Game Character Design

Critical Analysis of Narrative & Characters

WEEK 4

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Learning objectives Remainder on Stereotypes

● Portrayal of women in games

Genre Conventions

● Narrative Genres

● Tropes in Genres

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Stereotypes & Portrayal of Women in Games

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Digital Australia Report ● Digital Australia Report is done by the IGEA ● Tracks demographics of video game players ● Highlights from the 2020 report

○ 68% of Australians play games ○ Men report playing games for 15 years on average. Women 10 years ○ Women currently make up 47% of all video game players ○ Average age of gamers is 34 (up from 24 in 2010)

● Keep these in mind as we go forward

Portrayal of Women in Games ● This is going to be a fun topic...

● This is a very broad overview of the issue as a whole

● We want you to be aware of the issues and avoid them

● Ties heavily back to stereotypes from last week

● So is there really a problem with the portrayal of women in games?

● YES!

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Portrayal of Women in Games There are actually two issues here

● The treatment of women in the industry

● The depiction of women in video games

We will be focussing on the depiction of women in games

● The Damsel in Distress Trope

● Objectification of Women

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Portrayal of Women in Games These issues run across all media. It stems from history and culture

● Historically women have been treated as lesser than men

● Women gained the right to vote in 1902 (Federally)

● The idea of the atomic family and the stay at home wife

● Even today there are pay gaps between men and women

● Different standards for men and women. Especially in appearance

● Even stereotypes about the type of games women play ● https://screenrant.com/e3-twitter-sexist-women-girl-gamer-games-parade/

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The Bechdel Test ● Mostly used for movies, but can also be used for games

● A test to see if women play an active role in a work of fiction

To pass the test the work must pass the following criteria:

● The movie has at least two women talking

● Who talk to each other

● About something other than a man

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The Damsel in Distress Trope ● Sadly a very common trope

● “A character, usually female, is put into immediate danger”

○ Typically kidnapped or something similar

○ Could also be ill, lost or stranded behind enemy lines

● Can be from any point in the game

● Can be the pure form of damsel (only purpose in game)

○ Can also be the “Action Girl” or a protagonist

○ Can also be a male (Distressed Dude Trope & Not Common)

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The Damsel in Distress Trope

Objectification The other common issue is the objectification of women

● Women shown as overly sexualised

● Can be treated as a sex object in game

● Or totally unrelated to the game and done merely as “fan service”

Very pervasive throughout games

● You have likely all played a game with this

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Koei Tecmo ● Are TERRIBLE when it comes to this issue

● Dead or Alive is one of their biggest series

○ Spin off games Xtreme Beach Volleyball

○ Entire premise is scantily clad women playing Volleyball among

other activities

○ Some in the series banned in Australia or not released

● Also created Dynasty Warriors, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid Other M & Hyrule

Warriors

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Koei Tecmo ● Zelda not a damsel here (Trope is used but Zelda as Sheik already

helping you)

● New characters added by Koei Tecmo sexualized

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Konami ● Metal Gear Solid 5 has a character that is bad for this

● Quiet is a supporting character

○ One of few characters able to go out on missions with the main

character

○ Only human character to do so (Horse, Dog, Robot & Quiet)

○ “She breathes through her skin so can’t wear much clothing”

○ She has a fully clothed costume that you have to beat the game to

unlock

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The Good Female Protagonists ● Whilst there is the bad it is important to recognize the good

● Samus Aran (Metroid)

● Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

● Ellie (The Last of Us)

● Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite Burial at Sea Part 2)

● Chell (Portal)

● Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)

● Clementine (Walking Dead Season 2)

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The Good Female Protagonists

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Genre Conventions

Genre ● Every game, movie and book has a genre

● A genre refers to a collection, or category, of common design elements

● A genre can be used to group together similar media

● If two games belong to the same genre, they likely share similar design

elements

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Genre ● There are two main types of genres used by games:

Narrative Genre

● Categorize the character and narrative design elements

● Shared with books and movies too

Gameplay Genre

● Categorize based on game mechanics and level design elements

● Unique to games

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Genre Some common narrative genres include:

● Fantasy

● Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)

● Action

● Horror

● Comedy

● Drama

● Etc.

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Genre Some common gameplay genres include:

● Role Playing Game (RPG)

● First Person Shooter (FPS)

● Platformer

● Survival

● Horror

● Action

● Adventure

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Genre It is common to combine multiple narrative and/or gameplay genres

● Fantasy Role Playing Game

● Action First Person Shooter

● Puzzle Platformer

● Survival Horror

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Genre ● Choosing a genre is great because it provides us with some common

design elements to include

● It also means that players will have certain expectations about our

game

● These design elements are referred to as ‘genre conventions’

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Genre ● If you have multiple genres, you gain the benefit of more conventions

● However, the expectations from your players also grows

○ This can restrict your freedom as a game designer

● More Genres = More Conventions

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Tropes Revisited

Tropes Revisited ● Genres have ‘common design elements’

● Doesn’t this sound like tropes?

