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