Learner response: OSP assessment

Learner response: OSP assessment

Your Online, Social and Participatory media assessment was a great opportunity to test yourself on two key aspects of Media Paper Two - an unseen question and a 25-mark essay.

The first part of your learner response is to look carefully at your mark, grade and comments from your teacher. If anything doesn't make sense, ask your teacher - it's crucial we're learning from the process of assessments and feedback as we move towards the exams at the end of this year. The second focuses on using the mark scheme as a learning resource and developing our skills in essay planning and structuring.

Your learner response is as follows:

Create a new blog post on your Media 1 Exam blog called 'OSP assessment learner response' and complete the following tasks:

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW- Q1 shows some good oppositional readings in terms of Google controversies... with improved exam technique and improvement on timing you should see yourself improving.

EBI- In Q1 you don't analyse the advert at all- why would AQA give you the image to completely ignore it? Image, colour, text, etc. Show you are a media student!

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify five specific aspects from Figure 1 (the Google Home advert) that you could have mentioned in your answer (e.g. selection of image, framing and focus, colour, text etc.)

Arranged readings could incorporate an acknowledgment of a warm image of family life – in addition to the potential handiness of the speaker – in spite of worries over how the gadget utilizes information and the developing intensity of organizations, for example, Google and Amazon. 

Utilization of shading, strengthened by nonpartisan dim of the gadget, makes sentiment of warmth (tans, oranges, daylight from left-hand side of picture). 

Google spoke to as pleasant, protected and a characteristic piece of white collar class family life. 

The redundancy of the word 'home' may upset crowds who consider the to be for instance that no place is sheltered from worldwide entrepreneur monsters, for example, Google. 


Connections Google brand to vision of perfect family life – imaginative play with parent; hued pencils, paint container and corner of youngster's image all fortify innovativeness and shading.

3) Now use the mark scheme to identify three potential points that you could have made in your essay for Question 2 (Hesmondhalgh - narrow range of values and ideologies).

- The role of the cultural industries in society and the way media products can influence or
impact on audiences.

- How media industries target audiences through the content and appeal of media products
and through the ways in which they are marketed, distributed and circulated.

4) Use your exam response, the mark scheme and any other resources you wish to use to write a detailed essay plan for Question 2. Make sure you are planning at least five well-developed paragraphs in addition to an introduction and conclusion.

Parahraph 1:

How does Teen Vogue link to the statement?

End of audience- Clay Shirky ( more diverse range of values and ideologies are now available to consumers)

Teen Vogue- activism, politics etc ' Gun reform for years'

Values/ideologies- present in mainstream media but not from a teenage magazine brand like Teen Vogue

Could be argued- Teen Vogue trying to keep up with trends, stay relevant etc

Paragraph 2:

How does The Voice link to the statement?

The Voice offers an explicit black British perspective on news stories and issues

Ideologies/values- set apart from mainstream media

Suggests that Hesmondhalgh's view on 'narrow' ideologies is not accurate for The Voice

Poor video content- less consumers

Paragraph 3:

Teen Vogue copying many of the mainstream values in regards to representation of women.

Paragraph 4:

The Voice is not as powerful in the British Media. They have a poor video production quality and a very low quality photography and page design.

Paragraph 5:

In this paragraph, come to a conclusion for your overall argument.

5) Finally, identify three key areas you plan to revise from the OSP unit (CSP aspects or theories) having looked at your feedback from this assessment.

Revise theories in depth so I can link it to the question and write confidently about it.

Improve on timing.

Clear structures.

Women and videogames: blog tasks

Women and videogames: blog tasks

Work through the following blog tasks to complete this introduction to women in videogames.

Part 1: Medium article - Is Female Representation in Video Games Finally Changing?

Read this Medium featur6 on whether female representation in vide ogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

Women are traditionally represented in video games to be objectified.

2) What percentage of the video game audience is female?

42% of the video game audience is female.

