Metroid Prime 2: Echoes case study

Language

Analyse the game cover for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (above).

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

Samus is holding a massive space gun which immediately communicates to the audience that this is most definitely an action game and which the space look to her character is also shows the sci-fi elements too. In addition the aliens on the left further show how the genre is sci-fi. The metallic font helps to communicate the sci-fi genre as it connotes to the idea of advanced (space) technology.

2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures?
The cover suggests that the game is a first person shooter as we see gameplay images from an FPS perspective. In addition it shows 4 player multiplayer as we see the screen split into 4 segments.

3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not?
I don't believe the cover sexualises Samus Aran as the costume doesn't draw any focus onto her body type neither does it hint towards which gender Samus is.
Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for the game:




1) What do you notice about genre?

This trailer shows the sci-fi genre as alien creatures are shown as well as a space setting that the main characters explores. The non-diegetic sound and SFX help to accentuate the the genre/theme. 

2) How is the character introduced? Is Samus Aran obviously female?

I don't believe the Samus Aran is shown to be obviously female as nothing hints to her being female. Even when closely unpicking this trailer it is almost impossible to make out that Samus is indeed female.

3) How can we apply Steve Neale’s genre theory that discusses “repetition and difference”?

This trailer exemplifies the key conventions commonly found in action-adventure/sci-fi games. The idea of evergrowing darkness implies that the antagonist is being born that the protagonist will inevitably have to go up against in order to reach their goal. A difference would be that the main character who is seen as strong, enduring and somewhat musuclar actually ends u being a female.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:





1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?
The gameplay involves first person shooter which puts the player right into the game as they go throuh the game in this first person perspective. The heads up display allows the player to become more immersed as they feel as if they're actually wearing the helmet and in control of its functions. There is also puzzle solving in which the player must solve a puzzle in order to advance the story.

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.
The game includes cinematic camera movements which add to the gaming experience and visual pleasure for the player/consumer. In addition the FPS puts the player right in the hot seat and forces them to fully engage with the narrative of the game. In terms of genre the way a HUD is given is a clear representation of action games like Halo and DOOM as well as the environments and enemies. 

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
The FPS perspective allows the player to be more immersed with the gameplay as they feel as if they've been transported into the world of the game and are the protagonist instead of just controlling some character.

Audience

Research the audience for Nintendo and specifically the Metroid franchise, including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. You may wish to start with the following pages:

Reddit discussion of why people play Metroid
Giant Bomb forum: Who exactly is Nintendo’s demographics?
Reset Era: Nintendo’s audience getting older

1) Who might the target audience be for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, based on your research? Discuss demographics and psychographics.
I believe the target audience for Metroid Prime 2 is much different to the usual audience that Nintendo aim for. This is due to the fact that the gameplay isn't ment to attract younger kids more so to those older people who enjoy games like COD, Halo and DOOM which are all aimed at 18 and above. Mostly teenage-young adult males.

2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?
I believe the audience demographic for Nintendo has change to be aimed at all ages in order for gaming to be experienced by any age not just one singular target. There is also a substantial rise in the amount of female gamers especially on streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube.

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise?
I believe the three min audience pleasures offered are diversion, personal identity and personal relationship. I picked diversion due to the FPS perspective, HUD and action/adventure genre which immerses the player. Personal identity due to how the character of Samus Aran inspired the rise of many female gamers even to this day. Personal relationships because their were older audiences who enjoyed and played the past iterations of the franchise.

4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory). 
It may have an affect on the way audiences view women, as instead of them seeing females as just sexual objects it'd be something more empowering.Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:

1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?
The stereotypical gamer is considered to be the adolescent male 

2) What has changed this?
The rise of smartphones has caused a great channge as more than 50% of the gaming audience now consists of females

3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.
More than 50% of the gaming audience is female and only 37% of men owned a gaming console which is lower than the 42% of women who own a console.

4) Why are older gamers becoming a particularly important market for videogames producers? How can you link this to the Metroid franchise?

The average age of the gamer of today is around the age of 35. While there’s been ample discussion around how men and women game differently, there hasn’t been much discourse on how people’s gaming habits change as they age. Some surveys suggest age is actually the biggest factor in different gaming tastes and motivations, especially when it comes to competition. Younger gamers prefer competition while older gamers’ interest in it tapers off at around 40.

A more stable motivation across gender and age is strategy. That’s one of the main reasons games like Starcraft II are so popular among people of all ages. Not only does it offer deep strategy, the player-vs-player aspect attracts the younger crowd interested in competition.

In general, however, many older gamers tend to decrease the time spent on games due to increased responsibilities and other hobbies. Many, however, continue to play games in some form or another. Interestingly, MMOs still seem to be a popular genre for many older gamers as they allow for many different play styles. Casual games might be great for this crowd, but they often want the challenge that older games from their youth offered.

