Women and Videogames: Blog Tasks :)

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

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

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

Women are typically either objectified or “damsels in distress” in many major video games, like the iconic Lara Craft to Princess Peach in the Mario franchise 

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

42% of the video game demographic is female, indicating that times have changed and video games cannot survive by solely targeting the male audience 

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

Recent popular games like Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead series have female protagonists, co-protagonists or otherwise important characters.These games each have characters who are role models for real women, because they are 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 somewhat agree that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented in them because audiences undeniably want to see an authentic representation of themselves in media products which can cause negative feedback from audiences if they see a misrepresentation. This could ultimately lead to the rejection of the media product as a whole 

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

The writer suggests that the changes regarding recent versions of Lara Croft were an evolution from “sex symbol to icon”. Pratchett has been credited as her getting hired as the lead writer for the reboot of Tomb Raider as a woman who “had a long history of working on games with complex female protagonists, such as Heavenly Sword and Mirror’s Edge” led to the creation of a protagonist who players could identify with 

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:

1) Title of video

Strategic Butt Coverings - Tropes vs Women 

2) 100 word summary

This video explores how women are objectified and sexualised in videogames due to their designers accentuating their butts through camera angles to ensure that it is in clear view at all times for the player to look at. However, great measures are taken in order to hide the butts of their male counterparts which has been done through capes, long coats or making it impossible to maneuver using the camera angles which indicates a double standard towards these two genders in videogames 

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.

When Anita Sarkeesian published her videos on YouTube on women in videogames, she received more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats which only encouraged her to continue the series 

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

Sarkeesian summarises feminism as the radical notion that women are human beings

3) Why do stories matter?

Stories matter as narratives because they have always been a core way human beings learn about, make sense of, and understand the world we live in. Stories have embedded myths and messages and can be carriers of positive, heroic, or subversive values as well as reinforcing negative stereotypes and oppressive social norms 

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

Although Sarkeesian is in favor of more female protagonists in videogames, she views Samus Aran and Lara Croft as female protagonists who are still objectified and sexualized for a presumed straight-male audience. She believes that the existence of a female protagonist must be linked to an intentional shift away from the idea that women in games exist primarily as objects of sexual desire 

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

The videogame landscape has allowed the representation of women to change significantly due to the fact that there are now more female characters and more protagonists. Despite this positive change, some negative representations have been reinforced even further- today the trope of a "Fighting F@#k Toy" has essentially become the default representation for women in much of the gaming industry. There has also been a resurgence of the "Damsel in Distress" recently 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?

Mirror's Edge and Portal are held up as examples of more progressive representations of women due to the fact that 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?

The qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on in order to create more positive female characters are: 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 impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated is that creative and decision-making roles are influenced by the old boys' club mentality and atmosphere 

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

Sarkeesian hopes to achieve the promotion of media literacy and give people tools to look critically at the games we play. Her hope is to clearly present the issues surrounding women's representations as a systemic problem by identifying reoccuring patterns 

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

Sarkeesian hopes to spark media debates on the larger ongoing conversation already happening elsewhere about women in games in order to have "genuine", complex female characters because it will make games and gaming better overall, more diverse, and more innovative