Tomb Raider

 Language and Audience

Analyse the game cover for Tomb Raider Anniversary (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

The colour scheme reinforces the fact that it's an adventure action game through using the gold tones to imply that there is treasurer to be found. The action segment could also be found to resemble the James Bond pose which hint at action/adventure.

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?

The costume enhances her breasts and bottom which is obviously intended for the male gaze.The costume could also suggest that she is unequipped for the tough world as her outfit seems a little too bare for an adventurer. Her pose also highlights her bottom, which diverts attention of the male gamer.

3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?

The fact that the female protagonist is front and centre is empowering as this was one of the first franchises to do so and the fact that it's a female actively and solely driving the narrative is also empowering.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:

1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve? 

Puzzle solving, platform levels, combat, shooting

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.

The dull and muted colours of the surroundings compliment Lara's bright blue tank top. The way that Lara navigates the obstacles sets the tone for the adventure game genre. The narrative is driven by completing these level based problems which test Lara's development as the lead hero.The lighting also makes for a dynamic, tense experience. 

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.

Nostalgia - people would buy the game to remember the previous titles.

Personal identity - women see themselves reflected in the game

Personal relationship - the players develop a deep connection to Lara as the narrative develops

Bandura & violence - violence in consumed media leads to violence in real life


Representations

Read this NME feature on the evolution of the character of Lara Croft. Answer the following questions:

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

Lara Croft has featured on 1,100 magazine covers, 58 million gaming units and has her own film too.

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?

Women were being sexualised less, creating a more progressive view of feminism

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?

It was hailed as the most progressive game of the decade. It was the first game to feature the female as a protagonist and not as a damsel or a dispatcher.

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?

They sexualised Lara a lot more, giving her a "Barbie physique" which then attracted a lot of male gamers to buy and play the game

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?

She is described as progressive and empowering to younger female audiences


Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale? 

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?

She's portrayed as a tough, brave adventurer but she's also depicted as a sexual icon which undermines the efforts put in by the developers.

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?

women were hard to distinguish from men on 32-bit consoles. Her flowing hair was hard to do, so the only way the devs could emphasise that she was female was to enlarge her hips and breasts.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?

Single braid hair, big breats and hips

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

With Lara Croft, you see her entire body running around in her hot pants," she said. "That encourages players to look at her as a sex object.

5) Why has Lara Croft’s appearance and characterisation changed over time?

It's become more sexualised and as more women were added to video games,. her clothing and appearance became more natural.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?

She was arguably the first ever female protagonist to make waves in the gaming industry. The way that she was sexualised certainly helped with her success but it was the notion that she was an empowering female protagonist was inspiring. 

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?

Movies including A-list celebs, merchandise like t shirts and other memorabilia

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?

Whilst she is an action hero, she's female, playing into repetition and difference. She also uses a a lot of cliches from past action title like Indiana Jones so that could be pastiche.

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?

Tomb raider is a franchise and has been run by many companies in the past, including different spin offs like the movie and merch section so they don't just own games. It is interesting to see how the franchise has been handled by different companies so we can see a clear dofference in gender values and ideologies.

Learner response: OSP assessment

 1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW:

Fantastic knowledge of media theories and subject terminology. Good understanding of the CSPs and able to comment at length how both compare in reference to industries and representations.

EBI:

For Q1 just go straight into the analysis of the unseen and apply knowledge of reception theory. For Q2 - could you argue how TV may be deemed hypocritical; as they run stories on capitalism yet they are a major conglomerate.

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify three specific aspects from Figure 1 (the Google Home advert) that you could have mentioned in your answer (e.g. selection of image, framing and focus, colour, text etc.)

- The semiotics: colour, positioning

- class implications, middle class

- representations, no BAME rep

3) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your essay for Question 2 (Hesmondhalgh - narrow range of values and ideologies).

TV using capitalism for profit - opposes their intentions

Mention gender/feminism 

Lack of fund for Voice mean that they cannot make a good website design, meaning they aren't seen as highly as the best source for Black British news as they should be.

4) Use your exam response, the mark scheme and any other resources you wish to use to write a detailed essay plan for Question 2. Make sure you are planning at least four well-developed paragraphs in addition to an introduction and conclusion.

Intro: Teen Vogue's industry - Conde Nast, digital convergance - The Voice's Industry - GV Media, niche website

P1: Voice supports Hesmondhalgh's comment because we see how their lack of funds and how the media has a narrow set of ideologies

P2: Voice opposes this veiw as it can be seen as thriving in a white dominated media landscapwe

P3: Vogue agrees because they practise a lopt of activism and support many movments

P4: Vogue oppose this view bc they are a conglomerate making profit from capitalism

Conc: Both TV and Voice agree with this but Teen Vogue supports this view more bc they make a lot of profit from this despite being funded and run by a conglomjerate

5) Finally, identify three key areas you plan to revise from the OSP unit (CSP aspects or theories) having looked at your feedback from this assessment.

Paul Gilroy's theories

Gender with Teen Vogue

Conventions of a website

Further feminist theory: blog tasks

 

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or here using your Greenford Google login. Find Media Factsheet #169 Further Feminist Theory, read the whole of the Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What definitions are offered by the factsheet for ‘feminism ‘and ‘patriarchy’?

Feminism - a movement which strives for the equality of women - to be treated equally as men in a social and professional setting.

