Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in video games is finally changing. Answer the following questions:
1) How have women traditionally been represented in video games?
They have been typically seen as the damsel in distress that often is in need of saving by the male main character. With characters such as Lara Croft being seen as a sex symbol in the early days have now achieved a new representation in today's day and age.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
"Based on the survey “Distribution of Computer and Video Gamer 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?
Uncharted: The Lost legacy, Horizon zero dawn, Tomb Raider, Call of Duty, Sonic, The last of us, Red dead redemption 2, Mirrors edge.
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I do not believe this statement as I think media products that upset people still digest and watch it as they gain some sort of pleasure from some content they do not agree with. I believe the products should be digested and taken in to see how and why people may have made the content the same way that they have.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
Lara Croft now no longer is seen as a sex symbol as her outfit and body shape has been changed to better suit her mission at hand as well as look more realistic. People argue that due to the time of the first game being made, making a female body shape was very difficult as polygon counts were hard to make to many shapes.
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: Body Language and male gaze
The video suggests that female characters in video games are highly sexualised through their body language and appearance. Anita questions the more feminine disposition of the character shown through the character movement and 'swaying of hips'. Laura Mulvey's 'the male gaze' is also referenced to in this video - it is argued that women in video games are objectified and sexualised for the viewing of the majority male audience. However, she contradicts herself towards the end of the video when she states that in the videogame 'The Last Of Us' character Ellie has multiple emotions and characteristics that do not portray her as a sexual object - it is highly likely that Anita is leaving out other contradicting factors to her argument in order to completely back up her initial point.
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 video games? You can find more information on this on Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter fundraising page.
She states that when she started the campaign she did expect some sort of backlash and harassment due to the vocal voice of an internet-based community. However, she believes that due to the large growth of her campaign that she is able to receive a higher degree of support to the cause.
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
She summarises it by refereeing to "Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings."
The stories here matter due to them being able to tell diverse stories and allow the players to control and work through a story made by developers. For women to be objectified so often it shows that players being able to conduct acts can possibly affect real life.4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
She believes that both characters are seen as sex objects in the game and their reward is their pleasure of viewing them, as Samus would lose her suit in varying degrees for however fast the players completed the game. For Lara Croft, it was the outfit she wore on her adventures as they would be very revealing to the player and is not suitable for her adventure at hand.
5) How has the video game landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
The representation of women in video games has changed radically as games such as Horizon Zero Dawn featuring a strong female lead that holds her own just shows that the representation of women has changed over time. Other examples include The Last Of Us and Uncharted the lost legacy where both characters are wearing appropriate clothing for their adventures.
6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
Both these games were made on last gen systems but both were one of the first to feature a female lead with the marketing for mirrors edge 2 focusing on the fact that Faith was a strong female lead. With portal a very successful game from a valve, it conveys that in all types of genres women were being seen.
7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?
She believes that developers need to focus on creating characters that are "protagonists with an 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 video games industry is male-dominated?
In the past many developers, characters and producers have been male therefore this male-driven teams of making the games. However more recently females have been up and coming into the community such as Amy Hennings who has worked on series such as Uncharted which is considered one of the best single player action adventure games. However, there has been a cancellation of her recent EA developed Star Wars game and is the second time she has been pulled of a game mid-development first with Uncharted 4 and now Star Wars. She is now scheduled to receive a lifetime achievement award at the GDC 2019 awards.
9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
She would like to get people to critically look at games and question the representations they present. She does not believe that these are restricted to the sexist representations but also the typical stereotypes characters are given due to their race. She demands females to have strong leads in video games and that "It's not OK to constantly portray women as sexualized objects for male desire. We want genuine female characters!" I want complex female characters because it will make games and gaming better overall, more diverse, and more innovative. Making gaming better is not just good for women and girls; it's good for people of all genders."
10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
She hopes that the series will be able to cause debates over stories of how women were represented in video games in the '80s and onward and how there is a tide changing the way people and developers make characters. With the recent game, Mario Odyssey featuring Peach needing saving and then her being saved but not going for the man who saved her instead leaves Mario to go on her own adventure shows how the community is changing and viewing women in new ways.
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