Tomb Raider Anniversary: CSP blog task

Tomb Raider Anniversary: blog tasks

Language and Audience

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

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

The action adventure genre is communicated through mise-en-scene, e.g. props, such as the guns to communicate violence and "gunplay" which is commonly seen in games and films of these genres. In addition to this, the colour scheme looks ancient, similar to that of an Indiana Jones film, which has a similar plot and theme, in that the protagonist is trying to acquire an artifact of sorts. Also, the revealing clothing displays a cler indication as to who the audience is for the game, as the developers/designer are clearly trying to attract a straight male core audience.

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?
The pose of Lara Croft communicates a clear male audience due to the fact that the way Croft is positioned makes it so that you can see her breasts and behind, a position in which would evidently be difficult for anyone to stand in this position with such posture. This therefore communicates a straight male audience as Crofts assets are made such an evident feature in the game cover. The guns can be seen as phallic objects of sorts, suggesting male dominance.

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

This cover may be read as empowering as it is a female character claiming her femininity. In addition to this, the use of guns can portray her ina position of power and dominance as she has the power to take lives.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:





1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?
Some of the gameplay in TMA includes, gunplay, puzzles, platforming and problem solving.

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.
Genre: The genre is created in tomb raider through the coloursand ambience, which adds to the overall atmosphere of the gameplay. In addition to this, the gun holster and profusely large pistols suggest that she is always ready for action and is trained to kill. 

Narrative: The narrative is displayed through the advancing of eddierent levels in order to progress the storyline.

Camera Shots: The use of camera shots in the construction realy help portray a male centred core audience as the camera angles accentuate her breasts and behind quite largley, suggesting a straight male core audience.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
Some of the audience pleasures in this game are: overcoming puzzles, achieving checkpoints with a feeling of progression in the game, shooting and killing enemies and feeling as if you are getting better at the game, improving your skill level.

Audiences may play the game for diversion reasons, in order to escape their lives as live that of someone else, for personal identity, maybe the player is a female and wants to see herslef represented in a video game.

The media effect theory, "Cultivation Theory," suggets that when you surround yourself in media, you will behave in certain ways related to the media products being consumes. So some viewers therefore seeing Lara Croft in such an oversexualised manor may make men think that this is anormal way for women to dress and act, making it a norm for them, which can be potentially very damaging.
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.

• More than 1,100 magazine covers
• 58,000,000 copies worldwide

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?
The article desribes a more equal world where women seem more comfortable to call out sexism and sexual harrassment and the focus in the game is on her athleticism and intelligence, rather than her body.

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?
The '96 game was recieved well, as a lot of young girls had a role model as she was somone that young girls could look upto, as she was an intelligent and strong women doing the tasks at hand by herself.

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?
For starters the creators gave croft actual trousers, in an attempt to avoid sexualising her body and focusing on gameplay. In addition to this, there was more of an emotional connection made between the player and Croft. On top of that, there was more deptth added to the character as she was given a best friend, giving her someone else to communicate with, All of this culminated into Tomb Raiders best selling iteration of the game.

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?
Lara is defined by the lessons we can learn from her being: determinated, courageous as well as her portrayal of her physical ability.

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

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?
Croft is considered a polarising figure due to the fact that it has been unclear for years wether she is a role model or just another projection of the male gaze.

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?
The technology available in the times where the initial game was created created a limitation that meant that in order to etablish the fact that Croft was a femalle, the easy option was to oversexualise her, even if it was subconsciously done, which helped portray Croft in the way we know today.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?
A video game designer who worked on the original Tomb Raider game, said Lara Croft's physical attributes were originally played up to market the franchise.


4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?
Sarkeesian describes Croft as, "one of the most iconic representations of women in gaming." She says that this is due to the hyper sexualisation of her character, which promotes a deep objectification of women overall.

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

Lara Crofts appearance has changes overtime to not only seem more realistic, but more achievable to the players, as if young and impressionable player are continuously seeing this image of Lara Croft with large breasts, it can create the idea that all women should look like this in the eyes of the younger players.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?
Lara Croft is one of the most influential and iconic figures in the gaming industry due to the fact that she was one of the only female protagonists at the time, automatically giving her a lot of attention, partially leading to her worldwide success.

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?
Some of the products include, sequels, feature films with Hollywood actors, mobile spin off games.

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?
This is due to the fact that there are people doing cosplays and going to events dressed up as Lara Croft, therefore blurring the lines between fiction and reality, which is one way to look at what post modernism is.

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?
This is due to the fact that the company that now created and owns the rights to Tomb Raider, Square Enix, is involvedin multiple things, other than Tomb Raider, some of which including anime on the Japanese Film industry.

LR of the 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).

EBI: Learn the CSPS more and the theorists 
WWW: both cps were talk were about 

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 3 answer - the i newspaper standing for "quality, clarity and independence".

