CONTEXTUAL ASSIGNMENT PROPOSAL

Contextual Assignment Proposal

For my contextual essay I would like to look into the subject areas of video games, more specifically the way video games are portrayed in the media.

How are video games and its players portrayed in the media?

The reasoning behind the question is, as a gamer myself, in my opinion it feels a taboo to be open about my hobby. I’m interested to find out why, and is there a perception towards gamers.

The question of ‘what is a video game?’ will help understand the magnitude of the subject matter.

The linked theme with my practical work is the social side of gaming more specifically the idea that you always play alone, of course is not entirely true. 

Constantly within the media, video games are always being the blamed because people, more commonly younger people are turning violent. This is something I will explore further. This can be done by researching news accounts in which this has happened and hopefully understand the reasoning behind the media attacks. Age branding on media will be another aspect to write about.

The publics perception of a video game player is a teenage boy in his bedroom, staring at monitor for countless hours, I believe this stereotype needs to be broken. I know many female gamers myself playing the same games that males would.  

Linking with the obsession of video games and the aftermath portrayed by the media. I will look into the idea of immersion and do the majority of the people playing games become to immerse they sacrifice opportunities in real life for something they only see on a television screen. .   

Research

Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames, Ian Bogost

Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds, Jesper Juul

Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games, Edward Castronova

Beyond psychology, by Otto Rank

Paul Virilio: From modernism to hypermodernism and beyond / edited by John Armitage and Mike Featherstone.

Jean Baudrillard

Play between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture, T.L. Taylor

Virtual gender: technology, consumption, and identity. edited by Eileen Green and Alison Adam

Field Research:

Questionnaires, I will ask a variety of different people on their views on video games. From the questionnaire I will gather my own information on what the public think.

Interviews, a similar format to the questionnaire asking similar questions, I will conduct interviews with the public and more specifically gamers on their views.

My own personal experience with the subject matter I feel will help greatly in the collection of research.

http://www.edge-online.com/, The Global Game Industry Network, many blogs, research articles exploring different aspects to video games. .