Nintendo: Keeping Women in the Kitchen

Last weekend I went into an EB Games store looking to purchase a Nintendo DS. While I was waiting for the sales assistant to get consoles to show me I had a look through the collection of games available for play on a DS. I was surprised to see the number of games reinforcing gender stereotypes, with games that were blatantly targeted at females being things like planning weddings, clothing and make-up, and traditionally feminine occupations like figure skating, teaching, and being a housewife. All such games featured cheery female characters on the cover, appearing to be satisfied in their feminine roles.

The above comic addresses Nintendo's ‘Cooking Mama’ series, which includes the original ‘Cooking Mama’ game, several sequels to ‘Cooking Mama’ and ‘Gardening Mama’, all keeping women firmly within the household.

Bertozzi suggests in her article 'You Play Like a Girl! Cross-Gender Competition and the Uneven Playing Field' that the games targeted at females are one of the reasons so few females are as avid gamers as males. The game store’s collection definitely supports her view. Though there are a few positive representations, such as females as journalists, the majority of Nintendo's collection appears to be encouraging females to play games that keep them within traditional gender roles and leave the more complex, action games to the boys.

Furthering my disappointment in Nintendo, as I dug up more information on their games for DS I found out that the first and second generation Pokémon games, one of Nintendo’s most successful games series, only give the option to play as a male avatar. I'm glad that Nintendo saw some sense and the newer Pokémon games offer the option to play as a female trainer.

Despite Nintendo DS games reinforcing gender stereotypes, and my disappointment in them doing so, I still purchased the DS, though not with the games Nintendo seems to want me to play. I’ve always felt that Nintendo have targeted females more than Microsoft or Sony have with their gaming consoles and games, which I thought might have been a positive move to get females into gaming. However, now I’m not so sure that’s a good thing after seeing the kinds of games they’re trying to sell to girls. I should hope that Nintendo take Bertozzi’s advice and create ‘powerful’ female representations in games that females play, so as to create an equal playing field for males and females in our technological world.

Apparently video games can save the world...

I was listening to an episode of the Guardian's Tech Weekly podcast last night and the final item was an interview with a games designer, Jane McGonigal, who seems to believe genuinely that the key to "saving the planet" lies with video games. I'm personally very averse to her whole perspective: it creeps me out, actually. But she is getting a lot of exposure, including a slot earlier this year on the TED Talk circuit. Whether you watch the video or listen to the last part of the podcast, I'd be really interested to hear your views on all this... especially if you can give me some reasons to tone down my cynicism and distaste for the views expressed by McGonigal!

Facebook - The Future of Gaming?

Casual browser based gaming has become more widespread and normal thanks to Social networking sites such as Facebook. I recall when I was in college, playing browser based games seemed kinda "geeky" if you will; of course the Internet was fairly new around that point in time and not everyone at school had it, and if you did, you were often on a horrendous 56K dial up connection.

Now with the easy access to broadband Internet, more faster paced games could take place. Giving rise to Mega Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games or MMORPG's for short, and since these games required multiple players, social networking sites could be seen as a no-brainer move. I'd actually go out on a limb here and predict that as long as Facebook stays around, game developers will shift their resources into the online arena. Not only will there be more people playing their games, but the revenues will be higher and a more constant stream.

Think of it this way, say EA (a major game developer) puts out a game similar to Farmville (hypothetically speaking), the game will require time to develop for various platforms it is to be sold on (such as PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, etc...), after that, it will require money to market the game, it will need to be distributed internationally via freight of some sort and if it's lucky, the game may have a [physical] shelf life of maybe a couple of years and then after that, it will cease to make money for EA. Compare this to actual Farmville, developed for one platform (Facebook, though it could be on other SNS that I'm unaware of), marketing is done pretty much through word of mouth via Facebook, distribution is via Internet and doesn't take space on a shelf, so it will be around indefinitely (or as long as Facebook retains its user base), continuous updates can be made to the game to take advantage of real world changes, promotions and the like. Therefore, the game can continue to bring in money for the developer more long term.

In fact, according to Gamepro, many big names in the console/PC gaming industry such as Sid Meier are expressing interest in exploiting this potential lucrative market. Just as Napstar, Kazaa, p2p file sharing & Apple iPods & iTunes have changed and shifted the music industry complicating the financial survival of physical stores such as Real Groovy, the same could happen to game developers such as Take Two Interactive, EA Games & Activision thanks to Facebook.

Facebook: The Ultimate Social Networking Site

Facebook since its inception has revolutionized the landscape which is social networking. It is arguably at the forefront of a consumer driven force whose sole purpose is to connect with friends and relatives whom are scattered across the globe. It has ultimately turned Mark Zuckerberg, its founder, into a household name and also has made him one of if not the youngest multi-billionaires in the world.

Facebook's main purpose is that of virtual social interaction and also that of social sharing i.e. that sharing of photos and videos. It allows users to update a variety of information unique to the individual which in-turn sets them apart from others whom they are associated with.

What I find fascinating and comforting about Facebook the most is the option to make everything you share private and only available to a select group of people of your choosing. This is what, in my opinion, sets it apart from other social networking sites. Although other social networking sites such as Bebo and Myspace do give users this choice it is not to the varying extent that Facebook does which, in my opinion, makes it appealing to a wider demographic.

Unlike a lot of other social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook attracts a sub-culture of gamers by allowing users of the site access to a variety of applications which not only allow users to play out various scenarios but also allow users to at the same time to communicate and work with their friends and relatives to progress to varying levels which leads to the unlocking of specialized items only available to people who do so. Farmville, a Facebook application, without a doubt has become a phenomenom of sorts as it gives users the chance to awaken their creative side by creating and managing a virtual farm capable of growing crops, nurturing farm animals and also to build buildings which come in handy at various points throughout the applications progression. It is the vast multitude of options that has given this application a massive pop-culture status and continues to grow in terms of content and user subscription.