Q3:

• Launched by Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev so question marks over true independence.
• Selection of stories, despite the main story on 21 September, still contains a lot of weak, Metro-style soft news (e.g. animal stories, celebrity or Royal news). The Independent famously refused to cover Royal stories but the i does cover Meghan Markle in this edition so therefore has a softer line.

3) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 4 answer - arguments against statutory regulation of the newspaper industry.

Q4:

• Newspapers must be free to pursue investigative journalism – Clay Shirky describes news as a “social good” that is so vital to democracy.
• The i already stands for “quality, clarity and independence” – if it is failing to do this, the pluralist media marketplace will see audiences go elsewhere. Government regulation should not be required.
• IPSO is more powerful than the PCC and can fine newspapers and order them to print corrections or apologies on the front page. The Daily Mail has been forced to do this on several occasions, for example following a story regarding an Iraqi man’s compensation claim.

4) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your Question 5 answer - whether the pluralist model allows the newspaper industry to operate effectively.

Q5:

• In terms of ‘a variety of values and ideologies’, the Daily Mail promotes a strongly rightwing, anti-immigration, pro-Brexit line (although this has softened somewhat recently with the appointment of Geordie Greig to replace Paul Dacre)... 
• This decline in quality threatens the future of the newspaper industry – in no way could it be argued to be ‘operating effectively’. We are now in the era of ‘fake news’ with trust in journalism falling and audiences largely unwilling to pay for news.
• In terms of ‘a variety of values and ideologies’, the Daily Mail promotes a strongly rightwing,...

News index

1. Mail online 09/18

2. Mail online 10/18
3. Mail online 10/18
4. The I news 10/18
5. Mail online 10/18
6. The I news 10/18
7. The mail online 10/18
8. The I news 10/18
9. Teen Vogue 11/18
10. The Voice 11/18
11. The Voice 12/18
12. Teen Vogue 12/18
13. Mail online 12/18
14. The voice 12/18
15. Teen vogue 12/18
16. The voice 12/18
17. Teen Vogue 01/19
18. Teen vogue 01/19

Further feminist theory

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

Feminism is focused on highlighting the power and suppressive nature of the patriarchy.

Intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination.

Patriarchy is male dominance over society in this situation, and feminists see this as a limitation to women receiving the same treatment and benefits as their male counterparts. 

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

She had published her book due to a lack of diversity within the female movement and argued that these diverse voices had been marginalized, being outside the main body of feminism. 

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

She challenged feminists to focus on gender's relations to sex, race, class, and intersectionality. She argues that male inclusion within the movement is vital and encourages men to do their part. 


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

Intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination.

bell argues that experiences of class, gender, sexuality cannot be completely understood if the influences of racialization are not considered. hooks argue that understanding this is vital to gaining political and social equality.

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

She concludes that there is a strong relationship between gender and communication. She believes the mass media has so much power in the media world that they influence and cause gender differentiation.  


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?

Judith Butler believes that gender is a construct. The belief of this stems from the media and advertising planting the idea in peoples minds that certain genders like a certain type of color or product. Gender is seen as always changing and can adapt in different ways.
7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

Some women argue that women's magazines are commercial devices that exaggerate the appeal of women and their femininity. They believe that these unachievable bodies drive down self-esteem. The argument is that women believe is that magazines tell them 'how to be the perfect mother, lover, wife, homemaker, glamour accessory, secretary- whatever suits the needs of the system'.  

8) In looking at the history of the colors pink and blue, van Zoonen suggests ideas gender ideas can evolve over time. Which another 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?

Colors suggest what gender a child is and a child is shown from birth what type of color they must like such as pink being female and blue being male. The idea of gender changing is very complex but I believe that it can change as the ideas fo this has changed as the rise of feminism has come to be. 


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

Van Zoonen argues that the influence of the media is dependent on:
• 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?

Stuart Hall's reception theory  


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?

One idea that this can be linked to is women in video games as between the beginning of the video game culture till the recent 2000's women have been shown to be a sex object or prize that men must achieve to help rescue or help. Games that featured women still had minimal clothing such as Lara Croft, Aloy, and most Street Fighter characters. Women in video games recently have seen a rise in popularity with leading protagonists such as Ellie from the Last of Us and Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross in the Uncharted series. 

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?

Van Zoonen considers power as a key element of feminist thought and suggests that it is used or is evident in the following ways:

• As a non-issue when it is emphasized that women are a disadvantaged, minority group that needs equality and rights more than they need
  power.
• Something an individual possesses, for example, the power to criticize men or a group of men for the power they have over women.
• As an offspring of material conditions, when economic power relations of capitalism are named as the cause of women’s oppression.

