With one half-term left to complete our coursework, we need to work towards two deadlines in the next couple of weeks.
The final deadline for all coursework will be the Easter holidays so we now need to be getting our work up to professional standards and ready to submit to Mr Harrison for final checking and collection.
Print poster drafts
You need to complete three A4 draft posters in Photoshop, save these as JPEGs and post to your blog.
Deadline: week commencing Monday 7 March
Statement of Intent
For your Statement of Intent, you need to submit a final draft that covers BOTH the video and print aspects of the brief and is as close as possible to the 500-word limit.
How to revise Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Missing out on your GCSE exams might mean that you have not developed your own systems for revision or perhaps not used such techniques for a long time. Here's a YouTube video I showed my Year 13 form group with top tips for A* A Level revision:
Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some so please just come and ask!
How to plan and answer A Level Media exam questions
One of the key skills you would have developed if you'd completed your GCSEs as normal is techniques to take on exam questions. In order to help you, these 'walk and talk' videos go through a range of different A Level Media exam questions and cover the number of marks, how long to spend on the answer and what structure or points you could make in your answer.
Paper 1 Section A - 9 mark question on Advertising and Marketing:
Paper 1 Section A - 20 mark question on Music Video:
Paper 1 Section B - 6 mark question on Film Industry (note: different CSP to ours):
Paper 1 Section B - 9 mark question on Film Industry (note: different CSP to ours):
The final aspect of our in-depth case study on The Sims FreePlay focuses on Representation. There is a lot to explore with representation in the Sims FreePlay - everything from gender, race and ethnicity to capitalism, reality and postmodernism. Notes from the lesson The Sims franchise offers range of representations on gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexuality, capitalism and even reality itself. One aspect of The Sims is the values and ideologies that the game reinforces. Although it has been praised for its liberal values over, for example, LGBTQ+ representation, it could also be argued that the game reinforces dominant American capitalist ideologies. Expansion pack trailers A useful way to analyse representations in The Sims FreePlay is to study the trailers produced by EA to promote expansion pack DLC. For example: Using these expansion pack trailers, we can study the representation of gender, age, race/ethnicity and much more.
The Sims and postmodernism Watch this introduction to Baudrillard from 8-Bit Philosophy: Baudrillard argued that our culture now perceives the ‘copy’ (media representation) as more real than the ‘original’ and stated that we live in a culture where the ‘fake’ is more readily accepted than the ‘real’ – therefore creating hyperreality. This blurs the line between fiction and reality. The Sims franchise is a perfect study in hyperreality as it allows players to create an entirely constructed life through the game. The Sims FreePlay social media channels also provide an example of simulacra – they are situated in the real world and interact with real players but feature entirely constructed fictional content from the game. Here, they also make intertextual references to real celebrities. Where is the line between fiction and reality?
The Sims FreePlay - Representation blog tasks
Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay case study part 3 - Representations' and complete the following tasks.
Textual analysis
Re-watch some of the expansion pack trailers and answer the following questions: 1) How do the expansion pack (DLC) trailers reinforce or challenge dominant ideologies? 2) What stereotypes have you identified in The Sims FreePlay? 3) What media theories can you apply to representations in The Sims FreePlay? Representation reading Read this Forbes article on gender and racism in The Sims franchise and answer the following questions:
1) How realistic does The Sims intend to be? 2) How has The Sims tried to create more realistic representations of ethnicity? 3) How has The Sims responded to racism and sexism in society? 4) What is The Sims perspective on gender fluidity and identity? 5) How does The Sims reinforce the dominant capitalist ideologies of American culture?
1) How did same-sex relationships unexpectedly help the original Sims game to be a success?
2) How is sexuality now represented in The Sims?
3) Why have fans praised the inclusion of LGBTQ relationships in The Sims franchise?
4) Why did the Sims run into regulatory difficulties with American regulator the ESRB? How did EA respond?
5) How is sexuality represented in the wider videogames industry today?
