Late last week, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed a new Zone of the Enders project. Fans of the sci-fi series have been waiting for Kojima to start work on a new Z.O.E. Thing is, he won't be doing much much work on it.
While he'll be acting as producer, Kojima won't be writing, designing, or directing the game. Instead, staff at Kojima Productions will be handling those duties.
Kojima will be offering his support. But as he is busy with his upcoming game, codenamed "Project Ogre", he cannot devote himself 110 percent to the new Z.O.E.
Hideo Kojima doesn't have to make Metal Gear Solid anymore, but he does have to make a new Zone of the Enders. Eventually.
Companies fail all the time, but this, this was different. For Brenda Laurel, it was personal.
Logistically, Purple Moon amounted to six years and $40 million dollars spent on research where thousands of kids were interviewed, and eight games were produced. Prior to 1996, when the company was created by Brenda Laurel, a pioneer extraordinaire within human-computer interaction fields, these kids had no voice.
Millions of little boys across the country were highly visible within video game culture, making them the primary demographic for game development companies.
Little girls though?
Studies continually pushed the idea that women just didn't like technology—or games.
The Girl Games Movement, which saw titles like Barbie Fashion Designer and Purple Moon's own Rockett Movado series rising to the top of the sales charts proved everyone wrong. Girls liked games too.
Even so, Purple Moon—and most of the companies that arose around the movement—disappeared. The questions that the movement elicited, though—like whether or not 'games for girls' should even exist, or what 'games for girls' even meant—are still topics of heated discussion today, despite better gender inclusivity.
When Laurel set off in 1995 to create an industry that listened to little girls, she had high hopes, according to her field manual on socially positive work, Utopian Entrepreneur. Games were a product-driven industry, and Laurel's personal directive was to do "culture work." She didn't want to make a game that would be popular in a room full of executives. She wanted to make a difference. She wanted to engage and nurture young women positively, address their social, cultural and narrative proclivities, to create popular culture that shaped values and informed citizenship. Instead, at the time, all she saw was an industry that liked making digital explosions.
The idea was that a more inclusive industry would be more progressive, yes, but also that games could function as a gateway for girls to become interested in tech fields—which are scarce on women.
Social responsibility is not lucrative though, and it definitely won't drive stock prices up. In the book Utopian Entrepreneur, Laurel wrote that she would sometimes lose her job just for suggesting games could be more than shooting and fighting. It wasn't until Interval Research Corporation gave Laurel a chance (and a lot of money) to dig her hands into the issue that the viability of a non-hypermasculine game was tested.
***
The conditions were just right for Purple Moon and the Girl Games movement.
She didn't want to make a game that would be popular in a room full of executives. She wanted to make a difference.
In the mid 1990's, the market, which had 90% of American boys playing console games, was saturated. Other markets had to be found, tapped into. Computer games, meanwhile, weren't colonized by Sega, Nintendo or Sony—which left computers and CD-Roms, now reasonably ubiquitous, as an available market. Getting girls to buy consoles might be a stretch, but they probably already had computers in the household. The trick was finding something they'd be interested in.
The inquiries Purple Moon fielded in their research were straightforward: why aren't girls playing games, and how can we make games for them? Previously, most attempts to court the elusive female market were imbued with assumptions: girls obviously like this and this (rainbows, unicorns, pink, etc). When games including these assumptions failed—there was literally a first-person shooter that moved at slower speeds than normal and had girls shooting marshmallows—companies would take that as evidence that there was no female market to have a stake in.
The "pink" games segment of the Girl Games movement managed to luck out despite working with similar assumptions. These games, like the highly popular Barbie Fashion Designer, were highly dependent on traditional values of femininity—addressing concerns about appearance, for instance. Barbie Fashion Designer was one of the highest selling games in the year it was released.
Purple Moon was a part of a "purple games" segment of the movement, which decided to just plain speak to little girls and see what they were interested in. The idea was to focus on the things that little girls actually cared about through ethnography and sociology—not what people thought they cared about. This meant going beyond surveys: the research followed the girls around, tried to get a sense of what their lives were like. It was a mix of qualitative information, like what made the girls insecure, and a mix of quantitative information, like how much television they watched.
This approach was controversial. Turns out, when you ask little girls what they care about, the subjects that come up are popularity, gossip, materialism, jealousy, cheating, lipstick, belonging, and exclusion. Not exactly the most feminist of subjects.
What Laurel created was a game that put values at the forefront. The game centered on choice and asked girls to think about what type of person they wanted to be in the real world. Since the game dealt with their day-to-day lives, it functioned as a type of 'emotional rehearsal.' Games with values were met with some concern by parents, who weren't sure if they should trust a game to teach kids about that sort of thing. In Utopian Entrepreneur Laurel explains that one of the important design mandates was to make sure that she didn't create a game where the 'right' choice told girls how they should behave. This was the danger of having games for girls—they could be a too prescriptive in how girls should perform their gender.
The idea of games "for girls" in and of itself seemed problematic, too.
Social responsibility is not lucrative though, and it definitely won't drive stock prices up. Laurel wrote that she would sometimes lose her job just for suggesting games could be more than shooting and fighting.