3) What recent games have signalled a change in the industry and what qualities do the female protagonists offer?

The Walking Dead, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Tomb Raider, Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Last of Us

4) Do you agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented within them?

I strongly agree with the idea that audiences reject media products if they feel they are misrepresented in them e.g. if females were misrepresented in a game they would use social media to express why they think they've been misrepresented and its that easy for audiences to now tell the world how they feel just from their fingertips.

5) What does the writer suggest has changed regarding recent versions of Lara Croft and who does she credit for this development?

The writer in the article suggests that Croft was 'saved' by Crystal Dynamics. This is because they made enormous changed in the way Lara Croft was represented. "Brianna Wu’s 2015 article in Polygon details how Crystal Dynamics saved Lara Croft by making some big changes in the reboot Tomb Raider (2013) and its sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015). First they hired Rhianna Pratchett as the lead writer, a woman who “had a long history of working on games with complex female protagonists, such as Heavenly Sword and Mirror’s Edge” and Pratchett decided to create a protagonist who players could identify with. Wu writes that “the essence of the new Lara Croft became the struggle she felt within herself”. When Lara Croft debuted in 1996, times were different, especially the ways in which women were seen. The rebooted game had to represent women in a more modern way."

Part 2: 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 summaryof the video you watch:

Title of video: 

100 word summary: 

In this video she covers the subject to how videogames deliberately use Butt covers. In this video she raises the issues how certain computer games, deliberately show female characters butts as an approach to engage the male look. We see various models in this video, for instance Tomb thief, it is obvious from the models she has appeared, this is attempting to interest a male look, anyway she attracts to the complexity that men are in twofold resistance to this, for instance we perceive how games make an effort not to show the guys "butt" and we see Anita attempt her best to show how they use things, for example, capes or long coats to cover them. We find in the last phases of the video in which how gaming has somewhat improved, as games are attempting to concentrate on the character of the female as opposed to her body, however generally speaking the regular generalizations are being fortified through the typification of ladies in games.


Part 3: 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.

Anita Sarkeesian got a ton of analysis and kickback when she originally distributed her arrangement on ladies in videogames. This kickback was amazingly terrible and over the top, particularly while considering the way that Sarkeesian hadn't began to make the recordings yet. The kind of loathe included: online computer game gatherings vowing to "bring [her] down", a sorted out endeavor to report this task to Kickstarter and get it prohibited or defunded and undermining messages sent through Twitter, Facebook, Kickstarter, emai


2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

"working towards the equal treatment of women socially, culturally, institutionally, and economically."

3) Why do stories matter?

Stories matter since accounts have consistently been a center way individuals find out about, comprehend, and comprehend the world we live in. Stories have implanted legends and messages and can be bearers of positive, gallant, or rebellious qualities, yet they can likewise spread or strengthen negative generalizations and abusive social standards.

4) How does Sarkeesian view Samus Aran and Lara Croft (the two protagonists from our upcoming CSPs)?

She sees Samus Aran and Lara Croft as a sign that ladies are being spoken to in games anyway she accepts that there are blames in both female characters-being that the characters are as yet being sexualised and generalized. For example, Samus Aran's suit is evacuated as a compensation for finishing the game in a particular measure of time-this makes her body is something to concentrate on. Likewise, Lara Croft's body is additionally sexualised because of her tight outfit as it makes a ton of regard for her butt-production it something for the male gamers to concentrate alone visual delight.

5) How has the videogame landscape changed with regards to the representation of women?

Despite the fact that there has been an expansion in the quantity of female characters in computer games, in games, for example, Metroid, Super Mario Bros and so on, Sarkseesian likewise remarks on the way that the female portrayals have exacerbated.

6) Why are Mirror’s Edge and Portal held up as examples of more progressive representations of women?

It has a unique narrative. Both protagonists are female.

7) What are the qualities that Sarkeesian lists for developers to work on creating more positive female characters?