5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?
Some research has shown that competition and rivalry-based games are enjoyed more by younger gamers, whereas the desire to compete and battle other games is lessened when gamers reach approximately 40 years old. This reflects the pleasure of inclusivity - the idea of multiplayer gaming and being able to challenge your friends etc at various games. Many older gamers do want challenging games and narratives that remind them of the games of their childhood. This reflects the audience pleasure of nostalgia.

Industries

Read this Destructoid blog on the Metroid franchise. Answer the following:

1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand?
The sci-fi genre is something that has never been something Nintendo specialise in. In addition the demographic associated with said genre is one that rarely ever has any interest in Nintendo.

2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years?
Halo
Destiny
No Mans Sky
Mass Effect

3) Why does the writer link old boy bands from the music industry to the Metroid franchise? Do you agree with this reading of the brand?
The link between the two is mainly the idea that the desires of audiences change drastically over time. For example boy bands lose popularity and games like Metroid get overshadowed and become less popular due to newer games.

4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry?
A triple-A game means it has a very large budget and produced by a massive gaming company such as EA or Ubisoft.

5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?
I definitely do believe there will be new Metroid Games featuring Samus Aran as to this day she still makes appearances in Nintendo titles such as Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo Switch. Her character continues to inspire young women to empower themselves all over the world.
Representation

Read this BBC3 feature on Samus Aran and answer the questions below:

1) What was notable about the original Metroid game in 1986?

There was incentive to complete Metroid as fast as possible, by "speed running” through the game. Nintendo offered 5 possible endings, determined by how fast you could finish. Slower players would witness a triumphant Samus in full body armour at the end. But complete the game in a speedy 3 to 5 hours, and you were rewarded with a sequence where Samus’s helmet was removed. This was the historic moment when ‘he’ was revealed as a she - a huge deal in 1986.

2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?
Its developers took inspiration from genre-definers like Mario and Zelda, as well as the film Alien. They further developed the weapon and armour upgrade system used in Zelda, and took the pioneering step of allowing players to explore at will by backtracking and revisiting areas of the map.

3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial?
The endings were considered controversial due to however fast you completed the game the fewer pieces of clothing Samus would be wearing at the end.

4) What reaction do you think the reveal of Samus Aran in a bikini would have got when the game was first released in 1986? Have attitudes towards women changed?
I believe that the gamers would be extremely shocked as at that time women were considered to be inferior to men and unable to do the things males can and so to see that it was in fact a female completing all these trecharous missions would come as a huge shock.

5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?
The questionable message of this early approach has been followed in the decades since by further controversies over the sexualisation of Samus. Like the time she wore heels in a Super Smash Bros game and her skin tight 'zero-type' suit.

6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?
Van Zoonen argues gender is constructed through media language which can be directly applied to Samus Aran due to our understanding of her character stems from what is portrayed though the construction of the game and her character.

7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?
Brianna Wu has even argued that Samus is transgender too, further demonstrating the characters appeal to gamers with gender agendas.

8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?
I believe she can be seen as both as when wearing the suit you see her as a brave and powerful icon without having to be exploited however when she is stripped of the suit we see her character go down the route of a sexually appealing female character intended for the male audience to gaze upon.

Read this Houston Press feature on Samus Aran and entitled male gamers. Answer the following questions:

1) What does Anita Sarkeesian suggest regarding Samus Aran?
Anita suggests that the reveal doesn't diminish or reduce Samus's efforts and how powerful of a character she is, instead it diminishes the game itself.

2) Why does Brianna Wu (and others) suggest Samus Aran may be transgender?
The original design for Samus showed her being 6'3" in height, with a very muscular appearance; traits of which are associated with the typical male. The designer of Samus's character also referred to her as a 'new half' which parallels to the English term 'shemale.'

3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist?
"Samus is the constant go-to for any argument about portrayals of women in gaming and sexism in gaming culture. If you question the number of female protagonists you’ll get a list that will virtually always start with Samus as a counter-argument. Never mind the fact that studies show men perceive gender equality when it hasn’t been reached. As long as they have Samus everything is fine."

4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames?
Lara Croft is extremly well known for her 'cartoonish, sexual appearance' in her early video games. Peach and Zelda aren't ideal examples as they are used in their respective games to represent the 'damsel in distress' character needing to be saved by the male protagonist.

5) What does the ‘SJW’ in ‘SJW-gender politics’ refer to?
Social Justice Warrior

6) How can we apply Gerbner’s Cultivation theory to representations of women in videogames as discussed in the article? How might this lead to ‘entitled male gamers’? 
Gerbner argues that the more we consume media, the greater influence it has pn us. I believe this can be applied to the way women are represented in video games as if women are continuously sexually objectified male gamers will find it increasingly difficult to distinguish that between reality and gaming/media.

7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.
I believe it did have a problem as in film women were mostly given the same roles, eye candy or the damsel in distress. However this has changed due to the evolving social landscape where we see women have more developed roles resulting in more empowerment. This is also relevant with video games as where there may be examples of sexualisation there is also examples of female empowerment in games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Nier Automata and many others.