Tag Archives: games

Being a gamer

During the past week, we’ve talked a lot about video games and one reading particular got me thinking. “Do You Identify as a Gamer?: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity,” by Adrienne Shaw, talked a lot about the gamer identity and how people perceived themselves in that sense. Shaw interviewed a diverse group of people, asking them if they considered themselves “gamers” and then asking their reasoning for their answer. During this, Shaw made an interesting find. On page 34 of the article Shaw notes “Although race, sexuality, age, and platform shaped people’s relationship with gaming,
these did not determine whether they identified as gamers.”

That quote prompted me to add a critical question to the discussion: “What do you feel are the qualities/traits that make someone a gamer?” This brought up many different answers but the more I thought about my own question, the more I came to realize that it isn’t an answerable question (at least not in my opinion). Being a “gamer” shouldn’t have some standard definition. Once we start doing that, we start excluding people, and even if the group is very small, that’s still exclusive. Think of it this way, if we go off Shaw’s article and determine that the traits noted above don’t play a part in determining if someone’s a “gamer”, then the next thing we hop down to is type of games being played.

If we set more competitive and triple AAA titles to be the standard games of a “gamer”, then suddenly we alienate those who play “casual” or mobile games. People who play games on their phone (which it’s worth noting that those games are becoming more and more complex so that stigma against mobile should just disappear as it’s pointless) and those who play browser based games aren’t allowed to call themselves “gamers” if we set those standards. And we shouldn’t be allowed to tell someone “No, you aren’t a gamer.” if they feel they are one.

If we abandon game type, and instead go to time playing games, we run the risk of achieving the same alienation. If we set a certain number of hours a week as the standard of being a “gamer” , than anyone who falls under it can’t be considered a “gamer” in the eyes of the gaming community. If someone plays Halo 25 hours a week, and I play Skyrim 5 hours a week, I’m considered less of a “gamer” or not even one by time standards. And again, it’s ridiculous to deny someone the title “gamer” for that reason.

The main point is, if someone seriously feels they are a “gamer”, who are we to deny them that. If the person who plays candy crush a few hours a week feels they are a “gamer”, then good for them! I welcome that. Anyone who wants to deny them that feeling of being a “gamer” is potentially aiding in creating a toxic environment. I think that the standard should be that anyone can be a “gamer” if they want to, and it’s up to them whether or not to say “No, I am not a gamer.” For me, it sort of falls on the line of a type of self-identity. It’s something you consider yourself to be, so why does someone else get to tell you that you’re wrong about that. Which is why it’s good that in Shaw’s article we see that people are starting to less and less feel that their race, gender, sexuality, etc. are something that determines if they are a “gamer.” If they felt differently, that indicates that the gaming community is setting strong standards for being a “gamer” based on those traits. The fact that they don’t feel that way shows that those standards of being a “gamer” are starting to fall off which is terrific.

 

 

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation

Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation is a game released in 2012 for the Playstation Vita portable handheld device. The game features Aveline de Grandpre as its protagonist, a young woman of French and African descent, and is set in New Orleans in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Aveline is a unique protagonist as few games feature a singular female or black protagonist. Upon release, AC:L received mixed to positive reviews, currently holding a 70 on Metacritic (http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-vita/assassins-creed-iii-liberation). The game was praised for its portrayal of race relations in the time period and Aveline was a well-received character. Unfortunately, the game mechanics, while praised as well made, proved to be a hindrance more often than not, with reviewers complaining that too much time was spent in the restrictive “Lady” persona.

The game mechanics are a very important element of the game’s portrayal of race and gender in the time period. The game lets Aveline “adopt personas that give her varying abilities and constraints. The ‘lady’, who dresses and acts like the wealthy free woman that Aveline is, can fool men by charming them… but she can’t climb building and is weak in a fight… The slave can infiltrate areas under cover of labor. And the assassin persona is, well, less concerned with the historical basis of double consciousness.” (Suellentrop)

Works referenced:

     Chris Suellentrop, “Slavery as New Focus for a Game: Assassin’s Creed Liberation”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/arts/video-games/assassins-creed-liberation-examines-colonial-blacks.html?_r=0

Hypersexualization

Hypersexualization:

Games present an alternate reality in which its participants can challenge gender norms while allowing users greater control and freedom. Female avatars in modern games have more recently become solely employed to fulfill male ‘fantasies’;  however by sexualizing female avatars, some women were motivated to create a strong and sexy character. For instance, in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (especially the original games), Lara is deeply hypersexualized due to the focus on her prominent breasts – which has now become almost her claim to fame. Hypersexualization simultaneously sexualizes a character, while also brings down it’s humanist character by also being something to merely stare at.

2013 Tomb Raider

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In the 2013 version of Tomb Raider, Lara Croft is more athletic, wearing cargo pants instead of tiny little shorts as she did in the previous games. However, in this story, and especially deeply implied by the trailer, Lara Croft seems to be sexually assaulted. “A few months ago, executive producer Ron Rosenberg told Kotaku that scavengers on an island where Lara is trapped attempt to rape her. “She is literally turned into a cornered animal.” (Note: Likening victims of attempted rape to “cornered animals,” is the very definition of dehumanizing.) “ (Forbes).

Again, going off the executive producer’s comments, When Rosenberg spoke about Lara, he said, “When people play Lara, they don’t really project themselves into the character…. They’re more like ‘I want to protect her.’ There’s this sort of dynamic of ‘I’m going to this adventure with her and trying to protect her….’” In this, the executive producer is basically saying that it would odd for a boy to relate to a female hero – therefore, they must make them vulnerable in order to to relate to them at all. Consider this when thinking about that concept: How many people can relate to non-human characters? The answer is a lot. So why would a woman be any different?

In general however, the 2013 Tomb Raider is much less hypersexualized than the orginals. Instead of her breasts being the prominent focus, the details and intricacies (which was aided by the better processing systems, of course) of her face becomes the focal point of her character. She is strong and tough, but has moments of weakness, like any person would too. The depth of her character is better: she is much more than just a pretty face.

 

Citation: Pinchefsky, Carol. “A Feminist Reviews Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Digital Gaming Culture

Digital gaming culture: As implied by its title, digital gaming culture is the alternate reality that exists within the realm of digitized video games. In the context of this article, the author asserts that this culture shifts power relations to put women in a vulnerable position in comparison to men. Digital gaming culture refers not only to the hypersexualization of victimization of women within video games, but also the existence of the trend/belief that men are better than women at actually playing video games. This culture emphasizes gender stereotypes by portraying women largely as objects of sexual desire with little focus on positive skills that women maintain. However, it is not all negative. Digital gaming culture, on the flip side, can also create realities in which men and women can assume any identity they want through the creation of custom characters, etc. The “Women and Games” article also cites an interview recording in which many women state that gender-neutral games allow for a space where equality is achieved through competition and skill, i.e. if women are better than men at certain video games they feel more powerful than they do outside of virtual realities and inside of the reality of human society.

Taken from “Women and games: technologies of the gendered self”