No Cover Image

E-Thesis 1146 views 844 downloads

Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games / LUCY LLOYD

Swansea University Author: LUCY LLOYD

  • Lloyd_Lucy_A_MA_Research_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf

    PDF | E-Thesis – open access

    Copyright: The author, Lucy Anne Lloyd, 2024.

    Download (4.58MB)

Abstract

The Girl Games Movement emerged in the 1990s with the aim to create appealing girls’ games to engage and maintain the female market with technology and video games (Ochsner, 2015). The success of Barbie Fashion Designer (1996) provided optimism for the movement; however, the same success could not b...

Full description

Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2024
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Master of Research
Degree name: MA by Research
Supervisor: Evans, Leighton
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68447
first_indexed 2024-12-03T19:48:15Z
last_indexed 2024-12-03T19:48:15Z
id cronfa68447
recordtype RisThesis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2024-12-03T13:21:18.2216249</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>68447</id><entry>2024-12-03</entry><title>Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys&#x2019; and girls&#x2019; games</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>d4d047bd104c9e0b5ec5c0f2db6aad89</sid><firstname>LUCY</firstname><surname>LLOYD</surname><name>LUCY LLOYD</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2024-12-03</date><abstract>The Girl Games Movement emerged in the 1990s with the aim to create appealing girls&#x2019; games to engage and maintain the female market with technology and video games (Ochsner, 2015). The success of Barbie Fashion Designer (1996) provided optimism for the movement; however, the same success could not be replicated, and the market persisted to be heterogeneous, embracing masculinity and rejecting femininity (Fron et al., 2007; Cassel &amp; Jenkins, 2000). The gender divide between players has been defined by Chess (2017); male players are Player One, and other minorities, in particular the female gender, are Player Two. Player Two are often seen as counterparts in all areas of video gaming from game design to gaming culture. Often femininity is associated with passive consumption and gender assumptions that influence the design of video games that are marketed towards feminine player bases. When feminine representation is depicted in video games, it is often designed as a counterpart to the masculine representing avatars and perpetuates beauty standards and feminine ideals. Despite there being video games uniquely designed for feminine player bases, the concern remains that their design is based on binary gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The video games designed for feminine player bases are referred to as pink games, however, there is no clear definition of what the video games constitute. The aim of this research is to analyse and compare the designs of video games that are published by Outright Games to establish the characteristics and overall definition of what makes a video game a pink game. The video games analysed were divided into two categories: (1) boys&#x2019; games: Ben 10: Power Trip (2020), Hotel Transylvania: Scary-tale Adventures (2022), The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (2021), and Trollhunters: Defenders of Acadia (2020), and (2) girls&#x2019; games: Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion (2022), JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party (2022), L.O.L. Surprise! B.B.s Born to Travel (2022), and Rainbow High: Runway Rush (2023). MDA Framework was implemented to understand the video games designs from a mechanic, dynamic and aesthetical (fun) perspective. Further, the Elemental Tetrad was included to provide an analysis of the sound and visual aesthetics, narratives and technology that create the player experience. And lastly, the visual analysis of the feminine representing avatars was conducted to establish themes of gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The results indicated that a pink game is a low-risk video game that encourages expression and fellowship with simple mechanics from which minimal dynamics emerge. The visual experience engages players through a cartoon art style with a feminine colour palette, depicting familiar experiences influenced by the Western world whilst engaging players with depictions of technology, mediums, and communication tools. Feminine-associated interests such as beauty and fashion are fundamental themes through the narrative and avatar design, with females representing avatars possessing complete agency throughout gameplay and often preforming stereotypical behaviours associated with gender roles. Where diverse representation emerges through physical appearances, there are themes of beauty standards and ideals that Western society influences embedded into avatar designs.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea, Wales, UK</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Girl Games Movement, Pink Games, Video Game Design, Players&#x2019; Experiences, Avatar Representation</keywords><publishedDay>5</publishedDay><publishedMonth>11</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2024</publishedYear><publishedDate>2024-11-05</publishedDate><doi/><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Evans, Leighton</supervisor><degreelevel>Master of Research</degreelevel><degreename>MA by Research</degreename><apcterm/><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2024-12-03T13:21:18.2216249</lastEdited><Created>2024-12-03T13:08:18.1375665</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR</level></path><authors><author><firstname>LUCY</firstname><surname>LLOYD</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>68447__33037__be4bfd8adef8494bac0bc59dc830d200.pdf</filename><originalFilename>Lloyd_Lucy_A_MA_Research_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2024-12-03T13:20:58.1272032</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4801937</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis &#x2013; open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>Copyright: The author, Lucy Anne Lloyd, 2024.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2024-12-03T13:21:18.2216249 v2 68447 2024-12-03 Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games d4d047bd104c9e0b5ec5c0f2db6aad89 LUCY LLOYD LUCY LLOYD true false 2024-12-03 The Girl Games Movement emerged in the 1990s with the aim to create appealing girls’ games to engage and maintain the female market with technology and video games (Ochsner, 2015). The success of Barbie Fashion Designer (1996) provided optimism for the movement; however, the same success could not be replicated, and the market persisted to be heterogeneous, embracing masculinity and rejecting femininity (Fron et al., 2007; Cassel & Jenkins, 2000). The gender divide between players has been defined by Chess (2017); male players are Player One, and other minorities, in particular the female gender, are Player Two. Player Two are often seen as counterparts in all areas of video gaming from game design to gaming culture. Often femininity is associated with passive consumption and gender assumptions that influence the design of video games that are marketed towards feminine player bases. When feminine representation is depicted in video games, it is often designed as a