I produced a Car Racing game and I created a dominant signifying image that would appeal more to the male audience. This is because a majority of people who would play my game would be male. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation.

Further to this I have exaggerated the muscular attributes of my character with expanded arms, legs and torso. I also included clothing that would be seen as manly and reactionary, including a leather jacket, plain white shirt, casual trousers and some casual sunglasses. In some ways this inverts Laura Mulvey’s notion of the male gaze in that my main character is there to be objectified and looked at, in the words of Laura Mulvey he is a character “establishing ways of looking and spectacle”. However, the notion of the male gaze is quite distinct as it relates to the sexualisation of the dominant signifier, which is not what I have done with my character.

Nevertheless, I believe that it is generally accepted in society that masculinity is seen as much more aggressive, confrontational and violent than femininity. So in this sense my product is a reactionary representation of masculinity.

I believe that this is a positive representation of masculinity as that an over-aggressive masculinity is not healthy for males to aspire to. As such, if I was to create this product again, I would avoid the stereotypical representation of an over-muscular, over-physical zombie and look to create a character that was more radical in representation. Perhaps inhabiting a range of signifiers that would connote a more feminine character. I could do this by re-sculpting my character in terms of their physical appearance and their clothing. As such, I would be sending out a much more positive message to the audience about masculinity, one that used a positive countertype to present a radical and challenging representation which could help gamers to adopt a new ways of thinking about gender representation, with more positive role models for young people to aspire to.

I produced a Jungle quest game called Lana Laxima and I created a dominant signifying image that was essentially feminine although it didn’t fit the reactionary female games cover. This is because the woman in my games cover is fully clothed and not sexualised by wearing tight, revealing clothing. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation (1987). In my production there is a clear focus on femininity. 

Further to this I have exaggerated the female attributes of my character with large lips, a small nose and a tiny waist. I also included clothing that was army/jungle-like an, including camouflage trousers which have connotations to combat and the army. My character opposes the ideas of the male gaze as the notion of the male gaze is quite distinct, it relates to the sexualisation of the dominant signifier, which is not the case for my character.

Nevertheless, I believe that it is generally accepted in society that femininity is seen as am much more week, feeble and sexualised gender than masculinity. So in this sense my product is a radical representation of femininity.

Personally, I think that this is a positive representation of femininity as lana Laxima breaks all the stereotypes of females being week and sexualised. however in my game the main protagonist is a strong female woman who fights off the bad people, and is presented in non-sexual clothing. If I were to create this product again I would introduce more characters of all races, and sizes and look to create something that was more reactionary to the gamers. To draw in the attention of male users I would put some of the female characters in small, revealing clothes and some of them i would make more modest. I would also do the same with the male characters in the game, and have a range of body types from muscly to skinny to connect with all audience types. As such, i would be sending out a more positive message about race, gender, and body types to connect with the gamers and help them think about gender representation, with more positive role models for young people to aspire to. As Keith Stuart notes ‘the power of video games [is] a reflective, empowering and emotional influence on the lives of players’. (Why diversity matters in the modern video games industry, Guardian, 18 July 2017)

i produced a pirate adventure game and i created a dominant signifying image that was female in a role usually assosiated with males. This corresponds to Toril Mois analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation (1987). In my creation i made her a pirate which is usually seen as a males job, ignoring video game steryotypes.

further to this is have exaggerated the feminine features without over sexualising my character, through clothing that covers the legs and the back of her. The clothing i included and a large sword signifies- combat, movement, power and hints of fights… This tactic links to laura Maulveys notion of the male gaze in that my main character is not to be objectified and stared at. However, my character will still probably be sexualised due to being a female pirate.

Nevertheless, I believe that it isn’t generally accepted in society that females in video games can be the main character (aggressive, strong, powerful) and females are often seen as the ‘prize’ or the thing that needs saving. so in this sense, my product is reactionary

I think this is a positive representation of a strong female character as i personally believe, females are in the spotlight enough when it comes to video games, it is usually strong men. I do not think it is healthy for any gender to play a video game which includes a female who is powerless for no other reason than her gander. I wouldn’t change much about my character as i believe she doesn’t signify a particular type of person, and wears similar clothing to those of which men would wear in video games. However, I do believe I could’ve made my character less conventionally attractive as it would send a more positive view out to players and have them play the game for the adventure, not for the character. As Keith Stuart notes ‘the power of video games [is] a reflective, empowering and emotional influence on the lives of players’. (Why diversity matters in the modern video games industry, Guardian, 18 July 2017)