question archive Have you ever been appalled or affected by the level of violence, misogyny, or racism in a video game you played (or watched being played)? What was the game narrative and what made it problematic? Most electronic games produced have a white, male, heterosexual point of view
Have you ever been appalled or affected by the level of violence, misogyny, or racism in a video game you played (or watched being played)? What was the game narrative and what made it problematic? Most electronic games produced have a white, male, heterosexual point of view
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- Have you ever been appalled or affected by the level of violence, misogyny, or racism in a video game you played (or watched being played)? What was the game narrative and what made it problematic?
- Most electronic games produced have a white, male, heterosexual point of view. Why is that? If you were a game developer, what kinds of game narratives would you like to see developed?
- To what extent are video game addiction and violent and misogynistic representations problems for the gaming industry?
CHAPTER 3 Digital Gaming and the Media Playground Advances in Virtual Reality Technology • In 2014, Facebook bought the virtual reality company, Oculus VR, which promises “total immersion” into a 3D virtual world. • Oculus, along with competitor products, may become a leading interface for transactions in the media business. The Development of Digital Gaming • Industrial Revolution • Promoted mass consumption • Emergence of leisure time • Digital games • Evolved from their simplest forms in the arcade into four major formats: television, handheld devices, computers, and the Internet Mechanical Gaming • Coin-operated counter machines • First appeared in train depots, hotel lobbies, bars, and restaurants • Penny arcade • Helped shape future media technology • Automated phonographs → jukebox • Kinetoscope → movies • Bagatelle → pinball machine The First Video Games (1 of 2) • Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device • Key component of the first video games: the cathode ray tube (CRT) • Odyssey • First home television game • Modern arcades • Gathered multiple coin-operated games together The First Video Games (2 of 2) • Atari • Created Pong • Kept score on the screen • Made blip noises when the ball hit the paddles or bounced off the sides of the court • First video game popular in arcades • Home version was marketed through an exclusive deal with Sears. Arcades and Classic Games • Late 1970s and early 1980s • Games like Asteroids, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong were popular in arcades and bars. • Signaled electronic gaming’s potential as a social medium • Gaming included the use of joysticks and buttons. • Pac-Man featured the first avatar. Consoles and Advancing Graphics (1 of 2) • Consoles • Devices specifically used to play video games • The higher the bit rating, the more sophisticated the graphics • Early consoles • Atari 2600 (1977) • Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) • Sega Genesis (1989) Consoles and Advancing Graphics (2 of 2) • Major home console makers • Nintendo • Wii • Microsoft • Xbox and Kinect • Sony • Playstation series • Not every popular game is available on all three platforms. Gaming on Home Computers • Advantages over early consoles • Greater versatility • Faster processing speeds • Better graphics • Resurgence in PC gaming • Free-to-play games • Subscription games • Social media games The Internet Transforms Gaming • Online connections are now a normal part of console games. • Made live online multiplayer play possible • Enabled the spread of video games to converged devices • Paved the way for social gaming, virtual worlds, and massively multiplayer online games MMORPGs, Virtual Worlds, and Social Gaming • Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) • Set in virtual worlds • Large groups of players • Online fantasy sports games • Actual sports results determine scores in their online games. • Popular in social networking sites Convergence: From Consoles to Mobile Gaming • Consoles become entertainment centers • Multiple forms of media converging in a single device • Portable players and mobile gaming • Portable devices are facing competition from smartphones and touchscreen tablets Video Game Genres • Electronic Software Association organizes games by gameplay. • Action games and shooter games • Adventure games • Role-playing games • Strategy and simulation games • Casual games • Sports, music, and dance games Figure 3.1: Top Video Game Genres by Units Sold, 2014 Communities of Play: Inside the Game • Two basic types of groups • PUGs (Pick-Up Groups) • Elite players • Noobs • Ninjas • Trolls • Guilds or clans • Players communicate through voice and text. Communities of Play: Outside the Game • Collective intelligence • Gamers sharing their knowledge and ideas • Modding • Game sites • GameSpot.com, Penny-arcade.com • Conventions • E3, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), Blizzcon, and the Tokyo Game Show Electronic Gaming and Media Culture • Fantasy league sports have spawned a number of draft specials on ESPN and a regular podcast on ESPN radio. • Electronic games have inspired movies, and video game spin-offs are common for blockbusters. • Comic books and animation have also inspired video games. Electronic Gaming and Advertising • Advergames • Video games created for purely promotional purposes • In-game