regards to modern audiences? Can you link this to our work on Clay Shirky?

"the relationship with readers is closer and more transparent, and says brands have had to respond to that. “It is in their best interest to subvert expectations of teen girl magazines,” Gevinson says."

This links to Shirky as the internet has allowed for the lines between consumer and creator to be blurred. 

9) What social and political issues have been covered successfully by Teen Vogue?

coverage of the Dakota Access pipeline protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.

10) What do Teen Vogue readers think of the magazine and website?

one reader, 16-year-old Paige Wagner, reads Teen Vogue for truthful news coverage. 

Teen Vogue: Factsheet Part 1

Read Media Factsheet #200 Teen Vogue - Part 1. You can find the Factsheet in our Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive in school or download it here using your Greenford Google login. Answer the following questions: 

1) The Factsheet suggests Teen Vogue has successfully made the transition to an online, social and participatory product. Why? What platforms is it now available on?

"As a result of this ideological shift, the traffic to teenvogue.com increased by 500% in 2 years."

Their content evolved with their audience, allowing for them to keep their place in mainstream media.

2) Look at the screenshots and details on pages 3-4 of the Factsheet. What does Teen Vogue offer its audience?

Fashion advice, feminist celebrations of female achievement and political commentary. 

3) Who is the typical Teen Vogue reader?

18-24, socially conscious. 

4) Read the content analysis of the Teen Vogue website on page 5 of the Factsheet. Pick out three key examples of how meanings are created in Teen Vogue and what is communicated to the audience.

use of news website convention adds validity to

the shift in focus of TeenVogue’s reporting.

the use of

a main image in the central third and the aspirational lifestyles

being presented through the images.

The

order in which the different sections appear signifies the branding

priorities: the amalgamation of ‘beauty’ and ‘fashion’ into ‘style’

reflects an attempt to position the audience within the new brand

5) Finally, look at pages 6-7 focusing on representations. What range of representations can be found in Teen Vogue and what does this suggest regarding Teen Vogue's values and ideologies?

Readers are interested in beauty and latest trends whilst also considering under represented groups such as the black, Asian and plus size communities. Additionally, there are articles pertaining to activism and political debates. 

Teen Vogue textual analysis and example articles

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of the Teen Vogue website and read notable Teen Vogue articles to refer to in exam answers. 

Homepage analysis

Go to the Teen Vogue homepage and answer the following:

1) What website key conventions can you find on the Teen Vogue homepage?

title, menu bar, articles 

2) How does the page design encourage audience engagement?

Enough tiles with alluring names as to create the the feeling of variety in their media coverage but not too much in a screen's length as to overwhelm. 

3) Where does advertising appear on the homepage?

There is an article about Black Friday deals, naming specific products on sale that their readership should buy. 

4) What are the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content of Teen Vogue?

Style, Politics, culture, identity and summit. 

As style is first, it can be assumed teen vogue see it as their number 1 priority. They value fashion over politics despite their campaigns. 

5) How far does the homepage scroll down? How many stories appear on the homepage in total?

27 stories appear on  the home page in total, 5 grouped together up top, two appear as trending and the rest have bars across the screen until you finish scrolling.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of Teen Vogue (in the Identity section) and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the top menu bar for the Lifestyle section?

HEALTH

SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS

WELLNESS

HOROSCOPE

LIFESTYLE

VOICES

2) How is the Lifestyle section designed to encourage audience engagement? Think about page design, images, text and more.

There's an article called "what each zodiac likes in bed" which will naturally prompt any reader to open and check to see if they got it right, as well as direct address in articles like "hoe to care for your fat body"

3) What do you notice about the way headlines are written in Teen Vogue?

lots of use of "you" and "your", directly involving the reader. 

4) What does the focus on education, university and ‘campus life’ tell you about the Teen Vogue audience demographics and psychographics?

They are above the age of a teenager, in the 18-24 range. They are also assuming their audience is educated. 

5) Choose one story featured in the Lifestyle section and explain how reflects the Teen Vogue brand.

The "how to care for your fat body" feature relates to the brand's feminist ideologies. It chooses to bring light to issues pertaining to being overweight and doesn't demean them. 

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

"The network connects us to other people, it provides a great source of information, it can be used for campaigning and political action, to draw attention to abuses and fight for human rights. It’s a great place for gaming and education, which can also be used to make a lot of money (for a few people) as well as a place where you can meet your friends."

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

"A lot of bullying and abuse takes place there. There’s pornography that you don’t want to see, and illegal images of child abuse that you might come across. Extremists and radicals can use the network to try to influence people to join their cause, and fraud, scams, ripoffs and malicious software are everywhere. Then

there’s the dark web, made up of websites and online services accessed via specialised browsers and tools that make it very hard to identify who is using them, which is used to sell drugs and for other illegal activity."

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

Does it mean an internet built around the

‘end-to-end’ principle, where any connected

computer can exchange data with any other

computer, while the network itself is unaware

of the ‘meaning’ of the bits exchanged?

• Does it mean computers that will run

any program written for them, rather

than requiring them to be vetted and

approved by gateway companies?

• Does it mean free software that can be

used, changed and redistributed by anyone

without payment or permission?

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

what could the internet do for you and your friends, and what could you make it do?

We know you want to understand the world and engage with it, so how do we deliver news media that can operate effectively online and still make money?

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I believe there should be a degree of openness that allows freedom of information and free speech,  whilst also protecting personal data. 

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

Shirky defines a profession as a specialist job that fulfills a need not everyone can do. This applies to the newspaper industry because it fulfills a mass need for news while also monetizing the spreading of it.  

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

By destroying the means for monetization, the internet has endangered the industry. News has become widely available through mass amateurization. 

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

Despite mainstream media's aversion to the story when it first came to light, the internet's ability to share information meant that traditional bottle-necking of news was subverted. Outraged by the undercurrent of racism, liberal and conservative bloggers alike brought the story to the masses. 

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

The mass influx of amateur content in a previously specialized profession, such as the News or Music industries. 

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

Facebook's infestation of false Corona-virus conspiracies can be viewed as exemplar to the spread of fake news online.  

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

The social effects of Technological change are beneficial for greater society but disadvantage professionals already in the field. 

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

The internet allows anybody to create content and for others to equally consume/ believe it. 

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

Evidence of "intellectual and political chaos" can be seen in the 2020 US election where fake news and political debate could spread across the world as opposed to staying in America. 

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

Anyone with a smartphone ("84% of UK adults") is capable of taking pictures and sharing them online, eliminating the need for it to be considered a viable industry. 

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

I believe that taking the power over information from the rich and distributing it to the masses provides a better balance of experiences and stories we are exposed to daily. However, the new system is only as strong as its weakest link: nut-jobs.