counterpart to the masculine representing avatars and perpetuates beauty standards and feminine ideals. Despite there being video games uniquely designed for feminine player bases, the concern remains that their design is based on binary gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The video games designed for feminine player bases are referred to as pink games, however, there is no clear definition of what the video games constitute. The aim of this research is to analyse and compare the designs of video games that are published by Outright Games to establish the characteristics and overall definition of what makes a video game a pink game. The video games analysed were divided into two categories: (1) boys’ games: Ben 10: Power Trip (2020), Hotel Transylvania: Scary-tale Adventures (2022), The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (2021), and Trollhunters: Defenders of Acadia (2020), and (2) girls’ games: Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion (2022), JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party (2022), L.O.L. Surprise! B.B.s Born to Travel (2022), and Rainbow High: Runway Rush (2023). MDA Framework was implemented to understand the video games designs from a mechanic, dynamic and aesthetical (fun) perspective. Further, the Elemental Tetrad was included to provide an analysis of the sound and visual aesthetics, narratives and technology that create the player experience. And lastly, the visual analysis of the feminine representing avatars was conducted to establish themes of gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The results indicated that a pink game is a low-risk video game that encourages expression and fellowship with simple mechanics from which minimal dynamics emerge. The visual experience engages players through a cartoon art style with a feminine colour palette, depicting familiar experiences influenced by the Western world whilst engaging players with depictions of technology, mediums, and communication tools. Feminine-associated interests such as beauty and fashion are fundamental themes through the narrative and avatar design, with females representing avatars possessing complete agency throughout gameplay and often preforming stereotypical behaviours associated with gender roles. Where diverse representation emerges through physical appearances, there are themes of beauty standards and ideals that Western society influences embedded into avatar designs. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Girl Games Movement, Pink Games, Video Game Design, Players’ Experiences, Avatar Representation 5 11 2024 2024-11-05 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Evans, Leighton Master of Research MA by Research 2024-12-03T13:21:18.2216249 2024-12-03T13:08:18.1375665 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR LUCY LLOYD 1 68447__33037__be4bfd8adef8494bac0bc59dc830d200.pdf Lloyd_Lucy_A_MA_Research_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf 2024-12-03T13:20:58.1272032 Output 4801937 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The author, Lucy Anne Lloyd, 2024. true eng
title Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
spellingShingle Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
LUCY LLOYD
title_short Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
title_full Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
title_fullStr Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
title_full_unstemmed Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
title_sort Defining Pink Games: The comparable analysis of the design, experience and visual representations in boys’ and girls’ games
author_id_str_mv d4d047bd104c9e0b5ec5c0f2db6aad89
author_id_fullname_str_mv d4d047bd104c9e0b5ec5c0f2db6aad89_***_LUCY LLOYD
author LUCY LLOYD
author2 LUCY LLOYD
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Media, Communications, Journalism and PR
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description The Girl Games Movement emerged in the 1990s with the aim to create appealing girls’ games to engage and maintain the female market with technology and video games (Ochsner, 2015). The success of Barbie Fashion Designer (1996) provided optimism for the movement; however, the same success could not be replicated, and the market persisted to be heterogeneous, embracing masculinity and rejecting femininity (Fron et al., 2007; Cassel & Jenkins, 2000). The gender divide between players has been defined by Chess (2017); male players are Player One, and other minorities, in particular the female gender, are Player Two. Player Two are often seen as counterparts in all areas of video gaming from game design to gaming culture. Often femininity is associated with passive consumption and gender assumptions that influence the design of video games that are marketed towards feminine player bases. When feminine representation is depicted in video games, it is often designed as a counterpart to the masculine representing avatars and perpetuates beauty standards and feminine ideals. Despite there being video games uniquely designed for feminine player bases, the concern remains that their design is based on binary gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The video games designed for feminine player bases are referred to as pink games, however, there is no clear definition of what the video games constitute. The aim of this research is to analyse and compare the designs of video games that are published by Outright Games to establish the characteristics and overall definition of what makes a video game a pink game. The video games analysed were divided into two categories: (1) boys’ games: Ben 10: Power Trip (2020), Hotel Transylvania: Scary-tale Adventures (2022), The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (2021), and Trollhunters: Defenders of Acadia (2020), and (2) girls’ games: Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion (2022), JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party (2022), L.O.L. Surprise! B.B.s Born to Travel (2022), and Rainbow High: Runway Rush (2023). MDA Framework was implemented to understand the video games designs from a mechanic, dynamic and aesthetical (fun) perspective. Further, the Elemental Tetrad was included to provide an analysis of the sound and visual aesthetics, narratives and technology that create the player experience. And lastly, the visual analysis of the feminine representing avatars was conducted to establish themes of gender assumptions and stereotypical depiction. The results indicated that a pink game is a low-risk video game that encourages expression and fellowship with simple mechanics from which minimal dynamics emerge. The visual experience engages players through a cartoon art style with a feminine colour palette, depicting familiar experiences influenced by the Western world whilst engaging players with depictions of technology, mediums, and communication tools. Feminine-associated interests such as beauty and fashion are fundamental themes through the narrative and avatar design, with females representing avatars possessing complete agency throughout gameplay and often preforming stereotypical behaviours associated with gender roles. Where diverse representation emerges through physical appearances, there are themes of beauty standards and ideals that Western society influences embedded into avatar designs.
published_date 2024-11-05T05:49:40Z
_version_ 1861514093514457088
score 11.1007185

Similar Items