Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
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 cannon 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 a 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 have 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?
I don't think that the cover sexualizes Samus Aran in any way as she is fully covered in body armour. None of her body features is being emphasized, in fact, the stereotyped are being subverted.
Trailer analysis
1) What do you notice about the genre?
The genre of the trailer makes the game feel like an fps, horror, sci-fi game.
2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran obviously female?
The character seems to have some curves in her armour in the cutscenes but due to the game being an FPS so her body is not shown much. Samus does not have much voice dialogue so her voice cannot distinguish gender.
3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?
The game revolves around a female character who is hunting down aliens, this can remind people of the Alien franchise as well as star wars as a whole, this, therefore, can bring in fans of the genre to have an interest in the series.
Gameplay analysis
1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?
The gameplay of Metroid involves first-person shooter mechanics that are reminiscent of games such as call of duty and battlefield, the game is also narrative driven so is reminiscent of games such as uncharted and halo.
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.
HUD, made to simulate the helmet of Samus, reminiscent of Halo games, is able to show how much ammo is in the gun and the inventory of Samus.
Movement, the game involves a simple movement mechanic which is seen in another shooter.
The space ship and alien world settings show how the game is made to feel like an immersive experience with sci-fi aspects and even sounds.
3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
The audience pleasures could be a diversion and personal relationships as applied to Blumer and Katz theory. There is an element of autonomy as the player has full control over the characters in the gameplay along with agency. This is what Rigby accentuates in her theory of audience pleasures along with competence and relatedness as fans and players are bought together because this is not the first edition.
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.
older and younger audiences as it has the nostalgic appeal for audiences as the first edition came out in the 1980s. The psychographics would mainly be the mainstreamers.
2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?
The audience has changed as now the audience is getting older the gaming industry is growing into adulthood as more adults are getting involved with gaming. This is due to the nostalgia appeal of the previous franchises.
Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:
1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?
Adolescent boys
2) What has changed this?
There has been a change as now 50% of gamers are women and now there is a wider variety of games to choose from whether on PC or tablet or console or smartphone. Games are available on the app store with wider choices appealing to all types of audiences.
3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.
42% of women have Xbox or PlayStation whilst only 37% of men do. The games are thought to be a stress reliever after a hectic day.
4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?
Older video gamers are important in the market because of the nostalgia of previously marketed video games. This links to the Metroid franchise because the first edition came out in the 1980's so it allows other audiences that played the previous editions to also take part in the further editions.
5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?
For different generation gamers, there are various things that need to be considered as having less violent and harsh acts for children. The pleasures for women include relaxing after a long working day so the game helps divert their mind.
Industries
Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:
1) Why has Metroid never quite fit with the Nintendo brand?
This is because sci-fi has never suited the Nintendo brand as it originally for entertainment.
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.
3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand?
The writer links the bands as these bands also give audiences a nostalgic feel like the Metroid franchise does. The bands then carry on to appear to older audiences so then they can relate just like audiences can when they play Metroid.
4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the video games industry?
In the video game industry, AAA or Triple-A is a classification term used for games with the highest development budgets and levels of promotion. A title considered to be AAA is therefore expected to be a high-quality game or to be among the year's bestsellers.
5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?
I think there may be games that will feature Samus Aron character as audiences like the game so much especially the older generation but also the game may not create any other with that character in it as so many editions have already been created with the character.
Representation
Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:
1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?`
2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?Its 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?
controversies over the sexualisation of Samus. Like the time she wore heels in a Super Smash Bros game. Fans have questioned whether their female icon deserves better than pandering to teenage male fantasies. Nintendo meanwhile has been happy to push Samus as an icon of girl power.
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 approach would be very different as women's roles were completely different then and they were objectified more than now. The attitudes have changed as women now are more independent and have better roles than before.5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?
The character has been thought of being transgender because of the figure and aesthetic given to the character. the hero has been celebrated for defying the gender stereotypes.
6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?
This theory can be applied as the character is socially constructed and These constructions reflect cultural and historical contexts and objectification of the female body is a key construct of western culture (building on Mulvey – male gaze).
7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?
She suggests the character is transgender.
8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?
I believe that her character can be interpreted as another feminist character as she is not accentuated as a hyper-feminine character. Her character is not overly sexualised but is independent and heroic.
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?
Sarkeesian points out that the female reveals sort of pales as Samus’s increasingly naked body is used as a reward for male skill. It doesn’t diminish Samus as a character, but it does sort of diminishing the games themselves for using this sexist convention.
2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender?
She claims to have seen some fans argue that this refers to Samus having blood from the alien Chozo race in her veins, but Wu and McGrody also mention how 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?
Samus is the constant go-to for any argument about portrayals of women in gaming and sexism in gaming culture. 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, Zelda and Peach are damsels too often, and the anti-feminist as they objectified and presented as hyper-feminine characters.
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’?