advertisements • Ads integrated as billboards, logos, storefronts, etc., within games • Some can be altered remotely so they can be tailored to players based on numerous factors. Addiction and Other Concerns (1 of 2) • Addiction • Associated with an increased incidence of depression, social phobias, and increased anxiety • More likely to affect males • Games are often addictive by design, with elaborative achievement systems. Addiction and Other Concerns (2 of 2) • Violence • Most games involving combat are intentionally violent. • Concern over personality traits of certain types of players • Misogyny • Games such as Grand Theft Auto 5 • May be due to the male insularity of the game development industry Regulating Gaming • Death Race (1976) • First public outcry over violence in electronic gaming • Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) • Labels games based on sexual and violent content • Categories: EC, E, E 10+, T, M 17+, and AO The Future of Gaming and Interactive Environments • Gaming technology will become more immersive and portable. • Gamification • Embedding of interactive game experiences to bring competition and rewards to workforce training, classrooms, social causes, and everyday business processes The Ownership and Organization of Digital Gaming • Console makers • Major players are Nintendo (Wii), Sony (PlayStation), and Microsoft (Xbox). • Game publishers • Console makers (in some cases) • More often independent companies • Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts • New major publishers King and Rovio The Structure of Digital Game Publishing • Development • Designing, coding, scoring, and testing a game • Licensing • Royalties to console manufacturers • Intellectual properties • Marketing • Often exceeds development costs Figure 3.2: Where the Money Goes on a $60 Video Game Selling Digital Games (1 of 2) • Pay models • Boxed game/retail model • Subscription model • Free-to-play (freemium) • Video game stores • Department stores • GameStop Selling Digital Games (2 of 2) • Digital distribution • Each major console has its own digital store. • Digital download sites • Steam • GameStop • Origin • GameFly • Mobile devices • Apple’s App Store and Google Play Alternative Voices • Mobile gaming has provided an entry point for independent game developers. • Cost of entry has decreased substantially. • Time and money are still needed. • Kickstarter • Gameifesto Digital Gaming, Free Speech, and Democracy • ESRB ratings do not have the force of law. • California tried to legally prohibit the sale of M-rated games to minors. • Supreme Court granted electronic games First Amendment free speech protections. • Will not make the rating system go away
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1) Have you ever been appalled or affected by the level of violence, misogyny, or racism in a video game you played (or watched being played)? What was the game narrative and what made it problematic?
On a personal note, I am not usually affected by the content of video games I have previously played. Like most people, I play with a purpose to finish or win a game. The underlying themes of violence, racism or misogyny are so normalized that I do not necessarily think about it as I go through the entire gameplay. One game in particular that comes to mind thinking about these types of content is the Grand Theft Auto franchise. The premise of the game in itself is already controversial - stealing cars and committing felonies. Moreover, they feature a lot of scantily dressed women, some even in the role of prostitutes, that are placed in the game purely to satisfy the male gaze.
2) Most electronic games produced have a white, male, heterosexual point of view. Why is that? If you were a game developer, what kinds of game narratives would you like to see developed?
Video games are produced from the point of view of men as these are deliberately marketed to appeal to their supposed main consumers. Games are integrated with the interests of men to reinforce masculine perceptions. This is rooted to the beginnings of the industry that set traditional gender roles through early arcade games with hunting or racing themes branded as a hobby or pastime for boys and young men; as such, gender bias has persisted throughout the years that video games are masculine (Drenten et al., 2019). As video games evolve in the future, I would like to push for inclusion of minority groups through the form of gender or racial representation in the narratives of the game since these reflect real-life and not some sort of constructed world.
3) To what extent are video game addiction and violent and misogynistic representations problems for the gaming industry?
Video games are affecting players negatively, especially the youth who are more vulnerable to violent themes and are more likely to adapt to their experiences. A study conducted on university students regarding the effects of video games on aggression have shown that this behavior increases over time through long-term and cumulative violent game play (Hasan et al., 2013). Those who consume a lot of video games develop changes in behavior patterns. In a study to determine the relation between video games and body satisfaction, it was determined that women do experience self-objectivation when exposed to sexualized characters in a game (Skowronski et al., 2021). Misogynistic representation in games has led to the objectification of women and changes of people’s perception of body image.