Women in video games

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

The way that women are traditionally represented in videogames are that they are objectified such as Lara Croft. Most female characters in videogames are their for male pleasure or in terms of story lines they are kidnapped which shows the sexism, heteronormativity, and misrepresentation

2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?
The percentage of the video game audience that is female is 42%. This is showing that the times have changed and the video game industry cannot survive with just targeting male gamers.


3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?
The recent games that have signalled a change in the industry is Tomb Raider, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and The Walking Dead. All of these games have a female protagonist who have different qualities. Some of the qualities that they possess are strong, independent, intelligent, willful and compassionate.


4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?
I would agree that the audiences are rejecting media products if they feel they are misinterpreted within them because they don't want to play games where their gender is represented badly and wrongly. They dont want to be seen as sex objects. They want to be seen as having positive representations of their gender which means they will enjoy playing the game and the gaming industry wont loose sales.

5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?
The writer suggests the things that have changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft are that they are trying to create a protagonist that the players can identify with compared to looking at her stereotypes such as having less flesh revealed. The person that she credits for this development is a person called Rhianna Pratchett who studies women in video games and their representations who taken over of creating the news Lara Croft.

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: Body Language and The Male Gaze

100 word summary:
This video is about movement and how they generate stereotypes such as sitting walking. Such as in Destiny when the women sits down in a crouch position. The camera angles, costume and poses are used to sexualise the female characters. The way they are walking doesn't really represent the part that the female character is playing. This is all for the male gaze and the pleasure for the males when they are interacting with the character or playing the game.

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.
Some of the reactions that she received when she published her videos online about women in videogames is that she got a lot of harassment when discussing gender issues online, this time it's a more extreme and sustained torrent of sexism, hate, and threats. 

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?
The way that Sarkeesian summarise feminism is, she says that Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings. It's about working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically.

3) Why do stories matter?
Stories matter because narratives have always been a core way human beings learn about, make sense of, and understand the world we live in. Stories have embedded myths and messages and can be carriers of positive, heroic, or subversive values, but they can also propagate or reinforce negative stereotypes and oppressive social norms. "The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms."


4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?
Sarkeesian views Samus Aran and Lara Croft as postive characters and negative characters. She likes them because they are both protagonists in their respective games and are taking the lead which is a very encouraging thing to see. But, on the other hand the negatives are that they are represented negatively and are being sexualised and objectified for the pleasure for the male audience. 


5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?
The videogame landscape has changed with regards to the representations of women and hit has improved over the years as there are more females who are protagonists. But there are negatives because gaming developers have gone back to their old ways by producing games from the past with the same themes of harassment on women and them being objectified and sexualised and the female representations are at the expense of male pleasure and the representations are quite negative.


6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?
Mirror's Edge and Portal are held up as examples of more progressive representations of women because both characters are women of colour, and both serve as the protagonists of their own games without being overly sexualised or objectified, which may be partially due to the first-person perspective.

7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?
The qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters are: protagonists with agency not tied directly to their sex appeal; transformative story arcs where characters are struggling with or overcoming personal flaws; and some emotional depth and expression.

8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?
The impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated is huge because there are not that many women so when narratives, male and female characters are created it is coming from the male perspective, so that is why they are being sexualised. So thy need to get more females in the gaming industry so that the female representations change and when female characters are created, a female perspective is taken so that a positive representation is formed.

9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?
The things that Sarkeesian hopes to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series is she wants to promote media literacy and give people some tools to look critically at the games we play. She wants to  clearly present the issues surrounding women's representations as a systemic problem by identifying reoccuring patterns. She wants complex female characters because it will make games and gaming better overall, more diverse, and more innovative. Finally she wants this series to serve as a piece of the larger ongoing conversation already happening elsewhere about women in games.

10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?
Some of the media debates that Sarkeesian hoped to spark with her video series is the reoccurring patterns of the representations of women in videogames, why people refuse to use certain media products because they are represented in it badly which effects there sales and how more females should work in the gaming industry to solve this problem.

Weekly news The Voice

The Voice

Meet The Councillor Helping The Homeless
https://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/meet-councillor-helping-homeless



This is an example of hard news. The article talks about how the councillor Sharon Thompson is working with taskforce to ensure the safety of rough sleepers over the cold winter months. She has gathered resources from the public, private and voluntary sectors to help safeguard the homeless.

This would appeal to the target audience as they might sympathize and want to contribute to helping the less fortunate during the cold season. This article would reinforce the values and ideologies of The Voice which the audience are likely to agree and respond positively with.

Weekly news Teen Vogue

ASOS' Best-Selling Styles of 2018
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/asos-best-selling-styles-2018



This is an example of soft news as it doesn't contain any useful information that may effect the audience. This article summaries the best selling outfits that ASOS sold during 2018. The article then lists different clothing pieces which are paired with statistics about their sales.

This would appeal to a young Teen Vogue audience as they're likely to be interested in fashion and want to hear about all the latest outfits that the popular, online store has to offer.