For
many years the comic book industry hasn’t been treated as a boy’s club of
sorts. Most male characters are oddly proportioned muscle bags and the women
are all the fantasy of 15 year old teenagers. In fact, I would go as far as to
say that the comic industry is even more gender segregated that the games
industry. Fron characterized the game industry as,
” [a] adolescent male sensibility that transcends physical age and embraces highly stylized graphical violence, male fantasies of power and domination, hyper-sexualized, objectified depictions of women, and rampant racial stereotyping and discrimination.” [1]
It’s appropriate then that there is so much cross-over between the two, with the latest Endeavour being a new Batman game. At first glance the latest Batman game epitomizes what Laurel describes as “the chasing, shooting, fighting, exploding, hyper-male world of games” [2]. Sure there is one level of game-play where players are taking on 20 gang members at once, (handling them soundly I might add) in a combat system “focused on tactical agency and strategic exploitation of spatial constraints” [3]. Despite this masculine based game-play there is also another level to the Game. Throughout the game the Riddler is giving batman riddles. To solve the riddles players must explore that area, look for secrets, and uncover hidden alcoves. In other words, to complete this portion of the game, players must explore. Fullerton has said that while males tend towards more violent and action games, females are more inclined to play games with exploring [4].These exploring sections usually occur at a very slow pace. Since they are optional there are rarely any enemies and players can just focus on exploring the area. These sections slow down the pace and allow players to enjoy the expertly crafted visuals of the game. This section of the game-play actually reminded me the most of a game mode in Jenkins reading, “Secret Paths encourages us to stroke and caress the screen with our cursor, clicking only when we know where secret treasures might be hidden” [5]. Where the latest batman game truly shines is when it combines the action game-play with the exploration. There are numerous sections where the game puts you in a large room with a number of patrolling guards. The guards have guns so you can not take them head on. The players are encouraged to explore the area at a slower pace in order to discover the various idiosyncrasies of that particular room. By exploring the room you are given easier and more interesting ways of clearing the room. In my opinion, this is the kind of game-play Laurel was calling for when she stated that “a change must be made to allow for males and females to inhabit the gaming community.”
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