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?
- Women have been presented a submissive and weak character. They tend to be sexually objectified and end up needing to be saved by a male protagonist.
2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
47% of the video game audiences are females.
3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
- Tomb Raider
- Mirror's Edge
- Uncharted
4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I believe that this can be seen as true but only to a certain extent. Yes I believe that all audiences end up choosing what they want to look for in a video game whereas some players don't really think about the different representations and just want to play a ton of games. These audiences probably would not end up rejecting these media products because they do not focus on the representation of the characters but more of the aesthetic of the animation of the games.
5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
Brianna Wu’s 2015 article in Polygon details how Crystal Dynamics saved Lara Croft by making some big changes in the reboot Tomb Raider (2013) and its sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015). Rhianna Pratchett was hired who was very familiar with working on games which included complex female protagonists. Pratchett decided to create a protagonist in which players were able to 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:
Title of video:
100 word summary:
Sword and Sorcery has aspects that can be linked with the game called Legend of Zelda games. The games aim is to collect pieces of the Triforce. This quest became quite well known within the gaming community, specifically in the adventure/fantasy genre of games. The main character of this game is a female who is not overly sexualised and neither is weak and needs saving from a male protagonist. This subverts the female gender stereotype of always needing to be saved and the association of being weak. This shows audiences that female characters are able to do exactly what male characters can do in games too.
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.
People were outraged and constantly sent her a range of threats including death threats, sexual assault/ rape threats and death threats.
2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
She says that "feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings." and that "it's really about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically."
3) Why do stories matter?
Stories allow audiences to learn new things and these new things will affect someone's life directly or indirectly. By having a positive stories, it could possibly have a positive impact on the audience themselves.
4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
She says that:
- Lara Croft will always be sexualised and objectified in order to attract a strictly male audience.
- At first, she was happy to find out that Samus Aran was a female character which later on revealing that her female traits were only there as a reward rather than a normalised thing.
5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
The evolution of female characters in games have not moved on very much and has arguably gotten worse. Most of modern day games have a default for what female characters should be like and game creators stick by these guidelines and change has yet to come in.
6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
Mirror's Edge and Portal show a more positive representation showing stronger female characters who can hold their own without making them overly sexualised.
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
- Some emotional depth and expression
8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
Since the videogames industry is dominated by males, the male gaze can be clearly brought into this. Females characters will be made to look sexualised while male characters would be made to look big, muscular and strong.
9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
She wanted to make people aware of the fact that damaging stereotypes and representations of females are constantly appearing in the video game industry which is one of the largest current industry which is still growing at a rapid rate especially with the advancement of technology.
10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
She wanted a debate on the way females are presented in video games.
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