First Comment
The first Pitch I looked at was Qinyu’s, who is looking at controversies in games, with a focus on the analytical framework of media archaeology, politics and violence.
Comment Summary:
- They didn’t provide a production schedule so I suggested they make one, to organise their content and posting for each week
- There was a clear outline of what analytical framework they would be basing their research on, but did not provide many actual sources, so I gave them a source for each concept
- One of the sources suggested was the week four reading to help with their research on media archaeology
- I provided an article discussing the political agenda in most video games, and how some are obvious about it, while other games are more subtle in their political messages
- Finally, I provided a source discussing the relationship between violence in adolescence and video games, as Qinyu stated their target audience was teenagers and middle schoolers, so I thought it was relevant to multiple aspects of their DA
I was a bit confused at first what their actual project was until I read the blog post a few times. After receiving my own feedback from peers, I noticed that I also made it a bit unclear what my intentions were for my DA, so I will be sure to clearly outline that in my Beta.
I also could have pointed them back to the week three lecture, or reiterated some points Chris made, to further engage their project with the subject materials.
Second Comment
The second Pitch I looked at was Caitlin’s, who is doing a shared DA, looking at aesthetics in games and posting their findings to an Instagram account and a blog.
Comment Summary:
- Their project focuses on game aesthetics, so I suggested a source that unpacks the importance of aesthetics in video games
- Their plan for gaining a following and user engagement was a little undeveloped, so I suggested a few more ways they can get engagement, such as using polls and questions in their Instagram stories, and hashtags
I definitely could have provided more sources and engaged with the subject materials more. However, the source I did suggest was also relevant to my own DA, which looks at aesthetics, so I will likely be using it for my own research.
Third Comment
Oryem’s was the last pitch I looked at. They made a TikTok account and YouTube channel looking at Mods in The Sims 4.
Comment Summary:
- The first thing I noted was that they didn’t share any sources they were looking at, so I suggested a source that discusses the practice of modding games
- I suggested they also look at the week 1 reading on textual analysis, which also applies to paratextual analysis, as their project is looking at paratext
- I then offered ideas for gaining further public engagement by asking their audience which types of mods they are interested in, to give a better idea of the content they should be putting out
Again, I could have engaged more with the lecture content.
Feedback I Got
Luke’s Comment:
“I hope the project you create doesn’t limit masculine and feminine gender constructs into stereotypes.”
It would help in my Beta to outline that not all the characters are inherently feminine, nor are they all women/cisgender. The concept of femininity is more paratextual (in the name and packaging) to make clear this game is targeted towards young girls, but not exclusively for them. In the most simple way I can explain it: when a parent is in Woolies looking through the toys section to bring home something for their children, they will see Feminines and instantly think of their daughter, as it is feminine-looking. However, the actual game and its contents does not care for femininity, masculinity, or any type of gender construct.
I also note in my Pitch that I will be looking at gender diversity, but did not note that this wasn’t just male and female, which I think is important to cover in the Beta.
Bonnie’s Comment:
“A little thing to consider for your blog posts might be to include an audio/visual element, as I remember Chris saying in a consult or one of his videos that it wasn’t enough to just write blog posts for the digital artefact.”
Bonnie raised an excellent point that blog posts aren’t enough, and there must be something more to my DA. Since my project for this semester is looking at the characters and the look of them, I think an Instagram account will be a great platform for this visual content, so I will make one to advertise my game and link to my blog and analyses.
They also included an interesting source about a card game for women that focuses on sexual harassment. This will be helpful to look into to help further my research and arguments around women in gaming communities.
Jacob’s Comment:
“I’d also recommend sharing your blogs on other social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram or even turning your series of blogs into a final audio/visual YouTube video.”
Jacob’s suggestion to promote my blog to other socials is a good idea. I could promote to Twitter and the Instagram account I have decided to make. I also like the idea of a summary video at the end of the semester, to outline the ways in which user feedback and research have influenced the final design of my characters.
Overall Conclusion:
Providing feedback made me realise I did not engage much with the weekly lectures, but rather just the readings. I will be looking over my lecture notes to see what can be applied to my own DA, and Beta presentation.
I also think my presentation lacked clear communication and could have done with better explanation of what I intended to do, as I seemed to have caused a bit of confusion around what my project actually was. This will be properly outlined in my Beta video.
Candace 