Friday 02 December 2016Lesson ObjectivesYou MUST be able to know background facts about the current state of video gamesYou SHOULD be able to reflect on their own experience of gaming and understand the role of women in video games as both players and charactersYou COULD (and really should) have a very good understanding of the different representations of BOTH men and women and apply this to ‘typical’ characterisation

Vocabulary

AbusiveExploitFeminismMisogynySexismStereotypeGamerHarassmentObjectification

What is Gaming?•What are video games?•Where and how do you play video games?•What different types of games are there?•What is your favourite game and why?•What else do you know about gaming?

The State of Video Games• The proportion of people playing video games? • The average age of video game players? • Are women over 18 a greater/lesser proportion of

game players than boys under 18? • The average age of most frequent game purchasers?• The proportion of gamers playing with others? • The proportion of gamers playing social games?

Which of these answers is the most surprising and why?

• 59%• 31 years old• Greater (36% women

> 18, 17% boys < 18)• 35 years old• 62%• 47%

Gaming Statements• Where are the most post-it notes? The least? Why do you think that

is?• What do you like about video games?• What DON’T you like about gaming?• Have you witnessed or experienced sexism in video games?• In what ways does sexism exist in video games?

Anita Sarkeesian TEDx Talk in 2012 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZAxwsg9J9Q)

Video Questions• What is Anita Sarkeesian saying?• Why do you think people attacked her? Why does she describe them

as a cybermob?• What are some examples of sexism and misogyny in gaming that she

discussed?• Are those same forms of sexism present in other forms of media?• How do you think these images and messages about women impact

girls and women? What about boys and men?

Group/pairs Exercise: How sexism is perpetuated in Gaming• Lack of female characters• Women as victims of violence and abuse against women• Negative portrayals of women• Over-sexualisation of female characters• Traditional marketing of games to boys• Women as ‘background decoration’ – NPC’s – sexual objects• Women as a ‘damsel in distress’ – needs rescuing

Be specific about how sexism and misogyny are perpetuated in the gaming world

Case Study – Video Game CharactersResearch THREE female and THREE male characters in video gamesFor each of them comment on:• Body image• Costume• Beauty• Capabilities/powers• Importance within the game/

narrative

You will need to include pictures that should be labeled

Prepare in PowerPoint before exporting as a JPEG and putting onto your blog