What type of girl are we talking about, exactly? Not all girls are the same. It's not as if girls can't like things outside of what research showed, either. Then again, all the research said was that it wasn't that girls disliked violence, they just tended to prefer strong stories and well-written characters and were more likely to stick with a game that provided that for them. Is that really so problematic? Did it help essentialize gender?
Brenda was surprised to find herself under fire from both game reviewers, who thought Rockett was a bad game and feminists, who didn't think games for girls should look like what Purple Moon created. Meanwhile, the little girls themselves, the ones that the games were actually made for? They tended to like the game. It was the adults who were bickering over the implications of "games for girls."
"By trying to do anything socially positive at all, the utopian entrepreneur opens herself up to the endless critique that she is in fact not doing enough," Laurel wrote in a retrospective on Purple Moon.
Delving into the specifics of 'gendered play' is an even deeper nightmare. Research kept showing the same thing: boys 'preferred' violence, competition, power fantasies and winning, whereas girls liked cooperation, narrative, characterization, and games that focused on the relationships between people and social dynamics. These findings were reinforced outside of the context of video game research, too.
Fun isn't gendered though...is it? Fun is fun...! Right?
Both genders are capable of liking the same elements of games, to be sure. Research likes to focus on differences, because the assumption is that there must irreconcilable differences between the genders. Research that is conducted solely to reinforce pre-existing ideals is problematic, though. Taking a closer look reveals that the overlap between what both genders like is bigger than the difference, according to a long series of research papers presented in the book Beyond Barbie & Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming.
Historically, however, gender has determined how 'play' manifests itself for little boys and girls just by nature of what boys and girls tend to be allowed to do by parents. The question, then, is whether or not games take it upon themselves to challenge these modes of play, or whether they should acquiesce to an alleged reality where genders have specific existing tastes and interests (though they are fluid, and they don't exist because of some intrinsic biological mandate,). Ignoring that we are socialized to perform gender in certain ways can be just as dangerous as enforcing problematic gender stereotypes.
This is all still widely disputed. What we know now, though, is that gender isn't the sole determinant of what games men and women like—context matters. Research shows that the most pivotal moment for kids, which determines how invested boys and girls are with technology and games, is around middle school. Age can be a bigger influence in what people like in games than gender as well. Wider aspects of games culture can affect whether or not women play games, too—from the marketing games sell themselves with, to the spaces in which games are played.
***
Ultimately, the Girls Game Movement and Purple Moon failed. For Brenda, who had invested so much of herself in the project, who envisioned a more inclusive, progressive future that she would pioneer, this was heartbreak. In the end, creating a successful product trumped humanistic work, as it always tends to. Purple Moon didn't perform to expectations, and ended up like many other companies that made "games for girls" — purchased by Mattel, who wanted to keep a monopoly on the market. The many retrospectives on that period of time make it clear that Laurel still looks back on this time wistfully, with much melancholy.
The movement itself was too focused on what made its games niche, and not what made the games good.
What we know now, though, is that gender isn't the sole determinant of what games men and women like-context matters. Age can be a bigger influence in what people like in games than gender
Perhaps it should have never been a matter of designing games that focus on a specific gender. Perhaps what was really needed was cognizance and accountability of what elements of a game may speak to gendered aspects we are socialized for, and to make sure the games the industry produces include something 'for' both genders.
Regardless, what was made clear was that the gaming was in dire need of different voices that spoke to different audiences—both because it's good for business, and because it's the 'humanistic' thing to do. Female voices are but one of the possible voices to include. Still, games made by women tend to perform well with both men and women alike, unlike games made solely by men. Unfortunately, not only are there less women in the development side of games, but women are much more likely to leave the industry than men are.
Whether or not Brenda Laurel had the right approach is debatable. The need for her type of work, which aimed to create a more inclusive games industry, as well as a desire to make a difference in the world, is still sorely needed. Most games still cater to a primarily to boys and men. The markets in which female gamers are the most present in—casual games, educational games, social games—and the types of games that emphasize 'what girls like' are highly denigrated by the hardcore crowd. That needs to change.
For the third year running, Osaka-based artist Ippei Gyoubu once again created the digital lady for the Tokyo Game Show. This year's theme is how smiling faces are connected with video games.
Check out 2011's poster and 2010's poster. Will Gyoubu's digital lady return for 2013? Oh, the suspense!
If you're going to go to the trouble of getting a carry case for your Nintendo 3DS, you may as well go all out and get this hitman-esque case from Japanese accessory-makers Actec.
It's going for almost $150, which given the size seems a bit much (even taking into account the cost blowout converting USD into Yen). But if you want to step onto a train and convince people you're about to go work, and not just go somewhere to play a bunch of handheld video games, it's also one of your only options!
Aside from, well, just sticking a 3DS inside a regular briefcase. But where's the fun in that.
Street vendors in China are a common sight—even those peddling their wares from the back of their car. These vendors sell everything from small animals to counterfeit handbags any thing that can fit in an automobile trunk.