Cultivation Theory suggests Television influences its audience to the extent that their world view and perceptions start reflecting what they repeatedly see meaning TV is considered to contribute independently to the way people perceive social reality and will have an effect on the audience’s attitudes and values. The repetitive viewing of representations of women like this makes us get the impression of the way women should be which means an image is constructed for us.
7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.
The video game industry does represent gender stereotypically as representations are quite structural. this may make people object to the way the gender is presented.
The gameplay of Metroid involves first-person shooter mechanics that are reminiscent of games such as call of duty and battlefield, the game is also narrative driven so is reminiscent of games such as uncharted and halo.
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.
HUD, made to simulate the helmet of Samus, reminiscent of Halo games, is able to show how much ammo is in the gun and the inventory of Samus.
Movement, the game involves a simple movement mechanic which is seen in another shooter.
The space ship and alien world settings show how the game is made to feel like an immersive experience with sci-fi aspects and even sounds.
3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
The audience pleasures could be a diversion and personal relationships as applied to Blumer and Katz theory. There is an element of autonomy as the player has full control over the characters in the gameplay along with agency. This is what Rigby accentuates in her theory of audience pleasures along with competence and relatedness as fans and players are bought together because this is not the first edition.
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.
older and younger audiences as it has the nostalgic appeal for audiences as the first edition came out in the 1980s. The psychographics would mainly be the mainstreamers.
2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?
The audience has changed as now the audience is getting older the gaming industry is growing into adulthood as more adults are getting involved with gaming. This is due to the nostalgia appeal of the previous franchises.
Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:
1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?
Adolescent boys
2) What has changed this?
There has been a change as now 50% of gamers are women and now there is a wider variety of games to choose from whether on PC or tablet or console or smartphone. Games are available on the app store with wider choices appealing to all types of audiences.
3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.
42% of women have Xbox or PlayStation whilst only 37% of men do. The games are thought to be a stress reliever after a hectic day.
4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?
Older video gamers are important in the market because of the nostalgia of previously marketed video games. This links to the Metroid franchise because the first edition came out in the 1980's so it allows other audiences that played the previous editions to also take part in the further editions.
5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?
For different generation gamers, there are various things that need to be considered as having less violent and harsh acts for children. The pleasures for women include relaxing after a long working day so the game helps divert their mind.
Industries
Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:
1) Why has Metroid never quite fit with the Nintendo brand?
This is because sci-fi has never suited the Nintendo brand as it originally for entertainment.
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.
3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand?
The writer links the bands as these bands also give audiences a nostalgic feel like the Metroid franchise does. The bands then carry on to appear to older audiences so then they can relate just like audiences can when they play Metroid.
4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the video games industry?
In the video game industry, AAA or Triple-A is a classification term used for games with the highest development budgets and levels of promotion. A title considered to be AAA is therefore expected to be a high-quality game or to be among the year's bestsellers.
5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?
I think there may be games that will feature Samus Aron character as audiences like the game so much especially the older generation but also the game may not create any other with that character in it as so many editions have already been created with the character.
Representation
Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:
1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?`
2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?Its 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?
controversies over the sexualisation of Samus. Like the time she wore heels in a Super Smash Bros game. Fans have questioned whether their female icon deserves better than pandering to teenage male fantasies. Nintendo meanwhile has been happy to push Samus as an icon of girl power.
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 approach would be very different as women's roles were completely different then and they were objectified more than now. The attitudes have changed as women now are more independent and have better roles than before.5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?
The character has been thought of being transgender because of the figure and aesthetic given to the character. the hero has been celebrated for defying the gender stereotypes.
6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?
This theory can be applied as the character is socially constructed and These constructions reflect cultural and historical contexts and objectification of the female body is a key construct of western culture (building on Mulvey – male gaze).
7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?
She suggests the character is transgender.
8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?
I believe that her character can be interpreted as another feminist character as she is not accentuated as a hyper-feminine character. Her character is not overly sexualised but is independent and heroic.
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?
Sarkeesian points out that the female reveals sort of pales as Samus’s increasingly naked body is used as a reward for male skill. It doesn’t diminish Samus as a character, but it does sort of diminishing the games themselves for using this sexist convention.
2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender?
She claims to have seen some fans argue that this refers to Samus having blood from the alien Chozo race in her veins, but Wu and McGrody also mention how 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?
Samus is the constant go-to for any argument about portrayals of women in gaming and sexism in gaming culture. 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, Zelda and Peach are damsels too often, and the anti-feminist as they objectified and presented as hyper-feminine characters.
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’?
Cultivation Theory suggests Television influences its audience to the extent that their world view and perceptions start reflecting what they repeatedly see meaning TV is considered to contribute independently to the way people perceive social reality and will have an effect on the audience’s attitudes and values. The repetitive viewing of representations of women like this makes us get the impression of the way women should be which means an image is constructed for us.
7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.
The video game industry does represent gender stereotypically as representations are quite structural. this may make people object to the way the gender is presented.
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