● They can be the same thing!

● Narrative Tropes can are a type of Narrative Genre Convention

● Certain narrative tropes appear more frequently in certain genres

● Let’s discuss some common narrative genre conventions now

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Fantasy Genre What do you typically associate with the

Fantasy genre?

● Where / when are fantasy games

commonly set?

● What kinds of characters do fantasy

games commonly contain?

● What types of conflict commonly occur in

fantasy games?

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Fantasy Genre What do you typically associate with the Fantasy genre?

● Fantasy games are usually set in a fictional world, with a heavy focus

on magical or supernatural elements

● Characters in Fantasy games usually rely on magic or supernatural

abilities to overcome conflict

● Conflict in Fantasy games usually involves the more literal concept of

‘good’ vs ‘evil’

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Sci-Fi Genre What do you typically associate with the

Sci-Fi genre?

● Where/when are science fiction (sci-fi)

games commonly set?

● What kinds of characters do science

fiction (sci-fi) games commonly contain?

● What types of conflict commonly occur in

science fiction (sci-fi) games?

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Sci-Fi Genre What do you typically associate with the Sci-Fi genre?

● Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games are usually set in an alternate future,

with a heavy focus on scientific and technological advancement

● Characters in Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games usually rely on knowledge

or technology to overcome conflict

● Conflict in Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games usually involves a search for

knowledge or technology

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Action Genre What do you typically associate with the

Action genre?

● Where/when are action games commonly

set?

● What kinds of characters do action games

commonly contain?

● What types of conflict usually occur in

action games?

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Action Genre What do you typically associate with the Action genre?

● Action games are usually set in a setting surrounded by fast-paced

and very physical activity, such as a war

● Characters in Action games usually rely on their physical abilities in

order to overcome conflict

● Conflict in Action games is almost always violent in nature, with

characters often being placed in physical danger

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Horror Genre What do you typically associate with the

Horror genre?

● Where/when are horror games commonly

set?

● What kinds of characters do horror games

commonly contain?

● What types of conflict usually occur in

horror games?

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Horror Genre What do you typically associate with the Horror genre?

● Horror games are usually set in an isolated setting, cut off from outside

communication or assistance

● Characters in Horror games usually must face their primal fears in

order to overcome conflict

● Conflict in Horror games is scary, usually relying on primal fears to

scare a wide audience

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Comedy Genre What do you typically associate with the

Comedy genre?

● Where/when are comedy games

commonly set?

● What kinds of characters do comedy

games commonly contain?

● What types of conflict usually occur in

comedy games?

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Comedy Genre What do you typically associate with the Horror genre?

● Comedy games are usually either set in a very relatable setting, or a

completely unrelatable setting – rarely anywhere in-between

● Characters in Comedy games usually overcome conflict in spite of their

abilities, not because of them

● Conflict in Comedy games is funny and almost never violent in nature,

with characters rarely being placed in physical danger

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Critical Analysis

Critical Analysis ● A critical analysis can be thought of as a kind of game review

● However we review from the perspective of a game designer

○ Different than typical reviews from the perspective of a player

● The goal is to learn from a game’s design

● We can then apply the knowledge to our own game designs

● Ultimately making us better game designers

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Critical Analysis ● It is vital to analyse games that you play

● You should also be able to critically analyse your own games

● This allows you to continue improving as a designer

● It might sound tedious at first

○ You will start doing it instinctively the better you get

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Critical Analysis When critically analysing a game the process can be broken into 3 steps

● Identifying

● Critiquing

● Analysing

For the assignments you only need to complete the first step

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Critical Analysis - Identifying ● The first step is to identify various elements of the game design

● In the case of our own games this is often the easiest step

○ You are the one who designed them

○ You should have a fairly good idea of tropes and archetypes

● In case of other games this can be quite tricky

○ You will get better with practice

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Critical Analysis - Critiquing ● Once elements are identified you move on to critique

● Consider the elements of the design that worked well

● Consider the elements that did not work well

● Consider the elements that could be improved or tweaked

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Critical Analysis - Analysing ● The final step is the analysis of your critique

● You’ve identified elements that work and those that don’t

● Why is it that you feel that way?

● How could the designs be improved?

● This is tricky

○ You will get better with practice

● This allows you to apply the knowledge to your future designs

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Critical Analysis There is no such thing as a ‘bad’ game

● Critical is not the same as negative

● Don’t just say something is bad. Identify the elements that don’t work

● How could it be improved?

There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ game

● Every game can be improved

● Saying a game is perfect limits your ability to grow as a designer

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Coming up this week ● Studio - Examining how to critically analyse a game design ● Seminar - How to critically analyse as you play a game

Homework ● Play Games! ● Work on Assignment 1

Reminders ● Assignment 1 is due Monday Week 5

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