Reality, postmodernism and The Sims Read this Paste Magazine feature on reality and The Sims franchise. Answer the following questions: 1) What does the article suggest about the representation of real life in The Sims 4? 2) What audience pleasures did the writer used to find in The Sims franchise? 3) Why the does the writer mention an example of a washer and dryer as additional DLC? 4) In your opinion, has The Sims made an error in trying to make the franchise too realistic? 5) How does this representation of reality link to Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality - the increasingly blurred line between real and constructed? The Sims FreePlay social media analysis Analyse The Sims FreePlay Facebook page and Twitter feed and answer the following questions: 1) What is the purpose of The Sims FreePlay social media channels? 2) Choose three posts (from either Twitter or Facebook) and make a note of what they are and how they encourage audience interaction or response. 3) Scroll down the Facebook feed briefly. How many requests for new content can you find from players? Why is this such as an important part of the appeal for The Sims FreePlay? 4) What tweets can you find in the Twitter feed that refer to additional content or other revenue streams for EA? 5) Linking to our work on postmodernism, how could The Sims FreePlay social media presence be an example of Baudrillard’s hyperreality and simulacra? Extension: Postmodernism academic reading If you're interested (or planning on studying Media or Cultural Studies at university), read this highly academic and challenging summary of hyperreality, implosion and postmodern theory from the University of Chicago. Consider how these approaches apply to the digital media landscape we’ve been studying and in particular the videogame industry and franchises like The Sims and Tomb Raider.
Complete for homework: due date on Google Classroom.
The second aspect of our in-depth case study on The Sims FreePlay focuses on industries. We need to know how videogames are regulated and also the companies behind the game. However, the most significant aspect of this concept is the 'freemium' model that The Sims FreePlay uses. Notes from the lesson Regulation: PEGI
The videogames industry is regulated by PEGI – Pan European Game Information.
In the UK, the Video Standards Council is responsible for regulating game content. In 2012, PEGI was introduced to UK law to make the age ratings legally enforceable.
It is illegal to sell games to people below the age of the rating.
The Sims FreePlay is rated 12+ due to mild references to alcohol, sexual content and similar adult themes.
Electronic Arts
The Sims franchise is owned by Electronic Arts (EA), a huge name in the videogames industry.
The Sims FreePlay was developed by Firemonkeys Studios, EA’s Australian subsidiary.
The franchise was originally developed by Maxis after EA acquired the company.
EA is famous for big-budget console games such as the FIFA series but has moved more into mobile gaming in recent years.
The 'freemium' model
The Sims FreePlay uses the ‘freemium’ model – free to download and play but with in-app purchases.
Although initially more popular with smaller, independent game developers, the freemium model is now a huge revenue generator for major publishers like EA.
The Sims FreePlay - Industries blog tasks
Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay case study part 2 - Industries' and complete the following tasks.
1) How has The Sims FreePlay evolved since launch?
2) Why does Amanda Schofield suggest ‘games aren’t products
any more’?
3) What does she say about The Sims gaming community?
4) How has EA kept the game fresh and maintained the active
player base?
5) How many times has the game been installed and how much
game time in years have players spent playing the game? These could be great introductory statistics in an exam essay on this topic.
Our final videogames CSP is The Sims FreePlay (2011). This is another in-depth CSP so will require significant work and research across three blogposts to complete your case study. Background: mobile gaming
The videogames industry has changed massively since the emergence of the smart phone and app store distribution model.
Mobile gaming has changed the audience demographics for gaming and brought the industry into the mainstream.
The app store model means tech giants such as Apple and Google are making significant sums from mobile gaming but mobile hits can still earn developers millions.
Angry Birds made developer Rovio $200m in 2012 and broke 2 billion downloads in 2014.
The Sims FreePlay
The Sims FreePlay is a spin-off from the hugely successful Sims franchise first published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2000.
The game is a strategic life simulation game (also known as the sandbox genre).
The Sims FreePlay takes the game on to phones and tablets and uses the ‘freemium’ model that makes money via in-app purchases.
The game has seen more than 200 million downloads since 2011 – remarkable success.
The Sims FreePlay: Audience
The Sims franchise has demonstrated there is a strong and lucrative market in female gamers.
When The Sims was first pitched by creator Will Wright he described it as a ‘doll house’.
The development company Maxis weren’t keen because ‘doll houses were for girls, and girls didn’t play videogames’. EA then bought Maxis, saw potential in the idea and one of the most successful ever videogame franchises was born.
Expansion packs available for The Sims FreePlay reinforce the view that the target audience is predominantly female.
Participatory culture
The Sims franchise is one of the best examples of Henry Jenkins’ concept of participatory culture.
Since the very first game in the franchise, online communities have created, suggested and shared content for the game.
‘Modding’ – short for modifications – is a huge part of the appeal of the game. Modding changes aspects of the gameplay – anything from the strength of coffee to incorporating ghosts or even sexual content.