This photo, taken by Darnell Gardner Jr. is of a street vendor in Gulou Beijing selling goods from his trunk. Apart from what you see inside (perfume, nail polish, and cellphone covers), this vendor is also advertising that he provides other goods. Each little cardboard strip denotes a product or service he provides. From iPhone 4s to 3D TV adapters, it seems this guy has everything.
Street vending in China is of course illegal and by the looks of this trunk, much of it's content is too.
A famous Chinese anti-gaming expert has his foot in his mouth after appearing at a "game tasting" event in Shenzhen last week.
Tao Hongkai, a professor studying addiction at Central China Normal University, has been around in China for ages giving seminars and talks about the evils of online gaming. But last week, it seems he has changed his tune. At a "game tasting" expo in Shenzhen on May 21, Tao posted five sequential micro-blog posts onto his Sina Weibo account. The posts in question were all about a game that he had demoed at the expo; however, unlike his normal anti gaming rants, he actually praised the games.
"I am very glad the game Shining Blade 2 can guide young people to experience war combat and teach them to fight the enemy with courage, this is the right direction of online game development edutainment health games, " Tao wrote on his micro-blog.
After his posts went online, Tao's weibo account was immediately bombarded with messages from gamers. Many of the messages were in the vein of "Shut up you hypocrite," or as user Ashibaba wrote "You're such a disgrace."
Chinese netizens were shocked and outraged by Tao's sudden change of heart. In the past, Tao berated online games as trivial and damaging to the health. Television network CCTV even did a special report on the man, calling the savior of Chinese gaming addiction (here is the not so damning English version).
The first reaction that many observers have pointed out was that Tao prostituted his morals, but the academic fervently denies that. Another idea is that Tao was promoting the game and the company because the game in question, Shining Sword 2, happens to be a "red game". Red Games are usually domestically made Chinese games that are super patriotic; normally, these games are situated during the Chinese civil war and the characters are members of the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army). In red games, the PLA never loses blood and never loses.
Tao has come to out to say that he hasn't changed his overall outlook on online gaming and that he doesn't officially endorse Shining Sword 2, but that the game is great, and his detractors should definitely try the game out. He also revealed that he was not paid to attend the expo or to endorse the game but was instead given what is commonly known in Chinese journalism as road fare (road fare in China is the habit of event organizers and companies giving journalists envelopes stuffed with cash to attend their event, normally an envelope has about 200 to 600 RMB or $31 to 94 USD ).
Whatever the case may be, Tao Hongkai has lost his credibility in both the anti-gaming addiction world and the pro gaming world and no amount of online posturing and reasoning can fix that.
Last week, a 50-something Chinese man got on his knees in Baishan City in Jilin Province, China. He begged a judge to grant him a divorce from his wife, even though the two recently retook their vows.
The man, Li Gang, makes about US$473 a month working, while his wife Wang Li is a home maker. The problems started to appear when Li would spend most of his free time playing online games and drinking with friends. Unhappy with what her husband was doing, Wang would berate him and hit him.
Being fed up with being told what to do, Li Gang, went out to internet cafes to drink and play games. At first, Li Gang ignored everything, but his wife's violence progressed. She started to use a real force, and she even cut Wang Li with a knife.
Unable to take the beatings anymore, Li Gang decided to file for divorce against his wife. When the courts summoned Wang Li, she did not appear; this prompted the presiding judge to dismiss Li Gang's case.
"Often times in these situations, the woman would refuse a divorce," said the judge.
Because of this, Li Gang got on his knees and begged for a divorce. Despite his plea, the judge did not grant the divorce.
A few weeks later the Women's Federation of China (a women's rights group) learned about the case, they went to Li Gang's home to investigate the incident. After confirming that Li Gang should be able to divorce his wife, they successfully appealed on his behalf in the courts.
When Li Gang heard that his divorce was finally granted and legalized, he gave his unemployed ex-wife $788 out of the goodness of his heart.
Recently, relations between Chinese and non-Chinese have become, to put it mildly, tense. Footage of foreigners apparently doing illicit and unpleasant things has only strained the relationship. This latest one won't help.
The clip features foreigner getting in an argument, spitting on a Chinese man, and then riding away on his bicycle. I do not know what the dispute was about or what either said. However, this dispute should not have ended this way.
Stuff like this not only makes the lives of your fellow foreigners even more difficult and unpleasant, it's shitty way to carry yourself and interact with others, regardless of their nationality.
Late last week, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed a new Zone of the Enders project. Fans of the sci-fi series have been waiting for Kojima to start work on a new Z.O.E. Thing is, he won't be doing much much work on it.
For Brenda, who had invested so much of herself in the project, who envisioned a more inclusive, progressive future that she would pioneer, this was heartbreak. In the end, creating a successful product trumped humanistic work, as it always tends to. Purple Moon didn't perform to expectations, and ended up like many other companies that made "games for girls" — purchased by Mattel, who wanted to keep a monopoly on the market. The many retrospectives on that period of time make it clear that Laurel still looks back on this time wistfully, with much melancholy.
For the third year running, Osaka-based artist Ippei Gyoubu once again created the digital lady for the Tokyo Game Show. This year's theme is how smiling faces are connected with video games.
