Week 7 Gender in Video Games

Gender in Video Games

The video game industry is seen as a male predominate industry and the portrayal of women in video games and other media has been a topic of research of sexism in video gaming. Now women in particular are extensively belittle as game characters in a large majority of games. And in there interpretation often imply traditional gender roles, objectification, sexual or a negative stereotypes. For example a damsel in distress.

This has been going on from the early years of gamming. when you had to go and save princess peach in Super mairo and giving that bad stereotypes of sexism in TombRader. This adds up to a large percentage of male’s gamers only playing games. But in recent studies done by “Entertainment Software Association” only 52% of gamers are male and 48% of gamers are female and 71% of gamers are over 18 years of age.

So what is going on in the gamming industries are we progressing or are we regressing when the topic comes up in women in video gamming?

Since the 1990s the percentage of female as side characters or main characters in games has stood around the 15% mark and since then very little has changed about that. Only Now we are seeing big game titles now include women not to be seen as the damsel in distress but independent strong fighters in games. Such as Lara Craft in Tomb Raider or Ellie in the Last of Us. For the most part recent data found only that 4% of the main characters in the top 25 selling games in 2013 where female.

So we are moving in the right direction and we are now including women as decent and respectable characters to play as in games. And Hopefully all video games will move in this course of having a equivalent, sensible portrayal of male and female characters. Without putting the emphasis on characterization, videogames will advance and the socialization of gender rolls will act more importantly in video games on how they are viewed and played. This will determine on how video games players view the world.                               

By Christopher Kralevski

WEEK 6 Video Game Genres

Video Game Genres

The games genre have been defined by its individual set of game play tests and are classified self supporting of there setting or game world content, not like works of fiction being films or books. As for example a shooter game is still a shooter games, despite of whether it takes place in a fantasy world or in outerspace.

Video games in the early 1990s such as platformers like Super Mario Bros. where the latest craze but at the end of the decade that design of game has moved in demand of military/sci-fi shooters.

In the 1970s the gamming has been growing with technology and through that process the video game genres have been changing with it. For example in the mid 1970s the biggest craze was the arcade and racing games but as time went along and technology got more powerful game developers became more creative. And different genres started to come out by 1985 and by the year 2000 shooter games and adventure genres games where in. such as Halo (2001), call of duty (2003), half life (1998) and resident evil (1996).

As technology moves forward so much our gamming has changed form the personal computer and consoles to our hand held devices such as I phones. And the time for the big game developer producing mega blockbuster games has gone and you will find more and more independent game developers producing small games out there and that is the growing trend in the gamming industry in the past decade. The genre of gamming wills all ways frequently is in flux with the march of technology. The better the technology the more possibilities that game studios and developers will have in creating new and exciting video game genres.

By Christopher Kralevski

Week 5 christopher kralevski

Ludonarrative resonance/dissonance

The approach when a game is being planned it is meant to lead the player on an experience of the developer’s choice.  Now Ludic comes from the Latin word ludere that means ‘to play’. And game play and ‘’win-states’’ are different types of ludic functionality that splits and individualize videogames from other media and from themselves. Even the classifications are done by the games ludic functionality: platformers, puzzles and shooters.

With the narrative within games gives us and the player a motivation where ‘’win – states’’ fail to do so. And now for merely ludic perspective or game play a ‘’win-staes’’ are all and very essential to making a game that is compelling.

Now the top case of this is being Tetris. Except once the ludic blinders have been detached the experience can plummet in games. And that dose not makes the game compelling. We as the player and as humans are creatures of awareness; we are use to the door creak and the feel of wind on your face and hands. The experiences we all shear and have come to recognize and associate with as a normal way of life whatever ever it may be.  When playing a game such as tetris the players ludic level starts to decrease over time so developers start to use narrative to make the game more compiling to play.

Narrative is an important part of a game and the game play experience. Only a few games can go far with out a story such as: mass effect, the last of us, and bioshock. This is a flawless way of the ludic and narrative basics that creates the true advantage of videogame art form and game play.

But with all things that has grand possibly there are also a dangures downside to all of the narrative in games that has to be very gently navigated through. And is mostly referred to as ludonarrative dissonance, it is basically the difference between narrative and game play. when game play dose not mach the narrative. For example The uncharted series is frequently called up on the face you play as the main character “Nathan Drake”. his portrayal in cut scenes are a charming treasure hunter but in game play he is a heartless killer. However, The uncharted series has received many awared throughout it’s time. There is a growing group with in the game development and it’s gaming industry that everyone looks for that ludonarrative dissonance. It has become one of the most popular ways to biled a game around, and more and more games developers are doing the same thing.

ludonarrative dissonance is still a difficult idea for a majority of gamers to accept,

Some time in the future there will no longer be critiques of games calling them out for ludonarrative dissonance, but in its place ludonarrative resonance.

