A level media: Key forms – Video Games.

Case study: Select a video game – Research + Explain.

The Sims.

Genre + Conventions:

-       The Sims 3 is a stimulation game that first started in 2000. It’s developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. When you play the game, you can create your own character or characters in any way you want. You can attempt to create yourself or someone else the choice is yours. During this stage of the game you are able to pick anything from hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, hairstyle and personality/traits.

-       After this stage you can move your newly made Sims into their houses (with a budget) and decorate it however you want it if you can afford it. If you cant, the Sims town offers numerous amounts of jobs that can be applied for.

-       In order to play the game all you need is a mouse or trackpad and a keyboard in order to type in cheats like ‘Motherlode’ which allows you to gain £5000 similions    (sims currency) or baby names.

-       If you invest into expansion packs like Sims 3 Showtime, you can play online with others for example at music events (In the game) and nightclubs.

Industry:

- A game designer Will Wright chose  to create a "virtual doll house" after losing his home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and had to rebuild his life. Replacing his home and his other possessions made him think about adapting his life experience into a stimulation game. When he initially took his ideas to the Maxis board of the directors, they were skeptical and gave little support or financing for the game. The directors at Electronic Arts, which bought Maxis in 1997. 

https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-3-review/1900-6210540/

David 
Video games page 116

Genre:

Platform - A type of video game featuring two-dimensional graphics where the player controls a character jumping or climbing between solid platforms at different positions on the screen.

Action - A type of video game that includes the need of hand-eye coordination and reaction time with an avatar.

Strategy - A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome.

Stimulation - A simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities.

David

                                                Representations on ethnicity in the media 



The media has enough power to indoctrinate a nation to think or do what they want them to, to an extent. Saying this, the media also has enough power to change audiences thoughts based on how its represented or portrayed. In this instance, how the media influence  mass audiences decisions on different ethnicity's simply based upon how they they're represented. Representations can be made in different formats such as moving image media consisting of adverts and trailers to print media such as magazines and newspapers.Different ethnicity's can be represented and portrayed in different ways.

 For example how Rihanna represents herself in the ' Work ' music video compare to the hosts of top gear. For example Rihanna represents the black ethnicity in her Work music video the way in which she dresses as well as her dance moves. In the beginning of the music video she dances seductively by whining (essentially just the rotation of your hips) with her face facing away from the camera but still looking back. This form of dancing is very common within the black community and also creates a sense of identity for the song itself. She also appears to be wearing island style clothing which could signify what they wear in her hometown of Barbados. Within the music video she goes from toned down island girl with a mature yet short blue dress which shows maturity with a hint of sexual quotation due to the dress being short. What next appears to be night time in the music video Rihanna is shown to be wearing a long mesh dress with Rastafarian colours symbolising the typical tradition in Barbados. Due to the factor of the dress being mesh, and showing her bra and underwear set, it shows again being seductive and quite sexual which could have been done in order to target the song towards male audiences. The video also features big black men drinking alcohol which is also a common trait in Bajan nightlife. She also challenges a gender stereotype by having a black women rolling up some weed to smoke which is never really shown or associated with black women in the media. After that, we then get a scene of a women grinding on a man to the music which is also not only normal and generalised in the Bajan community but also proves women to be shown as sex objects in the music industry.

Moving onto Top gear. Its a British TV show based on motor sport (vehicles) hosted/represented by middle aged white men. The factor of it being hosted by middle aged white men backs up the theory of them being the richest genre of people in Britain today especially as they mostly work in middle or higher work sectors. The hosts of this TV show also have a tendency of representing white middle aged men through their job as they probably worked hard for what they have now in the long run but however doing it by working in higher sectored jobs eg in offices.

Advertising and Marketing 

Advert - 

( Boots advertisement based on makeup )

The theorists that Im going to apply to this advertisement consists of ‘ Representation ‘ by Hall. He suggests that stereotypes help create meanings that can be based on inequalities. This implies that stereotypes help audiences to decode or encode advertisements and help to break them down ( also links to semioticcs by Banthes ). This can link back to the boots advertisement as all the women are shown to be wearing a face loaded of makeup which goes along with the stereotype that every female should wear makeup. Inequalities may be reinforced as female audiences could feel they have to look a certain to be able to fit into society. It may also add to the stress of the inequality of unequal pay and therefore cause females to feel socially excluded. 

Audiences may also feel targeted to have to be a certain way as men are absent thought the whole advertisement. This suggests that men can look and act anyway in order to fit into society, though it could suggest that men can also be underrepresented and stereotyped to not like makeup ( this view mainly targeted towards the gay minority ). 

This advertisement can also link back to Identity by Gauntiett as it may damage a persons self - concept. They may begin to create a negative impression towards the company resulting in bankruptcy and vast losses in customer acknowledgement.