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Culture / Gender
Robin Burke
GAM 224
Outline
Culture paper Culture / Gender
Culture paper
Due 3/16No late papers!
Topic: heroism
Quiz #3
My mistake Not next week 3/16
same day as culture paper is dueturn in Culture Paper hardcopy30 minute quiz
Gender
Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture.
Usage note [The distinction between usage for "sex" and
gender"] is supported by the practice of many anthropologists, who reserve sex for reference to biological categories, while using gender to refer to social or cultural
categories.
Gender
The question of how biological categories are given cultural
meaning And how
the cultural categories that relate to gender affect our perception of biology
Some facts biological categories are (mostly) clear-cut cultural meanings vary widely between
cultures and times
Gender in games
Games have no biology there are no biological facts to discover
about game characters• although real actors are used for motion capture
and voice work Games are cultural products
rich ground for looking at gender not just appearance but also activity
Some games encourage expression of identity gender identity necessarily included
Questions
Perception (Game -> Culture) How are gender differences portrayed in
games?• appearance• mechanics
Stereotypes (Culture -> Game) What cultural stereotypes about gender
show up in games?
Stereotypes
Masculineappearance?activities / roles?
Feminineappearance?activities / roles?
Exaggeration
Game imagery is often exaggeratedtrue for action imagery and soundtrue for mechanics
Also true for stereotypeshyper-masculine and hyper-feminine
characters
What is exaggerated here?
Large breasts, slim waist
Partial nudity Eyes – half closed Erect nipples Mouth partly open
tongue visible Message?
How to analyze
Static imagery how do they look?
Look for exaggeration activity vs image
• conflict or harmony dominance
• position in image aggregate impact
• differences between characters in the same game
How to analyze II
Motion imagerywhat do characters do?
Look forcharacteristic actionsvocal characteristicsactive vs passivecamera angle
• how is a character introduced?
How to analyze III
Game play what can you do with a character?
Look for abilities / restrictions
• rules interaction with other characters play
• rewards• simulation
• what and how much
Example 1ahttp://www.us.playstation.com/Content/OGS/SCUS-97316/Site/
Example 1b
Example 1c
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
Example 8
Example 9a
Example 9b
Motion imagery
ExamplesKingdom HeartsFinal Fantasy X-II
Marketing
SmackDown vs Rawhttp://www.gamespot.com/pages/vide
o_player/popup.php?sid=6161318&pid=932465
Rumble Roses XXhttp://www.gamespot.com/pages/
video_player/popup.php?sid=6140720&pid=929261
Play activities
ExamplePrince of Persia: Sands of Time
• Prince• Sword
• Farah• Bow and Arrow• can’t jump as far• her role is to help him progress
Superstar Saga
Constructing the player
How does a film “create” the viewer?“the male eye”
How does the game envision the player?what does the player want to see?what does the player want to do in the
game world?
Does gender-specificity matter? "Give the boys what they want." Monotony
limiting the space of design possibilities
Appeal50% of possible consumers
Harmpromulgation of stereotypes
Market opportunity?
Girl games Barbie Mary-Kate & Ashley etc.
Not perceived as an important market fewer buyers / lower profit low investment low production values
Some exceptions Nancy Drew Kim Possible
Recent developments
Developers are (a bit) more sensitivewider range of female character typescustomizable avatars
Still very few women designers / developersmuch interest in hiring more
Stereotypes of Gamers
Also reflective of the same dynamic Examples
“Thank you, World of Warcraft”• (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/29946)
Monday
In-class exercise Homework #2: Character art
due on Sunday