I selected to critically analyze the video game series called Uncharted because it incorporates this week’s reading and class discussion.
There is no shortage of male representation in the video game industry, the protagonist always being featured as a warrior, hero, thief, etc. In Of Men and Machines: Images of Masculinity in Boys’ Toys, Wendy states that masculine representation is centered around being heavily muscled, square-jawed, and armed to the teeth. These are but some of the features that are depict in Nathan Drake’s character. The male characters in Uncharted draw from the dominated narration of hyper-masculine tropes. He has an easy going style while paired with a gun holster that future exudes the stereotypical masculine ideal of strength, violence and Male representation in video games emphasizes the proximity that males have to technology and how technology has been approached from a gender perspective (Varney, p159). Young boys will continue to gravitate toward such video games when they see a role model that embodies their ideals. Meanwhile, young girls will only be discouraged because they are not represented in technology. Therefore, I feel that Uncharted is approaching this from an interesting standpoint by moving away from the typical female character. The main female lead throughout the series is Elena Fisher, in a way she is the “female version of Drake” rather then the “damsel in distress”. She is tough, confident, and smart, and does not need her male counterpart saving her; on a few occasions she is the one saving him from life threatening situations. They have also gone beyond having the female sidekick, which Elaina is, with Uncharted The Lost Legacy. Rather then having the typical male lead, they gave us two women of color that are able to handle themselves in the male dominated world of Uncharted. Yes they are women but they aren’t over-sexualized in appearance, rather than wearing impractical sexualized clothes they wear climate and situation appropriate outfits. Damsels in Discourse discuss how toys are used as a way of steering children into anticipated identities that are associated with their gender, and Uncharted is beginning to demonstrate this. They are treated as individuals with their own identities and nobody decides what they can or cannot do. It gives female gamers the chance to be represented and connect with the characters they are playing as. This is only the beginning when it comes to gradually broadening the roles for both genders, especially in Western societies (Varney, 153).
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