• The protagonists aren't tied to their sex appeal 
• Not typical conventions 

8) What is the impact of the videogames industry being male-dominated?


The gaming business has been to a great extent male-overwhelmed, in this way, the characters in the games have been built to bolster into male wants.

9) What did Sarkeesian hope to achieve through her ‘Tropes vs Women in Video Games’ series?

The gaming business has been to a great extent male-overwhelmed, in this way, the characters in the games have been built to bolster into male wants.

10) What media debates did Sarkeesian hope to spark with her video series?

Sarkeesian wants to advance media proficiency and make individuals increasingly mindful of the issues encompassing computer games. Her principle objective is to urge individuals to draw in with the media so as to perceive dangerous/hurtful portrayals of ladies could influence youthful people and how the present see ladies.

Tomb Raider Anniversary: blog tasks

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 overall genre of the game is action. There are props that are used which create action codes e.g. there's a gun on the front cover which is a action code that violence will take place. The game cover is dark themes which connotes danger, mystery and violence.

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?

The pose that Lara Croft is doing on the front cover allows the audience to focus on her body (her breasts and bum). This could be linked to the theorist, Mulvey. Mulvey's male gaze could link well with this as it encourages male players to view Lara Croft in a sexual manner. Regarding the costume of the character, she wears tight clothing and she is also revealing.

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

The cover might be read as empowering for female gamers because you don't usually see female characters on the front of a game cover. The industry is male dominated and usually the front covers are of males however, the fact that Lara Croft is the front cover of Tomb Raider: Anniversary, this gives female gamers more confidence and 

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:



1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?

• The game is played from a third person perspective
• The sound effects in the game play allows the players to identify that its an action/adventure genre.

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 of the game is action/adventure

Narrative: The narrative is easy to understand and follow along with.

Camera shots:  The camera shots are positioned in a low angle. This allows the gamers to focus on her body.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.


One of the audience pleasures the gameplay offers is enigma and action codes. The genre of this game is action adventure and as Lara Croft keeps going on and playing the game, there is missions that she's completing and she is on a quest. It makes the audience question whether she will make it out alive or will she die. Will she successfully complete the quest or fail? How long will it take her?
Another audience pleasure that the gameplay offers is diversion. This is allowing the audience to escape from reality when playing the game.
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.

Tomb Raider has sold over 58 million game copies worldwide and Lara Croft has been on the front cover of 1,100 magazine covers.

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?

The athletic archeologist has been absent from cinemas since the early ‘00s,  and in the meantime, the conversation around women’s equality has changed entirely.

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?

Like many young would-be female gamers of the time, Vikander herself had to beg male friends to play – and was restricted to doing tricks in the game’s ‘manor’ safe-zone. “My dad’s friends’ kids had a [Playstation], and their sons played,” she said in an interview. “I remember it so well, because I had never seen a female protagonist in a videogame. I kind of sat in the back. They didn’t let me play the real game.”

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?

"The 2013 re-launch game gave Lara a makeover. Hot pants and Barbie physiques were out; cargo trousers and abs were in. Scars, dirt and blood covered her skin, and the gameplay focused more on Croft’s face to reveal a deep and complex emotional background. Finally, Lara actually looked like someone who spent her time raiding caves for ancient artefacts." NME

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?

It is defined as someone who realises and notices her for her physical strength, intelligence and courage.


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

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?

Lara Croft is considered a "polarising figure among gamers" because there has always been a ongoing debate on whether Lara Croft is an actual role model or not. Is she only there for men to look at?

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?

It was normal to use the features of a female as it would help the gamer identify the difference between male and female characters in the game.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?

Lara Croft's physical traits were stressed in the first game to help showcase the establishment. In the genuine hame, she was excessively sexualised and it was urged fro crowds to see her body, through the third individual point of view and camera development, as opposed to concentrating on her real job in the game.

