TASK 4

TASK 3

Historical Text GTA 1
Grand Theft Auto is an open world action-adventure video game developed by DMA Design (now Rockstar North) and published by BMG Interactive. It was released in October 1997 for DOS and Microsoft Windows, and on 14 December 1997 for the PlayStation.

How is it similar/different to your main text?

The massive leap from GTA 1 to GTA 5 consists of many more improvements and changes, firstly the most obvious change is the graphical quality of the text itself, over the years hardware is rapidly being developed to obtain better graphics from current hardware architecture of the PS4/XB1.

In terms of content missions and free roaming has become more open and natural, character models have changed from the previous 2D flat world to a life like realistic 3D world. With this change it allows characters to have more identity within the game which offers a more immersive experience for the user. However GTA 5 still has the core concept which GTA 1 had and that is committing crime and being rewarded for these actions. GTA 1 is famous of being the first AAA gangster game 

How does this show how the genre/society/issue has changed?

TASK 2

"Portrayal of Women in Video Games." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

Allen, R. (2006) Critical Definition c. In: Video Games in Modern Age. London: Video Games Ltd.

Willis, Laurie. Video Games. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2010. Print.

Berger, John (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin.

Brown, John (2014)  An Introductory History of Fashion. London. [Lecture at Media Magazine, 5 January 2014].

Freud, S. (1901) The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Translated by Anthea Ball. 2002. London: Penguin Books Ltd

Feminism in Video Games (1972) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. [DVD] U.S.A.: Paramount Pictures.

Grand Designs: Series 6, Episode 19. (2009). Channel 4: 23 June. 19.00hrs.

Hall, Stuart (1997) Representation. London: Sage Publishing.

The Impressionists with Tim Marlow (1998) Directed by Phil Grabsky & Ali Ray. [DVD] Brighton: Seventh Art Productions.

Kirkham, P. (1987) Interior Design In: Conway. ed. Design History: A Students' Handbook. London: Routledge.

Savage, Martha (2008) Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute At: http://yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/3/96.03.10.x.html (Accessed on 10.11.2008)

Simpson, Sara (2009) [Interview by email, 24 February 2009]

Sturken, Marita & Cartwright, Lisa (2001) Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

TASK 1

Women gets raped
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ACa5bBto8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeX_GsRmDhI
2 Men harassing a innocent women on the side of the street, then forcing to have sex
Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world. To accommodate the map's size, the game introduces vehicle types absent in its predecessor Grand Theft Auto IV. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system can be used as assistance against enemies.Should players take damage, their health meter will gradually regenerate to its halfway point. Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes while playing, law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display
First person prostitution has caused a massive moral panic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7__X3B3Vkk

Issues and debates
Representation and stereotyping; Media effects; Reality TV; News Values; Moral Panics; Post 9/11 and the media; Ownership and control; Regulation and censorship; Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century; The effect of globalisation on the media.

Almost all young people play video games, and majority of the games contain male dominated playable characters.

Regulation and censorship:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10355275/Grand-Theft-Auto-V-is-designed-deliberately-to-degrade-women.html

Moral Panics:
http://tlweb.latrobe.edu.au/humanities/mmm/commentary.php?Commentary_ID=244
In 1999 two teenagers killed thirteen students at Columbine High School in Denver, USA. USA Today claims the two students were obsessed with video games and the playing of the games led to the attack. This was the start of video game moral panic. After this incident parent’s, teachers and many organisations started to believe video gaming caused violent behaviour in its players.

The first event that created the panic then causes a build in public concern and generally leads to a response from authorities and opinion makers. The panic is reduced or there is a call for social change and the issue is managed or fixed. The moral panic around Grand Theft Auto follows this pattern

Example: CBS News claims that an Alabama lawsuit claimed that Grand Theft Auto led a teenager to go on a killing rampage, murdering 3 people; 2 of them police officers. The 18-year-old killer apparently played Grand Theft Auto day and night for months on end until he finally snapped. He was said to rein-act the game in his murders. 

Theories
Gender and ethnicity; Marxism and hegemony; Liberal Pluralism; Colonialism and Post-colonialism; Audience theories; Genre theories.

Tutorial 3

Met deadline – 3,000+ words on Notes and Quotes, seriously impressive!

Struggling to find Media Magazine articles to research – GTAV campaign article not too relevant. Check MM34 – Engendering Change article, could be useful.  MM40 (Play issue) could have some relevant stuff in terms of Effects theory. There should be something useful here.

Check Media Edu for case studies – there should be something on gender and videogames. A basic introduction that is worth looking at: http://media.edusites.co.uk/article/understanding-video-games/

Major gap now is academic books and journals…

You’ve got six pdf academic journals and read and collect quotes from – that will fill the gap in terms of academic texts. Also check the books we have in DF07 – we’ve also got a book on videogames coming in, keep an eye out.

You’ll also need to use the BFI trip to fill the academic gap in your research.

Post this up on your blog along with a plan for the next two weeks.

Response: Go through all of the PDF documents, have a look at the book on Monday about video games, Check Media Edu link references for additional information

Tutorial 2

Change proposal – your question is under the hypothesis. Your hypothesis is the statement you want to prove or disprove… So it might be that ‘the lack of female videogame characters makes society more sexist’ – or you might want to test something else. Remember you can prove OR disprove the hypothesis in the essay.

Research

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jun/12/games-industry-problem-female-protagonists

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/21/grand-theft-auto-5-women-misogynistic-violent

Loads of articles attached – check Google Scholar for more

Tutorial 1

·         Topic – female protagonists in videogames.

·         Need to nail down hypothesis – what is your angle/argument?

·         To what extent does the lack of female protagonists in videogames like GTA5 contribute to gender stereotyping in wider society? [Might need a bit of work]

·         Linked production is the challenge – documentary? YouTube GTA spoof? Opening to a movie in a similar genre to GTA? Either way it’ll be tricky.

Research

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/01/how-to-attack-a-woman-who-works-in-video-games