COP2 Studio Brief 3

COP3 Proposal

Achievement Unlocked! - Are Video Games Sexist?

An investigation into objectification, hyper-sexualisation and the ‘male gaze’ in video games and the video game industry

Section 1: Research Question

Achievement Unlocked! - Are Video Games Sexist?

An investigation into objectification, hyper-sexualisation and the ‘male gaze’ in video games and the video game industry relating to COP3 themes: technology, society, culture, aesthetics with a focus on: gender

Ontology: My COP3 module will explore the representation of women in the video game industry. I want to investigate the link between hyper-sexualised and objectified female characters in video games and the disproportionately low number of women working in the industry. I also want to investigate the effect this may have on gamers, particularly adolescent males.

Epistemology: I will carry out first-hand research with the gaming community and look at up-todate statistics and studies. I will read texts on feminist theory, sociology and aesthetics to solidify my research and form links to other visual media, such as film, music and modern art.

Methodology: Alongside my dissertation, I will produce a body of practical research which explores character design and narrative within video games. I will look at costume and armour, character archetypes and whether the aims of a game’s designer align with the expectations of the consumer/player.

Section 2: Context and Themes

Why does sexism persist in the video games industry? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27824701

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/family/playingvideo-games-can-lead-sexist-attitudes-study/

Section 2: Context and Themes

Average gamer is 31 years old 48% of gamers are female 71% of gamers are 18 or older 53% of gamers play games on their smartphones Source: Entertainment Software Association

Section 2: Context and Themes

Why does sexism persist in the video games industry? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27824701

Section 2: Context and Themes

The male gaze is the way in which the visual arts and literature depict the world and women from a masculine point of view, presenting women as objects of male pleasure. The phrase male gaze was coined by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey in 1975.

Mulvey, L. (1975) 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', in Braudy, L and Cohen, M. eds (1999) 'Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, NY: Oxford UP pp. 833-44.

Section 2: Context and Themes

Several feminist writers have criticised the films of Alfred Hitchcock, claiming his portrayal of female characters was misogynistic. Others argue this point, suggesting he was ambivalent or sympathetic towards women. Different perceptions of the treatment of female characters in Hitchcock’s most celebrated films makes for an interesting critical study.

See: Modleski, T. (2005) ‘The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock And Feminist Theory’, 2nd ed., Routledge.

Jacobowitz, F. (2011) ‘A Feminist Reading of Hitchcock’s Marnie’, chapter 24 of ‘A Companion to Alfred Hitchcock’ by Leitch, T and Leland P (eds), Blackwell Publishing.

Bidisha, (2012) ‘What’s Wrong With Hitchcock’s Women’, The Guardian Online, accessed 29 April 2015, <https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/21/ alfred-hitchcock-women-psycho-the-birds-bidisha>.

Section 2: Context and Themes

Mulvey uses Freudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas about the ego / libido to explain that the male spectator sees himself in the protagonist of the film, while the passive female character satisfies his libido.

This theory can be applied to video games: in which the player sees themselves in their on-screen avatar, and the female NPCs (non-player characters) are there to provide visual pleasure - both to the onscreen avatar and the player themselves.

Section 2: Context and Themes

Storey, J. (2008) Cultural Theory and Popular Culture', 5th ed, London: Pearson.

Specifically the chapters on psychoanalysis and fantasy, gender and sexuality.

I will also research post-structualist criticisms of ‘binary opposites’ such as prescence:abscence, male:female, western:eastern, white:black, active:passive - and how a generally accepted preference for one over the other can affect a society - as well as having an affect on film, literature and popular culture (including video games).

The preferred side’s dominance relies on the second side’s passivity and ‘knowing their place’. If females in video games are expected to look sexually attractive, act submissively and rely on the protagonist as their saviour, it creates a vicious circle in which games developers continue to design female characters in this way.

It was mentioned in a COP2 lecture - but so far I’m having trouble finding the source, and the theories are very complicated. However, I want to explore the questions: Does a rise in female gamers reduce this phenomena and force games designers to start creating female characters that appeal to women too?

Does a rise in female characters which appeal to female gamers result in a rise in women who play video games?

Section 3: Case Studies

Ridiculous Armour for Female Characters?

Above left: Male and female armour in Mass Effect 2 - the armour is stylised to suit each gender without being revealing or impractical.

Right: This image from World of Warcraft shows an armour which clearly exposes the character’s chest, neck and navel: not what I’d want to wear into battle, thank you very much!!!!

Sources specifically related to video games: Criticism of revealing fantasy armour on female video game, film and TV characters: Consell, R. (2011), ‘Fantasy Armour and Lady Bits’, Mad Art Lab, accessed 29 April 2017, < http://madartlab.com/fantasy-armor-and-lady-bits/>.

Analysis of the argument ‘women’s bodies are weaker than men’s’ and a discussion about realism in video games: Chambers, B. (2012) ‘For Anyone Still Wondering, Yes, Women Can Wear Full Armor, Too’, The Mary Sue, accessed 29 April 2017, < https:// www.themarysue.com/for-anyone-still-wondering-yes-woman-can-wear-full-armor-too/>.

Section 3: Case Studies

Atari’s The Witcher (2007) allowed users to collect ‘sexcards’, a sort of trading card given to the player after a sexual encounter with a female NPC. The player is encouraged to collect these cards throughout the game. Is reducing the female characters to these collectable trophies objectification?

Later versions of The Witcher do not include these ‘sexcards’, and The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 have been praised for their well-developed female characters and tasteful portrayal of sex.

Info: Cards: http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Romance_card Sex scenes and character development in The Witcher 3: https:// www.vice.com/en_uk/article/writing-sex-scenes-for-the-witcher-3-was-moreabout-character-than-carnal-kicks-145 Counter-argument: in which a gamer prefers the ‘sexcards' over the later sex scenes: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/hfcl3/ witcher_2_what_kind_of_a_world_calls_the_artistic/ ‘Subtle Sexism: Analysing The Witcher’ a feminist opinion: http:// feministing.com/2008/12/10/subtle_sexism_analyzing_the_wi/

Section 3: Case Studies

I could also look at modders - people who make unofficial modifications to popular video games. Many of these appeal to the male libido - such as adding new, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sexyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; characters or removing the clothes of female NPCs. The popularity of these mods shows that there is a market among video game players for sexual content. The majority of these mods appeal only to the straight male libido (although some sexualise male NPCs too!)

Section 4: Reflective Practice

Practical Experimentation Ideas: I want to conduct interviews to find out the opinion of people who play a lot of games - I could use online forums to find a wide range of ages and backgrounds for a more useful set of results.

I’d ask questions about their on-screen avatar (for games where it’s possible to play as either gender), their opinion on sex in video games, whether they have ever felt uncomfortable about a script/storyline… etc.

I’d like to work on some character designs - perhaps adapting existing female characters from video games, with a focus on practical armour.

I want to challenge the archetypes of ‘damsel in distress’ or ‘ultimate warrior’ - which are often assigned to female characters - and explore more complex roles. I could make character case studies and compare female characters from different games to their male counterparts.

I could also make some short comic strips to express my ideas and criticisms in a humorous and light-hearted way.

I’m keen to avoid the style of ‘fan art’ and ‘fantasy art’, and work to develop my own visual language and technical skills and find a way of working which is unique and marketable.

Purpose: At the end of my COP3 module, I hope to have produced a complete portfolio of character designs (perhaps distributed through mini comics, posters, prints and zines) which I could use to help me find work in character design after graduation!