NOTES FROM IDENTITY, IDENTIFICATION AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION IN VIDEO GAME PLAY Shaw, A. (2010).

Identity, Identification and Media Representation in Video Game Play: An audience reception study (Doctoral dissertation). Publicly accessible Penn Dissertations. Paper 286.http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/286

http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/286
Shaw argues that because identity and the process of identification are complex, partial and dynamic, one cannot assume that video game players will identify with virtual characters or avatars on the basis of shared identifiers or characteristics. This holds true for players who are members of minority groups, which is Shaw's focus of investigation. Furthermore, many researchers have theorized that the interactivity of video game play makes identification stronger than in other media, but Shaw argues that is not necessarily the case. In fact, most of her interviewees did not deem identification as an important part of video game play. Interviewees' ability to identify with video game characters was influenced by a variety of factors, including the narrative of the video game, the context of game play, the physical activity involved in game play, etc... Shaw advocates for diversity in video games, rather than the pluralistic approach the video game industry has taken, marketing specific types of games to niche markets. Notes: to understand representation in video games, must recognize game text is not stable, depends on how one plays Aarseth (1997), video games are ergodic texts, require non-trivial work in order for readers/players to navigate through them analysis of game-as-playable text involves looking at the material offered by the game itself as well as the context of play

Some frameworks to understand representation in video games: Pinckard (2003) suggest that in order to understand gender representation in video games, one must examine the environment around the character outside the game: marketing, merchandising and advertising She also suggests looking at a) aesthetics of character b) programmatic aspects of character (character's choices, reactions, abilities, biases) c) multiplayer environment (other people's reactions to the character, interactions) Chan (2005) suggests that in order to understand race representation in video games, one must examine the aesthetics of the game, the other (enemies, nonplayer characters), the player (avatar, character) Shaw argues that narrative is important in understanding representation in video games

effects of platform and game code also important to consider, directs how a player can play within game space general consensus that best way to study video games somewhere along the ludology/narratology continuum Malaby (2007) argues that contingency is what makes games unique, mix of predictable and unpredictable outcomes (p. 25) Video game research often relies on deterministic relationship between identification as member of a group and identification with a character (p. 27), also makes assumption that identifiers are important to players no evidence that portrayals that are relevant to members of marginalized groups will affect prejudices and stereotyping of people not part of that group we cannot study game texts outside the complex relationship between players, games, and the greater milieu in which both exist and interact (p. 32)

The Gamer Identity gender, race/ethnicities and gender may affect how people relate to gamer identity, but Shaw's interviewees only mentioned gender in relation to whether or not they identified as gamers this may be related to the fact that video game representation is often discussed in relation to gender this tendency to focus on gender in research and marketing may influence how people view their relationship to gaming, and consequently exclude certain identities/gamers marking medium or audience as distinct acts as its own form of marginalization (p. 97) Robins & Askoy (2005) propose a model for studying media consumption that moves beyond closed notions of identities and investigates importance of experience in media consumption interviewees identified as a gamer or not depending on how much time they spent on games, but also in relation to what games they played (cultural capital symbols of gaming culture), their knowledge about games, and money spent on games gamer identity has negative and positive connotations in society negative connotation, such as viewing video games as guilty pleasure, affected whether or not interviewees thought that representation in video games matters

Identity, Identification & Video Games Hayes (2007) asserts that identities are partial, fragmentary unstable media representation research tends to rely on essentialized notions of identity solely textual approach to video games is problematic, because they are even less stable than other media

Giddings (2009) suggests to study event of game play rather than study games as texts, but Shaw argues this is also too narrow Must look at media texts, their production and reception, as well as understand audiences within the context of their who experience, across media, in relation to social systems games studies tends to focus on audiences as defined by a particular platform, rather than complex persons of varied media diets, lives and contexts (p. 58) research on representation and identification often conflates identifying as a member of a particular group with identifying with media character specific identities does not necessarily define identification with characters assumption that players identify with video game characters more due to interactivity interviewees reported identifying as and/or identifying with interviewees found that life experiences, similar histories and similar life approaches as more meaningful ways of identifying with fictional characters or media personalities, rather than gender, race, sexuality identifying with characters in relation to narratives of self (not only arising from shared identifiers like race, gender, sexuality) importance of recognizing disidentification, when one connects with a character become of some characteristic, but feels distanced from them based on another interaction does not necessarily demonstrate or require identification the act of playing obscures, and even supersedes, the process of identification with characters in some games most interviewees identify as character on-screen due to interactivity, but don't identify with the character in an emotional sense players often don't think about video game character, but only in terms of what they, the player, are doing Klimmt & Vorderer (2003) argue that video games demand attention and involvement, and thus players are potentially more present in them, therefore not enough distance to make judgements about texts, identification needs a level of distance level of embodiment, physical activity involved in game play, not correlated with level of identification Stromer-Gally (2004), concept of interactivity: a) interactivity-as-process, social interaction between people and b) interactivity-as-product, technological aspects of text that allows users to interface with a system (digital game, webpage), product interacts with process context of game play, including social interaction and distractions in environment, can impede identification ludic, body and social interactive properties of games may make players more self-referential and impede identification Newman (2002) argues that identity of game characters are only relevant in cut-scenes and not during action of the game

Shaw's research supports this, and interviewees often described avatars as puppets, not as characters to identify with, also choices in characters/avatars often strategic and not related to identification no clear correlation with identification with more developed characters, as interviewees were sometimes able to identify with less developed characters Staiger (2005), in discussing the work of Munoz, argues that cross-identity identification does not necessarily mean abandoning one's own identity most interviewees did not view identification as an important part of their video game consumption many interviewees reported realism as important to their identification with media representations, realism not often deployed in video games many interviewees reported aspirational identification, wanting to be like a specific character

* still must go through last chapter