Tom Raider CSP

Language and Audience

Analyse the game cover for Tomb Raider Anniversary (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

The cover shoes props like guns which show the genre is action.

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

The femine pose and minimum clothing of lara croft can suggest the sterotypical look of females and appeal to male audience.

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

This si because there has been no female protagnist in the gaming industry.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:



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

third perpective  view
more cinematic
cut scenes and more action

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.

The genre is action seen by the location of the game and the narrative is about the female protagnist trying to save her life.The cut scenes can be seen charcters expressions and perspective fo the charcter.

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


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.

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

It talks about change of euality for women.

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

it was received good feedback from the audience as it shows strength for a women.

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

IT did not show lara croft as an sex object.

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

defined as  lightness, intelligence, recklessness, courage and physical ability.
Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale? 

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

This is because people debate saing that this is only for male attention.

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

This is because they couldn't show the movement for the female charcters.

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

This is because it was more appealing to male audience.

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

She describer her as a hyper sexual character.

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

This si because gaming has developed and more natural movemenmts can come now than before.Industries

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

First female protagonist.

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

filmimg star.advertismenets and tv series shwoing lara croft charcter.

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

This is because she has been well known for a period of time.

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

The franchise is massive and has grown in the two decades.

further feminist theories

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

Feminism is a movement which aims for equality for women
patriarchy is 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?

she focuses on TV,film and advertising.

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

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?

This means that media has made certain stereotypes for gender roles and have given them restrictions in terms of what to do which likes with Judith butler.

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

They view of is that it is an exaggeration of femininity and the objectify women throughout with the products and make a certain body image of a women which other women need to follow inn order to get men attracted to them.

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?

Pink for femininity and blue for Masculinity was built in the 19th century and this is supported by other theorist like Judith butler as genders are constructed by society which is quite true in my opinion because  i believe that people tend to follow rules and regulations which are set by the society and have made an image in their head.

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

• Whether the institution is commercial or public
• The platform upon which they operate (print versus digital media)
• Genre (drama versus news)
• Target audiences
• The place the media text holds within the audiences’ daily lives

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

Stuart hall and his readings of negotiated and preferred readings.

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?

hall's theory of media construction is that audience will interpret text in their own perspective.

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 links to bell hooks views because it discusses the power that both gender has and discusses how bring other intersections will bring in power.

Introduction to women in video games

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

Read this Medium feature on whether female representation in videogames is finally changing. Answer the following questions:

1) How have women traditionally been represented in videogames?

They are being represented as a object or prize which the hero gets when he wins the game at the end and they need to be rescued.

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

42%

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

• tomb raider 
• the last of us
• the walking dead series

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

yes  because a female will not play the game in which the women is being seen as. a object and is being being represented as. a sex object.

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

she suggested that now Lara Croft does not look like a sex object and is wearing appropriate clothing.

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: Body language and the male gaze

100 word summary: 

IN this video,Anita is using the example of destiny and explaining how the game lets you make your own character and lets you choose you the gender and race.however in the game the movement of the characters of male and. female are very different as the male characters are sitting in a position in which they look active and confidence  but the women looks like they are tired and comfortable.This then shows that the difference. between the genders and along side the movement of the female character is also shown in a very sexual way.This is by showing their whole body move when they are walking and this video summarises the fact that the movement created for female characters are the stereotypical view of how women are being seen in society.

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.

She has a lot of negative feedback but she didn't top and still created her. series.

2) How does Sarkeesian summarise feminism?

feminisms the radical notion that women. are human beings.
 
3) Why do stories matter?

Stories matter because they have messages and points that they need to get across to the audience.

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

He views it as these two characters. are. being labelled as sex objects and are being sexualised in the game.

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

It has changed by because their are a lot of female games which are being launched and characters shown as strong as men for example fornite.

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

This is because they aren't sexualised in their game.

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

The narrative to show each character's view and personal flaw and the protagonist not. to be attached with sex appeal.

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

The impact is that videoagmes are being constructed in the view that male audiences like and are designed for male desires/pleasures.

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

She hopes to promote media literacy and make people aware  about how vidoegames are representing women in a. harmful way.

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

She hopes to contribute with the ongoing things which are taking place with video games and how they are representing women.

OSP-Assessment Learning Response

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-really disappointing but we learn a lot from this assessment
EBI-

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.)

