Women and videogames: blog tasks

 Women and videogames: blog tasks

Work through the following blog tasks to complete this introduction to 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?

"typically either objectified or “damsels in distress”"

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

"but based on the survey “Distribution of Computer and Video Gamers in the United States from 2006 to 2017 by Gender”, 42% of the video game demographic is female"

3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?

"women are starting to be presented as strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate"

4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?

I do agree that women would reject the game industry as it comically exaggerates femininity. Women have to watch themselves being looked at. 

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

The new Lara is given depth of character that previous iterations have not been treated with thanks to the company striving for better sales.   

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: 

Ms. Male Character - Tropes vs Women in Video Games

100 word summary: 
Through femenisation of symbols, male characters become women characters and reinforce gender roles. Bows, high heels and eyelashes are examples of "superficial gendered signifiers". The female version of the character is also seen as lesser.

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.

misogyny and hate speech

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

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

3) Why do stories matter?

They're culturally important.

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

"Samus is handled problematically...  The quicker you complete the game, the more of her suit she takes off at the end; her femaleness is presented as a reward, something for players to ogle"

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

"the ubersexualized yet violent female character--and today this trope has basically become the default representation for women in much of the gaming industry. On top of that, we've also seen a resurgence of the "Damsel in Distress" in recent years as developers rush to remake or reboot many of the classic 1980s games"

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

"both characters are women of color, and both serve as the protagonists of their own games without being overly sexualized or objectified"

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

"protagonists with agency not tied directly to their sex appeal; transformative story arcs where characters are struggling with or overcoming personal flaws; and some emotional depth and expression."

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

"The fact that the gaming industry has historically been and is still so male dominated does play a big role in the types of games, narratives, and characters produced"

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

 "I want to promote media literacy and give people some tools to look critically at the games we play"

"We can recognize and point out the more problematic representations without necessarily throwing the whole game out"

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

To question the treatment of women in the gaming industry