Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Metroid Prime 2: Echoes case study' and complete the following in-depth tasks.

Language

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

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

Seeing the props in the image; use of weapons straight away suggests that action is one of the genres of the game. Seeing aliens and surreal characters/insects also represents the sci-fi elements to the game. 

2) What does the cover suggest regarding gameplay and audience pleasures?

On the back of the cover, there's an image showing the screen spilt into 4 segments which shows the multiplayer element to the game meaning audience would be able to play i tin groups and not only individually. 

3) Does the cover sexualise the character of Samus Aran? Why/why not?

I believe the cover doesn't sexualise the character because you can't see her face or figure as she's dressed in a sci-fi suit which avoids sexualising the character and marketing her in a way to attract male gaze.

Trailer analysis

Watch the trailer for the game:

1) What do you notice about genre?

The trailer reflects a lot of the sci-fi genre through the characters shown and weapons which also links to the action genre.  

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

There's nothing that obviously shows Samus Aran is a female character which would be to make the game gender neutral and attract both genders to the game. Throughout the trailer there isn't much that reveals her gender nor sexualises her which is a big change for females in the video-games industry. 

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

There is some repetition this trailer has as there are typical conventions that you'd find in a sci-fi/action video-game trailer such as use of weapons, the colour theme scene throughout, the non-diegetic sound etc. The difference would be using a female protagonist and not revealing the gender during the game to keep it neutral and non-sexual. 

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:

1) What does the gameplay for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes involve?

The gameplay includes first person shooter giving audience control over what the protagonist does in the game and gives them a real feel of being in the game and a sense of escapism. 

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.

As a game that gives a first person shooter experience to audience, their visuals are close to a hand held camera angle and is designed to be seen as the view being Samus Aran. In terms of mise-en-scene; although the setting is dark, the weapons and the characters give off bright and powerful colours which reflects the sci-fi genre. 

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.

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.

For a Nintendo game, the target audience for Metroid Prime 2 is quite different as this game includes more action and is more for teenage and young adults rather than children as it has similarities to other games such as Call of Duty. 

2) How has Nintendo’s audience changed since the original Metroid game in 1986?

Nintendo's target audience has changed as they seem to be aiming their games at different age groups now rather than only targeting younger audience. This could be because those that played Nintendo games when they were younger would still want to play it as they grow up so Nintendo have created content a bit more mature for them. 

3) What audience pleasures are offered by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or the wider Metroid franchise?

Metroid Prime 2 offers audience pleasures such as personal identity, diversion and personal relationships. 

4) What effects might Metroid have on audiences? Apply media effects theories (e.g. Bandura’s social learning theory, Gerbner’s cultivation theory).

Metroid may have an effect on the way in which audience view women as they are represented in a more positive and bold way in this game in-comparison to other videogames where they sexualise women and use them as an object to attract male gaze. 

Read this Gamesparks feature on gaming demographics and answer the following questions:

1) Who is considered to be the stereotypical gamer?

The stereotypical gamer would be a adolescent male. 

2) What has changed this?

The growth in technology and being able to play games on smartphones has had an impact on this as over the years around 50% of gamers are now women. 

3) What role do women play in the videogames market? Quote statistics from the article here.

Women contribute to the success of video games as  50% of gamers are female.
According to statistics, only 37%- men own a games console.

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

In this generation, the age of the average gamer is 35. This has increased over the years as those who grew up playing videogames still continue to play them as they age even if the pleasures they get out of playing could change over years. 

5) What does the article suggest regarding audience pleasures and expectations for different generations of gamer?

The article talks about how the younger generation gets more satisfaction and pleasure out of the idea of competition and playing to win which then changes over the years as they get older and older. Many older audiences play to gain the pleasure and satisfaction of re-living their childhood. 

Industries

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

1) Why has Metroid never quite fitted with the Nintendo brand?

It doesn't quite fit into Nintendo as Metroid belongs to the sci-fi genre which is different to the usual genre of the games Nintendo produces. 

2) What franchises have overtaken Metroid in the sci-fi hyper-realism genre in recent years?

New franchises such as:
- Halo
- Mass Effect
- No Man's Sky

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 similarity is that both boy bands and videogames eventually lose their popularity when newer products in the same industry come alone and take over.

4) What is an ‘AAA’ or ‘triple-A game’ in the videogames industry?

5) Do you think there will be further Metroid games featuring Samus Aran? Should there be?

I believe that Samus Aran would still feature in future Metroid games as she has become a popular and iconic character that represents women empowerment. 

Representation

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

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

The game structure and the uniquness of the reward. The aim of the game was to finish as soon as possible and once this was done they had the reward of Samus Aran's face being revealed which is when they came to find the character is actually a female and not a male.

2) What were the inspirations behind the gameplay and construction of Metroid?

Metroid does include some intertextuality as the main objective of the game to finish as fast as possible comes from other games including Nintendo games such as Mario Kart where in order to get to the finish line first, you need to drive as fast as you can. 

3) Why are the endings to the original Metroid considered controversial?

As the reward was seeing Samus Aran take her clothes off and reveal her body depending on how long you took to finish the game which reinforced the idea of sexualising women in videogames.

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?

Although players would've been shocked to see that it was a women that was the main character as the role would traditionally be expected to be played by a male. There wouldn't have been much controversy about seeing her in a bikini as it was normal for women to be sexualised especially in the media and there weren't as many feminists fighting against this. 

5) How have later versions of the Metroid franchise sexualised the character of Samus Aran?

In later versions of Metroid there hasn't been any obvious sexualisation of Samus Aran as they've changed the reward system and you don't see Samus Aran taking her clothes off according to how fast you finished the game anymore.

6) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen’s work to Samus Aran and Metroid?

Van Zoonen's theory is that gender is structured through society and the media. Metroid provides evidence for her theory as it comes to show when players get shocked seeing that Samus Aran is a female at the end of the game as they typically expect a male to take on that sort of role. 

7) What did Brianna Wu suggest regarding the character of Samus Aran?

8) Do you see Samus Aran as a feminist icon or simply another exploited female character?

I see Samus Aran as a feminist icon following the changes in newer metroid games as she is no longer sexualised in the games and is the first female protagonist in the videogames industry. 
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?

The female reveal of Samus Aran's increasingly naked body is used as a reward for male skill

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'.

3) Why is Samus Aran useful for male gamers trying to argue videogames are not sexist?

Because she is an empowering female character doing and playing traditionally male roles in games.

4) Why are Lara Croft, Zelda and Peach not ideal examples to argue for female equality in videogames?

Because they have clearly been sexualised in videogames for male players to gain pleasure rather than to show a strong and powerful female. 

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’? 

The idea of coming to find out Samus is a female as the reward for winning can make men see women as just prizes for their achievements rather than respecting them as individuals. 

7) Does the videogame industry have a problem with gender? Provide evidence for your argument.

Other than Samus Aran, majority of female characters in the videogames industry are sexualised and used for male gaze and to attract male gamers as playing videogames is typically seen as a male's thing to do.