Dominant

•  Positions the Google Home device as at the heart of aspirational family life.
•  Links Google brand to vision of ideal family life – creative play with parent; coloured pencils,paint bottle and corner of child’s picture all reinforce creativity and colour.

oppositional

• Reinforces white, western, middle-class representation of family life to the exclusion of other backgrounds (race/ethnicity, sexuality, age, class). Presents the white, western ‘2.4 children’ average as desirable, aspirational lifestyle – some audiences will reject this.
•  Google presenting its smart speaker as a ‘natural’ part of home life will be strongly rejectedby audiences concerned with data, privacy and the power technology companies such aGoogle have in modern western societies.

Negotiated readings:
 Negotiated readings could include an acceptance of a warm picture of family life – plus the
potential usefulness of the speaker – despite concerns over how the device uses data and
the growing power of companies such as Google and Amazon.

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).

1.)Alternatively, it could be argued that Teen Vogue is replicating many of the mainstream,
hegemonic values and ideologies found across the cultural industries with regards to the
representation of women and the fashion industry. Despite appearing to champion
progressive causes, Teen Vogue in fact reinforces the expectations placed on women with
regards to beauty and appearance. This is regressive and promotes a capitalist ideal that
encourages people – particularly women – to spend money to solve ‘problems’ with their life
and appearance. These fashion and beauty stories often use narrative to create the idea of
‘solving’ problems and creating a new equilibrium.

2.) Teen Vogue is owned by Conde Nast, a major global media conglomerate. Despite this, Teen
Vogue has run stories against capitalism (‘How I Can Critique Capitalism — Even On an
iPhone’). Does this make Teen Vogue hypocritical – or worthy of praise for offering a wider
range of values and ideologies?

3.)The Voice should be successful due to the opportunities that are offered by digital media
and the new media landscape in creating a platform for values and ideologies such as a
strong black British voice. However, the poor construction of the website and social media
presence (poorly worded polls, cluttered design, low-quality photography, lack of fresh
content, poor video production values, weak sponsored content) means it is not the
powerful voice in British media it should be.

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.

1.)Introduction to both the csp's-teen vogue and the voice
2.)Teen vogue-digital media-disagree with hesmondalgh
3.)Teen vogue-femisim
3.)the voice-content and how it is dominated by ideologies
4.)the voice-digital media
5.)conclusion and where I stand in this


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.


1.)exam technique

2.)Revise David Hesmondalgh and industries

3.)Revise magazine's

Final Index

1) OSP: Clay Shirky - End of Audience blog tasks
2) OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis
3) OSP: Teen Vogue - audience and representation
4) Baseline Assessment learner response
5) OSP: Teen Vogue - industry and social media
6) OSP: Hall and Gilroy - media theory
7) OSP: The Voice - blog case study
8) OSP: The Voice and Teen Vogue news articles (minimum 4 from each)

The teen vogue and voice weekly. stories

Teen vogue

Gossip Girl's Drama-Filled Thanksgiving Episodes, Ranked

Gossip Girl’s six seasons, lies, arguments, and betrayals severed the fabulous lives of Manhattan’s elite, but Thanksgiving always brought them back together again — mainly so that further chaos could ensue. The annual Thanksgiving episode (which is strangely missing from season 5) is Gossip Girlin its most Shakespearean form, a comedy of errors built around more dramatic irony than your English teacher could ever hope to explain to you.

Rosalía Wore a Monobrow in Her New Music Video for the Song “A Palé”

The video opens with Rosalía singing in the darkness, lit by a single light. Her hair is parted in the middle, and her cheeks are flushed. She's wearing a high-necked white gown tied with a red ribbon, very reminiscent of Kahlo's signature style, and soon the dreamy vibes of the opening lines give way to percussive beats and Rosalía shifts into her lower register and changes into a jumpsuit and sneakers with pigtails. While she changes clothes a few times throughout the video, the monobrow stays a focal point of her beauty look.

Jane Fonda On the Climate Crisis, Getting Arrested and Five Decades of Activism

The first thing Jane Fonda says to me after I sit down across from her in the lobby of a plush Manhattan hotel is, “What’s with the guillotine?” I look down. One of my tattoos is peeking out from under my short-sleeve shirt, and she’s noticed. As I explain that it signifies certain... opinions... I hold about the ruling class, she interrupts me: “You mean the billionaires and the politicians they’ve bought who are destroying peoples’ lives?” I nod. “Then I’m with you.”

Kim Kardashian-West Revealed That Kanye West May Have Inspired Her to Dress Less 

Kim Kardashian-West is making a major change to her personal style. Forget everything you thought you knew about her choices in wardrobe, because Kim is "evolving" and moving past the style that once broke the internet.Speaking with The Cut, the founder of KKW Beauty explained that husband Kanye West had recently influenced her to embrace a style that's "less sexy."