The Sims FreePlay - Language & Audience blog tasks
Create a new blogpost called 'The Sims FreePlay case study part 1 - Language & Audience' and complete the following in-depth tasks.
Language / Gameplay analysis
Watch The Sims: FreePlay trailer and answer the following
questions:
1) What elements of gameplay are shown?
2) What audience is the trailer targeting?
3) What audience pleasures are suggested by the trailer?
Now watch this walk-through of the beginning of The Sims FreePlay and answer the following
questions:
2) Why does James Paul Gee see The Sims as an important
game?
3) What does the designer of The Sims, Will Wright, want players
to do with the game?
4) Do you agree with the view that The Sims is not a game –
but something else entirely?
5) How do you see the future of gaming? Do you agree with James
Paul Gee that all games in the future will have the flexibility and
interactivity of The Sims?
Complete for homework - due date on Google Classroom.
The Print aspect to our coursework brief is as important as the video work we have been focusing on so far. It is crucial that you research, plan and design print work that could comfortably hold its own alongside professional examples. You will also need to make sure you have included a paragraph regarding your print work in your final draft Statement of Intent. A reminder of our coursework brief is here, with the key tasks as follows: Print
Create three posters as part of a marketing campaign for the documentary.
Each poster should focus on a specific marketing strategy for the documentary whilst also ensuring the overall advertising concept remains coherent across the adverts.
Audiences should recognise each poster as being part of the same campaign. Your concept must allow you to include different images in each poster.
Examples of marketing strategies you could communicate are:
how to access the documentary
a specific aspect of the documentary’s content
review quotes / celebrity endorsement of the documentary
The posters should actively promote the social media profile of the documentary and act to encourage sharing and/or audience participation and increase its circulation.
What are the minimum requirements?
ThreeA4 print adverts for your documentary (portrait OR landscape OR a mix of the two - your choice). The minimum requirements from the brief:
Appropriate layout, and design choices for each poster
Appropriate choice of copy in each poster
Three different posters, each using a specific marketing strategy
A common visual style to the overall campaign creating a recognisable brand for the campaign
At least three original images across the three posters with a different dominant image in each poster – these must be images generated specifically for the poster campaign
Appropriate choices of font, type sizes and colours to create meaning
Appropriate consideration of the industrial context of production.
Research and planning blog tasks Create a blogpost called 'Print brief research and planning' and complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work: 1) Research TV marketing poster key conventions. Find at least five examples of posters promoting a TV documentary or similar show.
Note down the design elements you notice in each poster and look for aspects you can use in your own work (e.g. a particular camera shot, page design or colour scheme).
Here are a few examples to start you off:
2) Look at this poster campaign for the BBC3 documentary series 'Not Sorry For Being Me'. How does the campaign use design elements to create a brand for the show?
3) Now look for examples of marketing material for documentaries on your chosen subject or something similar (do a Google Image search for documentaries in your chosen area e.g. mental health or sports documentary).
What aspects of the topic are emphasised on the posters and how can you create something similar?
Here are a few examples:
Planning and sketching 1) Plan the marketing strategy and main focus of each of your posters. For example:
Poster 1: focus on content of documentary
Poster 2: focus on how to access / watch documentary (e.g. release date, channel, streaming service)
Poster 3: review quotes from social media / newspapers / celebrities
2) Plan the image(s) you will take for each poster. 3) Write the copy (words) you will use on each poster - title, slogan or tagline, any further information about the documentary, review quotes etc.
4) Plan the social media content you will include in each poster e.g. hashtags, Twitter handle etc.
5) Research and select the font or typography you will use for your posters. This is a critical element of your print work - and also needs to be consistent with your title sequence in the video documentary.
6) Find the TV channel and streaming service branding you will need for your posters and save it in your coursework folder on Media Student Shared. 7) Produce A4 sketches of your three posters, deciding which will be portrait or landscape and where the key information will be placed on the page.
8) Create three new documents in Adobe Photoshop in either A4 portrait or landscape and start designing your posters (even if you don't have the images yet you can add the text, correct font/typography, TV channel and streaming service branding etc.)
Photoshoot 1) Who do you need to photograph for your marketing posters? Remember, you need three separate original images - one for each poster.