The future of all games lies in the total and flawless melding of ludic and narrative fundamentals.

 Many games have come very close, others have on purpose exploited dissonance, but there is still potential waiting to be achieved in ludonarrative resonance.

By Christopher kralevski

WEEK 4 by Christopher kralevski

Verisimilitude vs Stylised Aesthetics

games now have a high level of graphic and processing power and through the years the games have tried and evolved more and more into realistic graphics or on the other end stylised graphics.  now both of them have their own positives and negatives reward

many game players out there enjoy how games that have realistic graphics, it allows the player to leap in to the game much faster and easier and there for makes the game much more enjoyable. however it may sometimes go a bit too extreme, such as (2011 L.A NOIRE). now if realistic graphics getting more advance and crossing the fine line with uncanny valley. gamers want realistic graphics but when games start looking like you and me they seem odd you noticed something wrong and it has that bizarre feeling, and when games try too hard to be realistic they cross the line into the uncanny valley.

now on the other side stylised graphics does not have that realistic look but has that cartoon look and feel to it. players can still get in to game but it gives game developers and gamers a freedom to express their different art styles and genre of games. world of war craft and dota are a game based around stylised graphics and have very little realistic graphics. It is based around a fantasy style game where stylised graphics really play a big part in the game and how it sells over 7.1 million people play world of war craft.

Verisimilitude vs Stylised Aesthetics is a big factor in games on how they perform and sell in the open market both have their positive and negative Verisimilitude can be a good factor in a game but if you go too far with it, you will end up in the uncanny valley but on the other end or the scale you have Stylised Aesthetics it has that cartoon style and unique type of design  that we all know. players don't mind that distinctive technique we know as Stylised Aesthetics. but Stylised Aesthetics seem to sell over Verisimilitude. Stylised Aesthetics have more possibility of genre and game styles and there for more of a best game seller and more popular than its opposite Verisimilitude.

by Christopher kralevski

WEEK 3 By Christopher Kralevski

Game Studies 
2D Vs 3D GAMES

Now 3D game platforms seen to favor gamers to day, they have a rising in popularity in game design and production ever since the late 1990s. 3D game platforms display a superior level of realism, which has established a more appealing and more thriving in immersing the player in the game.

On the other hand, with the boost of mobile games apps selling the return of 2D gamming is coming. Mobile phone games do need simpler graphics. As 2D graphics are turning into more common and cheaper ways of making a game, many game designers are turning to this way of making games.

Now there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides of 2D and 3D games.

Advantages of 2D games are they are easier to make, cost effective and there are a large amount of engines out there to run the game on a 2D platform. 2D games has only a easy goal in mind when playing the game, some games out there are very distracting in game objective and game play. Such as “grand fifed auto” and “world of war craft” in my opinion I don’t mind the exter missions or objective but some times they get a bit to chaotic for me and I lose interest in the game. The 2D gaming experience has basic controls than the 3D gaming dose. It some times is better with less controls for a game because it make the game have a friendly interface for players how want to pick up and play with out going over the instructions first on how to play.  

Advantages of 3D games are becoming more realistic and impressive to play. More and more genres can be used in the 3D games and also be expanded on. Some games can offer you a world that you can explore and create in and create more depth and meaning that can enhanced the story plot and game play experience such as “mind craft”, “grand fifed auto” and “call of duty”. And with the technology being more advance and impressive every year the graphics are getting better and better games are becoming movies that we and play. Many games out there such as “uncharted” and “the last of us” are a great example of this technology it brings a new game play experience to us.

Disadvantages of 2D games are they are not very realistic, down to earth type of game. Gamers out there want some thing with a bit more sense of what is happing and feel that they can relate to the mane character or hero of the game. Space is an other thing on the screen of a game with 3D games you can move any where you want but with the 2D games there is only a limed space so het screen for the player to move around in, dodge in and jump in.

Disadvantages of 3D games are that they take more time to make and ten times more expensive to make than a 2D game. It become a major factor when buying a game, you pay a lot of money for a game that look good but the game play or story is just awful to play and you feel you just got ripped off on the game that is why 3D game out there are more of a hit and miss than the 2D games are. And that is why 3D game are more expensive than the 2D games because less time and money goes in a 2D than 3D.

The VERDICT is …

3D

Why 3D because I think of the quality of the game and how much time I will invest in playing the game. 2D games have its points I do like and it is a fast growing trend of game that is making a come back on our mobile phones. But the heavy hitter is the 3D games. It has made out it self to be the standard of gamming for to day and there for takes the titles of being the gaming platform of choose.

By Christopher Kralevski