tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post4220683725643183188..comments2023-10-23T10:59:43.634-05:00Comments on J676: Video games and mass communication: Summary of “Chess for Girls? Feminism and Computer Games” by Justine Cassell and Henry Jenkins.Greg Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09154543464555817869noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-59967030825212643572008-07-07T12:03:00.000-05:002008-07-07T12:03:00.000-05:00One article which I found for my three week paper ...One article which I found for my three week paper made an interesting finding. It said that the idea that only guys play video games, or at least predominantly do, is only an appearance and not reality. Since this was taken from a study which was not conducted by the author of the paper it is hard to say whether or not this has much validity. However, it definitely does seem that the market for video games is more directed towards guys, and that when characters in a game are sexualized it is more often than not the women who behold the stereotypes. I do believe though that there should and ought to be more and BETTER games for the female market.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-37334387337135250092008-07-06T22:03:00.000-05:002008-07-06T22:03:00.000-05:00Working in a rapidly evolving marketplace, especia...Working in a rapidly evolving marketplace, especially one based soley on technology, presents a number of pitfalls, and this article unfortunately falls victim. Since publication the level of acceptance for women/girls playing videogames has increased, as have the available selections appealing to a wider range of players. The rise of the Wii, and WiiFit, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Nintendogs and even (goodness forbid) the Tamagatchi and Furby (shudder) have all been signs of an increasing convergence and growth in cross-gender games.Jasunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678999861981038638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-27153166688029326632008-07-06T15:34:00.000-05:002008-07-06T15:34:00.000-05:00I think Adrian is really onto something, and it's ...I think Adrian is really onto something, and it's the issue that media and culture critics, feminists and progressive marketers (let's face it, there's a huge untapped market out there) deal with all the time. I think there are no easy answers, because the issues cropping up in the video game world are, as Adrian alluded to, just manifestations of a phenomenon (or several) emanating from the culture at large.<BR/><BR/>So where best to attack the problem? On all fronts?Sarah. R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13495338005089494192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-34678969559986404262008-07-05T20:16:00.000-05:002008-07-05T20:16:00.000-05:00It is my opinion, influenced in large part by what...It is my opinion, influenced in large part by what I read in this article, that video games appeal to the male audience because of a supply/demand echo chamber, wherein technology has often been looked upon as a masculine field and so parents have enforced this societal norm upon their children in implicit ways, by buying Tommy a remote-control car for Christmas and Betsy an Easy Bake Oven, or leading Jimmy to the technology section at Target while taking Betsy to get a new dress—god forbid anyone is that cliché. <BR/><BR/>Though I certainly am not saying that this means that no girls are interested in technology, no, no; it is interesting to question whether the chicken came before the egg in this case, that is, whether girls are normalized to stay away from video games and other traditionally male pursuits, while it is reinforced as an integral part of boy culture. Evidence of this double-standard stems from the stark differences struck between male to male interactions versus male to female interactions on online games. Indeed, girls can sometimes be harassed by boys, one of many populations crafting the glass ceiling that pervades basically all walks of life, from one degree to another.Marlon Heimerlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16038436219563339071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-15570291519989924042008-07-03T22:19:00.000-05:002008-07-03T22:19:00.000-05:00I really feel that a main reason girls aren't as a...I really feel that a main reason girls aren't as active in video games is how games are marketed to young kids. I don't know if it was mentioned in this article or the Carr one, but there was a bit about how the ps2 was a top idea for a boy gift but for girls it was a karaoke machine. Why shouldn't the ps2 be a top gift for girls as well? This is why tween girls think video games are uncool.Nick Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01905187886343516157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-66742155749998820412008-07-03T19:13:00.000-05:002008-07-03T19:13:00.000-05:00I think one of the hardest things about this probl...I think one of the hardest things about this problem is the thing that has constantly been struggled with in explorations of gender: the fight between homogenization and differentiation. To differentiate runs the risk of essentializing ideas of gender (women are this, men are theat). To homogenize runs the risk that we simply maintain the relative invisibility of femaleness in the face of normative maleness.<BR/><BR/>While interesting, the thing that is hard is that these things are much larger than videogames. Bringing awareness of the situation to the form is still a worthy cause, but I still find myself wondering if this is a battle that should be fought on macro or micro levels...Adrianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05838262810164443856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-25685759834424610912008-07-01T20:33:00.000-05:002008-07-01T20:33:00.000-05:00However, now realizing the great difficulty in som...However, now realizing the great difficulty in something I made sound very simplistic, the idea of getting girls interested has to also combat the idea that girls don't think gaming is cool and it is looked down upon socially. That is also an issue I think would make an impact in girls participation in video gaming as well.Eric Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00198361987589659236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2041401714407470668.post-48918937495253204052008-07-01T20:32:00.000-05:002008-07-01T20:32:00.000-05:00Obviously after reading this article, there are ma...Obviously after reading this article, there are many culprits responsible for the general disinterest girls have in games, but the most compelling one to me is the type of game and creating a game that appeals to guys and girls. To me, a random game, let's dub it "Barbie Goes to France", similar to the other games described in this article, just doensn't have the appeal that other games do that are in the market. It's not that these games don't mean well, it's just that they don't sound very compelling and I think that is what would capture a girl in gaming. Have a game that is fun to play and has lasting appeal, and if that means little violence, etc. then so be it. It just seems like the industry turns a blind eye to this huge potential market and is foolish to do so because I don't think it would be very difficult to start creating games that appeal to girls as well. Just make games that are fun for girls to play. What exactly that entails, I'm not sure, but it's worth a try.Eric Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00198361987589659236noreply@blogger.com