As our society has and is becoming increasingly immersed in media culture, it is the products of this media culture i.e. celebs, films that are taking advantage of this particular social networking sites popularity to promote themselves and as a result gain mass followings which ultimately leads to the explosion of their popularity and also to our familiarity with the products which they are promoting. Various fan pages and pages linked with familar products in the media also allows users of Facebook chances to enter a variety of competitions, some carying with them massive prizes and also keys users in on information linked to events that are happening around the globe.

On the flipside, like many things out there, Facebook has had its up and downs namely to do with the sites claim to ownership over users personal information and photos which was later retracted after a massive outcry from its users. Like other social networking sites out there Facebook is never going to be safe from hackers but it is our responsibility as users of this site to prevent this from happening by insuring that our personal information, log in names and passwords, are not shared with anyone we done not trust and also that we insure that our profiles privacy settings are set to the right levels.

By Kyle Redpath
18/09/2010

Kill or Be Killed: Negative Representations of Males in Video Games

The 21st century, although in its early stages, has given birth to a new era of gaming where players are immersed in story lines saturated with graphic violence, sexual content and offensive language.

It is these story lines that we the gamer find ourselves addicted to as they are vehicles for which we can participate in acts which would certainly not be accepted in mainstream society.

We find ourselves sucked into a virtual world governed by its own rules and regulations and as a result leave the digital world having witnessed and/ or accrued labels and stereotypes not befitting to our real selves but rather to the gender groups to which we belong.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has certainly opened up a big can of worms in the sense that it adheres to everything I have touched on so far but also may be considered in a positive light in that it also gives us things to ponder and critically analyze that we may have not done so previously.

Yes, the female is portrayed negatively, for example as a crack head, as seen by my recent experience when playing Grand Theft Auto IV where I had to fetch a female characters coke back from an abandoned hospital. But it is the decisions I made and the actions I had to take in this mission which made be think that females weren't the only ones being portrayed in a negative light in the virtual world in general. Males to, whether some like to admit it or not, are equally if not on a larger scale portrayed negatively as well.

Hell, the male character I was playing had to kill about 30 people and outrun a 3 star wanted rating to even complete the mission while also having to steal numerous cars violently throwing its occupants from them to acquire them.

If that doesn't constitute a negative representation of a male then I don't know what does. What this blog has tried to make readers understand is that although it is the negative representation of females that we largely pay closer attention to, the negative representations of males do deserve as much attention and analysis than ever because if we the gamer go on ignoring it any longer it could spiral out of control to depths which it may not recover.

BY KYLE REDPATH

DATE: 02/08/2010

Gender barriers in video games - A core issue

Image source: Author screen capture

More females are playing games than ever before, but they aren't necessarily playing the same games as males. Is this a problem?

More female video gamers means that more females are engaging with new media technology. In this sense, the gender split between casual and core games should not matter, so long as players feel comfortable playing the games that they want to play.

Whether your personal preference is for the social, easy to learn gameplay of Farmville or the complex strategy-based warfare of Starcraft, if you're female and you're engaging with the technology, then more power to you.

 In reality, the casual-core split does matter. Problems arise when females encounter barriers that stop them from playing certain video games.

At a workshop in 2005, game designer Sheri Graner Ray was shocked to discover that the group of female game developers she was speaking to had never played the five games that she had selected to discuss. All five games were critically acclaimed best sellers. All five featured male avatars and were played mostly by males.

Once the women played the games, they thoroughly enjoyed them. It wasn't the gameplay that had prevented them from enjoying Warcraft (a real-time strategy game) or Halo (a first-person shooter). There were other gender-related barriers that had prevented them from playing the games.

Female gamers may now be more common, but gender inequality prevents them from having equal access to core games. If players encounter a gender issue (hypersexualised characters, lack of female characters, hostile cross-gender play) that makes them uncomfortable playing a game, they may be prevented from experiencing gameplay that they would otherwise enjoy.

Moreover, if this inequality prevents females from gaining the skills required to use the digital technologies that are becoming increasingly important for work and play, the stakes are much higher.

Elena Bertozzi's recommendations make an excellent starting point for changing gender inequality (see the week 3 tutorial reading). Whether we see her suggestions incorporated into male dominated core titles is another matter entirely.

Technoculture is gender-neutral!...or is it?

They say technology is gendered, a man dominates not only the Technoculture world but some may suggest that they have dominated many other aspects of our world all together. Is this true? this can become a lengthy debate one that may ruffle a few feathers. However we cannot dismiss cyberfeminism which argues that females are not disadvantaged or marginalized in relation to new media.

Royse et al's study did find that females are less likely to buy games more directed towards the female base, therefore females game buyers did not go out of their way to buy a "girly" game, this may possibly be due to the fact that females do not want to be viewed as any different to any other gamer whatever gender they may be, a game centered around pink backgrounds and saving the stranded kittens may not seem any more amusing to the female base than any other player above the age of ten, however this can also be up for debate.

Lets take gaming as an example and the negative stereotypes attached to the female "character" so is it true when people say that "sex sells" many may agree and many feminists may root for it, is it possible that technology is so gendered towards the male audience, that using women as sexual objects no longer seems strange? This may need a lot of research and until one has all the facts we cannot fully argue whether technology is or is not gendered, many assumptions do not make facts but this is a starting point.