The voice 

Sir Trevor McDonald: ‘The Windrush Scandal was a great shock to the system’

Sir Trevor McDonald has told The Voice of his disappointment at how members of the Windrush Generation have been treated.The legendary broadcaster said he had followed the recent Windrush Scandal and felt that the way in which Caribbean migrants who had come to this country in the 1950s and 60s had been treated was “more than a shock to the system”.

Man, 29, found guilty of sexual offences against children 

A MAN has been found guilty of sexual offences against children after assaulting a teenage girl, and sending explicit images to other victims.Roland Lamin, 29, of Hackney, was found guilty of one count of causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, one count of causing a child to engage in a sexual act, one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual assault on a female (aged 15) one victim and two counts of breaching a sexual risk order. The offences took place between August 2016 and June 2019.

The Stormzy effect continues: Voter registration increases 236% per cent

The rapper pledged his support to Jeremy Corbyn in a lengthy instagram post, where he urged people to register to vote before outlining his support for the Labour leader..This made a lot of young people to go and vote for labour and incraesed the numbers raoidly for people to vote.According to The Independent, around the time Stormzy posted the message on Instagram, the number of users registering to vote increased by 40,000 from 8,296 to 47,920.

Police officer sentenced over possession of indecent image of child

A SENIOR Metropolitan Police officer has been sentenced to complete 200 hours of unpaid work after she was found guilty of possessing an indecent image of a child.Novlett Williams was sentenced today following last week’s guilty verdict at the Old Bailey.The 54-year-old, who has worked in the police service for 36 years, was sent the video on WhatsApp by her sister Jennifer Hodge in February last year.Hodge forwarded the clip to her 17 WhatsApp contacts after she received it from her partner, Dido Massivi..Hodge, 56, was sentenced to complete 100 hours of unpaid work having been convicted of distributing an indecent image of a child.

The voice

The Voice: case study blog tasks

Language and textual analysis

Homepage

Go to the Voice homepage and answer the following:

1) What news website key conventions can you find on the Voice homepage?

The News website key conventions that the voice has  all the categories on the top and has all its social platforms in the website.

2) How does the page design differ from Teen Vogue?

The page design is differ from teen vogue as it has low budget and teen vogue is more smother and easier to use than the voice.

3) What are some of the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content, values and ideologies of the Voice?

It has menu bar like entertainment,news,sports and lifestyle and content has racism and is showing the perspective of black people.

4) Look at the news stories on The Voice homepage. Choose three stories and discuss how they have presented the news from an angle or perspective that reflects The Voice's role as a voice for black Britons.

• 1UK NEWS  Sir Trevor McDonald: ‘The Windrush Scandal was a great shock to the system’ 
• 2UK NEWS  Man, 29, found guilty of sexual offences against children 
• 3FOOTBALL  Tyrone Mings named on Ugo Ehiogu ‘Ones To Watch’ section of the Football Black List

5) How is narrative used to encourage audience engagement with the Voice? Apply narrative theories (e.g. Todorov equilibrium or Barthes’ enigma codes) and make specific reference to stories on the homepage.

The voice uses todrov's equilibrium and disequilibrium as they. show both sides of the story and show their own perspective and opinion on it.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of the Voice and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the sub-menu bar for the Lifestyle section and what does this suggest about the Voice audience?

The sub menu bar shows fashion & beauty, food, health & Wellbeing, relationships and travel which suggest that they are targeting everyone.

2) What are the main stories in the Lifestyle section currently?

Main stories currently are Is devolution the key to a happier and healthier in manchester?

3) How does the Lifestyle section of the Voice differ from Teen Vogue?

This is different as lifestyle in teen vogue is more about gossip and celebrities but lifestyle in voice is more social.

4) Do the sections and stories in the Voice Lifestyle section challenge or reinforce black stereotypes in British media?

It challenges the black stereotypes in British as they show how British is showing the negative represnetation of black people.

5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – how do they reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice?

• Is devolution the key to a happier and healthier Manchester? 
• Honourees aplenty at 2019 Black Magic Awards
• Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America to premiere in Londo

Feature focus

1) Read this Voice news story on Grenfell tower and Doreen Lawrence. How might this story reflect the Voice’s values and ideologies? What do the comments below suggest about how readers responded to the article? Can you link this to Gilroy’s work on the ‘Black Atlantic’ identity?