Note: you could photograph someone that isn't in your video extract if you wish (but would appear later in the documentary) - this means it could be someone in class which will make things a lot easier in terms of running the photoshoot. 2) What camera shots do you need? Write a shot list for your photoshoots. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc. 3) Plan the mise-en-scene. What costume, props or make-up will you require for your photoshoots?
4) Finally, note down the time and date for your photoshoots. This may be inside or outside school (or a combination of both). You will have Media lesson time for this in the week after the mock exams.
Statement of Intent
1) Once you have completed your research and planning, go back to your statement of intent and make sure you have included the print brief in your final draft. Then, submit the final draft statement of intent to your teacher.
Use the next two weeks of lessons to complete these planning tasks - homework time is to finish exam work and revise for mocks.
Due date for research and planning on Google Classroom.
Henry Jenkins is a key audience theorist – an expert in fandom and participatory culture. We need to apply Jenkins's ideas to our videogame CSPs but also think back to where his ideas are relevant with other media texts we have studied. His work on participatory culture links with Clay Shirky in places and the concept of fandom is important to many media texts - from TV drama to magazines. Notes Henry Jenkins is an expert in fandom and participatory culture. Key to this idea is the concept of the ‘prosumer’ – audiences that create as well as consume media. This culture has revolutionised fan communities with the opportunity to create and share content. It also links to Clay Shirky’s work on ‘mass amateurisation’. Fandom is now big business – with Comic-Con events making millions. More importantly, the internet has demonstrated the size of fan communities so it is no longer a minority of ‘geek’ stereotypes but mainstream popular culture (such as Marvel, Harry Potter or Doctor Who). Jenkins defends fan cultures and argues that fans are often stereotyped negatively in the media because they value popular culture (e.g. films or games) over traditional cultural capital (high brow culture or knowledge). The irony is fan culture is often dominated by middle class, educated audiences. Jenkins discusses ‘textual poaching’ – when fans take texts and re-edit or develop their meanings, a process called semiotic productivity. Fan communities are also quick to criticise if they feel a text or character is developing in a way they don’t support. EU copyright law: a threat to participatory culture? A new copyright law currently moving through the European Parliament has been described as a potential 'meme-ban'. It would place the responsibility for the distribution of copyrighted material with the platform rather than the user or copyright holder - and therefore could lead to huge amounts of content being removed. If implemented in full, it could end textual poaching, fan-made texts and re-edits and many more examples of fandom and participatory culture. You can read more on the potential implications in this Wired feature.
Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks The following tasks will give you an excellent introduction to fandom and also allow you to start exploring degree-level insight into audience studies. Work through the following: Factsheet #107 - Fandom Read Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or log into your Greenford Google account to access the link. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of a fan? 2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet? 3) What makes a ‘fandom’? 4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom? 5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet? 6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?
1) What types of content are on offer in this fansite?
2) What does the number of links and content suggest about the size of the online fan community for Tomb Raider and Lara Croft? Pick out some examples from this site that you find interesting.
1) Look at the Community Spotlight page. What does this suggest about the types of people who enjoy and participate in fan culture?
2) There is a specific feature on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What do the questions from fans tell you about the level of engagement and interest in the game and franchise from the fan community?
A/A* extension: Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading
Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins. This will give you an excellent introduction to the level of reading required for seminars and essays at university as well as degree-level insight into our current work on fandom and participatory culture. Answer the following questions:
1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?
2) Jenkins quotes Clay Shirky in the second page of the chapter. Pick out a single sentence of the extended quote that you think is particularly relevant to our work on participatory culture and the ‘end of audience’ (clue – look towards the end!)
3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?
4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?
5) What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?
6) Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.
7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?
8) Why is fandom 'the future'?
9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?
10) Read through to the end of the chapter. What do you think the future of fandom is? Are we all fans now? Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?
Optional extension: EU copyright law - is a meme ban really being considered? Read this Wired feature on the upcoming EU copyright law(Article 13 and Article 11) and discuss the potential implications for participatory culture and fandom. How might this impact on fans' 'textual poaching'?
There is plenty of work here but you will have the Christmas holiday to complete it. Exploring Jenkins will also give you a high-level academic theorist to employ in your upcoming Media PPEs.
