My video game cover is inspired by the movie Cat Woman and is mainly targeted at teenage girls, 12+ due to mild violence, who are interested in video games and the DC comics and films. In the game, the Joker comes to Gotham City to cause chaos and with Batman out on a vital mission, Selina Kyle must fight his wrath solo. In one version she will be represented in a reactionary manner as she will be dressed in smaller, more sexual clothing – typical of the videogame industry – as if she is being portrayed through the eyes of the straight male. Whereas, in the second version, Selena will be presented in a more radical form due to dressing in a more modest and practical way.

I created a dominant signifying image of Selina Kyle and have represented her as feminine. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation (1987). This can be identified in the posture that I created for my protagonist , as she is perfectly aligned and upright.

Further to this I have exaggerated the feminine attributes of my character with bouncy styled hair, eye makeup and big cat-like eyes. However, I also included clothing , practical and athletic, that is not particularly feminine but that is sensible in terms of her active role in the game. In some ways this juxtaposes Laura Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze in that my main character is not designed in such a way that she appears sexualised or provocative – in the words of Mulvey, she is a not a character whose “appearance [is] coded for [a] strong visual and erotic impact” (“Visual and Other Pleasures”, 1989). However, the notion of the male gaze is quite distinct as it relates to the sexualisation of the dominant signifier, which is not the case for my character.

Whilst in everyday society my representation of Selina Kyle would be viewed as reactionary, due to the increasing independence and empowerment of women, in terms of the video games industry however, she is essentially represented in a radical manner. This is because typically, if there is a women represented in a combat game at all, videogame designers more than often sexualise a female character in order to attract their common white male target audience in order to gain profit. Whereas in my representation, due to strategic angling and clothing choices, the audience mainly focus on just the protagonist’s face, which is mostly covered by a mask anyway, rather than the ‘normal’ image of enlarged breast and a provocative stance. Additionally, the plot line of my game also contrasts the stereotypical representation of women in the video game industry as my character is not relying on a male character to come to her rescue. Whereas customarily, according to Anita Sarkeesian from Feminist Frequency women are often presented as the ‘damsel in distress’ and ‘must be saved by a male character’ as ‘motivation for the protagonists quest’ which is not the case for my videogame.

I think this is a positive representation of femininity  as I personally believe that all women should aspire to be strong-minded, independent individuals similar to the way in which I have portrayed my character. However, if I was to create this product again, I would use the opportunity to represent a more diverse character in terms on ethnicity due to the extreme lack of representation of people of colour in the video game industry. According to Nadine Dornieden from PBS, a 2015 study showed that ‘83% of non-Hispanic Black teenagers play video games, compared to 71% of Caucasian teenagers’ (Levelling Up Representation: Depictions of People of Colour in Video Games (2020)) which seems completely ludicrous compared to how little representation they have in the games they are playing. I could do this by changing the colour of my characters skin and hopefully send out a much more positive message about racial injustice – a portrayal that uses a positive countertype to present a radical and challenging representation, contradictory to the typical white protagonist, which could help gamers to adopt a new ways of thinking about different ethnic representations, 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 have produced an action warfare, assassin video game which represents an over sexualised, stereotypical female game character. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation (1987). In my game production there is a clear signification of femininity which can be identified by the way in which she is dressed and her feminine features such as her hair and body shape/curves.

Furthermore, my characters clothing and body aspects relates to the notion of ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ by Laura Mulvey, for instance her exaggerated female features such as her breasts and lower half. This creates the sense that my dominant signifier has been made to be displayed for male desire/attraction and to be gazed at. For example, this corresponds to Laura Mulvey’s words, she is a character “establishing ways of looking and spectacle” (Mulvey, p. 883, 1999).

Additionally, I feel that my product is a negative representation of femininity as women are not a satisfactory object for men to desirable look at, as well I feel that women should not be sexualised and looked at in a way that men feel the need to be dominant and manly for the way women decide to dress. However, if I was to form this product again I would inhabit a range of signifiers that would connote a sexualised plus size woman or an ethnic feature or even an LGBTQ+ appearance to my dominant signifier. I would apply these changes because I feel that a stereotypical sexy women is white, slim, with model like features. This ‘view’ should not be aimed at the ‘perfect’ woman and I feel that plus women should have the same respect and appreciation as those who are more ‘model like’. As such I would be making a positive affect on gamers and players, to realise that realistically women won’t look like over sexualised video game characters and that women should be respected more for their decisions instead of being objectified.

I produced a games box cover inspired by Toy Story and I created a dominant signifying image that was essentially masculine although it was clearly a female character. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the distinction between female, feminine, feminist categories of representation (1987). Only in my production there is a clear focus on masculinity, as she is female but appears rather masculine and not feminine. This can be recognised in the attire my character is wearing. She is dressed in army combat clothes that are not tight fitting to her body as it would be reactionary for a female character who is a dominant signifier to be sexualised with exposed breasts and bum which is then revealed by tight fitting clothing.

Furthermore, when creating my character I did make her limbs and frame wider and more muscular rather than the stereotypical slender frame of a female, nonetheless I made sure not to over do the body shape as I didn’t want the focus of my character to be on her body as that takes away from the whole idea of the fact that she is female but is unexpectedly masculine so she is not sexualised. It is a negative that it takes for a female to dress and look masculine for her to not be sexualised. These features go against Laura Mulvey’s work on ‘The Male Gaze’ as my creation of the dominant signifier’s purpose is most certainly not for the male gaze and the sexualisation of the dominant signifier. This contrasts to Laura Mulvey’s

However, I believe that society is becoming

I produced a Zombies vs Soldiers game, in which I created a main zombie character who is seen as dominant therefore recognising a masculine representation although the character was not necessarily male. This corresponds to Toril Moi’s analysis of the difference between female, feminine and feminist forms of representation (1987). However in my creation you can recognise masculinity through the defined features on the face and body, which according to my target audience is seen as almost “man-like”.

In addition to this I have created a soldier who is a male; this is very stereotypical because for as long as we know men have been expected to be the ones that serve their country and go off to fight and protect while women are expected to stay home and look after the children. I also included clothing that was war-like and confrontational, this signifies battle, hostility, conflict etc – and a war-like helmet. In some ways this can contrast Laura Mulvey’s notion of the male gaze in that the soldier character is there to be objectified and looked at, in the words of Laura Mulvey he is a character whose “appearance is coded for strong visual impact”. Nevertheless, the male gaze is quite prominent as it associates the sexualisation of the character, which is not the instance for my character.

I produced a school based game which incorporates violence. My main character is a women in power who has control. I labelled her as this as it is not stereotypical as she’s not presented as a ‘damsel in destress’

Further to this I have enlarged her breasts and singed in her waist leading to more attention on the buttocks which is the stereotypical idea of a women’s body. 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 she 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.