This article was not as interesting to me as some of the others. It was probably due to the fact that it had to do with charecters within a game by the name of Second Life. The research that was done here was the the aspect of gender within a virtual world.
Apparently, there are limited choices that one can become when a charecter is developed during this game. The charecters are pre-programed by the software creators. The gender choices are steoreotypical in stucture. For example, Men have strong pectorals and women have large breasts.
The charectarization of these gender roles are usually found not only in this game but all of the other games that I have seen. Especially, the games that I have come across at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Those games usually reflect women and men in the same fashion. Especially, the medieval battle sequencing games. The same options are available for the kids create their charecters while playing the games down there. The charecter choices are preset with men that have strong pecs and women that have large breasts. These charecter types make the best impression according to the authors research. Charecters that are sexual in nature and created in for the purpose of fetish.
The authors of the reading were very aware of the sensitivity of gender roles as they began to create their charectars in regards to this research. They were very aware of the fact of how their gender charecters were percieved since we expect gender to act or look in a certain way. The results of this study are a reflection of how society looks upon gender roles. I learned that this study supports my perceptions of what I have already seen in other virtual games. Sexual and fetish charecters appeal to people.
I agree, I did not find this article to catch my interest. Maybe it was the way it is written, or the fact that the topic is just not an interesting topic to me. I feel as though wherever there are choices of characters in a game or online, many of the gender choices are stereotypical. Maybe this is why our thoughts of what gender "should be" is instilled in our brains at an early age. I also agree with you when you state that you have seen this is many games. I reflect on games I used to play in the past that had gender characters, and almost every single game fed into the stereotype. I like the example you use with the medieval battle games, since I have never played any. These games have a negative effect on people trying to shape their gender identity and it is unfortunate that this will never change.
ReplyDeleteI find it extremely awkward when I see a character with super stereotypical features, mainly women with large, or should I say, extra-large breasts. And the men seem to have abnormally large biceps and triceps. LIke you two, this article wasn't very interesting to me either. This article made me think of Wii characters and how they leave out stereotypical features like muscles and breasts. I am able to create a little Mii without having to worry if my breasts are too big. Instead, they focus on other, more fun features from facial features like moles to facial hair to the hair styles.
ReplyDeleteBut old school games do tend to have stereotypical representations of gender, but since we were kids when we were introduced to them, they didn't bother us much until now. I don't think it will ever change, or not in our lifetime. Gender identity and depiction is a very slow, changing idea.