Patriarchy - male dominance in society

2) Why did bell hooks publish her 1984 book ‘Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center’?

she saw that there was a lack of diversity within the feminist movement, and argued that these diverse voices had been marginalised, being put outside the main body of feminism.

3) What aspects of feminism and oppression are the focus for a lot of bell hooks’s work?

The fact that women of colour don't get treated equally as white women despite the idea of feminism being to establish equality between both genders.

4) What is intersectionality and what does hooks argue regarding this?

intersectionality - although women may share their gender, their race also plays a part in how they are responded to. Hooks wants 

5) What did Liesbet van Zoonen conclude regarding the relationship between gender roles and the mass media?

Van Zoonen concludes that there is a strong relationship between gender and communication, but it is also the mass media that leads to much of the observable gender identity structures in advertising, film and TV.

6) Liesbet van Zoonen sees gender as socially constructed. What does this mean and which other media theorist we have studied does this link to?

Gender is the result of how your surroundings and the people in your society influence your perception of it. This links to Butler's theory about gender being a performance. She says that gender is something we learn through micro rituals and through our upbringing.

7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

They view it as a way to demean the female image and that all of the average female's interests lie in gossip. I view these lifestyle magazines as a way to reinforce western beauty ideas without causing a serious sexism debate within the brand.

 

8) In looking at the history of the colours pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which other media theorist we have studied argues this and do you agree that gender roles are in a process of constant change? Can you suggest examples to support your view?

The association of the colour blue with males and pink with females is something that stems from 19th Century France. Gauntlett says that gender can change over time which doesn't agree with the idea that these associated colours still remain the same, even after 200 years. 

9) What are the five aspects van Zoonen suggests are significant in determining the influence of the media?

• Whether the institution is commercial or public

• The platform upon which they operate (print versus digital media)

• Genre (drama versus news)

• Target audiences

• The place the media text holds within the audiences’ daily lives

10) What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?

Butler's theory of gender performance

11) Van Zoonen discusses ‘transmission models of communication’. She suggests women are oppressed by the dominant culture and therefore take in representations that do not reflect their view of the world. What other theory and idea (that we have studied recently) can this be linked to?

Stuart Hall's representation theory about how producers can alter the meaning of news shows that they can construct any representation according to the producers value links to Van Zoonen's comment because dominant cultures dictate what is and isn't portrayed in the media, not the actual people being featured.

12) Finally, van Zoonen has built on the work of bell hooks by exploring power and feminism. She suggests that power is not a binary male/female issue but reflects the “multiplicity of relations of subordination”. How does this link to bell hooks views on feminism and intersectionality?

Hooks believes that feminism should also include women of colour as the feminism movement hasn't paid much attention towards them but instead to white females. Zoonen's comment reinforces this view by stating that whilst general feminism helps bridge the gap between male and female equality, feminists should also pay attention to the issues regarding race.

Videogames: Introduction - 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?

as "damsels in distress"

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

42%

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

tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead series

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

yes because if you see yourself reflected in a text, you are more likely to be attracted to it. Therefore most if not all variations of sexuality, race and any other physical/mental attribute should be included.

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

they hired Rhianna Pratchett as the lead writer, a woman who “had a long history of working on games with complex female protagonists, such as Heavenly Sword and Mirror’s Edge”

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: All the slender ladies

100 word summary: 

Overwatch introduced a variety of male characters with different body types but when it came to the females, they included only the slender body types. In fact, all females in video games don't represent a different body type. The diversity in body size simply doesn't exist, a slender body with prominent breasts make for a typical female depiction. It's sexually appealing to the straight male player. It plays into deep cultural issues with male desire for slender, fit body types. Usually, types that aren't slender are subject to ridicule such as a fat princess. The fact that fat women aren't featured in games cements the view that they have less 'valuable' body types.


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.

"While I always expect some level of harassment when discussing gender issues online, this time it's a more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats. All the horrible backlash has just made me even more determined and committed to creating this video series. I'm also happy that all the backers and supporters of the project have been and continue to be a source of encouragement and inspiration."

- She felt that her duty to inform and educate people about the gender imbalance in gaming was mocked and that she was an extreme radical feminist

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.

3) Why do stories matter?

It might help an individual to relate and speak up about their experiences

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

She said:

I was excited to discover that Metroid's Samus Aran was a woman. But as the years passed, I realized that in many ways, 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. 

Although the protagonist was female, the end goal still sexualised the body of Samus.

"Lara Croft appeals to me and to some other women I know because she's independent and very capable, but at the same time, there's no denying that she has often been presented as a sex object."

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

With the recent addition of 'choose your gender' character creation, representing females as varied and different, a step from the norm of typical slender body types.

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

They were women of colour and they weren't sexualised at all, they played an important role in the game, not just a side role

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

gender issues - to make sure that women and men are equal in the game

race - make sure that woemn of colour are also included

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

The image of females in gaming becomes minuscule. By hiring more females to create the game, ypu already add another layer of feminine quality to that game.

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

To highlight and to provide a detailed overview of each trope while highlighting why that particular convention is a problematic representation of female characters.

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

She wants to criticise institutional sexism and how it had become so normalised in the indutrsy that it has now become the norm.

OSP Index

 1) OSP: Clay Shirky - End of Audience blog tasks

2) OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis

3) OSP: Teen Vogue - audience and representation

4) Baseline Assessment learner response

5) OSP: Teen Vogue - industry and social media

6) OSP: Gilroy - diasporic identity

7) OSP: The Voice - blog case study