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

"She is one of the most iconic representations of women in gaming, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing," said Anita Sarkeesian. "With Lara Croft, you see her entire body running around in her hot pants," she said. "That encourages players to look at her as a sex object." Sarkeesian is emphasising that because Lara Croft is very revealing in terms of costume that it is as if she is there as a sex object. The gaming industry was dominated by men and the fact that she is extremely revealing along with the camera angles being very low reinforces the fact that she is there to be looked at as a sex object.

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

Lara Croft's appearance has changed after some time in oder to adjust the game to the changing society that we live in; the nature of the gaming business. Likewise, as cultural perspectives on felinity and ladies' correspondence have moved after some time, Tomb Raider expected to likewise change her appearance and characterisation so they can keep up pertinence in the gaming business.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?

Lara Croft is a iconic figure in the gaming industry and she was one of the first female protagonists in video games. The game sold millions of copies globally with her on the front cover.

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?

TV Series, Films and Advertisements (Lucozade).

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?

Lara Croft might be considered as a postmodern symbol as she is a tremendously outstanding figure in the media business so much that she is utilized in various ad items. We even observe individuals cosplaying her character at huge occasions like Comicon, etc. She has even been on magazine covers.

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?

Tomb Raider Anniversary is a 'Case study in conglomerate ownership' because the franchise grew under the control of multiple companies and business'. Core design was bought by Eidos Interactive ( who published the original game).

Further feminist theory: blog tasks

Further feminist theory: blog tasks

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #169 Further Feminist Theory. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

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

Feminism is a movement which aims for equality for women – to be treated as equal to men socially, economically, and politically. It is a movement that is focused not on ‘hating’ men, or suggesting that women are superior.

Instead, feminism is focused on highlighting the power and suppressive nature of the patriarchy (male dominance in society). Feminists see the patriarchy 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 identified a lack of diversity within the feminist movement, and argued that these diverse voices had been marginalised, being put outside the main body of feminism.

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

hooks used her work to offer a more inclusive feminists theory that advocated for women within a sisterhood to acknowledging and accepting their differences.

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

The term intersectionality is used to describe overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. Its meaning is that multiple identities intersect to create a whole that is different from separate component identities.

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

Her work puts her as a key figure in third wave feminism. Van Zoonen concludes that there is a strong relationship between gender (stereotypes, pornography and ideology) and communication, but it is also the mass media that leads to much of the observable gender identity structures in advertising, film and TV.

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?

Constructing meanings through signs is a fairly complex process because the notion of sign is quite extensive as it can regard written and spoken language, objects, images, motion pictures and so on. Many signs in the media are conventional and commonly known as they are culturally generated. Colours can be used to signal sex differences for example a baby wearing pink is a sign for its female sex, while boys would rather wear blue.

7) How do feminists view women’s lifestyle magazines in different ways? Which view do you agree with?

Van Zoonen argues that women’s magazines mediate images that tell women “how to be a perfect mother, lover, wife, homemaker, glamorous accessory, secretary – whatever suits the needs of the system”. Feminists of the 1970s saw the ‘media-created woman’ – the wife, mother, housekeeper, sex object – as a person only trying to be beautiful for men. - Factsheet

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

Colours can be used to signal sex differences for example a baby wearing pink is a sign for its female sex, while boys would rather wear blue. The association of pink with femininity and blue with masculinity was made in 19th century France. In the 18th century however, a pink silk suit was regarded as appropriate attire for a gentleman. Gender should therefore not be seen as a fixed property of individuals, but rather as a part of an ongoing process where subjects are constituted, often in paradoxical ways as van Zoonen suggests.

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

10) What other media theorist can be linked to van Zoonen’s readings of the media?

Another media theorist that can be linked to van Zoonen's readings of the media is Stuart Hall's negotiated reading.

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?

This could be linked to Stuart Hall's theory, contructivist approach.

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?

This idea links to bell hooks idea on feminism and intersectionality.