Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - blog tasks
Create a new blogpost called 'Metroid Prime 2: Echoes case study' and complete the following in-depth tasks.
Language
Language
Analyse the game cover for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (above).
1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?
They use weapons to tell the audience that it will be an action packed game. There is a massive canon on Samus Aran's arm which suggests that she is a dominant character. They also use a range of different locations on the back of the cover to help suggest to the audience that it is an adventure game.
2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures?
One of the pleasures would be diversion. Since its just a game, people play it for fun and escapism. Also, they might also play it for personal relationships because it is a franchise and those who have played it might of developed a relationship with Samus Aran. This also links to Scott Rigby's theory where people will play video games for relatedness and competence. Since they have been playing the game for a long time, the would have developed a skill which would make them want to play the game even more.
3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not?
it does because her body is fully ciovered with a body armour.
Trailer analysis
Watch the trailer for the game:
1) What do you notice about genre?
The genre is action by seeing guns and firing.
2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran obviously female?
introduced by gameplay
3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?
It has the same old videogame story like usual videoagmes.
Gameplay analysis
Watch the following gameplay clips again:
1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?
puzzle solving and 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 HUD is not of a typical fashion as it is something both you and the character can see, meaning it becomes more immersive as the ammo, weapons etc is all show through the likes of helmet UI. Whereas in most games it is made as a thing only the player can see.
The Sci Fi genre is maintained throughout by the space the character moves in.
3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
Diversion theory could easily be applied as this product is created MAINLY for diversion, for people to escape and immerse themselves into another world.
Audience
Research the audience for Nintendo and specifically the Metroid franchise, including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. You may wish to start with the following pages:
Reddit discussion of why people play Metroid
Giant Bomb forum: Who exactly is Nintendo’s demographics?
Reset Era: Nintendo’s audience getting older
1) Who might the target audience be for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, based on your research? Discuss demographics and psychographics.
During release most likely kids and teens, but in the current era possibly people in their 20's/30's for nostalgic purpose.
2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?
Nintendo's audience has changed as people who grew up playing Nintendo will now be much older and may still possibly buy Nintendo products as a form of nostalgia, but a young audience most likely still remains. To this also more women probably play.
3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise?
An audience pleasure is diversion and being able to immerse yourself into the game
4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory).
Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:
1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?
Late Teen Boy.
2) What has changed this?
The gaming gender demographic is a 50/50 split + there is a much wider variety of outlets that can be used to play games on, apart from PC and Console you now have tablets and phones.
3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.
42% of women own an XBOX or Playstation whereas only 37% of men do.
4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?
As they have a higher disposable income so therefore they are able to spend more, also it can be easier to draw them in with the use of nostalgia.
5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?
Audience pleasures are different for everyone, for example kids will require games that are suitable for their age range such as an adult will be able to expose themselves to something more violent or explicit as a use of diversion.
Industries
Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:
1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand?
It's a genre that tends to appeal to nerds aged 15-35 -a demographic that Nintendo often struggles with these days.
2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years?
New franchises like Halo, Mass Effect, and now No Man's Sky have filled the space where Metroid had dominated back in the NES and SNES eras. Other M was an attempt to keep up with the times, with "the cut scenes and the fast paced fighting that's so popular with the kids these days," but as we know now, that didn't really work out for them.
The writer forms this link because he believes they are identical in the way that they are viewed by audiences over time; new, younger generations are more interested in new "popular" music and video games compared to the "classics" once loved by audiences.
4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry?
AAA is an informal classification used for video games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher, typically having higher development and marketing budgets.
5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?
There is a new game coming out called Metroid 4, the game before was Metroid: Samus Returns in 2016. I think that Nintendo need to focus on revamping new AAA titles but the Metroid series still gives them big sales. The demographic of 15-35 is one that they struggle with.
Representation
Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:
1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?
At first players were led to believe that the hero was a man - the game’s accompanying booklet referred to Samus as a “he”. But those who completed the game fast enough were in for a shock: at the end Samus revealed herself to be a woman.
2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?
Developers took inspiration from genre-definers like Mario and Zelda, as well as the film Alien. They further developed the weapon and armour upgrade system used in Zelda, and took the pioneering step of allowing players to explore at will by backtracking and revisiting areas of the map.
3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial?
They are controversial because they are considered sexist and diminishing towards women; the faster you play, the skimpier the outfit.
4) What reaction do you think the reveal of Samus Aran in a bikini would have got when the game was first released in 1986? Have attitudes towards women changed?
The reaction would not have been as controversial as it is today, because sexualising women in the media back then was considered normal and almost default. Therefore, this would have been overlooked by women and glorified by men. This does not however go to say that there would be no backlash, as third wave feminism in the late 80's was a growing movement. Today, attitudes have definitely changed and there would be far more controversy.
5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?
-Tight outfit with heels in a Super Smash bros game
6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?
-van Zoonen's theory that gender is constructed through the media links well, as Samus Aran's body movement and exaggerated curvy figure suggest her femininity, meaning Nintendo have dictated to the audience what exactly female traits consist of.
-Furthermore, these representations do fit cultural contexts, further supporting van Zoonen's theory
-Samus Aran's body being sexualised and exploited links to the idea that the objectification of the female body is a key construct of western culture
-van Zoonen say's that women have to be like men to be treated equally; perhaps Nintendo setting Samus Aran's character up initially as a male and presenting her as a male links to this idea.
7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?
Transgender gaming commentator Brianna Wu has argued that Samus is transgender too, further demonstrating the characters appeal to gamers with gender agendas.
8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?
My perspective can see both sides of the spectrum; on the one hand, I am able to see how presenting her body and sexuality as a prize by removing her clothing as a rewards system is completely degrading to all women, suggesting that our bodies are for the desire of males. However, it is also difficult to ignore that as a female protagonist in a sci-fi intense game, she is seen as a powerful figure which many may look up to.
Read this Houston Press feature on Samus Aran and entitled male gamers. Answer the following questions:
1) What does Anita Sarkeesian suggest regarding Samus Aran?
The faster you beat the game the more naked Samus will appear in the ending, with usually the best ending involving a two-piece bathing suit. Sarkeesian points out that the female reveal sort of pales as Samus’s increasingly naked body is used as a reward for male skill.
Samus was originally portrayed to be 6’3” and more muscled in her appearance.
3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist?
Her character is always used as an example for an argument.If you question the number of female protagonists you’ll get a list that will virtually always start with Samus as a counter-argument.
4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames?
Lara Croft will always be haunted by her cartoonish, sexual appearance in early games.
5) What does the ‘SJW’ in ‘SJW-gender politics’ refer to?
Social justice warrior (SJW) is a pejorative term for an individual who promotes socially progressive views, including feminism, civil rights, and multiculturalism, as well as identity politics.
6) How can we apply Gerbner’s Cultivation theory to representations of women in videogames as discussed in the article? How might this lead to ‘entitled male gamers’?
7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.
I think there has always been a problem with gender and i don't think that there will ever be a point where gender won't be an issue as there are always problems occurring with gender whether it be that women are sexualised too much etc
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