This shows the ideology and values as the shows how Grenfell tower is not that significant and important as it mainly affects black people and links to Gilroy work for black Atlantic which means black people thinking that they don't belong or are being accepted in the western society.

2) Read/watch this Lifestyle feature about the Black Magic Awards. How do the article and video content reflect the values and ideologies of the Voice? What do you notice about the production values of the video interviews?

This reflects the ideology as it shows how black people are talented and are independent.however the production Is very low and it has not been recorded in a good setting and the quality of the video is also not great.

3) Read this feature about the Young, Gifted and Black Awards. What does this story suggest regarding how The Voice is trying to change the representation of black people in British media? 

This story is trying to represent black people in a good way by celebrating the success of black students in their sats and GCSE's.

Audience

1) Who do you think is the target audience for the Voice website? Consider demographics and psychographics.

Target audience-30 to 50
demographics-black people
psychographics-reformers 

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the Voice website? Apply media theory here such as Blumler and Katz (Uses & Gratifications).

surveillance-information and showing perspective of black people 
personal identity- people can relate to some stories.
personal relationship- people can relate to some stories and relate to the way they show relationships.

3) Give examples of content from the website that tells you this is aimed at a specialised or niche audience.

Example of -black music awards

4) Studying the themes of politics, history and racism that feature in some of the Voice’s content, why might this resonate with the Voice’s British target audience?

This might resonate with audience as most stories relate to the audience.

5) Can you find any examples of content on the Voice website created or driven by the audience or citizen journalism? How does this reflect Clay Shirky’s work on the ‘end of audience’ and the era of ‘mass amateurisation’?

There is an end of audience as digital audience has allowed everyone to put. their opinion and share stories in their perspective.

Representations

1) How is the audience positioned to respond to representations in the Voice website?

The audience is positioned to see things from a black person's perspective.

2) Are representations in the Voice an example of Gilroy’s concept of “double consciousness” NOT applying? Why?

This does not links to double consciousness as black people are being seen positive.

3) What kind of black British identity is promoted on the Voice website? Can you find any examples of Gilroy’s “liquidity of culture” or “unruly multiculturalism” here?

Black young. people are being promoted by the voice. and the liquidity of culture Links to  a man in Jamaica.

4) Applying Stuart Hall’s constructivist approach to representations, how might different audiences interpret the representations of black Britons in the Voice?

preferred reading-showing black people struggling for their rights
oppositional trying to show black people positive and not their negative representations.

5) Do you notice any other interesting representations in the Voice website? For example, representations or people, places or groups (e.g. gender, age, Britishness, other countries etc.)

Interesting fact that they have not used one white people in their website.

Industries

1) Read this Guardian report on the death of the original founder of the Voice. What does this tell you about the original values and ideologies behind the Voice brand? 

This tells use that they are trying to show the black Britons born here and how they fell that they are not part of the society.

2) Read this history of the Voice’s rivals and the struggles the Voice faced back in 2001. What issues raised in the article are still relevant today? 

newspaper selling and circulation issues today.

3) The Voice is now published by GV Media Group, a subsidiary of the Jamaican Gleaner company. What other media brands do the Gleaner company own and why might they be interested in owning the Voice? You'll need to research this using Google/Wikipedia.

• The Gleaner, 
• Hospitality Jamaica 
• The Weekend Star

4) How does the Voice website make money? What is your opinion of the 'asking for donations' approach that The Voice is now using?

Advertsiement

5) What adverts or promotions can you find on the Voice website? Are the adverts based on the user’s ‘cookies’ or fixed adverts? What do these adverts tell you about the level of technology and sophistication of the Voice’s website?

money transfer, flights to Africa

6) Is there an element of public service to the Voice’s role in British media or is it simply a vehicle to make profit?

no because they focus on black people and don't show any elements to make profit.

7) What examples of technological convergence can you find on the Voice website – e.g. video or audio content?

youtube interviews and social media 

8) How has the growth of digital distribution through the internet changed the potential for niche products like the Voice?

It has helped them to reach out to a wider audience without any cost and reach out to the niche audience.

9) Analyse the Voice’s Twitter feed. How does this contrast with other Twitter feeds you have studied (such as MailOnline or Teen Vogue)? Are there examples of ‘clickbait’ or does the Voice have a different feel?

It contrasts with other twitter feeds. as they are more focused on celebrities which is applying for the younger. audience.

10) Study a selection of videos from the Voice’s YouTube channel. How does this content differ from Teen Vogue? What are the production values of their video content?

The content. is different from teen vogue as they focus more on black British issues and production value is also very low.