Accessibility in Games

For this last task we were told to write about a game that made us aware of our bodies. The game I have decided to write about is Wii Sports Resorts. Each sport in the game involves some movement of the body, which keeps you alert and motivated. There is also an extra part for the wiimote that comes with the game, the motion plus adapter, which allows the wiimote to record more complex and precise movements. Some of the sports include canoeing which involves you moving the wiimote like you would using oars in a real canoe, sword play which involves swinging the wiimote like a sword, or frisbee where you twist the wiimote the way you'd twist a real frisbee. These kind of games, with their kinaesthetic way of learning, make you very aware about what each part of your body does when doing these motions in real life. Especially with ones like the frisbee movement, where you clearly cannot launch the wiimote across the room so have to make your movements more exaggerated.

Ludo-Narrative Dissonance

We were told to write about a game with mechanics that compliment its story. I am going to write about Journey by thatgamestudio, one of my favourites. Everything about this game is fluid and minimalist, aiding the beautiful clean aesthetic of the game. Even the start screen simply tells you to press X for a new journey. It tells you almost immediately with a simple image of the ps3/4 controller and arrows that you can tilt the camera with the controller, or use the stick. The use of the controller to move the camera I think augments the fluidity of the game, you're moving yourself whilst moving the character around the sand. The character moves flawlessly, fluid, you feel like every touch on the controller/every movement will send it exactly where you want it. The game allows you an almost 'sandbox' like feeling throughout the game, but you cannot go too far or you'll fall in the sand. This makes the story feel more real, like you could yourself accidentally fall upon all these magical ruins, fix bridges or fly on carpet jellyfish. The character design itself works well with the whole fluid feel of the game, with the robe flowing almost freely around, moving whenever the tiny pointed legs move. Every game mechanic works perfectly with the story, and the design of the game. The game is a piece of art in itself.

Gender and Intersectionality

Peggy McIntosh - White Privilege and Male Privilege:

Even though its an old paper, I think it still has a lot of relevance to today. People are still not taught about their privileges, and especially as a white cis male it is important that they know about it and what they can do to help work on the inequality of the world. You don't even need to specify one game to show that this is relevant in the video games industry, as the percentage of white cis male protagonists is vastly higher than anything else. Assassins Creed, Red Dead Redemption, Uncharted, GTA - what do they all have in common? White cis men, stubble and all. This is something that has to change, and it won't change until more people know about their privileges and WANT change. 

Laura Mulvey - Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema:

This article, although clearly out of date with ideas, does have points that are relevant and can be worked off of. For example the male gaze, and how women are objectified from this. Many triple-A games often, having white cis male protagonists, use women as mere sex objects or 'a reason to fight' in a story. They're not often needed for a story progression, something 'on the side' such as prostitutes in GTA. They're just for the male gaze, for them to feel powerful if they save a woman in dangers life, or get turned on by having sex with a woman then found on the street. It makes these characters not feel real, they're just objects for the male consumption.