MS13: Video Games
Video games as a media form: genres, platforms, industry structure, representation, regulation, and the cultural significance of interactive media.
Video Games
Video games as a media form: genres, platforms, industry structure, representation, regulation, and the cultural significance of interactive media.
Key Fact: Video games are an interactive media form where players actively participate in constructing the narrative and experience, unlike passive media forms.
Key Fact: Game genres: action, RPG, FPS, sports, puzzle, simulation, adventure, strategy, horror, MMO. Genres set player expectations and guide marketing.
Key Fact: Platforms: console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo), PC, mobile, and cloud gaming. Each platform has different conventions, audiences, and business models.
Key Fact: Industry structure: AAA (major studio) games have budgets of $100m+; indie games are made by small teams with limited budgets. The industry generates more revenue than film and music combined.
Key Fact: Representation in games: historically stereotyped (male heroes, sexualised female characters, underrepresented minorities). Recent games have diversified, but problems persist.
Key Fact: PEGI (Pan European Game Information) classifies games by age rating (3, 7, 12, 16, 18) and content descriptors (violence, fear, drugs, bad language).
Key Fact: Interactivity is the key difference from other media forms — players make choices that affect the narrative, creating agency and personal investment.
Key Fact: Ludology vs narratology: should games be studied as games (systems, mechanics, rules) or as texts (stories, meanings, representations)? Both approaches are valuable.
Key Fact: Monetisation models: retail purchase, subscription (Xbox Game Pass), free-to-play with microtransactions, DLC (downloadable content), and season passes.
Key Fact: Esports: competitive gaming has become a major industry with professional players, tournaments, and large audiences. Esports events are broadcast on streaming platforms.
Key Fact: Addiction and effects: concerns about gaming addiction (WHO recognises 'gaming disorder'), violence in games, and online harassment. Research evidence on effects is contested.
Key Fact: Fan culture: modding (modifying games), fan art, cosplay, and online communities extend engagement beyond playing. Game studios increasingly involve fans in development.
📋 Key Vocabulary and Concepts
For Video Games, you must know:
- AAA game
- Indie game
- FPS
- RPG
- MMO
- PEGI
- Interactivity
- Microtransaction
- DLC
- Esports
- Ludology
- Narratology
- Procedural rhetoric
- Modding
- Game engine
❓ Practice Questions
Q: Why is interactivity the key difference between video games and other media forms?
Q: How are video games regulated in the UK?
Q: Evaluate the representation of gender in video games.
✅ Answers
- In video games, the player makes choices that directly affect the experience — where to go, what to do, how to respond. Unlike film or TV where the audience passively watches a fixed narrative, games give players agency. This creates personal investment and emotional engagement that passive media cannot replicate.
- Video games are classified by PEGI (Pan European Game Information), which assigns age ratings (3, 7, 12, 16, 18) and content descriptors (violence, fear, drugs, bad language). PEGI ratings are legally enforceable in the UK — it is illegal to sell an 18-rated game to someone under 18. The VSC Rating Board enforces PEGI in the UK.
- Historically, games have underrepresented and stereotyped women — male protagonists dominate, female characters are often sexualised or serve as 'damsels in distress'. Recent games have improved (e.g. Horizon's Aloy, The Last of Us's Ellie) with complex, non-sexualised female leads. However, the industry remains male-dominated and online gaming culture can be hostile to women. Progress is real but uneven.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Always identify the genre, platform, and target audience of any game CSP
- Discuss interactivity and how it creates meaning differently from passive media
- Use PEGI ratings when discussing regulation and audience
📝 Exam Technique
Media Studies Exam Tips — Video Games:
1. For Video Games, use media terminology precisely (e.g. connotation, denotation, representation, ideology)
2. Always analyse how media language creates meaning for specific audiences
3. Reference specific examples from set products to support your analysis
4. When evaluating Video Games, consider the role of media industries and cultural contexts
5. For extended answers, debate different interpretations before reaching your own
1. For Video Games, use media terminology precisely (e.g. connotation, denotation, representation, ideology)
2. Always analyse how media language creates meaning for specific audiences
3. Reference specific examples from set products to support your analysis
4. When evaluating Video Games, consider the role of media industries and cultural contexts
5. For extended answers, debate different interpretations before reaching your own
⚠️ Common Errors
✗ Video games are just entertainment with no cultural significance. ✓ Games are the largest entertainment industry globally, generate more revenue than film and music, shape cultural attitudes through representation, and have artistic merit (narrative, visual design, music). They are culturally significant media products.
✗ All video games are violent. ✓ While violence is common in some genres (FPS, action), many games are non-violent: puzzle games, simulation games, sports games, and narrative adventures. The diversity of game content is as broad as film or literature.
✗ Video games cause violence in real life. ✓ Research on the effects of game violence is contested. Major studies have not found a causal link between playing violent games and real-world violence. The American Psychological Association notes that while some studies find short-term aggression effects, evidence for long-term violent behaviour is lacking.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
Evaluate how video games represent social groups. Refer to your CSPs. [12 marks]
Video games have historically stereotyped social groups, but contemporary games increasingly offer complex, diverse representations. Gender representation has been particularly problematic. Female characters have been underrepresented as protagonists and overrepresented as sexualised objects or passive supporting characters. The 'male gaze' (Mulvey) is evident in character design that emphasises physical attractiveness over personality or agency. However, recent games feature strong female protagonists (e.g. Aloy in Horizon, Ellie in The Last of Us) who drive the narrative and are not defined by their appearance. Ethnic representation also has a troubled history. Non-white characters have been marginalised, stereotyped, or absent. When included, they are often supporting characters or villains. Recent progress includes more diverse leads, but the industry's workforce remains predominantly white and male, affecting whose stories are told. LGBTQ+ representation is growing but still limited. Some AAA games now include LGBTQ+ characters and romance options, but they remain a small proportion of all characters. Indie games have been more progressive in representing diverse sexualities and gender identities. Age and disability representation remains particularly poor. Elderly and disabled characters are rare, and when present, often serve as narrative devices rather than fully developed characters. Overall, while video game representations are improving, they lag behind other media forms. The interactive nature of games — where players 'become' the character — makes representation particularly impactful, as it shapes how players see themselves and others.
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
AO1 (Knowledge & Understanding): Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of video games, including key concepts, theories, and media contexts.
AO2 (Analysis & Evaluation): Analyse and evaluate video games using relevant theories and frameworks. Consider different perspectives and reach reasoned conclusions.
AO3 (Create): Apply understanding of video games to practical media production, demonstrating how theoretical knowledge informs creative decisions.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
🎬 Video Resources
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