Your January A Level Media mock exams are the real deal - the opportunity to put everything you have learned to the test. Students typically do better in the summer exams than the last set of mocks - but usually only by around a grade. This means you need to make sure you are fully prepared for these exams with the aim of achieving your target grade or just off it. The following will help you plan your revision: Media Paper 1 Media Paper 1 Section A will always focus on Media Language and Representations. This means the following CSPs: Advertising & Marketing Score & Maybelline That Boss Life Music Video Letter to the Free & Ghost Town
Media Paper 1 Section B will always focus on Media Audiences and Industries. This means the following CSPs:
Film Industry
Blinded By The Light
Radio
BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat and War of the Worlds
Newspapers (not in January PPE - we haven't learned this yet)
The Daily Mail and The i
Unseen question
The first question in Media Paper 1 Section A will always be an unseen media product.
The second question will also relate to the unseen while also bringing in a CSP. This means it is likely the unseen product will link to advertising and marketing or music promotion.
20-mark essays
There will be TWO 20-mark essays in Paper 1 – at the end of each section. AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.” This means you need to write an essay that constructs an argument that answers the question you have been given. You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 1 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper.
Media Paper 2
The first question in Media Paper 2 will always be a 9-mark question on an unseen media product.
Aside from Q1, Media Paper 2 tests your in-depth topic areas:
TV
Capital and Deutschland 83
Magazines
Men’s Health and Oh Comely
Online, Social and Participatory
Teen Vogue and The Voice
Videogames
Tomb Raider Anniversary, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes & The Sims FreePlay
Indeed, the majority of Paper 2 will be THREE 25-mark essays on your in-depth topics. AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.”
Q4: Synoptic question
The final question in Paper 2 will always be the synoptic question – which requires you to demonstrate knowledge of the whole two-year course of study. AQA states:
“Question 4 is a synoptic question in which you will be rewarded for your ability to draw together different areas of knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study.”
How do we do this? Answer: Key concepts and CSPs. Try and answer the question by linking it to other key concepts (Language, Industries, Audiences, Representations) and by mentioning other relevant CSPs that link to the question. This will demonstrate your knowledge of the whole course - but make sure you do stay focused the question! You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 2 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper.
Finally, revise EVERYTHING you have learned over the last 18 months for A Level Media in preparing for these exams - terminology, theory and CSPs. Good luck!
Our second videogames CSP is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004). This is another in-depth CSP so will require a decent amount of work and research for an extensive blog case study. The basics
First-person action-adventure game produced for Nintendo GameCube (2004)
Part of Metroid franchise – 7th game in series, sequel to Metroid Prime (original Metroid was 1986 on NES; latest release was Metroid: Samus Returns in 2017 on 3DS)
Sold around 800,000 copies worldwide (quite low based on Nintendo franchises and previous Metroid games)
Game follows bounty hunter Samus Aran as she is sent to rescue Galactic Federation Marines
She must battle the Ing (a destructive race from another dimension) and a mysterious version of herself called Dark Samus
The game’s head-up display simulates the inside of Samus’s helmet and features map, radar, health bar, weapons and more
Prime 2 Echoes is the first Metroid title to feature a 4-player multiplayer element
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - blog tasks
Create a new blogpost called 'Metroid Prime 2: Echoes case study' and complete the following in-depth tasks. Language
Analyse the game cover for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (above).
1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?
2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures? 3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not? Trailer analysis
Watch the trailer for the game: 1) What do you notice about genre? 2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran's gender clear? Why? 3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?
Gameplay analysis
Watch the following gameplay clips again:
1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve? 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. 3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects. You can use bullet points here and/or type up your notes from the analysis in class.
1) Who might the target audience be for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, based on your research? Discuss demographics and psychographics. 2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986? 3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise? 4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory).
1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer? 2) What has changed this? 3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here. 4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise? 5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer? Industries Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:
1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand? 2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years? 3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand? 4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry? 5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be? Representation Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below: 1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986? 2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid? 3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial? 4) What reaction do you think the reveal of Samus Aran in a bikini would have got when the game was first released in 1986? Have attitudes towards women changed? 5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran? 6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid? 7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran? 8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character? Read this Houston Press feature on Samus Aran and entitled male gamers. Answer the following questions: 1) What does Anita Sarkeesian suggest regarding Samus Aran? 2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender? 3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist? 4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames? 5) What does the ‘SJW’ in ‘SJW-gender politics’ refer to? 6) How can we apply Gerbner’s Cultivation theory to representations of women in videogames as discussed in the article? How might this lead to ‘entitled male gamers’? 7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Explain your opinion on this question and provide evidence for your argument. Complete for homework - due date on Google Classroom.
